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New Flight Path for Newark Airport Could Clog Queens Skies, Official Warns

By Katie Honan | June 10, 2016 5:13pm | Updated on June 12, 2016 8:13pm
 The new path will redirect some flights over water
The new path will redirect some flights over water "as much as possible," according to the FAA.
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Flickr/duluoz_cats

JACKSON HEIGHTS — Airspace over Queens could be clogged with more traffic after a new flight pattern begins at Newark Airport this fall, Rep. Grace Meng warns.

The new path will redirect some flights over water "as much as possible," according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Aircraft flying the new procedure will approach the airport from the south and east flying over communities southeast of the airport," FAA spokesman Jim Peters said.

"The FAA conducted an environmental review of the procedure in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and determined that it will not significantly increase noise."

While the map of the path doesn't show a direct impact over the borough, Meng fears that even the slightest change could impact residents who already suffer under a deluge of airplane traffic from John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.

"We cannot support any decision that would result in additional air traffic, however slight, over our congressional districts," she wrote in a letter sent Thursday to the FAA.

She asked the FAA to examine the flight path's impact over New York City before making any final decisions.