West 30th Street Heliport
| Company type | Public heliport |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Founder | Port of New York Authority |
| Headquarters | Manhattan, New York City , United States |
Area served | Manhattan, New York City |
Key people | Alvin Trenk (founder of Air Pegasus), Abigail Trenk (manager) |
| Products | Helicopter landing and takeoff services, charter flights, sightseeing tours (historically) |
| Owner | Hudson River Park Trust (leaseholder) |
| Parent | Air Pegasus (operator since 1981) |
The West 30th Street Heliport is a heliport situated on Manhattan's West Side in New York City. Established in 1956 by the Port of New York Authority, it has been managed by Air Pegasus since 1981 under a lease agreement with the Hudson River Park Trust.
Planning and development
In November 1953, Edward F. Cavanagh Jr., then Commissioner of the New York City Marine and Aviation Department, proposed creating a helicopter landing area along the Hudson River waterfront near Midtown Manhattan to facilitate mail and passenger transportation. The initial plan involved constructing the heliport on barges moored to piers between 33rd and 37th streets, allowing direct access to the nearby General Post Office. Since airport facilities were governed by a 1947 agreement, approval from the Port Authority (PA) was necessary.
By December 1953, Vincent A. G. O'Connor succeeded Cavanagh as commissioner and incorporated a heliport atop a new freight-forwarding terminal at 30th Street into the city’s 1955 capital budget proposal. The terminal was projected to cost $1.25 million, with an additional $150,000 to $250,000 earmarked for reinforcing the roof to support helicopter operations.
Both New York Airways and the PA opposed the rooftop heliport concept. In August 1955, Austin J. Tobin, executive director of the PA, suggested constructing a temporary ground-level heliport costing $50,000 within 30 days, intended for use over three to five years while planning a permanent $5 million facility. The PA argued that the rooftop option was impractical both operationally and financially and recommended relocating the freight terminal further north. O'Connor dismissed this proposal due to safety concerns related to proximity to the West Side Elevated Highway.
By late 1955, aviation authorities including Igor Sikorsky endorsed the PA’s ground-level heliport design. A consulting firm raised safety issues about traffic near the proposed rooftop site, and in January 1956, the Civil Aeronautics Administration favored the PA’s at-grade heliport over the rooftop alternative.
Based on these recommendations, Mayor Wagner formed a committee that advocated proceeding with the PA’s temporary ground-level heliport featuring a landing pad extending into the river, noting that helicopter technology had not yet advanced sufficiently for permanent rooftop facilities.
The Board of Estimate approved the plans and granted a five-year lease to the PA on June 28, 1956. Construction commenced on July 2, 1956, focusing on a bulkhead section with two helicopter pads extending over water supported by steel piles. Onshore amenities included parking spaces, tie-down areas, and a passenger terminal. The PA agreed to limit helicopter flights over the adjacent highway during takeoff and landing operations and installed screening fences along the eastern boundary.
Opening and early years
The heliport officially opened on September 26, 1956, with New York Airways operating Sikorsky S-55 helicopters fitted with pontoons for carrying mail and cargo to La Guardia and Newark. This marked Manhattan’s first commercial heliport. Passenger service commenced on December 5, 1956, offering scheduled flights to La Guardia and Newark using five-passenger Sikorsky S-55s. Connections to New York International Airport were available via La Guardia.
Direct helicopter service to JFK began in August 1957 alongside the introduction of twelve-passenger Sikorsky S-58 helicopters equipped with floats; however, these were soon withdrawn due to excessive vibration caused by their floats and replaced by S-55 models. In June 1958, New York Airways introduced fifteen-passenger float-equipped Vertol 44-B helicopters at this location.
Initial forecasts anticipated annual passenger volumes reaching one million by 1965 and five million by 1970. Nevertheless, actual usage was significantly lower; only 11,990 passengers were recorded in 1959 despite an expanded Vertol 44-B fleet. This shortfall was attributed to competition from surface transportation options and reliability problems with equipment. To stimulate demand, the Port Authority developed the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, which opened on December 8, 1960. Due to fleet constraints, New York Airways requested temporary permission to shift operations from West 30th Street to Downtown Manhattan.
After federal subsidy reductions, New York Airways discontinued Midtown services; in December 1961, the Civil Aeronautics Board authorized suspending all operations at West 30th Street Heliport except for mail and cargo flights.
In December 1969, Americus Airways initiated daily scheduled helicopter flights between Allentown–Bethlehem–Easton Airport in Pennsylvania and West 30th Street Heliport using Sikorsky S-55s. This airline was a subsidiary of Albert Moffa Enterprises led by hotelier Albert Moffa; initially planning departures from his Americus Hotel rooftop. However, this service ended in November 1970 due to insufficient passenger interest.
Subsequent Operations
In 1980, the West 30th Street Heliport logged 1,916 helicopter movements annually. The following year, the Port Authority (PA) appointed Air Pegasus as its exclusive private operator, enhancing the facility by adding a passenger lounge and upgraded communication systems. Ownership shifted from New York City to New York State during the Westway initiative; however, the PA continued to hold the lease on a month-to-month basis. By 1983, helicopter operations had escalated dramatically to 18,200 per year, predominantly catering to corporate executives, which led to its reputation as the "VIP Heliport." Both Air Pegasus and Air Metro provided sightseeing tours as part of their services.
In September 1984, Resorts International Airline (RIA), a branch of Resorts International, initiated scheduled flights connecting the heliport with Atlantic City using Sikorsky S-61 helicopters capable of carrying 24 passengers. These helicopters landed at Steel Pier adjacent to Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. After Donald Trump took control of Resorts International in 1988, RIA was renamed Trump Air. The airline broadened its routes to include Bader Field and summer weekend flights to The Hamptons, operating from West 30th Street to Suffolk County Airport and East Hampton Airport. Financial difficulties and increased fuel prices following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait forced Trump Air to discontinue its Atlantic City service in 1991.
During the mid-1990s, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum proposed converting the retired USS Guadalcanal into a floating heliport as a replacement for West 30th Street. This initiative aimed to boost museum revenue while freeing up land for the West Side Highway reconstruction and Hudson River Park development. Due to community concerns about obstructed river views, this proposal was ultimately abandoned. Subsequently, city officials explored relocating the heliport to Pier 76 at West 35th Street and sought operator bids for constructing a new 90,000 square-foot landing area. At that time, sightseeing flights accounted for more than half of the heliport's business.
Air Pegasus continued operations under oversight by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) starting in 1996 with a lease expiring in 2001. Later supervision transferred to the Hudson River Park Trust—established by the Hudson River Park Act of 1998—which permitted commercial and emergency helicopter use but prohibited tourism flights. Following expiration of that agreement, Air Pegasus operated on a month-to-month lease basis.
Over the next decade, city and state authorities planned moving the heliport two blocks northward to Pier 72. In 2008, Air Pegasus proposed a temporary relocation onto barges anchored approximately 100 feet offshore until a permanent site could be finalized. By the mid-2000s, annual helicopter movements surpassed 45,000. Founded by Alvin Trenk in 1981, Air Pegasus remains a family-operated business managed by Trenk and his daughter Abigail.
Tourism-related flights were scheduled for transfer from West 30th Street Heliport to Downtown Manhattan Heliport by March 31, 2010, with complete relocation targeted for December 31, 2012—pursuant to a court ruling enforcing the Hudson River Park Act's ban on sightseeing flights. Nevertheless, with only 9,304 departures recorded in 2011 following cessation of tourist flights, state legislation in 2013 eliminated the relocation deadline. Consequently, the heliport continues functioning at its original site.
The 2013 amendment to the Hudson River Park Act requires relocating the heliport within the area between West 29th and West 32nd streets. This includes installing floating landing pads west of the bulkhead and constructing limited one-story terminal buildings east of it. The amendment also allows ongoing operations at the current location until completion of new floating facilities.
Construction related to the Gateway Program—including a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River—is anticipated to affect heliport activities if relocation is not achieved beforehand. Ground stabilization and tunneling work may necessitate closure of fueling stations, landing pads, driveways, and parking areas for approximately eighteen months and require rerouting helicopter traffic to avoid interference with construction machinery.
Operations
KJRA features a single published Instrument Procedure: COPTER RNAV (GPS) 210. Approaches to the heliport's landing area demand vigilance due to boating activity on the Hudson River.
Statistics
The distribution of flight operations includes 73% air taxi, 16% general aviation, 10% commercial flights, and under 1% military activity.
Accidents and incidents
- June 25, 1968: A Brantly 305 sightseeing helicopter crashed into the Hudson River shortly after departure; all six passengers and crew were rescued.
- June 25, 1986: An Enstrom F-28-F encountered a crash while landing amid strong winds; both pilot and passenger escaped before the aircraft sank.
- December 31, 1997: An Eurocopter AS355 collided with a heliport building, resulting in injuries to eight individuals.
- July 7, 2007: A Eurocopter EC130 B4 experienced engine failure during return from a sightseeing trip and executed a controlled landing on water; all eight occupants were safely recovered.
- August 8, 2009: A Liberty Helicopters sightseeing aircraft and a private plane collided shortly after takeoff under visual flight rules, causing nine fatalities.
- May 15, 2019: A Bell 206 crashed into the Hudson River during repositioning; the pilot deployed flotation devices and was rescued without injury.