Like its counterparts, Stewart International Airport in the town of New Windsor is waiting for the economy ”“ and consumer spending ”“ to bounce back. Cargo loads are down a quarter.
Growth will help Stewart lure airlines to the mid-Hudson airport, essential to its growth, says the Port Authority, which is experiencing a downturn at all its airports.
The Stewart Airport Commission met on Sept. 22, to discuss numbers and took time out to acknowledge the passing of William DeCota, the PA”™s director of aviation, who was instrumental in getting the agency to take Stewart under its wing in 2007.
According to general manager Diannae Ehler, no replacement has been considered yet for 52-year-old DeCota”™s position. He had recently spoken to the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce just prior to his fatal heart attack, assuring its members of Stewart”™s commitment to the Hudson Valley region. “It”™s been a tough loss for all of us, not just professionally but personally,” said Ehler, who accompanied DeCota on many trips to talk to airlines about putting Stewart on their routes.
Â
Ehler pointed to an $11 billion dollar loss overall in the airline industry, which has severely affected Stewart”™s ability to grow its passenger service. With only four carriers flying out of New Windsor and limited destinations, people who might use Stewart are turning to Albany International Airport or Westchester County Airport, which both offer more flights to more destinations. Clearly, the PA has its work cut out as it faces competition from both the north and south from airports approximately the same distance away from Stewart, but offering more airlines and more direct flights.
Â
Cargo has severely declined, and Ehler told meeting she expected Stewart would handle 10,000 tons this year, a 24 percent decrease from its 2008 numbers. Since the loss of DHL, the business Stewart hoped its other two cargo carriers would gain did not materialize. Despite the downturn in carriers and cargo, Stewart expects to prevail, Ehler told members of the commission. Mass transit is being actively pursued, with the PA working on a link from the airport to Metro North”™s west of Hudson line in Salisbury Mills. “We”™re in it for the long haul,” said Ehler.
No new master plan has been put together for Stewart since it took over from National Express Group. “We are working off that company”™s master plan as of this date,” Ehler told the commission. “NEG”™s plans were filed and approved by the FAA in 2006.”
The PA does plan to absorb 58 acres into the airport property near the USDA animal intake facility, which has its own runway. The parcel was originally out for bid, but it will now become part of Stewart and be used to enlarge capacity for airport-related business.
Â
Stewart did introduce a new fixed-base operation, Richmor Aviation, formerly Pacific Aviation. Richmor retained Pacific”™s employees, “a big plus for the employees and the airport,” said Ehler. Stewart also played host to planes from many countries who attended the U.N. General Assembly meeting last week. “It gave us an opportunity to use Stewart to relieve congestion at the downstate airports,” said Ehler.
Â
The PA is currently tearing down the remains of the building at Crestview Lake, which burned earlier this year. While Ehler said the state police are still investigating, there have been no definitive answers as to how the fire started.
The Stewart Airport Commission will meet again on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 8:30 a.m. at its administrative offices on First Street, behind the terminal.
