Over 50 people held a candlelight vigil in a parking lot across from Teterboro Airport on Thursday night to protest the noise and publicize their concerns about health hazards from airport operations. Most were local residents and officials from the neighborhoods that surround the busy airport. “What they turned this airport into doesn’t belong in the most densely populated part of southern Bergen County,” protestor Craig Lahullier told NorthJersey.com. The airport handles about 200,000 takeoffs and landings per year. That’s an average of one every two minutes, 24 hours a day, Lahullier said. The Port Authority, which runs the airport, has promised to reduce flights by 10 percent. The Authority also plans to spend $10 million to install a 300-foot-long “arrestor bed” at the end of Runway 6, to contain overruns. In February, a jet that overran the runway crossed six lanes of a highway and crashed into a warehouse. Twenty people were hurt, including two in a car. Arrestor beds at JFK have stopped three jets that overran runways, including a 747.
Teterboro Neighbors Demonstrate Against Airport
Key Takeaways:
- Over 50 local residents and officials protested Teterboro Airport due to excessive noise, public health concerns, and its high operational volume in a densely populated area.
- The airport handles approximately 200,000 takeoffs and landings annually, leading to frequent activity described as one every two minutes.
- The Port Authority, which operates the airport, has pledged to reduce flights by 10% and will spend $10 million to install a 300-foot "arrestor bed" at the end of Runway 6.
- This safety improvement follows a recent incident where a jet overran the runway, crossed a highway, and crashed into a warehouse, injuring 20 people.
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