Hamptons Airport Feud Escalates as FAA Warns of ‘Consequences’
- Wealthy town plans to cut traffic at airport to reduce noise
- It’s ‘the 1% vs. the 0.1%,’ says professor who studied airport
Passengers prepare to board a helicopter at East Hampton Airport in 2017.
Photographer: Frank Eltman/AP Photo
Millionaires are keeping up their fight against billionaires in East Hampton on New York’s Long Island, with the town vowing to move ahead with plans to restrict airport traffic even after the Federal Aviation Administration warned of obstacles that might slow the process down.
The town board last month voted unanimously to deactivate its airport at the end of February after residents across Long Island complained about noise for years -- objections that have grown louder as ride-share apps make helicopter and plane travel easier. The plan was to reopen it as a more limited-use facility on March 4, with pilots only able to land with prior permission.