$48m Expansion on Gabreski Airport Announced by Suffolk County, Signature Aviation

A new project is underway at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, following a groundbreaking – literally – ceremony attended by local officials and representatives from Signature Aviation.

The $48 million development will feature two 31,250 square foot aircraft hangars, a new terminal office building, expanded aircraft parking, and a fuel facility, all situated on a 13-acre site.

“They’re going to be building a number of hangars,” Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine told Dan’s Papers. “They will be providing fuel and a terminal where passengers can wait. And that will enhance air service to Gabreski. This is not regular flights. These are usually chartered flights of limited nature, but it will enhance the type of service that is out of  Gabreski.”

This project aims to enhance facilities and services for aircraft operating out of Gabreski Airport, creating more aviation opportunities in the region. Gabreski Airport is a Suffolk County-owned, joint civil-military general aviation airport.

“Half of the airport is run by the 106 and the other half is run by the county,” Romaine added. “So this will help in terms of transportation and be a shot in the arm. It will create jobs, and it will be a good thing for the area.”

While this project in and of itself does not make Gabreski a competitor with larger regional airports, Romaine said, it could be a step in that direction.

“It’s probably too early to say, but let’s see what happens,” he said. “Gabreski is offering services that weren’t offered before, which is a good thing. We have a lot of people that want to use air transportation, and we want to give as many options as we possibly can. I’m very happy to see that to the west, Islip Town’s airport, MacArthur is adding more carriers and more service, connecting to more routes, which gives Long Islanders options, as opposed to going to LaGuardia or Kennedy or Newark.”

Romaine acknowledged concern among residents, but said it should not affect the area in any negative way.

“There are no homes nearby,” he said. “They’re south of the railroad tracks, south and usually, I think, a little bit to the east of the railroad tracks. This is way north of that.”