International Blvd. leading to new Stewart entrance

STEWART AIRPORT – By the year 2025, Stewart Airport at Newburgh is expected to reach 3.7 million passengers a year, according to consultants hired by the federal government to conduct a capacity study of metropolitan markets in the Northeast.

While that number may sound huge compared to the 850,000 passengers projected for this year, consultant Matt Lee said 3.7 million passengers is roughly the same amount as that which uses Albany International Airport at this time. The Stewart projection includes anticipated growth from Westchester, Fairfield, Bergen and Passaic counties.

Newark, JFK and LaGuardia airports, the Port Authority’s Big Three jetports, are rapidly running out of capacity and Stewart is “clearly a facility to handle that need,” Lee said. But, for Stewart to accommodate additional growth long term, it needs more runway capacity, more terminal capacity and regional access, he said. The access issue will be met in the next several years as a rail spur will be built from the Metro-North Salisbury Mills train station to the airport.

And at this moment, only 13 percent of those who live in the Hudson Valley and fly use Stewart. That leaves a large untapped market, which the Port Authority hopes to fill. Airport officials hope to fill demand with additional domestic service as well as new international service.

An international arrivals building would be needed, but Airport Manager Diannae Ehler said she has the approval of federal authorities to create a segregated space for international flights in a mobile setting.

The airport is looking at leisure markets in the Caribbean for international service, but also European cities. Ehler said she has already had conversations with officials of Ryanair, an Irish-based discount airline with a large base in London.

Along with passenger and cargo growth initiatives, Ehler said her immediate concerns are for safety, security and sustainability at Stewart.