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:
- Local residents and officials protested Teterboro Airport's high flight volume, citing noise and health concerns due to its location in a densely populated area.
- The protest highlighted the airport's approximately 200,000 annual takeoffs and landings, deemed excessive by community members.
- In response, the Port Authority pledged a 10% reduction in flights and a $10 million investment for a runway arrestor bed, following a recent jet overrun that injured 20 people.
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