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The managers of the Downtown Skyport (the helicopter landing facility on the East River waterfront, near the foot of Broad Street) are proposing to expand the hours during which flights take off and land here, saying the change will reduce the noise that has been a source of complaints from residents for decades.
At the December 17 meeting of the Executive Committee of Community Board 1 (CB1), Steven Spinello, who oversees policy and partnerships for the Downtown Skyport, said that a year after the City’s Economic Development Corporation (EDC), which oversees the publicly owned facility, limited the hours for helicopter flights originating in Lower Manhattan, noise complaints had increased by 145 percent.
He blamed the increase on unrestricted flights that originate in New Jersey, noting that EDC will not allow Manhattan-based tours to take off or land after 5pm, while operators across the Hudson can fly whenever customers are willing to pay. Robbie Ladov, general manager of the Downtown Skyport, added that his firm forbids tour operators from flying above land, requiring that their entire route be over the Hudson and East Rivers, while New Jersey-based helicopters frequently hover in the skies directly above Manhattan.
“Our proposed solution,” Mr. Spinello explained, “is to allow tour flights during that 5pm-to-7pm window, which we believe will cause unregulated flights in New Jersey to move to New York.” He claimed that this will reduce local noise concerns, because most complaints are related to flights originating in New Jersey. Mr. Spinello and Mr. Ladov want to test this hypothesis during the spring and summer of next year, on a trial basis.
CB1 member Neda Pourshakouri observed, “if your goal is to bring more flights from New Jersey operators to Downtown, you might add to the overall traffic.”
Mr. Spinello replied, “we have a cap in the number of flights we are allowed, so the pie itself is not getting larger.”
CB1 member Jeff Galloway said, “I’m not sure I follow why bringing more flights to New York will reduce noise complaints.”
Mr. Ladov reiterated, “we’re required to follow strict routes, never over populated areas, always over water – but the New Jersey flights can operate over land.” He added that the aircraft also turn in the skies above residential communities, a maneuver that generates significantly more noise.
Mr. Spinello said, “most demand is for sunset and night tours, and having those extra two hours would make a big difference. If we get this approval, we anticipate between ten and 20 flights per hour during that window.”
Gigi Li, EDC’s vice president for government and community relations, said, “we would come back and report on the results of this trial program. We would not implement any change unilaterally.”
CB1 chair Tammy Meltzer said, “EDC is about garnering revenue, not managing noise complaints. But revenue is not the community’s priority.”
Mr. Spinello acknowledged that the Downtown Skyport is currently operating 45 percent fewer helicopter flights than are allowed, due to reduced tourism, declining demand, and competition from operators based in New Jersey.
Ms. Meltzer picked up this line of questioning, arguing, “if you’re 45 percent under your cap, you might schedule many more flights and concentrate them in the evenings,” while still remaining below the number of permitted flights. “People who live here will want to know if we understood that this trial meant another 30 flights per day, just in those two hours.”
CB1 member Frances Curtis noted, “both the upcoming soccer World Cup and the Sail 250 event fall within your proposed trial period. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for sightseeing tour operators.”
CB1 member Brendan Thompson said, “because of those two events, noise complaints will increase even without this trial program. It seems like the wrong time to do this. We need more specifics before we can okay such a plan.”
Ms. Meltzer concluded the dialogue by asking the representatives from Downtown Skyport and EDC to return to CB1 in January with more specific details for further discussion.
Matthew Fenton
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