Department of Transportation

Study of Future Use: Republic Airport (Follow-Up Review)

Republic Airport, which is located in Suffolk County, was acquired by New York State in order to promote economic development in the Long Island region. In our prior report 96-D-26, we examined the effectiveness of these efforts, which are overseen by the Department of Transportation. We identified a number of factors that limited the effectiveness of the efforts, such as local concerns about noise if the Airport were allowed to serve commercial jets and local opposition to the use of Airport land for other commercial purposes. We also noted that the Airport had generally incurred an operating deficit, which must be subsidized by the State. We raised several questions relevant to the continued operation of the Airport, and in our follow-up review, we found that Department officials have addressed most of these issues and made significant progress in improving the financial prospects of the Airport.

For a complete copy of Report 2000-F-5 click here.