Press Release Article

PORT AUTHORITY PRAISES CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS FOR COMMITMENT TO PROTECT TETERBORO AIRPORT COMMUNITIES

Date: Jan 29, 2004
Press Release Number: 8-2004

Port Authority Chairman Anthony R. Coscia praised the announcement today by New Jersey Congressman Steve Rothman regarding the enactment of federal legislation protecting the bistate agency’s longstanding policy restricting access to Teterboro Airport by larger aircraft.

Chairman Coscia said, “Under the direction of Governor McGreevey, the Port Authority has worked closely with Congressman Rothman to oppose any attempts by the FAA to allow larger planes, like Boeing 737 Business Jets, to use Teterboro Airport. That is why the agency enacted a policy more than 30 years ago to restrict larger planes from using the airport.

“We thank Congressman Rothman and Senators Corzine and Lautenberg for their leadership in securing this legislation – the first of its kind in the nation – that will protect the citizens of Bergen County and keep Teterboro Airport operating as a general aviation facility,” Chairman Coscia said.

The Port Authority, working with federal, state and local officials, has aggressively pursued protecting Teterboro Airport from federal requirements to accept aircraft weighing more than 100,000 pounds, out of concerns about impacts on the surrounding community and the airport’s infrastructure.

Teterboro Airport plays a vital role in the Port Authority’s four-airport system. The region’s financial and medical services rely heavily on Teterboro Airport.

Teterboro Airport accommodates 80 percent of the general aviation flights into and out of the Port Authority’s airports. As a result, general aviation pilots do not have to use the Port Authority’s commercial airports. Teterboro Airport’s existence reduces flight congestion and delays for the 83 million passengers who fly on commercial aircraft at Kennedy, Newark and LaGuardia airports in a typical year.

Teterboro Airport is a major economic engine in Bergen County. More than 1,200 men and women work at Teterboro Airport; 94 percent of them live within 15 miles of the airport. The airport’s operations contribute $500 million to the region’s annual economy.

The Port Authority has instituted several policies to minimize impacts of the airport’s operations on surrounding community, including:

A 100,000-pound weight limit on all aircraft that fly into and out of Teterboro Airport. The Port Authority has successfully defended this limit against challenges from the aviation industry.

A ban on scheduled service at the airport.

A ban on all Stage 1 general aviation aircraft – the oldest, noisiest and most polluting planes.

Longtime support of Congressman Steve Rothman’s legislation that would ban Stage 2 aircraft at Teterboro.

A voluntary curfew on overnight flights into and out of Teterboro.

A “three strikes” rule. The Port Authority has posted noise-monitoring equipment in towns surrounding the airport. If an aircraft receives three noise violations, it is banned from Teterboro Airport for life.

Investing $92.4 million to make Teterboro Airport more efficient. This investment includes $44.9 million to improve the airport’s taxiways, which will create shorter taxi routes for aircraft. This will reduce taxi and queue times for planes, cutting noise and pollution.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey operates many of the busiest and most important transportation links in the region. They include John F. Kennedy International, Newark Liberty International, LaGuardia and Teterboro airports; AirTrain JFK and AirTrain Newark; the George Washington Bridge; the Lincoln and Holland tunnels; the three bridges between Staten Island and New Jersey; the PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) rapid-transit rail system; the Downtown Manhattan Heliport; Port Newark; the Elizabeth-Port Authority Marine Terminal; the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island; the Brooklyn Piers/Red Hook Container Terminal; and the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. The agency also owns the 16-acre World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. The Port Authority is financially self-supporting and receives no tax revenue from either state.