The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday imposed new safety restrictions on landings at San Francisco International Airport, a move expected to reduce the number of flights that can arrive per hour, increasing the risk of delays for travelers.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday imposed new safety restrictions on landings at San Francisco International Airport as the airport begins a major runway project, a combination expected to reduce arrivals and cause delays for travelers over the coming months.
“San Francisco International Airport (SFO) will experience some flight delays due to a runway repaving project and an FAA safety measure,” the agency said in a statement to the Chronicle.
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The new rules prohibit a common landing practice known as side-by-side approaches on SFO’s closely spaced parallel runways, even in clear weather.
“It requires staggered approaches, with one aircraft offset from the aircraft on the parallel runway,” the FAA said.
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The FAA said the change follows an internal review that found the procedures did not align with the agency’s aircraft separation policy. The agency noted that side-by-side approaches were already prohibited in bad weather.
The change is specific to San Francisco, where parallel runways are about 750 feet apart and the surrounding airspace is among the most congested in the country, making simultaneous landings more complex.
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The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday imposed new safety restrictions on landings at San Francisco International Airport, a move expected to reduce the number of flights that can arrive per hour, increasing the risk of delays for travelers.
Gabrielle Lurie/S.F. Chronicle
Together, the changes will cut the airport’s maximum arrival rate from 54 flights per hour to 36, according to Reuters.
The airport closed Runway 1 Right on Monday for a six-month project to repave the surface, upgrade taxiways and complete other improvements. Because of the closure, SFO had already been operating with a reduced arrival rate of about 45 flights per hour.
The new FAA restrictions further cut that capacity to 36 arrivals per hour. While the runway work is temporary, the FAA said the changes to approach procedures are separate and will remain in place.
Once construction is completed, arrival rates are expected to rise back to about 45 flights per hour under the revised FAA rules, according to airport officials.
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“The FAA has made us aware of this reduced arrival rate,” said Doug Yakel, a spokesperson for San Francisco International Airport. “While we were forecasting about 15% of flights being delayed by our runway project, we expect this change will increase the delay potential to approximately 25% of arriving flights experiencing a delay of at least 30 minutes. We are working with the FAA on ways to improve the arrival rate at SFO.”
The FAA confirmed it was “exploring ways to safely increase the airport arrival rate.”
The runway project, which began March 30 and is expected to continue through early October, centers on repaving Runway 1R/19L and upgrading adjacent taxiways, lighting and markings, according to airport officials. The $180 million project is partly funded by the FAA.
During construction, arrivals and departures are being consolidated onto Runways 28R and 28L, while Runway 1L is being used as a taxiway.
Airport officials said some communities could see a temporary increase in departing air traffic overhead.
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The changes come as federal regulators increase scrutiny of aviation safety.
Reuters reported that the FAA cited recent incidents involving aircraft and helicopters, including a near miss near San Antonio. The new measures also follow a January 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people.
United Airlines accounts for roughly half of passenger traffic at SFO, with Alaska Airlines next at about 10%, according to airport data.