East Hampton ponders closing airport

The airport generates millions of dollars in taxes and revenue for local businesses, but generates plenty of complaints too

East Hampton Airport (Google Maps, Wikipedia/Americasroof)
East Hampton Airport (Google Maps, Wikipedia/Americasroof)

The East Hampton Town Board is taking up one of the town’s most contentious issues — what to do with East Hampton Airport.

It’s possible the airport, which wealthy visitors and residents frequently use to avoid the notorious Hamptons traffic (or just save a few minutes), could close as soon as September, according to the New York Post.

The town has certain obligations to the Federal Aviation Administration — including allowing commercial flights — because of a funding agreement with the feds. That agreement expires in September, giving the town a number of options for the 600-acre property.

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Some people want the town to shutter and redevelop it as a public park. Another option is banning commercial flights, which consultants said would result in a $3 million to $7 million loss in annual revenue, according to the East Hampton Star.

People who arrived at the airport in 2019 spent roughly $20 million in the town during their stays. But the airport also generated 47,000 noise complaints from the end of June through September of that year, mostly because of helicopters.

[NYP] [East Hampton Star] — Dennis Lynch