With nearly half of airport arrivals descending directly over dense residential neighborhoods, City leaders demand immediate use of the Route 17 bypass route.

Hackensack officials are pressing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to mandate an approved alternate flight path into Teterboro Airport and halt the heavy concentration of low-flying arrivals over city neighborhoods.

A resolution passed by the City Council on October 6 urges both agencies to require eligible aircraft to use the FAA-approved Runway 19 Offset Approach and distribute arrivals more equitably across the airport’s runways

Because Teterboro Airport sits directly south of Hackensack, planes descending south toward Runway 19 cut straight across the city’s most densely populated residential areas. The offset route was specifically designed to steer arriving aircraft away from homes, parks, and schools by guiding them along the commercial Route 17 corridor.

However, because the alternate approach to Runway 19 remains optional, it remains almost completely unused.

City-cited air traffic data provided by the Teterboro Aircraft Noise Abatement Advisory Committee (TANAAC) show the immense scale of the issue:

• The southern approach and Runway 19 are heavily overused: The southern approach, which routes aircraft directly over Hackensack, is used 67% of the time, placing an outsized burden on communities north of the airport. Runway 19 alone handled nearly half of all airport arrivals (48.75% in 2025 and 48.58% in the first half of 2026).

• The alternate relief route is barely used: Despite being designed to direct flights away from population centers, the Runway 19 Offset Approach was used by just 80 of 39,460 eligible arrivals in 2025—a mere 0.2%.

• Airport traffic is surging: Total flight movements rose 11.5% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, with private jet movements climbing 12.26%.

“Working families in Hackensack shouldn’t carry the burden of nearly half of Teterboro’s incoming flights,” said Mayor Caseen Gaines. “The quiet enjoyment of our neighborhoods shouldn’t take a backseat to pilot convenience. The FAA already approved an offset approach to protect our residents, yet it sits almost completely unused while flight volume surges.”

The resolution cites aircraft noise, ground vibrations, and localized exhaust emissions as constant disruptions to daily life, residential enjoyment, and outdoor recreation in Hackensack and throughout central Bergen County.

“These low-flying planes aren’t just rattling windows at home—they are roaring over classrooms and constantly distracting our students,” Gaines continued. “Our community’s quality of life and our children’s education must come first. We are pressing the FAA and the Port Authority to direct arrivals to other runways more equitably and mandate the Runway 19 Offset Approach for eligible aircraft.”

The City’s resolution comes as neighboring communities south of Teterboro have also organized to seek changes to flight patterns, underscoring the regional nature of the issue. While runway use depends first on runway availability and weather, followed by operational efficiency, community noise concerns rank last in the FAA’s stated priorities.

Paramus has also passed a similar resolution, showing that communities across Bergen County are ready to speak up. Hackensack urges other towns affected by Teterboro’s flight patterns to join the effort, pass resolutions of their own, and call on the FAA and the Port Authority to mandate change.

The City has shared the resolution with federal, state, and county officials, Teterboro Airport leadership, neighboring municipalities, and the Teterboro Aircraft Noise Abatement Advisory Committee.

Residents are urged to submit aircraft noise complaints through Teterboro Airport’s noise complaint portal or call the airport’s Noise Hotline at 800-225-1071.