NEW WINDSOR – A proposal by two Orange County business organizations to change the name of Stewart Airport to New York International Airport at Stewart Field gets a thumbs down from Mary Stewart Hafer, the daughter of airport benefactor Thomas “Archie” Stewart. The airport was named for the family, which donated a portion of its farmland for development of an airport.
Hafer noted the lease between the state and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is the current operator, said they cannot change the name for the full 99-year lease.
She would make an exception, though.
“I would have no problem at all if they want to call it Stewart-New York or Stewart-Mid-Hudson New York or Stewart-Hudson Highland New York, but I think my vision for the future is that it could be similar to Stanstead, a fair distance out of London,” Hafer said. “It’s an old military field. My daughter lived in England for many years and she said it was the low-cost tourist airport.”
Port Authority officials want to give the airport a name that associates it with New York City.
When the Port Authority took over Stewart in November 2007, top officials pledged to retain the name Stewart International Airport. Hafer said the name proposed by the business groups is “cumbersome and unappealing.”
Woman killed walking in Wallkill is ID’ed
May 14, 2024
