Agencies to mull wider reach for MacArthur

Two federal agencies will weigh whether to support a campaign to bring international commercial flights to Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Rep. Steve Israel, who Monday joined Islip Town officials and local business leaders in their continued efforts to change the town-owned airport's status to international, has written to the Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection urging them to make international service to and from the airport a reality.

"Designating international status for this airport will create jobs, and will create economic activity for the businesses surrounding the airport," said Israel (D-Dix Hills). "I've asked both agencies to fast-track our conversations on making this an international airport."

An FAA spokeswoman said officials there will review the congressman's letter and reply within a couple of weeks.

In order for the airport to receive commercial international flights, Customs and Border Protection must "dedicate the appropriate level of resources" to MacArthur, an airport spokeswoman said. That would mean, in part, matching Customs manpower with the number of international passengers served, she said.

Already, international private charters fly in and out of MacArthur using a limited Customs presence at the airport.

In letters dated Monday to FAA administrator Randy Babbitt and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Alan Bersin, Israel writes that airport has the infrastructure to "increase operations immediately."

Israel notes the airport serves 2 million commercial passengers a year, has a thriving general aviation sector, and that the FAA set the stage for the change in January when it designated MacArthur an official metro-area airport. Further, he writes, the Regional Plan Association recommended further study of the facility as a "major reliever" for Kennedy and LaGuardia airports as part of the FAA's regional airspace strategy.

Local leaders have talked about making MacArthur international for some time. Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan said Israel's support was a major boost. "All the facts and all the evidence is on our side," he said. "We have the capacity. Our air service demand study shows there's a market for these airlines here on Long Island."

Airport Commissioner Teresa Rizzuto heads this week to a conference in Cleveland to attempt to woo airlines to MacArthur.Nolan said if all goes as planned, MacArthur could see its first commercial international flights in two years. He added, however, that no commercial airlines have committed to flying international flights out of MacArthur. Officials were also unsure of the cost of the change.