IATA: HPN – ICAO: KHPN – FAA LID: HPN
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner/Operator County of Westchester
Serves White Plains, New York
Location Harrison, New York
Elevation AMSL 439 ft / 134 m
Coordinates 41°4′1″N 73°42′27″W / 41.06694°N 73.7075°W / 41.06694; -73.7075
Website airport.westchestergov.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 6,548 1,996 Asphalt
11/29 4,451 1,357 Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Passenger boardings 901,831
Aircraft operations 154,128
Based aircraft 326
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
Westchester County Airport (IATA: HPN, ICAO: KHPN, FAA LID: HPN) is a public airport located in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately 3 nautical miles (5.56 km) northeast of the central business district of White Plains, New York. It serves the areas of Westchester, a suburban county of New York City, as well as Fairfield County, Connecticut, as the New York-Connecticut state border coincides with the airport’s eastern limits. It also serves, to a lesser extent, the New York metropolitan area, as it is located approximately 33 miles (53 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It is often used by those who wish to avoid the congestion of the other New York City-area airports. According to Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 901,831 passenger boardings (enplanements) in 2008, up from 823,478 boardings in 2007. The Westchester County Airport currently has 7 airlines flying to 16 destinations around the United States only.
Westchester County Airport was originally built during World War II in 1942 as a home to an Air National Guard unit to protect New York City and Rye Lake, part of the city’s water supply system. In May 1983, with the quick growth of the suburban area in Westchester, the Guard unit was moved to Stewart International Airport further to the north near Newburgh.
In 1947, passenger service began, and before the passing of the Airline Deregulation Act the airport was served by several regional airlines, including Allegheny Airlines, Command Airways and Empire Airlines. On January 5, 2006, the airport was the point of departure for the last flight of Independence Air; a flight to Washington, D.C. at 7:26 pm.
The airport is served by seven commercial airlines. Besides Independence Air, Continental Airlines used to serve the airport, with non-stop service to Cleveland on Continental Connection.
This airport has now become a big focus for low-cost carriers AirTran and JetBlue, for their Northeast to Southeast markets. They are looking to continue to add new service and add connections throughout their route networks.
Today, JetBlue is the airport’s largest carrier. It operates 12 daily round trips to 5 destinations: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Tampa, and West Palm Beach. JetBlue began service at the airport in 2007. Customers use this airport as an alternative to the busy John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty airports.
In June 2009, Cape Air became the latest airline to serve Westchester County Airport, with service to Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Cape Air introduced service to Lebanon Municipal Airport in New Hampshire during early 2010. All Cape Air flights depart and arrive from the Signature Flight Support facility located south of the Main Terminal as a result of the lack of availability for ticket counter space in the Main Terminal.
In June 2010, Air Canada, operated by Air Georgian, announced that it would be dropping service at the airport.
After several renovations, as well as discussions about the airport’s viability, the airport today is served by seven airlines to a range of destinations in the United States. Although there has always been some controversy about the airport and proposed expansions, more have occurred recently due to travelers seeking to avoid delays at the other New York airports. The most recent concerns have to do with flight paths[6] and traffic congestion, the latter of which Westchester County is addressing via increased Bee-Line bus service and the county encouraging travelers not to drive.
Due to its location near a number of residential neighborhoods, Westchester County Airport instituted a Voluntary Restraint from Flying Program, sometimes referred to as a voluntary curfew,[8] which has helped to ease some of the local worry over the airport’s activity. In an effort to alleviate concerns over expansion and noise, studies are done on a regular basis.