A town in Long Island, troubled by ongoing airplane noise from John F. Kennedy Airport, is taking legal steps to address the issue as complaints about low-flying aircraft increase.
Hempstead, along with three of its residents, initiated a lawsuit last week aiming to compel the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to refresh the noise impact maps for the region — an essential move toward reducing the overwhelming aircraft noise.
According to the lawsuit, town dwellers and local businesses have faced “a relentless surge of noise and vibrations,” a situation that has intensified since 2022 when the volume of flights to the Queens airport rose significantly.
Even though the commotion from the planes has notably jumped in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, including late at night, current Noise Exposure Maps (NEMs) don’t reflect that reality, lawyers for the town argued.
Between April 2024 and April 2025, there have been more than 372,000 noise complaints for JFK Airport – a stark contrast to the more than 142,000 grievances between December 2017 and December 2018, according to the lawsuit.
The map issued by the PA only include a handful of homes in Valley Stream and is based off a modeling scenario, according to the lawsuit.
Town Attorney John Maccarone said in a statement the town is “proud to stand against the overwhelming amount of flyovers” plaguing residents.
“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 said.
Hempstead and North Hempstead filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration over similar problems in February, but that legal challenge was later tossed, according to Newsday, which first reported on the new lawsuit.
Maccarone stated the town would request a meeting with the federal agency to avoid further litigation.
Much of the problems center around Runway 22L, the town argued. While the Port Authority has claimed that the increase in usage for that runway is not a “permanent change,” the data shows otherwise, according to the legal action.
“NEMs are important because they establish applicable noise contours around airports,” the lawsuit explains.
“Properties within application noise contours may be entitled to noise mitigation, including physical alterations to their properties and flight path modifications.”
A representative for the PA said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
