In Hempstead, complaints about airplane noise remain the talk of the town.
The Town of Hempstead is continuing its fight against what it calls excessive airplane noise, this time in a suit against the Port Authority. In the suit filed in the New York Supreme Court in Nassau County, the town argues that increased airplane noise and the use of certain runways at John F. Kennedy Airport have resulted in more resident disruption and complaints.
The suit alleges that the use of runway 22L at JFK has materially increased, resulting in greater noise and a higher impact on residents. It also argues that the Port Authority has outdated noise exposure maps that must be updated and that it has not implemented a necessary noise compatibility program.
The suit states that noise complaints from residents have “skyrocketed.” Between April 2024 and April 2025, 372,146 noise complaints were submitted for JFK, the suit says. Over 187,000 noise complaints were submitted in June and July 2024, corresponding to the highest monthly arrivals at runway 22L, which the town said demonstrates that a majority of JFK noise complaints come from people who live within the flight paths of planes landing at 22L.
Town of Hempstead attorney John L. Maccarone emphasized the municipality’s commitment to reducing airplane noise for residents.
“The Town of Hempstead is proud to stand against the overwhelming amount of flyovers experienced by residents in the flightpath leading to runway 22L,” Maccarone said. “We will continue to explore every avenue in the fight against this unlawful burden on the health and well-being of Town of Hempstead residents.”
He added that the town will contact the Department of Transportation to schedule a meeting to address these issues in an effort to avoid further litigation.
This suit follows a February suit jointly filed by Hempstead and North Hempstead against the Federal Aviation Administration. That suit argued that residents were being disturbed by a 70% increase in flights at lower altitudes after a change in the air traffic control system made flight paths lower and narrower.
The FAA and Port Authority have both declined to comment on the respective lawsuits, stating that they do not speak about pending litigation.
