Stewart airport renamed New York Stewart International Airport

Stewart International Airport in Orange County will be renamed New York Stewart International Airport as part of a $37 million effort to modernize facilities and bring new attention to the travel hub.

Market research indicates that incorporating “New York” into the airport name will make it easier for people to identify its geographical location, according to a press release from The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In a meeting last week, The Port Authority had discussed the possibility of renaming the airport New York International at Stewart Field.

The decision to change the name to New York Stewart International Airport was made “with family’s support” to honor the “Stewart family legacy,” according to the release.

“While preserving the airport’s history, the goal is to bring more flights and tourism dollars to New York, and ultimately more jobs to the region,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said in the release.

The upgrades to the airport include a 20,000 square foot permanent U.S. Customs inspection facility to streamline the task of processing large numbers of international passengers. The plan also calls for an energy efficient 450-space carport with a solar panel rooftop.

Passenger volumes at the airport rose more than 60 percent in 2017 in part because of Norwegian Air’s new service to destinations like Ireland, Scotland and Norway. Almost 450,000 commercial airline passengers used Stewart last year compared to the roughly 275,000 passengers in 2016.

The modernization of the airport is expected to create 140 on-site jobs and $10.6 million in wages.

Jack Howland: jhowland@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4870; Twitter: @jhowl04