Montauk Airport Acquired By Private Buyer; Community Raises Concerns

MONTAUK, NY — East Hampton town officials spoke out Tuesday about reports of a change in ownership at the privately-owned Montauk Airport.

The name of the buyer was not immediately disclosed.

According to officials, residents reached out with concerns, asking why the town didn't take steps to acquire Montauk Airport in order to safeguard East Hampton residents from increased noise and environmental impacts from aircraft.

"The short answer is the town did, in fact, engage in extensive negotiations to acquire the
Montauk Airport, beginning with initial purchase discussions in 2019 and the completion of the
first of three appraisals for the property," the town said in a release. "From the town’s perspective, throughout the negotiations, the price to acquire Montauk Airport was not an impediment to completing a purchase. Ultimately, the insurmountable obstacle for the town was the sellers’ preferred structure for the transaction, which was not legally possible for the town to conclude due to its status as a public entity."

Nevertheless, officials said they worked through various creative solutions, including alternative deal structures to address the sellers’ concerns, such as a traditional land purchase or a purchase
through the use of a "well-intentioned private intermediary to acquire the airport assets through
the sellers’ preferred deal structure," followed by a concurrent sale of the airport land to the
town.

"At the end of the day, it appears the sellers chose to pursue a transaction with a private buyer
who could accommodate their preferred transaction structure, notwithstanding the town’s efforts
to find an alternative solution," officials said. "The town looks forward to working with the new ownership of the Montauk Airport to ensure that the community’s concerns regarding noise and environmental impacts from aircraft are addressed to the fullest extent possible."