Wed, May 14, 2008
FirstFlight Has Never Operated Heliport In Big City
The decision by officials in New
York City to award a Wall Street heliport to an upstate company has
drawn the ire of other helicopter operators in the city, and
resulted in a lawsuit.
The New York Times reports Elmira-based FirstFlight has never
operated a heliport in a major metropolitan area... but was
selected by the city's Economic Development Corporation to operate
the Downtown Manhattan/Wall Street Heliport (JRB) over a rival bid
by established operator Atlantic Aviation.
Operating rights for the heliport came available after the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey opted to discontinue
operations at the East River location, adjacent to the financial
district. Several companies bid for the lucrative concession, until
officials narrowed the field down to Atlantic and FirstFlight.
Another bidder for the contract was Linden Airport Management
Corporation, which runs a New Jersey field that caters to
helicopter operations. The company filed suit against the city
April 22, claiming the bidding process raised "serious issues
relating to the integrity and legality of how contracts are awarded
in the City of New York by state actors influenced by political
considerations to the detriment of professed bidding
procedures."
Linden claims impropriety because one of FirstFlight's directors
is Alvin Trenk, whose family controls another company, Air Pegasus,
which runs the West 30th Street heliport (JRA). Trenk's son Jeffrey
was once a director, and also holds authority over Air Pegasus; the
company's chairman is attorney William Wachtel, who owns a Hudson
River ferry service.
Tour operators say they don't want Air Pegasus to have control
over two out of three major heliports in the New York area.
A spokeswoman for the EDC said it followed standard procedures
in awarding the bid to FirstFlight... but declined to explain what
factor influenced the decision to give FirstFlight the
contract.
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