Federal Lawsuit Over East Hampton Airport Dropped

A national aviation group has dropped its federal lawsuit against the Town of East Hampton seeking to block the locality from enacting stricter rules governing flights at East Hampton Airport.

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) filed a motion Wednesday to dismiss its case in Central Islip federal court in which the town was named as a defendant. The move came after a Suffolk County court judge recently issued an injunction, which the town is appealing, that bars East Hampton officials from temporarily closing the airport to enact its new rules without first performing an environmental review.

“The state court’s injunction covers the requirement to comply with the Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA),” NBAA said in a statement to Dan’s Papers. “There is no longer a need to continue litigation at the federal level and we therefore filed a request to dismiss the suit without prejudice. We look forward to working toward a solution that secures the long-term future of the airport.”

The NBAA suit was one of seven lawsuits filed by more than 30 plaintiffs combined in response to the town’s long-sought airport reforms it tried to enact this year. The other six cases are still pending.

Town officials could not immediately be reached for comment.