The Federal Aviation Administration says it received “substantial feedback” from the public about its plans to change flight paths at Valley airports, including Phoenix Sky Harbor, and will delay those plans until next June.
The FAA wants to implement its new satellite-based air traffic procedures, which they say will enhance safety and efficiency.
The delay will give the FAA time to review and address the feedback.
In 2014, the FAA changed flight paths that affected several historic neighborhoods in downtown Phoenix.
Proposed changes
In efforts to modernize the Phoenix airspace, the FAA has proposed moving away from dispersed flight paths to satellite guided paths. These paths act like a highway for planes, and consolidate traffic to set routes.
As a result, neighborhoods underneath the proposed flight paths would hear more consistent airplane noise.
Based on the FAA proposal, around 80,000 residents in north Phoenix would experience a reportable noise increase between 3 and 6 decibels.
Jordan Feld, deputy aviation director for Phoenix, told residents at a community meeting that the FAA needs to consider supplemental routes so air traffic is not too concentrated.
“That splits the traffic, so you end up with three different corridors,” Feld said. “Again with the idea that that would diffuse the noise.”
This is not the first time Phoenix has had concerns over changes to FAA flight paths.
The last time the FAA tried to change flight paths in Phoenix, the city fought it in federal court and won.
In 2017, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the new FAA flight paths were arbitrary and that, according to court documents., the agency violated several laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act.
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