Avella Says City Airports Should Not Increase Air Traffic

State Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, has called on LaGuardia Airport and JFK International Airport not to increase air traffic following a recent near-midair collision.

On June 13, a Delta Airlines Boeing 747 arriving at Kennedy Airport missed an approach and ended up in the same direction as a Shuttle America Embracer 170 jet leaving LaGuardia's Runway 13.

Avella said the incident exemplifies the risk involved in the Federal Aviation Administration increasing air traffic over Queens.

"The FAA's intention to permanently implement this new departure procedure at LaGuardia Airport - and therefore increase air traffic - will not only have a profound impact on noise and air pollution, it will also have a significant impact on airplane safety," Avella said.

Avella and northeast Queens leaders have been fighting to halt a new FAA flight pattern out of LaGuardia that they say has caused constant noise over Bayside and Douglaston.