Proposal Would Entirely Eliminate Flights On Sundays

The city of New York is nearing an agreement that would cut the city's approximately 58,000 helicopter sightseeing flights in half, and would eliminate all such flights on Sunday, according to sources in the administration of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The New York Post reports that the move is in response to residents' complaints about noise that prompted the city council to propose legislation to ban all tourist flights.

According to the sources who requested anonymity, the city's Economic Development Corporation, which owns the city's only commercial helipad, is expected to accept a "multiple year" extension of its lease, which expires next year, with the caveat that helicopter operators agree to the reduction in the number of flights.

The source stated the obvious for the paper. "It’s unclear whether the smaller operators will survive, but this, at least, will keep the major operators functioning and keep in the helicopter tourist industry alive in the city.”

The source told the paper that an agreement with the Mayor is expected "very soon."

A spokesman for the Helicopter Tourism & Jobs Council (HTJC) said that the air tour operators "will continue to negotiate in good faith" in an effort to protect the hundreds of employees in the industry and the "$50 million economic impact we provide to the city."

Advocate for the helicopter tour industry also point out that of the 20 million calls made to the city's complaint hotline last year, only 1,500 were about helicopter noise and just 298 of those specifically mentioned tour helicopters.

The move would likely mean the loss of 250 full time jobs, according to the HTJC.

(Image from YouTube)

FMI: http://council.nyc.gov/html/home/home.shtml