Last month’s helicopter crash into the Hudson River that tragically took six lives underscores the immediate need to fully ban, or at minimum better regulate, the dangerous, polluting, nonessential helicopter industry. Despite industry claims, nonessential (tourist and commuter) helicopters contribute little to the local economy, and the impact to tax-paying residents of noise and air pollution, the reduction of property values, and the senseless and avoidable loss of life, has a far higher cost.
New York City’s Economic Development Corp. (EDC) reports the direct rental revenue they receive from heliport operators is less than $3 million a year. EDC claims the two heliports generate $78 million in economic benefits. But the majority of this benefit comes from environmentally damaging sources — $50 million in jet fuel sales to helicopter operators.
EDC claims another $20 million from helicopter company employee spending, which defies credulity. The actual revenue to NYC from its two heliports is only 27 ten-thousandths of the city’s $110 billion budget.
Yet this pittance of revenue from those heliports comes with tremendous costs to New Yorkers. Taxpayers pay the capital costs of keeping the heliports operational, a substantial expense due to the heliports sitting on pier structures degraded by the harsh marine environment.
The city estimates it will need to spend $275 million on a new heliport to protect against rising sea levels. It is incomprehensible that the city is spending billions to mitigate the impacts of climate change at the same time it is enabling nonessential, polluting activities that are exacerbating climate change.
In terms of the indirect costs, there are myriad “economic externalities” the industry inflicts on metropolitan area residents. New York City has spent billions of dollars upgrading its parks and waterfronts over the last two decades, yet noise pollution from nonessential helicopters makes our parks unpleasant for both residents and tourists.
A single idling helicopter generates as much air pollution as 40 idling cars. Jet fuel fumes and noise from heliports have been a source of complaints from communities for decades, leading Mayor Giuliani to shutter the E. 60th St. heliport in 1997. A recent article in Streetsblog NYC detailed the economic cost to real estate values from noise pollution associated with nonessential helicopters.
Every time a noise-polluting helicopter disturbs people below, productivity declines and blood pressure rates increase. Indeed, constant noise pollution is a known health hazard, a cost impacting millions of city residents every day. Additionally, with each crash, there are enormous costs for emergency rescue services.
Finally, the horrific recent crash that killed a Spanish family of five and the pilot will likely result in massive wrongful death lawsuits — the judgments against the city and its partner helicopter companies could easily be multiples of the $90 million settlement awarded to just one of the victims of a FlyNYON 2018 helicopter crash that killed five tourists.
All of those “externality costs” must be accounted for when NYC trumpets the alleged economic benefits of operating heliports. The question must be asked: Why is NYC subsidizing private, for-profit tour operators (such as NY Helicopter Charter) and commuter companies (such as Blade) that shuttle wealthy passengers to the Hamptons and airports?
While the FAA has significant authority in regulating this industry and has sole authority over airspace, there is much the city can and must do to fix the problem. In fact, legislation recently passed by the New York City Council aims to better regulate nonessential helicopter operations from the two NYC-operated heliports. Advocates are urging Mayor Adams to sign this legislation, an initial step toward a more comprehensive and substantial reform of the industry.
Next, the city must act now to impose a moratorium on nonessential helicopter flights from these heliports. The city should also work with state and federal representatives, as well as neighboring municipalities, and support the recently introduced “Improving Helicopter Safety Act of 2025”, a federal bill sponsored by bipartisan and bistate Reps. Jerry Nadler, Nicole Malliotakis and Rob Menendez and co-sponsored by Reps. Grace Meng, Nydia Velázquez and LaMonica McIver.
After the recent tragedy, City Hall rushed to defend the nonessential helicopter industry. The city must reconsider its illogical support. Tourists and commuters have multiple choices for sightseeing and transportation beyond dangerous, polluting helicopters, and NYC will still thrive as a tourist mecca with many fewer helicopters plaguing our skies.
New York City was a tourist magnet long before sightseeing helicopters, and it will remain a global business hub without commuter helicopters roaring over our neighborhoods.
Katzman serves on the board of Stop the Chop NY/NJ.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/05/25/nycs-economic-case-for-helicopters-doesnt-fly/