Coming soon to a sky near you
NEW WINDSOR – The Federal Aviation Administration has given operational approval for Norwegian Air International Limited to operate international flights to and from Stewart Airport at Newburgh.
The approval will allow the airline to provide service with seven Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Two other airports were given approval for Norwegian service – T.F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island and Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
The flights will originate from Belfast, Bergen, Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Edinburgh.
Stewart Airport Commission Chairman Louis Heimbach expects this service will literally open up the world to the airport.
“This will, I think, give the incentive to domestic airlines to pick up these passengers who are coming here from Europe and not all of them want to go to New York City,” Heimbach said. “Many of them may want to go further west either to Chicago, Atlanta or other places and I am hopeful that this will be the situation.”
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said the European air service will provide a significant boost to Hudson Valley sightseers.
“The tourism office has to grow with this airport,” Neuhaus said. “We are reevaluating with the Port Authority a welcome center when you come to the airport. How do you harness these people when they land on planes? I travel a lot so I get to see a lot of other airports, so I have a lot of ideas that I want the tourism office to implement that will help increase the tourist industry in Orange County and the Hudson Valley.”
Just last week, the Port Authority Board approved its $32.2 billion, 10-year capital plan, but failed to include $20 million that was initially earmarked for a federal customs and immigration facility at Stewart. The airport will still be able to function with the new service through the use of a movable wall at the terminal since arriving domestic and international passengers must be segregated.
Heimbach believes the board will put the money back in the budget so that design and construction can move forward.
Details of the new Stewart service are expected to be announced on Thursday.
