Teterboro aircraft ban may cause Morris noise
Airport doesn't want noise of corporate jets landing; Planes will go elsewhere

by Navid Iqbal, Daily Record


HANOVER -- An agreement made quietly in Teterboro could have loud repercussions in Hanover and surrounding communities, Morristown Airport officials said.

Air carriers agreed to stop flights at night and ban the noisiest aircraft at Teterboro Airport after years of complaints from Bergen County area residents, officials announced Wednesday.

The new restrictions are voluntary, but officials said they expect 90 percent of operators to comply with them by the end of next year.

Morris County officials predicted that the agreement will increase aircraft noise at Morristown Airport.

Teterboro plans to halt traffic of "stage 2" jets -- corporate jets built in the 1970s and 1980s that are noisier than newer ones.

"We are a little concerned that the Teterboro Airport restrictions will have a negative impact here," Morristown Airport's Director William Barkhauer said. "We often get noise complaints when stage 2 jets come here."

Barkhauer said there are only 1,300 of the noisy jets nationwide, but they account for most of the noise complaints.

"As fellow airport operators, we understand and sympathize with the Port Authority's desire to minimize aircraft noise and be a good neighbor," Barkhauer said in a statement issued shortly after the agreement was announced. The Port Authority manages Teterboro Airport.

"We have dealt with the same concerns for many years at our facility. But as the closest reliever airport to Teterboro that is capable of handling business jet aircraft, we are concerned that a greater number of noisy stage 2 aircraft will now start to utilize our airport."

Teterboro also plans to institute a voluntary curfew for nighttime flying, between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., which might increase night air traffic at Morristown.

Officials in Morris County consider both measures to be questionable.

They said that such a decision by an airport violates federal law.

Barkhauer said airports that receive federal money must provide access to all types of aircraft and federal law prohibits bans on specific types of aircraft.

Bill List of Madison, who serves on a Morris County Freeholder's advisory committee related to air traffic, also questioned the legality of the agreement.

"We certainly wouldn't welcome more noise or traffic," List said. "I don't see how it can even be done with the current FAA regulations."

Officials at Morristown Airport suggested a nationwide phasing out of "older, louder business jet aircraft."

A public meeting will be held Nov. 9 at Teterboro Airport about the new rules.
 

Navid Iqbal can be reached at (973) 428-6627 or at niqbal@gannett.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.