East Hampton loses battle to privatize airport

The town of East Hampton can’t close or privatize its airport, a judge has ruled — grounding local bureaucrats’ scheme and ending a months-long battle over the tarmac’s fate.

The town’s Board of Supervisors tried to close East Hampton Airport in May and reopen it just days later as a private facility that would have been able to eschew rules set by the Federal Aviation Associations. 

The new privatized  East Hampton Airport was expected to drastically limit flights, much to residents outrage, many of whom joined a slew of lawsuits against the town.  

In a major blow to the board, Suffolk County Judge Paul Baisley ruled against it Wednesday, saying it “acted both beyond its legal abilities and in an arbitrary and capricious manner” when dividing its plan.

Baisley said the town plan violated New York environmental law, which would have mandated an environmental impact study before the airport reopened — not afterward as the town was planning.

The judge also said the town’s plan to set curfew would be illegal, saying it “fails to comply with…procedural requirements for adopting noise and access restrictions.”

Blade Air Mobility, one of the plaintiffs in the court fight, said it was thrilled with the discussion.  

“While scheduled Hamptons flights only represent about 6% of our revenues, we are pleased with the court’s decision and hope it leads to constructive discussions between the town and all airport stakeholders,” CEO Rob Wiesenthal told The Post.

Metal mogul Andy Sabin, another plaintiff, said his side “got  more than we wanted.” 

“I knew we would win but not this big. They must really f—ing hate the town,” he said of the court.

East End Hangars Inc. Board President Steven Dunaif, another plaintiff, said “we never wanted to file a lawsuit, but the Town continually disregarded our concerns over privatizing the airport, making litigation our only option.

“We are hopeful that Town leaders can bring our community together and reach a legal solution that benefits all of East Hampton,” he continued.

The Post exclusively reported earlier this year that East Hampton had likely shelled out $2.5 million-plus to battle the money-draining lawsuits challenging its privatization, which faced critics on almost all sides of the fight.

The town got so desperate it even appeared to submit doctored government documents in the legal saga to privatize the town’s airport, a new court filing — although the town claimed it was just a mistake.

The Board of Supervisors did not immediately return a request for comment.