Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
last mo.

FAA Cuts SFO Arrival Rate as New Safety Rules End Side-by-Side Landings

The change extends a bad-weather ban on parallel landings to clear skies at a major hub.

FILE - Vehicles wait outside the international terminal at San Francisco International Airport, in San Francisco, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
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.
Arrivals and departures of United Airlines aircraft at Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco on Oct. 2, 2025.
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.

Overview

  • The Federal Aviation Administration, which announced the change Tuesday, reduced San Francisco International Airport’s maximum arrivals to 36 flights per hour.
  • The new rule bars side-by-side approaches to SFO’s parallel runways in clear weather and requires staggered spacing with one plane offset from the other.
  • Two north–south runways are out of service for about six months for repaving and lighting and marking upgrades, concentrating traffic on Runways 28R and 28L with Runway 1L used as a taxiway.
  • SFO now expects roughly 25% of arriving flights to face delays of 30 minutes or more, up from about 15%, which will hit many United and Alaska travelers since those carriers carry most passengers there.
  • The FAA says it does not plan to lift the approach limits after construction, citing recent collision and near-miss concerns, and it is studying ways to raise arrival rates without reducing safety.