New York, NY —

The Port Authority is buying Stewart International Airport, in Orange, with the hope of reducing congestion at the region's 3 main airports. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more.

REPORTER: The airport currently handles just 300,000 travelers a year, compared to the 100 million between JFK, Newark and La Guardia. But the Port Authority thinks that with development, millions of travelers will turn to Stewart.

The future success of the airport depends largely on the confidence of airlines and in the last month, Jet Blue and Air Tran have started operating flights from Stewart to Florida. Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun said the competition has driven down ticket prices, which will in turn draw more air travelers. But Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, who helps oversee the Port Authority, says it's hard to say how much things will improve at the other airports.

BRODSKY: It's alleged that our 3 airports are going to reach capacity. If that's the case, it's in everyone's interest to do something. The question is, is this the right something, and there, it's very hard to know who's competent to answer the question.

REPORTER: The issue of noise also concerns locals, as does over-development, which pushed conservationists to preserve nearby land in recent years. For WNYC, I'm Arun Venugopal.