Susan Baer, new aviation director for the Port Authority, didn”™t mince words: the Port Authority is not recession-proof, and Stewart International Airport is not the only airport stinging from one of the most severe recessions the country has experienced. But she pledged to more than 200 business leaders and politicians in the audience at Anthony”™s Pier 9 in New Windsor on Nov. 3 that the agency is committed to its “baby” and will do whatever it can to grow business and lure in new airlines until the economy takes a turn for the better.
Baer, second in command to William DeCota, was chosen to replace him after his unexpected death in September. “I”™d be remiss by not remembering how energized and excited Bill was by this acquisition ”“ he saw it as his legacy to the Port Authority”™s aviation history,” said Baer, who promised she”™d stay on track with DeCota”™s plans for Stewart.
“I would have liked to be running Stewart in a great economy, but the impact of the recession has hurt all airports, particularly smaller regional airports; Stewart is in a great location and will eventually deliver what”™s anticipated. Airports are great economic engines and we expect Stewart to be the same for the mid-Hudson once we start to come out of this deep recession.”
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey ”“ usually referred to as the PA ”“ has already invested $100 million in its first two years as airport lease holder. Baer said, “There was a ”˜disinvestment”™ in the facility by the former management.” Subsequently, she said, remedial work was undertaken, including sewage and wastewater upgrades and expanded parking lots: essential but not particularly “sexy.”
The PA”™s most important task is “getting more flights,” said Baer. “We don”™t fly the airplanes, but we are working on our relationships with carriers every day and advocating for Stewart.” Armed with statistics to show airlines the catchment area the airport offers and where its downstate passengers are coming from, the PA hopes to attract new carriers to the airport, although similar services available at Westchester County Airport make the sale more difficult.
The new Exit 17 roadway infrastructure on the Thruway, now linked with I-84 and its direct entrance into Stewart, makes the airport attractive to cargo carriers. Charter flights, said Baer, are also a good match for Stewart and not just just pie-in-the-sky hopes. She was meeting later that day with Woodbury Common officials to talk about bringing in charter flights for shopaholics from other countries who spend millions a year in the 220-store outdoor shopping mecca.
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The PA remains committed to the $500 million it originally pledged to invest in Stewart when it took it over in November 2007, said Baer, although the funds may come in slower than the agency had anticipated. Currently, the PA is readying to build out its federal inspection area in anticipation of international flights coming in. “That will be our next big project,” said Baer.
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Baer said the PAÂ will continue to work with the master plan approved by the FAA when National Express Group held the lease on the airport, tweaking it as necessary.
Does Albany Airport offer tough competition for Stewart? Baer said it really didn”™t play out in the equation. “We have two airports in Queens 12 miles away from each other. They each serve their purpose and are not ”˜competing”™ for travelers.” Westchester County Airport, however, “does offer competition because many of its carriers offer direct flights and more of them.” Baer said Stewart will get to a level playing field once the worst of the recession is behind the country.
To help raise funds to keep up with improvements, a $4.50 surcharge will be coming to passengers flying out of Stewart as soon as the PA gets the approval. The surcharge is already in effect at its other downstate airports.
Baer also stressed the PA”™s commitment to having the World Trade Center memorial completed in time for the 10th anniversary of the attacks at the site. “It is a priority to get this done on time and on budget.”
After the breakfast, James Wright, chairman of the public-private Stewart Airport Commission, said it was “reassuring the PA is pushing Stewart to airlines that fly out of their other airports. We really can”™t ask for more than that.”
