NJ lawmakers urge DEP to halt eviction notices for aircraft owners at Aeroflex-Andover Airport
ANDOVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Sussex County) — Three state lawmakers are calling on the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to put eviction notices for aircraft owners with planes housed in hangars at Aeroflex-Andover Airport on hold while an alternative management proposal is considered.
State Sen. Parker Space, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and Assemblyman Michael Inganamort issued a joint statement Saturday criticizing the DEP’s decision to send the notices. The three Republicans represent the 24th Legislative District, which includes Sussex County.
“We are disappointed that the Department of Environmental Protection has taken the extraordinary step of sending eviction notices to aircraft owners with planes housed in hangars at Andover-Aeroflex Airport. This moves us further from the reasonable, serious solution we have proposed: allowing an outside entity to manage the airport so the DEP and the Forest Fire Service can focus on their core missions. Given the interest already expressed, we are confident the DEP could select a capable partner in full compliance with public bidding rules.
“We urge the DEP to put these eviction notices on hold while that option receives full and fair consideration. Sussex County is a transportation desert. Reducing offerings at one of the county’s only two airports does not serve the best interests of its residents.”
The statement follows concerns raised earlier this year about the future of the airport’s hangar complex.
In August, the DEP told RNJ that Aeroflex-Andover Airport would remain open as a public-use airport despite plans to reduce the size of the aging hangar complex.
According to the DEP at the time, the reduction would likely require demolition of a significant portion of the existing structure. Once completed, the hangar would be reduced in size to meet the operational needs of the DEP Forest Fire Service’s aviation program.
A physical conditions assessment commissioned by the Forest Fire Service and completed in September 2024 identified structural cracking, water damage and concerns involving structural integrity, electrical system safety and compliance with building codes and environmental regulations.
The assessment estimated in 2024 that demolishing the existing hangar and control tower and constructing replacement facilities would cost $10.9 million. The DEP said in August that the estimated 2026 construction cost, adjusted for inflation, was between $12 million and $12.5 million, not including design, permitting, environmental review or other project-related expenses.
At the time, the Forest Fire Service had 18 interior aircraft storage permits within the hangar.
The DEP said in August that it had no plans to close Aeroflex-Andover Airport and that the facility would remain open as a public-use airport with outdoor grass tie-down rental space available for aircraft.
Space, Fantasia and Inganamort are now asking the department to pause the eviction notices while their proposal to have an outside entity manage the airport is considered.
