By Hank Russell
A press conference was held at Francis S. Gabreski Airport on October 30 to announce that SIgnature Aviation will build a new terminal and hangar on the grounds of the Westhampton Beach-based facility and serve as the airport’s fixed base operator.
Signature will have a 5,600-square-foot, state-of-the-art private aviation terminal, 60,000 square feet of hangar space and a fueling station. “We have a vision to be an aviation network that really moves the world forward,” said the company’s chief operating officer, Brad Williams, adding the terminals will have “a timeless design.”
The company currently has 200 private aviation terminals in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and
the Caribbean and employs more than 6,000 people. “Our overarching goal is to provide our customers with a consistent, frictionless experience to truly make every second exceptional for them,” Williams said.
“This was a long time coming and this is going to make a huge difference at Gabreski Airport,” said Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine.
Signature, based in Orlando. Florida, has invested $43 million into the project and is in a 30-year agreement with the county, followed by two potential five-year extensions, Romaine said. According to the county executive, one dollar spent by Signature means $2.50 in economic activity in Suffolk.
Romaine said the county has worked to make Gabreski “an economic hub, which is so desperately needed on the East End. He mentioned that many presidential candidates have flown into Gabreski for Hamptons fundraisers. “This is an airport like no other.”.
When asked about complaints from local residents about airplane noise from the airport, Romaine pointed out that there are no homes near the airport until “you go south of the railroad tracks. … Like anything, this airport was here long before anyone else.”
Romaine said, in the past, there was the need for balance between noise pollution and jobs, but, because today’s aircraft engines run more quietly, “that balance has been achieved.”
Romaine said usage of the airport will increase in 2026, when the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton hosts the U.S. Open. “It’s going to be a shot in the arm, it’s going to create jobs and it’s going to make Gabreski a more functional airport,” he said.
Williams said the Hamptons is “a coveted destination” and the project, once it is completed, will be “a warm welcome for the visitors and residents of the Hamptons.” He said he chose Gabreski because he “thought the area was underserved” and in need of a private aviation terminal. “We decided to bring this timeless, state-of-the-art facility to the Island.”