Judge Rules that East Hampton Airport Cannot be Privatized or Closed; Plaintiffs Cheer Decision
Edited by: TJVNews.com
It appears that the town of East Hampton that attracts highly affluent folks as well as a bevy of celebrities will not be able to close or privatize its airport, a judge has ruled, according to a report in the New York Post.
The legal ruling ends a months-long battle over the fate of the tarmac. In February of this year, it was reported that local East Hamptons board members had been working on a scheme to close the town airport and to quickly reopen it as a private, town-controlled airport, just for private jets and helicopters. Temporarily closing the airport would also allow the town to collect $10 million from a Federal Aviation Administration fund.
As reported by the NY Post in early February, the plan hit a snag when the board got a fiercely-worded letter from the FAA. “The FAA was furious. They felt that they were strong-armed,” a New York aviation insider told the Post. “It’s extremely rare that the FAA ever sends a letter like this.”
In January, the posh town’s board had voted to close the public East Hamptons Airport on Feb. 28, and then reopen it March 4. The board figured the short closure wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience for high-flying residents with their private jets, and they hoped to reopen under town ownership. Affluent residents would be happy to keep the airport for their own use, but be rid of the noisy commercial jets that come in to the two runway airport, which was first opened in 1937. Plus, the town would cash in on the FAA’s fund for the closure.
As per the Post, the FAA’s letter, which was sent earlier this year to town executive Peter Van Scoyoc and BCC’d to numerous interested parties, threatened against moving forward with the plan. In the letter, the FAA warned that the plan may “violate federal appropriations law” and said it could cost the organization money it can’t spare. Also, the FAA warned that it’s unlikely they will be able to reopen in less than a week, but that it might take up to two years to reopen as a town airport—if ever. Super-rich residents, who own their own aircrafts, would not stand for such a long closure, and this possibility would spell serious trouble for the town officials.
“I moved my business here which operates worldwide… because of the airport,” said Metal mogul Andy Sabin, who has been coming to the Hamptons for nearly 50 years and anchored his business there. He said if the airport should be shuttered he would consider moving his business to Florida, Texas or South Carolina.
“The FAA letter finally clarifies the true reality of closing the East Hampton airport and just some of the damaging unintended consequences,” said Loren Riegelhaupt, a spokesperson for the Eastern Region Helicopter Council.
Suffolk County Judge Paul Baisley on Wednesday ruled against the privatization, saying it “acted both beyond its legal abilities and in an arbitrary and capricious manner” when dividing its plan, the Post reported.
Baisley said the town plan violated New York environmental law, which would have mandated an environmental impact study before the airport reopened — not afterward as the town was planning, as was reported by The Post.
The judge also said the town’s plan to set curfew would be illegal, saying it “fails to comply with…procedural requirements for adopting noise and access restrictions,” according to the Post report.
The plaintiffs in the case were pleased with the judge’s ruling. Speaking to the Post, Blade Air Mobility CEO Rob Wiesenthal said, “While scheduled Hamptons flights only represent about 6% of our revenues, we are pleased with the court’s decision and hope it leads to constructive discussions between the town and all airport stakeholders.”
Another plaintiff, East End Hangars Inc. Board President Steven Dunaif, told the Post, “we never wanted to file a lawsuit, but the Town continually disregarded our concerns over privatizing the airport, making litigation our only option. We are hopeful that Town leaders can bring our community together and reach a legal solution that benefits all of East Hampton,” he continued.
