Last Tuesday, at the Dassault Falcon Jet hangar at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, aviation industry representatives met with New Jersey politicians and representatives of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to celebrate the fruits of a unique effort. Two years ago, a group of Teterboro Airport users, FBOs and local residents’ representatives formed a working group to address conflicts surrounding increased jet traffic at the airport. Teterboro sits within some of the most densely populated real estate in the country. It is also the closest general aviation airport to Manhattan, and is popular among visiting aircraft operators for that reason. Facing determined resistance from local residents and politicians, Teterboro users agreed to participate in the working group. The Teterboro Airport Industry Working Group accumulated more than 300 signatories, who offered the following concessions to the community: a voluntary ban on Stage II aircraft; a voluntary ban on nonessential flights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.; a commitment not to operate aircraft with maximum takeoff weights of greater than 100,000 pounds; a pledge to make Teterboro among the safest airports in the country; and a pledge to “enhance and refine” security procedures already in place. Since the working group began, Stage II flights are down by 43 percent and night flights have been reduced by 16 percent.
Teterboro Working Group Lauds Results
