In 1989, Gov. Mario Cuomo, at Stewart, announced that American Airlines would begin service the following spring

One of my first assignments covering news in the Mid-Hudson Valley was when the Air Force decommissioned Stewart Air Force Base and turned it over to the State of New York. I vividly remember it was about 35 years ago when the state gave it to the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority to operate.

At that time, then Governor Nelson Rockefeller wanted to develop the airport into the fourth New York City jetport. In fact, what later became know as the 8,000 acre Buffer Zone was meant to house two 10,000 foot long parallel runways that stretched from New Windsor all the way to Maybrook. That never materialized. The MTA operated the airport, mostly for some cargo operations, general aviation, some charters and some diverted flights.

Then, in 1983, the state turned the airport over to the New York State Department of Transportation. The Stewart Airport Commission, an advisory group that still exists today, was formed to provide advice and consent on all matters coming before the DOT.

The face of Stewart changed in October 1989 when then Governor Mario Cuomo came to New Windsor for a political function and announced he would be back to the Hudson Valley the following week with a major announcement concerning Stewart.

American Airlines jet lands at Stewart

That announcement turned out to be that on April 17, 1990, American Airlines would start service to Chicago and Raleigh-Durham. It would be the first scheduled commercial passenger service in the history of the Newburgh area airport.

When that day arrived, area chamber of commerce members bought tickets so they could be on the first flights from Stewart. Archie and Mary Stewart, the airport’s benefactors were there to celebrate. After all, it was Archie who had convinced his father and uncle to sell 200 acres of the family’s Stony Lonesome Farm for $1 to the City of Newburgh for future development of an airport.

The city never did anything with the property and it was on the brink of World War II that the U.S. Army approached the city and the Stewart family about buying the land for $1 and developing it into a training airport for cadet pilots from the nearly U.S. Military Academy at West Point. And as they say, the rest is history.

Since that drizzly spring day 15 years this month, the airline industry’s financial ups and downs were reflected in the local market. We saw US Airways and Delta Air Lines join with American in providing service here. The now-defunct Midway Airlines, United Express and American Eagle joined the fold.

A full parking lot means people are using their local airport

Over the years, we saw the defunct Carnival Airlines at Stewart, along with AirTran and Jet Express. More recently, we saw Southeast Airlines and TransMeridian come and go.

At present, Stewart still has American Airlines flying its American Eagle commuter aircraft, Delta Air Lines flies its Comair commuter planes, and USAirways Express flies its commuter flights. Northwest Airlink, Northwest Airlines’ commuter division more recently joined what I dubbed the “Stewart Family of Airlines” back in 1994, and in the fall of 2004, a new airline, Independence Air, started daily service.

What’s in the future for Stewart-Newburgh? National Express Corporation, the company that is operating the airport under a 99-year lease with the state, has been wooing the likes of Jet Blue, Southwest Airlines and AirTran. The Florida routes once flown by the defunct Southeast Airlines have been proven to be extremely popular, so airport officials are marketing those routes to other airlines.

The Drury Lane connector would run from the top left, in this picture, and connect with the road in the lower right

Then there is the Drury Lane issue. The airport maintains airlines the likes of Southwest have said they would take a serious look at Stewart if the new entrance is built from I-84 to Drury Lane. Tied up in litigation for years, the project may move forward this summer, although the Stewart Park and Reserve Coalition has promised to continue its legal battle.

One thing is certain, you can’t beat leaving your home, driving 20 minutes and parking across the street from the passenger terminal.