Some Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Residents Say Jet Airline Plans Won’t Fly, Others Welcome Bigger Planes

Neighbors of the Lancaster Airport are used to the buzz of small Cessnas and Beechcraft airplanes but now have questions surrounding the airport’s new expansion plans to include jet airliners.

Several commercial airlines have shown interest in serving the Lancaster Airport with passenger jets like Boeing’s 737s, according to LancasterOnline.

The larger planes would bring more noise with them.

“A lot of times, you can see the rivets and stuff on the plane when they’re so low coming in,” said Jim Schaeffer of Warwick Township in the LNP article. “I’m guessing with the bigger planes, you’re gonna get more of that.”

LNP says no commercial airlines have committed to servicing the Lancaster Airport despite multiple meetings over the last 18 months.

“Almost a half-million people are traveling (to airports) outside of this area, and we’re trying to make sure they don’t have to travel that far to make their journey,” said Ed Foster, the airport’s executive director.

Foster says the Lancaster area has enough people to justify bringing in flights to vacation destinations like Orlando, Florida and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The new jet airliners would be the largest planes at Lancaster Airport other than the occasional military cargo jet, LNP said.

Some of the airport’s neighbors say they are concerned about increased noise levels and emissions that would come with commercial airline traffic.

Bernadette Margel of Manheim Township told LNP the airport should study the noise and emissions from the jets, citing Lancaster County’s existing poor air quality.

“It is something most people have not thought about yet. But once it starts, they’re not going to like it,” Margel said to the authority board during a meeting last month, according to LNP.

The Lancaster Airport meets the FAA’s requirements for 737 planes, so the decision is ultimately up to the Lancaster County Airport Authority, the LNP article said.

“We’re always mindful of our neighbors, and we take into account, with everything we do, how it affects the neighborhood,” Authority Chairman James J. Cunningham said.

Foster also added that the new flights would only be scheduled a few times per week, and represent a fraction of the more than 1,800 weekly flights from the Lancaster Airport, the LNP article says.

Some Lancaster County residents welcome the idea of more air traffic.

“If they want to bring in more commercial flights, go for it,” said Karen Fogarty of Warwick Township.

Nelson Martin, of Warwick Township, said he would only be opposed if the airport significantly increases the number of commercial flights.

Schaeffer thinks the Lancaster Airport’s proximity to Harrisburg, Baltimore, and Philadelphia is one of the reasons why these expansions are not necessary.

“Why would you want a huge airport in this vicinity? It just doesn’t make sense,” Schaeffer said.

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