Mahwah Officials Upset At New Teterboro Airport Flight Pattern

MAHWAH, NJ - Planes traveling to Teterboro Airport will soon fly over Mahwah and the Route 17 corridor, a move that Mayor William Laforet said he doesn’t want.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced this week that it would begin testing a new flight path to Teterboro Airport over Route 17.

“I can speak for our community, we don't want jets flying over Mahwah creating noise issues and nuances,” Laforet said. "You've had flight approaches for how many years and it has never been a problem until now?"

The planes may be only 3,000 feet in the air when they fly over Mahwah.

"The noise level is obviously higher in proximity to the ground at 3,000," Laforet said.

The FAA said the test will begin April 4 and last, at most, six months. It is designed to provide noise relief for the area of Hackensack University Medical Center.

The proposed change could impact public health, Robert Belzer, president of the New Jersey Coalition Against Aircraft Noise, said in a report by The Record, noting that “somebody else” would be impacted by the change.

Teterboro is a reliever airport. Its goal is to remove the smaller and slower aircraft from the regional air traffic that would cause major congestion at commercial airports. It has an aircraft weight limit of 100,000 pounds. Mostly corporate jets use the airport.

The test, together with an environmental review, will be used to determined if the new flight pattern will be permanent.

“The airport was designed with specific air control patterns which work,” Laforet said. “I suggest they stick to what works, and avoid our peaceful town that we all love, Mahwah.”

To file a noise abatement request electronically, click here.