Business as Usual at East Hampton Airport

It will be another three weeks before a federal judge decides whether new access restrictions at East Hampton Airport can take effect. In the meantime, it will be business as usual at the airport.

On Monday morning East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell and Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, with lawyers for the town, met in Central Islip with District Court Judge Joanna Seybert, along with attorneys for a coalition of airport users and aviation business groups that sued the town over the restrictions.

The plaintiffs had applied for a temporary restraining order against the new laws, which were to have been imposed beginning Tuesday.

Instead, the judge will rule June 8 on a preliminary injunction, which could involve a hearing with arguments.

Robert Schumacher of the United States Attorney’s office represented the Federal Aviation Administration, which asked the judge for the delay in order to review the restrictions.

Mr. Cantwell and Ms. Burke-Gonzalez said the two sides met with Judge Seybert for about 45 minutes. Various aspects of the airport issue were discussed, they said, and the judge asked for three weeks to make a determination. “We agreed to that time schedule,” the supervisor said.

Town officials had hoped to have the laws, including an overnight airport curfew, in place before the Memorial Day weekend. Planes that fall into a “noisy” category would be limited to one takeoff and one landing a week from now through September and subjected to an extended curfew.

The town board enacted the three airport use laws last month to address the impacts of aircraft noise in response to continued complaints from across the East End, particularly about helicopters. An outright ban on helicopter use of the airport during the summer season was proposed, but dropped.

Opponents charge that the restrictions fall outside the town’s jurisdiction and F.A.A. regulations, and will have a detrimental effect on business.