The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey overcame a significant hurdle in its bid to install a fourth major New York City airport yesterday (February 26).
Stewart International Airport in the Hudson Valley, around 60 miles north of Manhattan, welcomed around 300,000 passengers last year, but is on track to handle around 1.5 million each year, in long-term plans to ease congestion in JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports.
Senate approved plans for the Port Authority to acquire Stewart last week, and an Assembly Committee gave its backing yesterday to a $78.5 million, 93-year lease of the former Air Force base.
The three main airports in and around New York City handled in excess of 100 million passengers last year, a figure projected to reach more than 150 million within the next 18 years.
“We will continue to make major investments at JFK, Newark, and LaGuardia, but eventually, we are simply going to run out of room,” said Eliot Spitzer, New York Governor, last month.
“Stewart International Airport will provide much-needed relief for our three major airports, greatly reduce delays and help us prepare for inevitable population and passenger growth.”
The Port Authority hopes to take control of the Newburgh airport – which is currently served by AirTran Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways – by October.
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