Westchester County Airport receives $234K in federal funding
The Westchester County Airport will receive $234,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for airport upgrades, U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand announced on Friday.
In a statement, Schumer said the funds will go toward upgrading the airport’s access road, which he said will help ease traffic in the area.
“Keeping the Westchester County Airport in top-notch shape is critical for residents and Westchester businesses who regularly use this airport,” Schumer said. “These federal dollars will go a long way toward helping the county make much-needed upgrades to the airport”™s access road.”
The funding for repairs is part of the federal Airport Improvement Program and is administered by the DOT”™s Federal Aviation Administration. The program provides grants to public agencies for the development of public-use airports across the country included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.
“This funding will help support critical infrastructure upgrades to Westchester County Airport,” Gillibrand said. “Westchester County Airport is vital economic anchor that businesses and travelers rely on every day.”
The airport, which is owned by Westchester County, has six commercial airlines and also serves private pilots. Its terminal was completed in 1995. The airport’s busiest carrier, JetBlue, served 700,000 passengers in the 2013-14 fiscal year.
“The Westchester County Airport is a first-class regional airport and a critical element for local business development,”said Michael Kaplowitz, chairman of the county Board of Legislators. “It also serves the tourists and families traveling for pleasure in and out of the lower Hudson Valley and metropolitan New York.”