I support the passage of legislation to ban nonessential* helicopter flights from heliports owned or operated by New York City, including the Downtown Skyport (formerly “Downtown Manhattan Heliport”) and East 34th Street heliport. In addition, I call on NYC’s Mayor and New York State’s Governor to close the heliport in Hudson River Park, at West 30th Street.

HELICOPTER NOISE POLLUTION ENDANGERS PUBLIC HEALTH
The excessive noise from helicopters disrupts New Yorkers at home and our enjoyment of parks, public spaces, outdoor concerts, festivals, and other public events. Helicopter-related noise complaints to 311 totaled more than 80,000 in 2023-24.
Studies show that exposure to noise pollution also poses threats to physical and mental health, including hearing loss, sleep disruption, cardiovascular and endocrine diseases, and exacerbates anxiety and depression.

HELICOPTER TRAFFIC CREATES UNACCEPTABLE SAFETY RISKS
With more than 30 helicopter crashes in NYC since 1980 -- resulting in multiple fatalities and serious injuries -- the danger to residents and tourists in this densely populated city is unacceptable. Here are some recent examples: in April 2025, a NYC-run sightseeing helicopter split in mid-air and a family of five plus the pilot tragically perished in the Hudson River close to the Hoboken shoreline. In 2019, a commuter helicopter crashed into a midtown office building. A year earlier, a NJ-based doors off “shoe selfie” sightseeing flight lost power and crashed into the East River, drowning all five tourists. These are just some examples of the risks to the public these unnecessary, low-flying fossil-fueled choppers create for all those under or near their flight paths.

HELICOPTERS CONTRIBUTE TO AIR POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Nonessential helicopter flights are needlessly adding to the global climate crisis with excessive carbon emissions. One helicopter idling at a heliport has the same impact as more than 40 cars idling. Helicopters can burn as much as 180 gallons of jet fuel per hour, and some still use leaded fuel, worsening toxic air emissions as there is no safe level of lead exposure.
New York City is extremely vulnerable in the face of climate change; prohibiting fossil fuel-guzzling nonessential helicopters is the logical next step towards mitigating CO2 emissions and creating a safe, healthy and equitable urban environment for all. Many commuter flights headed to the Hamptons and JFK Airport fly repeatedly, usually at very low altitudes, over neighborhoods that are home to hundreds of thousands of people, including communities of color, creating environmental justice issues.

CONCLUSION
For all these reasons, I urge NYC’s Mayor and my City Council member to support an end to nonessential helicopter flights from the two heliports operated by the city -- Downtown Heliport and East 34th Street. I also urge the Hudson River Park Trust Board, and/or the New York Governor and the State Legislature to fully close the West 30th Street Heliport.

To learn more about the campaign to end nonessential helicopter flights in the New York region, see www.stopthechopnynj.org.

*Nonessential flights are those used for tourism or commuting, and do not include helicopters used by police, the military, emergency and medical services, government, news and other media.