FAA Approves Plan to Switch East Hampton Airport to Private Use

The town of East Hampton has tried for years to limit airport activity in light of noise complaints.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 at 08:31 AM ET

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The temporary closure of East Hampton Airport is now scheduled for May 17. [Friends of the East Hampton Airport/Facebook]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has approved East Hampton Airport (KHTO) to temporarily close on May 17th and reopen as a private-use facility on May 19th.
After reopening, the airport, to be renamed East Hampton Town Airport, will operate under town regulations requiring pilots to apply for permission, aiming to mitigate community impacts.
This change is a direct response to years of resident complaints about airport noise, particularly from helicopters and jets, and was enabled by the town allowing its FAA grant assurances to expire.

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The FAA has cleared the way for a plan to temporarily close East Hampton Airport (KHTO) on New York’s Long Island and reopen it as a private-use facility.

Under the plan outlined in FAA and East Hampton documents, the town will deactivate the airport on May 17 and reopen it for private use on May 19. Town officials also intend to change the airport’s name to East Hampton Town Airport. After the reopening, pilots wishing to use the airport will have to apply for permission.