HACKENSACK, NJ – Private jets carrying wealthy travelers and corporate executives into Teterboro Airport are roaring over Hackensack neighborhoods, even though an alternative flight path designed to spare residents from the noise has been available for years.

Now, city officials want the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to stop making the quieter route optional and require incoming pilots to use it.

The Hackensack City Council passed a resolution Oct. 6 calling on the FAA to mandate an alternate approach that would direct jets over the Route 17 commercial corridor instead of residential neighborhoods.

“Working families in Hackensack shouldn’t carry the burden of nearly half of Teterboro’s incoming flights,” Hackensack Mayor Caseen Gaines said. “The quiet enjoyment of our neighborhoods shouldn’t take a backseat to pilot convenience.”

The alternative route, approved by the FAA in 2021 and known as the RNAV (GPS) X Runway 19 approach, allows jets to fly south over the Route 17 business corridor rather than approach farther east over densely populated neighborhoods.

But according to the Teterboro Aircraft Noise Abatement Advisory Committee, the route is used less than 2% of the time.

The committee, which represents communities surrounding the airport, urged the FAA in a July 15 letter to increase use of the alternate approach.

“The committee is very disappointed that the alternate approach to Runway 19 is not being utilized,” the letter stated.

Teterboro Airport, located across Teterboro, Moonachie and Hasbrouck Heights, handles private, corporate and charter aircraft rather than regularly scheduled commercial airline flights.

Its proximity to Manhattan makes it popular among business executives and wealthy travelers, but residents in surrounding communities have long complained about aircraft noise.

The dispute extends beyond Hackensack. Teaneck, Maywood, Bogota, Rochelle Park and several other Bergen County municipalities are represented on the airport's noise advisory committee.

The Port Authority, which operates Teterboro, says it cannot control flight paths, pointing to the FAA.

The FAA, meanwhile, said it works with airports and communities to reduce aircraft noise but did not directly address whether it would require pilots to use the alternate route.

Audrey Herget, a Park Ridge resident and co-founder of Taxpayers for Aircraft Noise Solutions & Safety, described the years-long dispute as a frustrating cycle of finger-pointing.

“If you go to the Port Authority, they’ll say it’s an FAA issue,” Herget said. “If you go to the FAA, they say it’s a pilot issue. If you go to the pilots, they say it’s the air traffic control tower, and the air traffic control tower will say the pilot will have to request it.”

“It’s a ping-pong match,” she added.

Gaines plans to seek support from state and federal officials, including Gov. Mikie Sherrill, as Hackensack pushes for changes.

The airport's noise advisory committee is scheduled to meet Oct. 28, with residents still waiting to see whether the FAA will act.