Air travelers heading to San Francisco International Airport should brace for significant delays over the coming six months after federal aviation officials dramatically reduced the number of planes allowed to land each hour.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Tuesday it is cutting hourly arrivals from 54 aircraft down to just 36 – a reduction of one-third that officials expect will delay approximately 25% of incoming flights by at least 30 minutes.
The sharp reduction stems from two factors: a six-month runway repaving project and new safety regulations specific to the California airport. Aviation authorities determined that the airport’s long-standing practice of simultaneously landing aircraft on parallel runways separated by only 750 feet poses too great a risk given the busy surrounding airspace.
“Officials decided that SFO’s longstanding practice of landing two planes at the same time on closely spaced parallel runways that are just 750 feet apart — along with congested airspace — was too dangerous,” explained FAA spokesman Ian Gregor, who could not explain why the simultaneous landing procedure had previously been permitted.
The airport operates using two sets of parallel runways. Construction work has taken the north-south runways out of service, accounting for nine of the 18 hourly flight reductions. Safety concerns about the remaining runways prompted officials to eliminate the other nine hourly arrivals.
While a fatal collision between an Air Canada aircraft and fire truck occurred at New York’s LaGuardia Airport in March, federal officials emphasized that San Francisco’s new restrictions address problems unique to that facility, including the proximity of its parallel runways and complex regional airspace shared with multiple nearby airports.
Airlines are still determining how to respond to the capacity cuts. United Airlines representatives said the carrier is evaluating whether schedule adjustments will be necessary. Alaska Airlines reported the situation remains fluid, with 15 departing flights experiencing delays Monday but none facing delays Tuesday.
The San Francisco Bay region is served by multiple airports, including San José Mineta International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, along with several smaller facilities.
Airport officials have not yet announced how they plan to manage the expected delays and passenger disruptions.
