NYC Gazette

Helicopter Noise Complaints Up 2,300 Percent in NYC Over Past Five Years 

Non-Essential Helicopter Flights Responsible for Significant Manhattan Air Pollution

Letter Co-Led with NY Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Joined by Members of NY Delegation

New York, NY – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) today joined Congressman Jerry Nadler (NY-12) in leading a request to Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams to end non-essential helicopter flights from New York City’s West 30th Street Heliport, East 34th Street Heliport, and Downtown Manhattan Heliport. New York City has one of the world's highest rates of non-essential helicopter use, creating untenable amounts of noise and air pollution. Over 95 percent of the 58,000 annual helicopter flights from the NYCEDC-owned East 34th Street Heliport and Downtown Manhattan Heliport are non-essential flights. 

The letter was joined by Representatives Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Yvette Clarke (NY-11), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14).

“Non-essential helicopter flights are a blight on quality of life for our communities on the waterfront,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “For years, New Yorkers have been subjected to unacceptable levels of noise pollution and a continuing decrease in air-quality due to the thousands of non-essential helicopter flights traveling over Manhattan. While my office continues to push for meaningful solutions from the FAA, we have the opportunity to take action at the state and local level to address New Yorkers’ pressing quality of life concerns by ending non-essential flights taking off from the City.”

Congressman Jerrold Nadler said, “As I have worked with my colleagues to address the negative safety, noise, and environmental impact of tourist and commuter helicopters on New York City residents at the federal level, the FAA has consistently cited efforts to accommodate existing state and local concessions agreements for non-essential helicopter operations as a challenge to restricting airspace. It is within the authority of the Governor and the Mayor to end concession contracts at these heliports for non-essential flights. Our communities have suffered long enough from the impacts of a non-essential helicopter industry that has operated nearly unfettered for decades.”

Melissa Elstein, Coalition Organizer, Board Chair, and Secretary of Stop the Chop NY/NJ said, “Stop the Chop NY/NJ, a grassroots nonprofit, thanks our Congressional delegation led by Congressmember Jerry Nadler, for their leadership on this environmental, quality of life and safety problem caused by the proliferation of nonessential helicopter traffic over New York City.”

Sightseeing/tourist helicopters are a completely unnecessary way for tourists to view our beautiful city. A plethora of quieter, safer, and more environmentally-friendly sightseeing options exist, such as walking, biking and boat tours, as well as the many amazing observation decks located throughout NYC. Similarly, commuter helicopter flights to the airports, beach vacation spots, and other destinations can all be done with more environmentally-friendly and quieter modes of transportation. New Yorkers located under helicopter paths and near the three Manhattan-based heliports are suffering from the excessively loud noise and vibrations created by helicopters - aircraft that were traditionally used for military and emergency service reasons and not for tourism or commuting. These helicopters use jet fuel, some leaded gasoline, and contribute to the already poor air quality over NYC increasing risks for asthma and other diseases, and spew carbon into our atmosphere. These nonessential helicopters contribute to global warming and local air quality reduction.

Mayor Giuliani shuttered Manhattan’s former East 60th Street Heliport due to these same community complaints, and Mayor De Blasio reduced the number of tourist flights from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport - all great steps. But the time is now to further reduce the problem and once and for all end the nonessential helicopter traffic here. Government official, medical and emergency services, military, and news (to an extent) helicopters are essential and should be distinguished from the unnecessary commuter and sightseeing flights negatively impacting and harming New Yorkers all day and into the evenings. We urge Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams to enact these common sense solutions outlined in this Congressional letter.” 

Between 2017 and 2022, noise complaints regarding helicopters in New York City have increased by over 2,300 percent. Loose regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration and National Park Services have not adequately addressed the concerns of New Yorkers regarding noise and air pollution emitting from these non-essential helicopter flights. Under these voluntary regulations, are no limits on the number of air tours or commuter flights that can operate and no restrictions on the hours these flights can operate.

The West 30th Street Heliport is owned by Hudson River Park Trust, a partnership between New York State and New York City. The East 34th Street Heliport and Downtown Manhattan Heliport are owned by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).  

Over the past decade, New York City has seen increased numbers of non-essential tourism and commuter helicopters. As a result, helicopter-related noise complaints to 311 have gone up in New York City by over 2300 percent in the last five years, and helicopter safety, noise, and environmental concerns are now one of the top issues concerning Manhattan constituents.

In March, Congressman Goldman led fellow members of the New York and New Jersey Congressional Delegations in demanding answers from the FAA and NPS on the loose and insufficient regulations for air tour operators and non-essential helicopters. This letter requested answers to several questions regarding the air management tour voluntary agreements and community concerns.

Read the letter here or below:

Dear Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams:

As Members of the New York City Congressional Delegation, we request that the State and City work with the delegation to address the negative safety, noise, and environmental impact of tourist and commuter helicopters on New York City residents. While we work to secure meaningful solutions to these concerns in the 2023 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, we request that you move to end non-essential helicopter flights from New York City’s West 30th Street Heliport, East 34th Street Heliport, and Downtown Manhattan Heliport. The West 30th Street Heliport is owned by Hudson River Park Trust, a partnership between New York State and New York City. The East 34thStreet Heliport and Downtown Manhattan Heliport are owned by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).

New York City has one of the world's highest rates of non-essential helicopter use. The city also has the highest population density in the United States, exponentially increasing the potential dangers of a helicopter accident in our city. Since 1983, there have been at least thirty helicopter crashes in New York City, with at least twenty-five fatalities, according to National Transportation Safety Board records.

The overwhelming number of helicopter flights over New York City creates intolerable risks to the community and negative impacts on the quality of life of all its residents. Many of our constituents can’t enjoy a peaceful day in a park or their homes without near-constant noise and vibrations, all so that tourists and wealthy corporate commuters can fly in helicopters.

Over the past decade, New York City has seen increased numbers of non-essential tourism and commuter helicopters. As a result, helicopter-related noise complaints to 311 have increased in New York City by over 2300 percent in the last fie years, and helicopter safety, noise, an environmental concerns are now one of the top issues we hear about from our constituents. We must work together to address this issue at the local, state, and federal levels.

As the New York City Congressional Delegation has worked to address this issue at the federal level, the FAA has cited efforts to accommodate existing state and local concessions agreements for non-essential helicopter operations as a challenge to restricting airspace. Therefore, we again request that you move to end non-essential helicopter flights from New York City’s West 30th Street Heliport, East 34th Street Heliport, and Downtown Manhattan Heliport. We believe that the State and City have the authority to end flights before the FAA institutes any flight restrictions in the area.

At West 30th Street Heliport in Hudson River Park, corporate commuter helicopters take off and land less than ten yards from a pedestrian and bike path twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. While these flights are convenient for the ultra-wealthy, they are disturbing for local residents, who have been working to remove the heliport for decades. In February 2022, a resident testified before the Hudson River Park Advisory Council that they “once saw a child riding down the bike path get swept off her bicycle by the blow from a helicopter.” We strongly believe that the heliport should end non-essential operations. However, it’s critical for the long-term health of Hudson River Park that the income made from non-essential flights is replaced and the Hudson River Park Trust is not stuck paying to operate a heliport for essential flights that will not generate funding for the park.

The NYCEDC-owned East 34th Street Heliport and Downtown Manhattan Heliport see 58,000 helicopter flights annually and burn through nearly 50,000 gallons of mostly leaded fuel every month. Over 95 percent of these flights are non-essential. Last month, NYCEDC moved to resolicit its Request for proposal for a Downtown Manhattan Heliport operator. Now is the perfect time for the City to end non-essential flights at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport and put a plan in place to do the same at East 34th Street. No economic benefit from these flights for the City will ever be able to justify the noise, safety, and environmental consequences that helicopters bear on the nearly nine million residents of New York City.

New Yorkers have lived through the safety, noise, vibration, and environmental impacts of non-essential helicopter flights for decades. It is a matter of utmost urgency that your administrations address this matter as soon as possible by moving to end non-essential flights at the State and City controlled heliports in New York City. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Original source can be found here.