US: FAA extends high-density restrictions at New York LaGuardia, JFK airports

The FAA has extended existing operating limitations at New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) and JFK airports until 2020. In dual order extensions published Sept. 18 in the Federal Register, the agency said it will continue restrictions dating to its 1968 high-density rule that limited arrivals and departures at the two airports during peak demand periods to reduce congestion. With the phase-out of the HDR in 2007, the FAA ordered temporary limits at LGA in December 2006 and JFK in January 2008 that have been periodically extended—most recently in 2016 at both airports. The metropolitan New York City airports figure prominently in the FAA’s Northeast Corridor initiative to reduce congestion and deconflict air traffic in the region between Boston and Washington DC, which accounts for nearly half of all delays in the US national airspace system. The FAA plans to implement a new round of air traffic management improvements in the region from 2019-2021. Both new order extensions are effective until Oct. 24, 2020. <br/>