Airport director praises efforts to get PBG designated POE
PLATTSBURGH — Plattsburgh International Airport Director Chris Kreig hopes the recent efforts by state leaders to get the airport designated a port of entry are successful.
PBG is one of two airports in the United States in close proximity to a land or border crossing — Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas being the second — that are currently deemed user-fee Primary Commercial Service airports, and are not international or landing rights airports, that have yet to be designated already as a port of entry.
The airport would save $800,000 a year if it gets the port of entry designation.
'While it (the designation) doesn't take all of that burden off of us, it does take a significant portion of it off, and it would allow us to repurpose that money,' Kreig said.
'Ideally, if it was up to me, we would just repurpose that into an increased push for air service development … my desire would be to see an international flight out of here.'
He said an international flight was the original goal of getting into the user-fee program, which they accomplished in 2019 after starting the process in 2012.
Technically, Kreig said, the airport does have international flights in and out on a daily basis at its customs facility. On average, the facility clears about 300 flights annually.
'What I would like to see is a plane pull up to the gate that's coming from somewhere outside the U.S. That will make it all worth it.'
NY-21 Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-Schuylerville), U.S. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer and even Texas state officials have been working over the past few years to get the two airports the port of entry designation.
Most recently, Stefanik reintroduced the bipartisan Border Airport Fairness Act and also wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requesting the designation be made.
'It's been a multi-pronged effort, if you will, because it's not just us, it's the airport in Texas that has been advocating, also. They've been advocating just as heavily for this,' Kreig said.
'So I'm happy to see that this is coming around again, and we, the county, certainly appreciate the efforts of our congressional leaders, Congresswoman Stefanik and Senator Schumer, Senator Gillibrand, and our state local elected officials for their support, because they've weighed in at various times in support of it. So we do appreciate all that.'
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