MAYOR GIULIANI ANNOUNCES LEGISLATION TO CREATE NEW YORK CITY AIRPORT AUTHORITY
Legislation Would Allow City To Take Control Of JFK And LaGuardia Airports
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today released legislation that would create a New York City Airport Authority (NYCAA) to enable New York City to take control of John F. Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia airports from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The legislation will be a major priority of the Administration during the next legislative session and culminates a series of studies and analysis of the Port Authority operations over the past several years. The Mayor made the announcement at the bi-monthly JFK Chamber of Commerce luncheon.
"It's time for New York City to take control and to run its own airports," said Mayor Giuliani. "Our airports are the first stops for many tourists and business people visiting our City, there's no reason why we should have third-class airports when New York City is the capital of the world. For too long JFK and LaGuardia have been neglected by the Port Authority. Of the nation's 38 largest airports, LaGuardia ranked 35th out of 38 in consumer surveys and JFK ranked 37th. JFK has lost one-third of its share of trans-Atlantic capacity from 1988 to 1995.
"It is also unfortunate that the Port Authority doesn't treat JFK and LaGuardia the same way its treats Newark Airport. Each year the Port Authority take more than $180 million in New York City airport profits to subsidize commuters in New Jersey, and Newark Airport. Under the New York City Airport Authority this $180 million would be reinvested into the airports to improve security, fund capital projects, and improve airport efficiencies to ensure that they become first-class airports. With the Port Authority no longer draining the airports resources, JFK and LaGuardia would both become world-class airports.
"Once the airports are effectively managed and become more competitive the City will ensure that important capital projects will be constructed with the interests of the people of New York City in mind. It is time for New York City to reclaim these important assets and make them something that New York City can be proud of . Further, in 1996 JFK accounted for 34 percent of all crimes committed in the 113th Precinct. The Airport Authority would see that security at the airports would be controlled by the New York City Police Department which would result in less crime and a more pronounced cost savings for businesses that rely on the airports." the Mayor concluded.
New York's airports accounted for 100 percent of total PA profits in three of the last four years. Since 1991 New York City has not received over $600 million on the rent that the Port Authority pays for its airports. In 1993, the PA paid a total of $3 million in rent for both New York airports, while that same year Newark Airport received $18 million in rent.
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