After nearly three years, New York’s East Hampton Town Airport (KJPX) has been correctly depicted as a public-use airport on the latest FAA aeronautical charts.
According to officials with the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), the Feb. 20, 2025, chart update “marked welcome progress” in the efforts of NBAA and other aviation advocates to preserve access to the airport.
KJPX has been misidentified as private-use on FAA charts since the town of East Hampton attempted to close the former East Hampton Airport in May 2022 and reopen the field as a private-use, prior permission required facility, NBAA officials explained.
“The Long Island facility is once again correctly depicted as a public-use airport on aeronautical charts and in databases, following the town of East Hampton’s filing of the required FAA Form 7480-1 to change the field’s designation in the agency’s records,” officials noted.
When the town attempted to switch the airport to private use, NBAA and other airport advocates obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the move, asserting that the town had failed to comply with requirements under New York state environmental law and the federal Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990. A permanent court injunction was upheld on appeal in March 2024.
However, the TRO and other court rulings came after the field’s new name, identifier, and the private-use designation hit the FAA charting cycle, NBAA officials noted.
“KJPX never closed and remained in operation as a public-use facility throughout this time, but the improper designation endured while the town stubbornly resisted submitting the required paperwork,” officials said.
“Filing out a one-page form with the FAA may not seem like much, yet considering the effort it took behind the scenes and in court to get us here, this really is a major accomplishment championed by NBAA and other interested parties in protecting airport access,” said Alex Gertsen, NBAA senior director for airport advocacy and vertical infrastructure.
The corrected charting of KJPX as a public-use airport “sends a strong message to airport sponsors nationwide considering this page out of the East Hampton playbook in attempts to restrict their airport,” he added.
For more information: NBAA.org
