The wealthy resort town of East Hampton on New York’s Long Island said it’s restricting traffic at its airport even as the Federal Aviation Administration warns of obstacles that may slow the process down. 

The town’s board last month voted unanimously to deactivate its airport at the end of February after residents have complained about noise for years, objections that have grown as ride-share apps make helicopter and plane travel easier. The plan was to reopen it as a more limited-use facility on March 4, where pilots could land only with prior permission. 

In a letter dated Wednesday, the FAA said that once the facility is deactivated, it will lose key attributes of an airport. For example, all FAA-operated navigational, weather, and communication aids will be disabled, the agency said. The regulatory agency will also need to analyze the airspace, and how its use will affect people and property on the ground and how it will affect the broader airspace structure. 

There may also be an environmental analysis it has to do. These efforts may take about two years to sort out, the FAA said in its letter.

In a statement on Thursday, the town board said it has told the FAA that if the agency doesn’t allow the airport to use an air control tower and other navigational aids, East Hampton will open a simpler airport without such amenities instead in March. 

The town also said that the FAA has never suggested that the East Hampton Airport and its airspace and instrument procedures are unsafe.

“It is noteworthy that the FAA never once in its letter states that the new private use airport will not be available on March 4,” according to the statement. “The Town remains confident that it will open on that date and looks forward to ushering in the new chapter of aviation in East Hampton that is consistent with the concerns that have been raised by so many in the community.”   

East Hampton residents have complained about air traffic noise for at least a decade, even before ride-share apps made it easier for people to snag seats on helicopters and airplanes. The town board has been working with consultants, residents, and others to figure out its options. 

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The arguments over air traffic pit many of the town’s wealthy residents, who might drive to East Hampton from Manhattan or live there year round, against the ultrawealthy, who fly in, said Mitchell Moss, a professor of urban policy and planning at New York University. Litigation may result, as residents of the town use their money to sue the federal agency, he said.  

“This is the 1% vs. the 0.1%,” said Moss, who about a decade ago was commissioned by a northeast U.S. helicopter trade group to write a report about how the town benefitted from the airport. “This is a litigator’s dream, because you have very wealthy voters based in the town who will do everything to take on the FAA.”