Cuomo says Stewart name change not his idea
Despite including a name change for Stewart International Airport in his recent State of the State message, Gov. Andrew Cuomo says it was not his idea.
In fact, he told Mid-Hudson News on Wednesday, he would be open to any change.
“It was part of the airport’s plan to expand and go from beyond a regional airport to a New York City-related airport, but I would be open to any name. I mean, it wasn’t my decision,” he said,.
A news release from Cuomo’s office in December read: “The governor’s proposal to change the name to New York International at Stewart Field will help attract additional flight service to the region and increase name recognition among residents and visitors.”
The Stewart family is opposed to the name change, noting that the 2007 contract that handed management of the airport to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey included a clause that the name would remain Stewart International Airport for the entire 93-year term of the agreement with the state Department of Transportation, which owns the airport.
The governor’s proposed $34 million investment in Stewart, which is in Orange County, would include a U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection station for incoming international travelers, a pressing need in the wake of Norwegian Air beginning service last year between Stewart and several European destinations.