UPDATE: Airport Advocacy Group Advises FAA Not to Study Airplane Noise Impact

A nonprofit organization that addresses challenges at the metropolitan area’s airports has written a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration, asking the agency not to approve a study for a LaGuardia Airport flight pattern that has been driving northeast Queens residents crazy for the past year-and-a-half.

Global Gateway Alliance, a 501-c-4 advocacy organization that aims to improve the region’s airports, has penned a letter to FAA administrator Michael Huerta that outlines the group’s opposition to an environmental impact study for the controversial Tennis Climb.

Since early summer 2012, residents of Bayside and Douglaston have been complaining of constant airplane noise over the community resulting from the climb, which is a flight procedure named after its proximity to Flushing Meadows Corona Park’s stadium that sends low-flying planes over northeast Queens.

“With the worst flight delays in the country costing the New York Metro region tens of billions of dollars in economic activity, this is no time to put up roadblocks to reform,” Global Gateway Alliance Chairman Joseph Sitt said. “The Tennis Climb has reduced delays, emissions and fuel consumption at both LaGuardia and JFK. That is a winning combination for New York.”

The group argues in its letter to the FAA that conducting an environmental study of the procedure would be unproductive and would delay needed improvements to local airports.

Needless to say, northeast Queens leaders did not share their opinion.

“From a community point of view, I don’t care if it causes delays,” Community Board 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece said. “The Tennis Climb was thrust upon us without any input or a study. It’s depriving us of our quiet enjoyment, so I don’t give a hoot what this group wants.”

In a statement, state Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, and state Assemblyman Edward Braunstein, D-Bayside, blasted the Global Gateway Alliance's stance.

"The recent flight path changes at LaGuardia Airport have nothing to do with safety and everything to do with helping the airline industry and big business," the statement read. "Federal law requires the FAA to conduct an environmental assessment on any new flight changes provided there is 'no significant impact' on the affected communities. GGA pays no regard to this law and instead insists that northeast Queens residents should have to sacrifice their quality of life for GGA members’ bottom line. Additionally, the GGA falsely states that an environmental impact statement would cause delays. This is erroneous since the environmental impact statement is based on the flight pattern that has already been implemented."

Councilman-elect Paul Vallone and Queens Quiet Skies also both released statements that took aim at the GGA's letter to the FAA.

In its letter, Global Gateway Alliance suggested that greater public input and noise monitoring should be taken into consideration to mitigate the concerns of residents living near the airports.

“Neighboring communities must be respected in this process, but any effort to derail or stop the implementation of the Tennis Climb will take us backwards as we search for ways to decrease congestion and delays at our metropolitan airports,” Sitt said.

Community leaders have held forums with the FAA on the increased airplane noise and, most recently, Queens Quiet Skies has started the process of meeting with the agency to set up an airplane noise roundtable.

U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer recently said they were pleased to see the FAA agree to a roundtable with community leaders.

“Without adequate noise monitoring and data collection, it is impossible for the Port Authority and the FAA to begin to address community concerns,” Gillibrand said. “This advisory committee that my colleagues and I pushed for will provide the FAA [with] another way of finding effective solutions to mitigating noise, which should provide some relief to Queens and Nassau County residents.”