Town says enough airplane noise for Malverne, West Hempstead

It’s no secret that noise from overhead airplanes have been an increasingly worse nuisance for Malverne and West Hempstead alike. The Town of Hempstead is looking to do something about it.

Town Supervisor Don Clavin announced a joint petition against the Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, on behalf of the residents living near airports who are contending with low flying planes, deafening air traffic noise, air pollution and other aeronautical disturbances.

“It’s time to hold the FAA accountable for their negligence,” Clavin said.

With both John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport abutting residential neighborhoods, the constant air traffic has been a longstanding headache for local homeowners. The Town of Hempstead joined the Town of North Hempstead and a coalition of leaders from all over Nassau County to file a petition urging the FAA to study and explore alternative air routes. If the FAA does not respond to the petition within 90 days, an official lawsuit will be filed against the government agency.

“The FAA continues to ignore our community’s constant pleas for assistance as we seek relief from debilitating airplane noise tied to low-flying air traffic in our area,” said Congressman Anthony D’Esposito. “I reiterate my earlier calls for a full explanation by the FAA as to why they have left Long Islanders in the dark and refuse to engage in good faith with the people most impacted by their current flight patterns in the New York area.”

The weeks surrounding the 4th of July holiday is considered the busiest travel time of the year, with the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, estimating that a record-breaking 38 million people will be taking flights across the country. Area residents will experience a dramatic increase in overhead flights, expecting an average of 1 plane every 90 seconds on the common flight path taken to JFK Airport. Planes traveling along this flight path fly below 3,000 feet from Roslyn to JFK Airport, dropping below 2,000 feet in Town of Hempstead airspace. This creates both noise and air pollution over an area that is home to more than a million residents.

Officials noted this area is long overdue for an environmental review — the last one was conducted in 2017 and there has been a 50 percent increase in flights over the area since then.

The FAA is required to conduct an environmental review or secure a categorical exclusion to continue using the flight path, according to the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act — but neither action has taken place, officials say.

Planes traveling lower than 3,000 feet can cause air pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA. This pollution includes potentially dangerous toxins like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxides, and other trace compounds — especially during take-off and landing.

Studies have shown that communities in and around this flight path — including West Hempstead — have a higher-than-normal rate of asthma, stomach cancer, and prostate cancer, all linked to exposure to aircraft emissions. Reiterated by the officials, these sentiments have been expressed numerous times throughout the years by the Town-Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNEC), the town’s integral committee to identifying and relaying aeronautical issues.

“The FAA has a responsibility to be fair to area residents,” Clavin said. “I will continue to pursue legislation against the FAA until the right their wrongs and commit to exploring fair alternative flight paths, with the local residents at the forefront.”

—Nicole Formisano