County Reaches Agreement With Monmouth Airport Owner, Will End Acquisition Efforts

WALL, NJ — Monmouth County will officially end efforts to acquire Monmouth Executive Airport after the Board of County Commissioners and airport owner Alan Antaki reached an agreement last week.

On Thursday, March 13, the board introduced a resolution to end the discussion surrounding the county’s interest in acquiring the airport via eminent domain.

During a meeting between County Commissioner Director Thomas Arnone and Antaki, the two shared their concerns and identified common goals to ensure that the airport will continue to flourish and serve as an airport and regional jet center for the county.

The meeting's discussion topics included:

• Establishing joint programs between Monmouth Executive Airport and Brookdale Community College to provide students with hands-on training for careers in all facets of airport operations
• Granting the county a “right of first refusal” to ensure the property remains an airport for generations to come
• Exploring additional community programs to enhance public engagement
• Supporting the county’s emergency medical service MEDSTAR program
• Providing a letter of support to advance additional financing opportunities for runway and taxiway improvements and the construction of new hangars, among other amenities

“This meeting marked an important step forward in our path to securing a brighter future for Monmouth Executive Airport,” Arnone said. “Preliminary findings from our outside consultant Merchant Aviation, together with recent positive updates, give us the assurances we needed.”

As part of the recent state budget, the airport also applied for and received a $1M grant for repairs and enhancements to the airport’s runway.

With the county’s decision to withdraw its claim on the airport property, Antaki said he is free to resume his dream of making the airport into a first-class facility.

"My goal has always been to continue making the airport safer, while growing the airport as an economic engine for Monmouth County and surrounding areas," Antaki said. "I look forward to now making that dream a reality. I want the airport to continue to be a community resource and hope to work with local governments to help further the interests of young people in aviation careers."

The agreement between Antaki and the County Commissioners comes after a battle between the county and the airport over the county’s attempts to inspect and acquire the property.

At the end of November, the county hired Merchant Aviation to conduct a full-scale analysis of the airport, as well as its conditions and amenities, for safety purposes, officials said.

Though the county said the inspection was for safety, Antaki and his attorneys said the inspection was a pretext to seize the airport through eminent domain so they could operate the airport itself. Eminent domain refers to the government’s ability to take private property for public use.

According to a county press release, Merchant Aviation has since been directed to conclude its report, which is expected to identify other opportunities for the parties to collaborate in the future.

“I would be remiss if I did not say that the government threat of the use of eminent domain to take private property – or in my case, a successful business – is an awesome and frightening display of government power against an individual,” Antaki said.

“Eminent domain should be used sparingly and only as a last resort," Antaki continued. "Obviously, the Board of Commissioners and I were able to resolve matters proactively: Had the issues been amicably resolved sooner, a lot of money, time, and anguish could have been saved.”

Now that Antaki and the county have reached an agreement, Antaki said he hopes the county will introduce the airport to Netflix management since the airport is a unique business within 10 miles of the company’s proposed film studio.

Antaki proposed that the airport supplement the film studios at Fort Monmouth, and "save Netflix by having a mini-aviation studio for Netflix's aviation genre of filming."

Going forward, Antaki said he plans to resume his dreams of making the airport a first-class facility and continue investing in the property.

He and his family thanked all the Monmouth County residents who supported them throughout this time.

“We welcome this new chapter with Monmouth County and share a commitment to making Monmouth Executive Airport an even greater asset to the community for generations to come,” Antaki said. “Our investments in infrastructure and training will benefit both aviation professionals and local businesses, and I am proud to share it with all who utilize, work for, and live near Monmouth Executive Airport.”

To learn more about Monmouth Executive Airport, you can visit their website. To read the full county press release, you can click here.

Monmouth Executive Airport is located at 4870 W Hurley Pond Road, Wall.

Previous Coverage

• Monmouth Airport Owner & County Battle Over Inspection, Safety Claims