Westchester County Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"HPN" redirects here. For the English railway station, see Hapton railway station.
Westchester County Airport

IATA: HPN – ICAO: KHPN – FAA: HPN
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner/Operator County of Westchester
Serves White Plains, New York
Location Harrison, New York
Elevation AMSL 439 ft / 134 m
Coordinates 41°4′1″N 73°42′27″W / 41.06694, -73.7075
Website westchestergov.com/airport/
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 6,548 1,996 Asphalt
11/29 4,451 1,357 Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Passenger boardings 511,559
Aircraft operations 168,418
Based aircraft 389
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Westchester County Airport (IATA: HPN, ICAO: KHPN, FAA LID: HPN) is a public airport located in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye, New York in Westchester County. It is approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) east of the central business district of White Plains, New York. It serves the areas of Westchester, a suburban county of New York City, as well as Fairfield County, Connecticut. It also serves, to a lesser extent, the New York metropolitan area, as it is located approximately 33 miles (53 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It is often used by those who wish to avoid the congestion of the other New York City-area airports. As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 511,559 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2006, up from 462,256 enplanements in 2005.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

Westchester County Airport was originally built during World War II in 1942 as a home to an Air National Guard unit to protect New York City. In May 1983, with the quick growth of the suburban area in Westchester, the Guard unit was moved to Stewart International Airport further to the north near Newburgh.

In 1947, passenger service began, and before the passing of the Airline Deregulation Act the airport was served by several regional airlines, including: Allegheny Airlines, Command Airways and Empire Airlines. On January 5, 2006, the airport was the point of departure for the last flight of Independence Air; a flight to Washington, DC at 7:26pm.[3] In 2007, JetBlue Airways became the latest airline to service Westchester County Airport, with service to Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, and Fort Myers.

[edit] Local concerns

After several renovations, as well as discussions about the airport's viability,[4] the airport today is served by 8 airlines to a range of destinations in the United States and Canada. Although there has always been some controversy about the airport and proposed expansions,[5] more have occurred recently due to travelers seeking to avoid delays at the other New York Airports. The most recent concerns have to do with flight paths[6] and traffic congestion, the latter of which Westchester County is addressing via increased Bee-Line bus service and the county encouraging travelers not to drive.[7]

Due to its location in a neighborhood, Westchester County Airport instituted a Voluntary Restraint from Flying Program, sometimes referred to as a voluntary curfew,[8] which has helped to ease some of the local worry over the airport's expansion. In an effort to alleviate concerns over expansion and noise, studies have been done[9] and will continue to be done as issues arise.

Other possibly more important concerns stem from the fact that it is located in the watershed for 85 % of the residents of New York City & Westchester (Approx. 1/2 of the population of New York State).[10]. Construction of an airport today in this location would be illegal.

[edit] IATA code

The IATA Code for Westchester County Airport is HPN. There is a small debate in the origins of this IATA Code. Many believe that it is derived from the name of the city White Plains (since IATA Codes normally do not begin with W because those are reserved for radio signals). Others, however, believe that the IATA Code represents the first letter of the three neighboring communities that the airport is located within (Harrison, Purchase, and North Castle).[11]

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

FAA diagram of Westchester County Airport (HPN)
FAA diagram of Westchester County Airport (HPN)

Westchester County Airport covers an area of 702 acres (284 ha) which contains two asphalt paved runways: 16/34 measuring 6,548 x 150 ft (1,996 x 46 m) and 11/29 measuring 4,451 x 150 ft (1,357 x 46 m).[1]

Westchester County Airport in the home of several fixed base operators (FBOs), including Avitat, Signature Flight Support, Landmark, NetJets, Panorama, and Million Air. Panorama and Million Air also support their own flight schools.

Although varied in the services offered, the FBOs at Westchester County Airport provide Jet A and 100LL fueling services, repairs and maintenance, aircraft tiedowns, de-icing, United States Customs, and other aircraft services. Some of the FBOs are particularly luxurious, providing limousine transportation services and deluxe surroundings.

Westchester County Airport is also the current home of the New York Wing of the United States Civil Air Patrol, as well as the Southeastern Group of the New York Wing. Both are housed in the same building as the Airport Precinct of the Westchester County Police. These facilities are currently undergoing remodeling to accommodate the recent arrival of the New York Wing.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 168,418 aircraft operations, an average of 461 per day: 75% general aviation, 25% scheduled commercial and <1% military. There are 389 aircraft based at this airport: 62% single-engine (240), 22% jet, 13% multi-engine and 3% helicopter.[1]

[edit] Terminal

Westchester County Airport
Westchester County Airport

Westchester County Airport has one relatively small three-level terminal with six gate spaces of which only four may be used at one time. Two of these gates have jetways. The terminal also has one luggage carousel, one baggage reclaim office and 2 or 3 TSA screening lanes. JetBlue avoids delays at White Plains by using their own stairs and ramps to board the aircraft from the front and back simultaneously. The stairs and ramps are property of JetBlue and are not used by any other airline in White Plains. On the second level of the terminal there is a coffee shop, bar and restaurant with tarmac and runway views and an eatery called Skytop Restaurant. On the third floor there is an outside observation deck with views of the runway and tarmac. Also, a number of ATMs are located in the terminal along with a little candy bodega on the first floor. The coffee shop, bar, and restaurant are all before the TSA checkpoint.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Popular culture

 Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines.
The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c FAA Airport Master Record for HPN (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-12-20
  2. ^ FAA Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data: 2006
  3. ^ Last Run for Independence Air. msnbc.com (2006-01-05). Retrieved on 2008-02-20.
  4. ^ Foderaro, Lisa. "The Talk of Westchester County Airport; Airport Plan: A Travelers' Oasis or a Threat to Neighbors?", New York Times, 1989-12-07. Retrieved on 2008-01-15. 
  5. ^ Dzikowski, Don (1990-09). "Opponents Assail Airport Terminal Expansion Plans (Westchester County Airport)". Westchester County Business Journal. 
  6. ^ Vigdor, Neil. "Town Rethinks FAA Lawsuit", Greenwich Time, 2008-1-08. Retrieved on 2008-01-15. 
  7. ^ Holiday Travelers Urged to Get Rides to the County Airport. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
  8. ^ Government, Westchester County. It's Not Just an Airport, it's a Neighborhood (PDF). Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  9. ^ Westchester County Airport Aircraft Noise Study (PDF) (2002-08). Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  10. ^ Stop Airport Expansion. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
  11. ^ Westchester County Airport's Call Letters Dispute.
  12. ^ Trivia for Meet the Parents, IMDb.com
  13. ^ Movies Made in Westchester County
  14. ^ SpaceCamp film script
  15. ^ West Wing transcript

[edit] External links


v • d • e
Airports in the New York City area
Airports
AirTrain
Transportation
Languages