By Jennifer Warren
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey this week backed the protests of Queens residents over the planned return of Concorde jet service to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
British Airways and Air France expect to resume flights of the supersonic aircraft to Kennedy Airport in the coming months and residents are concerned about area noise levels.
Also active in the charge have been Councilman Alfonso Stabile (R-Ozone Park), state Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer (D-Rockaway Beach) and U.S. Rep Anthony Weiner (D-Forest Hills).
“The Port Authority has sided with the residents and their fight to have the FAA seriously reconsider further flights by these ear-shattering, supersonic nightmares,” Stabile said.
The Port Authority wrote a letter to Federal Aviation Administration Commissioner Jane Garvey urging the U.S. agency to consider the jet’s impact on surrounding communities, Stabile’s office said.
Tests have shown the Concorde produces between 111 and 115 decibels of noise, twice that generated by the average Boeing 747, Stabile’s office said.
As the Port Authority pointed out in its letter to the FAA, the Concorde is not subject to Stage III noise reduction requirements enacted by Congress in 1990, Stabile said.
The councilman said there are requirements restricting the Concorde’s hours of operation, while Pheffer noted the jets are also undergoing major modifications in their exterior and interior structure. But there has been little action taken to reduce noise levels, the politicians said.
Last July, a New York-bound Concorde crashed into a Parisian suburb just seconds after taking off from Charles DeGaulle International Airport , killing 113 people.
Following the flight all Concordes were indefinitely grounded pending an investigation.
Stabile plans to hold a public forum in the coming weeks so residents can voice their concerns about the Concorde to airline and FAA representatives.
Reach reporter Jennifer Warren by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 155.
