The town had planned to close the airport and reopen it 33 hours later as a private-use facility, requiring pilots to obtain permission before landing. [Photo: NBAA]
Key Takeaways:
East Hampton's plan to privatize its airport (KHTO) and impose flight restrictions due to community noise complaints was blocked by multiple lawsuits from aviation businesses.
The town now indicates that these lawsuits have forced it to consider the more extreme measure of permanently closing the airport.
The conflict stems from long-standing noise issues, and any future reopening of the airport would likely require new "commonsense regulations" and significant compromises.
A strong push to keep East Hampton Airport open to the public may have backfired.
The town of East Hampton on New York’s Long Island raised the ire of pilots and aviation businesses late last year when it began discussing plans to change East Hampton Airport (KHTO) to a private-use operation requiring permission before landing.
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Jonathan Welsh is Lead Editor of Aviation Consumer and a private pilot who worked as a reporter, editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal for 21 years, mostly covering the auto industry. His passion for aviation began in childhood with balsa-wood gliders his aunt would buy for him at the corner store. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanWelsh4
