Islip eyes are smilin' over international flight plans
Islip Town officials have entered into talks with a European airline in the hopes of adding international flights at Long Island MacArthur, town Supervisor Phil Nolan said yesterday.
If a deal with Dublin-based Ryanair is approved, flights to Dublin and other European destinations could leave from the town-owned airport, located in Ronkonkoma, next year, officials said.
"Ryanair has indicated interest, and we'll be pursuing this very aggressively," he said.
International flights out of MacArthur were not possible in the past because the runways were too short to accommodate the larger planes needed for overseas travel, said Martin Holley, executive director of the national Aviation Technology Center at Dowling College.
But a new generation of smaller, quieter aircraft capable of traveling greater distances makes it "a serious opportunity," he said.
Islip is a particularly attractive location for Ryanair, Nolan said, because of its proximity to New York and its connections to other cities through Southwest Airlines, the airport's primary carrier.
Speaking a news conference at the airport yesterday, Nolan also announced the retirement of longtime airport manager Al Werner, who is leaving Nov. 16.
Werner, 78, began his career as an air traffic controller at MacArthur in 1952. He oversaw its growth from a small country airport to a regional transportation hub handling 2.3 million passengers a year. He'll remain on contract with the town as a consultant.
Werner said the biggest change he has seen at the airport occurred when Southwest, a Dallas-based airline, built two terminals. Although both US Airways and Delta also operate at MacArthur, Southwest carries 92 percent of passengers.
Southwest embarked on its $82-million expansion in 2003. Then, last year, cracks appeared in the newly installed concrete apron, the area where planes pull up to the terminal. Other problems, including fire hazards and financial irregularities, prompted investigations. But officials said passengers were never endangered. Repair work has begun on the cracks, and new sprinklers have been installed.
Nolan said the town recently won a five-year, $1.02-million grant from the Transportation Security Administration that former Supervisor Pete McGowan rejected. The grant will be used to reimburse the Suffolk County Police Department for costs it has incurred at the airport.
In addition, the town recently received $200,000 from the Suffolk County district attorney's office - unclaimed funds from a McGowan campaign fund seized by District Attorney Thomas Spota before McGowan pleaded guilty to felony charges last year stemming from his misuse of the fund.
The $200,000 will be supplemented by a $300,000 grant from the state Transportation Department and will be used to install security cameras.
By Andrew Compart <FONT face=Arial size=2>
