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FAA Flags 34 California Airports for Surface ‘Hot Spots’

The FAA says the designations alert crews to tricky taxi routes rather than labeling airports unsafe.

Overview

  • The latest FAA update highlights runway and taxiway locations at 34 California airports where surface operations carry elevated risk.
  • San Francisco International has four listed hot spots and Los Angeles International has three, while Livermore has six and Hayward has five, according to FAA charts.
  • Hot spots commonly involve confusing intersections, missed taxiway turns, short spacing between parallel runways and hold‑short violations that can lead to incursions.
  • SFO says it reviews these areas with the FAA and operators and is pursuing procedural steps and airfield work, including a runway and adjacent taxiway project starting this month, to reduce risk.
  • In San Diego County, one small hot spot is noted near a taxiway turn at SAN; FAA documents depict a hot‑spot line spanning the full runway at Carlsbad, and SAN reports adding pavement markings and lighted signage to aid pilots.