Westchester, Airlines, Close To Deal On Limiting Traffic

New York's Westchester County is putting the finishing touches on a plan to limit the number of flights into and out of its airport -- forever.

The county is negotiating with 13 airlines to seal a deal first cooked up in 1984. The County Board of Legislators extended the 10-year Terminal Capacity Agreement in 1994. It's due to expire at the end of this year.

"We think it is an exceptional deal," said Transportation Commissioner Larry Salley in an interview with the Westchester Journal-News. "The county executive set out a goal to make these restrictions permanent so that the neighbors surrounding the airport and the people in Westchester in general would benefit. I think we've come a long way to achieving that."

The final agreement, designed to be very much like the one now in place, limits the number of take-offs and landings to four every half-hour. Each flight would carry no more than 240 passengers. When one of the 13 airlines now serving Westchester drops a flight, another will be added in its slot by a lottery.

"I represent a community that is very concerned and sensitive," said Legislator Martin Rogowsky (D-Harrison). His district encompasses many of the airport's neighboring communities. "There's no doubt I am pleased with what (Salley) has told me. It looks as if we're getting the four flights, the 240 passenger count ... the most important current restrictions."

Rogowsky said the new agreement could be in effect for as long as 20 years.

The FAA has largely stood by and watched the situation unfold over the past 20 years. "If the airlines voluntarily reduce their scheduled flights, that's their decision," FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

FMI: www.westchestergov.com/airport