NEW YORK, NY June 14, 2006 —The Port Authority's chairman says New York and New Jersey need to start planning for a fourth airport now or there will be major problems ahead. Anthony Coscia says it typically takes a city 12-15 years to get a new airport built.

COSCIA: The truth is that I don't know where exactly it should be sited. I'm very cognizant of all the reason why people don't want an airport in the backyard, but we are looking at a window that is closing on us. I mentioned the year 2015 because essentially if demand continues at its current pace, we will have no additional capacity after that.

REPORTER: Coscia spoke at a breakfast meeting with business leaders. The Port Authority and the Bloomberg administration have joined business leaders to form a task force to address the 4th airport question.

Earlier this month, Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff said congestion at Kennedy Airport is "one of the biggest threats" to the city's continued growth and economy. At the same time, jet noise is becoming an increasingly thorny political problem.