The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Board of Commissioners recently approved the construction of a $30 million permanent U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) inspection area at the Stewart International Airport to accommodate the increase in international passengers at the airport over the past year.
The expansion will add approximately 20,000 square feet of space to the existing terminal and provide capacity to screen approximately 400 international passengers per hour.
The construction of the facility is projected to create 140 on-site jobs and $10.6 million in wages. The facility’s total regional impact is expected to be 230 total direct and indirect jobs, $17.5 million in wages and $45 million in economic activity.
Port Authority Commissioners also gave the agency’s Executive Director the authority to potentially change the airport’s name as part of a rebranding initiative to better market the airport as a travel option for visiting the New York metropolitan region, especially for foreign travelers.
The Board also authorized an agreement with Signature Flight Support to build a new hangar dedicated to private planes with the goal of increasing private flight activity at Stewart by as much as 20 percent.
Future plans for the airport also include building a carport covering 450 spaces with a solar panel roof that will generate 1.9 megawatts of power to offset energy costs at the expanded terminal. Requests for proposal for the project are expected to be issued shortly.
“Economic development is one of the Port Authority’s fundamental missions and expanding Stewart International Airport to handle more international customers does exactly that,” Board Chairman Kevin O’Toole said. “Since taking over the airport in 2007, this agency has now invested more than $200 million in the airport’s infrastructure. Today’s approval further underscores our commitment to giving customers at Stewart a higher level of service, while providing the opportunity for further growth and tourism in the Mid-Hudson Valley and New York metropolitan region.”
In New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s annual State-of-the-State address in early January, he called on the Port Authority to approve the CBP inspection facility.
“Expanding the terminal supports Governor Cuomo’s vision of an airport that increases flight activity and passenger volume, and provides the level of service and amenities that should be expected of a world-class facility,” Board Vice-Chairman Jeffrey Lynford said.