MONMOUTH EXECUTIVE AIRPORT OFFERS LUXURY TRAVEL AMENITIES AND FACILITIES TO NEW JERSEY JET SETTERS

BY JESSICA JONES GORMAN • PHOTOS BY ROBERT NUZZIE

Featuring the longest private runway in the country (over 7,000 feet) and a commitment to delay free flying, Monmouth Executive Airport has seen a steady increase in traffic over the past five years. And, since its new ownership ushered in concierge level service, new hangar construction, and an uptick in fixed base operator services, the Wall Township based facility is carving its unique place in the state as a jet center.

“The development of this airport has been an important project to me because I know the issues people face at other Northeast hubs,” noted Rita Spader, the airport’s executive director of operations and business development. “Class B is one of the busiest airspaces in the world [defined by the Federal Aviation Administration, in part, as from ground level to 10,000 feet surrounding the nation’s busiest airports], and at Newark, JFK and Laguardia, delays can be extreme. There are business executives and corporate jets sitting on a runway for two hours waiting for clearance. Those kinds of issues are just unacceptable.”

Spader, who formerly held a jet aviation management position at Teterboro Airport, came on board at Monmouth Executive Airport four years ago to help solve those types of problems.
“If you know the climate at Teterboro, Morristown, and White Plains airports, you know that there is simply no more room,” Spader said. “Other local private airports are closing, and people buying airplanes have no place to put them. But right here in Wall Township, there were 800 acres of undeveloped air land.”

Privately owned by a group of private investors who had a vested interest in aviation since 2014, the airport features two runways, including one that measures 7,385 feet longer than the main jet way at LaGuardia Airport. Such a stretch can handle all non-commercial jets with ease and makes landings and takeoffs safer and less stressful for pilots (a secondary runway, at 3,512 feet, is ideal for most private jets, helicopters, and piston aircraft). There’s also ample hangar space in planned development, along with 24 hour operation and Jet A and Avgas (types of fuel required for aviation). And the siting, Spader pointed out, is prime just over one hour from Downtown Manhattan by car, 12 minutes by helicopter, making it a viable alternative for executive metro access.

“Plus, our fuel prices are much more cost effective and the ease of operating in our airport is one our biggest selling features,” Spader explained. “A jet flying into Teterboro could circle for hours, burning tons of fuel waiting for clearance, but at Monmouth Executive, flyers do not experience that.”

After sitting idle for the better part of a decade, the facility’s landing space recently underwent a makeover, and Spader spent several years upgrading its security status. The airport also recently received a DOT grant for runway improvement and is currently mapping out plans for hangar construction.

“The private jet industry is getting bigger; we receive dozens of calls each week about the availability of hangar space, so it shouldn’t take very long until we reach full capacity,” she said. “And companies like Amazon, FedEx, Jet Blue, and Spirit have shown interest in basing operations with us.”

The airport caters to corporate and private clientele but also assists with charters for talent at PNC Bank Arts Center, emergency medical flight services, rescue animal missions, as well as connecting buyers with charters and empty leg options.

“It’s a cost effective way to fly that often saves travelers $10,000 or more,” said Spader, adding that private jet traffic, which used to be seasonally heavy as aircraft traveled to beach homes, has now become a year round operation.

“We are just as busy on a Thursday in April as we are on a Thursday in July,” she said.
Spader has a background in hotel service, after working in both Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons hotels, and is focused on providing a similar culture of luxurious travel here.

“In the years immediately after 9/11, when many executives no longer wanted to fly commercial, I was tasked with upgrading service standards, because, at the time, private jets had little to no concierge accommodations,” she said. “People flying on these multimillion dollar private jets were sitting in cramped trailers, with none of the services you’d expect for the price tag. So, we ushered in hotel level benefits, such as a doorman, luggage carts, and other amenities. And that’s exactly what Monmouth Executive offers its flyers.”

The airport intends to expand upon those services in the coming months, she explained.
“Once the runway is improved and the new hangars are built, we’re taking private flying to whole new level. The owners had this amazing vision and assembled a team to bring it to fruition. It’s been a challenging project, and I’m looking forward to what the next 10 years will bring.”

Monmouth Executive Airport
1717 Route 34, Wall Township 732.751.0044 /
monmouthjetcenter.com