STEWART AIRPORT – Stewart
International Airport made history Thursday by launching its first flight
by a renowned international airline.
Norwegian Air flew excited passengers out to Edinburgh, Scotland, which
was the first scheduled nonstop transatlantic flight for the airport.
It is the first of five routes from the airline that will operate Stewart.
The other routes to Ireland, Northern Ireland and Norway will launch in
July.
To commemorate the occasion, officials from New York State and Norwegian
Air gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony that was held jointly with
the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Official ribbon cutting launching the new Norwegian Air service
from Stewart International Airpor
“This is Stewart International Airport, and this is the first time
in the history of our airport that we have scheduled international service
here,” said Ed Harrison, the airport’s general manager. “It’s
a great day for the airport and the traveling public. We look forward
to more destinations in the near future.”
Donna Prizzi, a flight attendant for Norwegian Air, is excited for the
airline’s move to Stewart Airport.
“I feel it’s great for the economy, and it’s going to
bring tourism,” she said. “Also, what’s wonderful is
that it’s bringing the ‘international’ back into Stewart
International.”
The launch was a long time in the making, according to Norwegian Air’s
Chief Commercial Officer Thomas Ramdahl.
“For us, it means growing our network into the U.S,” he said.
“We’ve been talking to the Port Authority for a long time
about having Stewart [as one of our airports] and we finally got to do
it.”
The move is set to boost tourism significantly in Orange County and the
Hudson Valley and flight attendance in Stewart. An estimated 125,000 people
are expected to board international flights within the next year, according
to Markly Wilson, the director of international marketing for I LOVE NY.
All the flights are relatively inexpensive, as fares can start at as low
as $99. Passengers on the inaugural flight came from all walks of life
to take advantage of the great deals and enjoy a European vacation. A
few were unaware of the historic nature of the flight, but it made the
event even more memorable.
“We just realized this is the first flight when we got here,”
said Patty Rojas, a Washington D.C. resident who came with her husband
and three kids. “The kids are so excited.”
Dave Fink, a Ballston Spa resident, also didn’t know he and his
wife were a part of history, and said the experience was “interesting.”
Prakash Hirani, who hails from Spain, got lucky with his flight. “I
missed my flight two days back from Newark, and I just booked [this flight]
last night,” he said. “$309 is a great deal.”
