Keep It Open: The East Hampton Airport

I have been watching this issue play out for years with fascination. Is the Town really going to shut down an airport that is a huge part of the community because of airplane noise? I didn’t think it would ever happen, it seemed insane to me, yet here we are. The rabid hatred for the East Hampton airport is appalling. People in favor of closing the airport will literally say anything they can think of. It’s not just the noise they will take issue with. In favor of keeping the airport open? You must not believe in global warming and throw garbage out your window. It’s complete nonsense.

Here’s the reality, a lot of business is going to be lost from billionaires and millionaires in East Hampton who are going to fly elsewhere. It’s going to cause a major influx of billionaires and millionaires into other airports, and a lot of people who have a passion for aviation in the East Hampton airport, won’t be able to participate in their passion anymore.

How did we get here? When did we as locals become so against something that has been here for so long? 

I’m reminded of when Montauk started to become a hot place for people in the nightclub industry to open up. Thousands of extra tourists fled to Montauk, filling up restaurants, buying in shops and enjoying the hotels. They also partied into the night. Montauk became so busy with tourists that finding a hotel at even a rundown place was becoming difficult. Things started to change, hotels started renovating for the demands of the new customers, as well as restaurants and some people absolutely hated it and started going to town officials to stop it. It was remarkable. Nightclub owners were ticketed daily for making too much noise and hotels faced headwind after headwind to renovate. Even Montauk Brewing Co. a Montauk staple today, faced a literal MOUNTAIN of red tape to open. And for what? To stop people from coming to Montauk? It made absolutely ZERO sense. The only local industries left in the area are literally restaurants, tourist stores and real estate offices. Things had changed and no matter how many lawsuits or tickets were written, Montauk today is better than ever.

I think it’s sad what has happened at the East Hampton airport. The people that work there are local and they are scared for their careers. If you’re in favor of keeping the airport open, suddenly you should be cancelled, suddenly you’re anti-environment, suddenly all you care about is money. It’s ridiculous. There’s got to be a compromise here, it can’t be this us against them mindset. When did the words private airplane or helicopter become toxic words?

We should be so grateful, East Hampton should literally wake up every day and say to themselves, “Thank God billionaires want to fly to our town” but instead we are telling them to leave because they are too loud. It makes no sense.