US: Stewart Airport adopts a new identity as budget flight hub

As the baggage claim area at New York Stewart International Airport filled with passengers arriving from Dublin last month, the airport’s manager of business development, Michael Torelli, shook his head with delight. "Awesome,” he said of the crowd. Just two years earlier, the airport, 67 miles north of Manhattan, had 275,000 passengers, its slowest year since the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey began running it 11 years ago. This year, passenger volume is projected to more than double that as the region rediscovers an airport with more land than Newark Liberty International Airport and just a tiny fraction of its passenger volume. “Where are you going to get the space to build a new airport now?” asked Ed Harrison, the general manager of Stewart Airport. The grounds include woodlands and a reservoir, giving the airport a rural feel. But the property, formerly a military airport, also contains an industrial park, a US Department of Agriculture animal inspection centre, three air cargo operators, an Air National Guard base and a runway long enough to handle the largest jetliners. Harrison and Torelli said that they expected more business from two commercial developments nearby: a $500m Lego theme park scheduled for completion in 2020 and the $1.2b Resorts World Catskills casino, which opened in February. By focusing on a low-cost carrier identity, Stewart is part of a growing trend among airports in the US. Story has further details.<br/>