The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has added Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, NY., to its roster.
The reaction in Connecticut to the Nov. 1 takeover?
“Ecstatic ”“ that”™s the word I”™d use,” said Steven Bull, president of the 1,200-member Danbury Chamber of Commerce. “The Port Authority running Stewart is going to be a tremendous amenity for area business and passenger travel. Right now, we rely on Bradley International in Windsor Locks, Westchester County Airport in White Plains or points farther south.
“Stewart is going to be run by an agency that runs airports and knows how to do it well,” said Bull. “It will help us attract business and at the same time, will be attractive to businesses already established here.”
The Port Authority took over the airport after paying $78.5 million on the remaining 93 years of the 99-year lease National Express Group bought in 1999 for $35 million.
While Port Authority officials have remained mum on the exact role Stewart International will play in its lineup of LaGuardia, Newark, JFK and Teterboro airports, its entry is expected to bring relief to the notorious backlogs and overcrowded airspace those airports experience.
“We see its incredible potential and as we move forward and develop the airport we expect to have a lot of success bringing new carriers in,” said Marc Lavorgna, Port Authority spokesman. “We”™re in a very good position to do that, since we talk to them every day,”
Stewart fever was already starting to build when the announcement came JetBlue and Air Tran were coming and would be offering direct flights from Newburgh to Florida every day. Within months, Stewart”™s historically low passenger numbers tripled.
“Passenger service in September was 56,016,” said Carol Smith, Stewart”™s customer care manager. “In September 2006 it was 22,160; we”™ve seen a 161 percent jump in use.”
John D”™Ambrosio, Orange County (N.Y.) Chamber of Commerce president, said: “The numbers of people using the airport now speak for themselves. We have every confidence that Stewart will create jobs and build a better economy for the entire region, not just Orange County,” where the 2,400-acre airport is based.
One common denominator shared by the mid-Hudson counties and their neighbors in Connecticut is proximity to Stewart: Most are within a one-hour drive, making Stewart an attractive alternative to current flight options.
Lavorgna said the connector road linking the new Drury Lane exit off Interstates 87 and 84 will make getting in and out of the airport much easier. Tentatively named International Boulevard, the connector road, along with Drury Lane, is expected to be completed and ready “before the Christmas holidays.”
Stewart”™s current entrance on Route 207 will become a “back door” to the airport once the Drury Lane main entrance is opened.
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