The battle in Washington over the nation’s debt ceiling is not expected to have an direct impact on airports in the near future, but officials at Long Island MacArthur Airport are concerned that the ongoing focus on this issue is distracting Congress from dealing with other legislation.
The commissioner of the airport, Teresa Rizzuto, said the Federal Aviation Administration’s reauthorization bill that is currently stalled in Congress is needed to allow airport officials locally and across the country to move forward on needed construction projects.
Currently, MacArthur has a handful of projects on hold that total $1.5 million and impact 100 jobs. Those projects include a redesign of the airport’s fire rescue service and the installation of an electronic fence around the in nearby Bayport. That project also falls under the purview of Islip Town, which owns and operates MacArthur Airport.
