Firstflight oversight jams up airport shuttle service
The NY Times reported today, that the transition of management of the Downtown Heliport has been a less than seamless. Firstflight is the operator that was selected by the NYC Economic Development Corporation, as the new manager of the Downtown Heliport. Much controversy surrounded the granting of this contract, including a law suit filed by an unsuccessful NJ based bidder.
According to the Times, Firstflight has failed to have a requisite security screening program approved by the federal government. The screening program is necessary for shuttles going to airports, that bypass airport security. Since there is on security plan currently in place, Downtown Heliport Client U.S. Helicopters has been forced to cancel the shuttle routes leaving from that location.
Critics of the NYCEDC and Firstflight say that the oversight is more evidence that Firstflight is not the best fit as manager of the Heliport. Firstflight, an upstate based operator, had not run a metropolitan based helipad before winning the contract for the Downtown Heliport. Alvin Trenk of Air Pegasus, however, is affiliated with the outfit. Air Pegasus is currently phasing out tourist flights from the West 34th Street Heliport, after settling a suit earlier this year, brought by Friends of the Hudson River Park. It is likely that obtaining federal approval of a security plan was not a priority of Firstflight, being that the majority of their pecuniary benefit will flow from tourist flights, not airport shuttles.
