Community Has Expressed Concerns About Changes To Flight Patterns Over Historic Neighborhoods

U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) have sent a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta urging increased engagement with Arizona citizens who have been negatively affected by the increase in flight traffic and noise as a result of flight path changes at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

“Many of our constituents who live and work near Sky Harbor Airport have been dissatisfied with the Federal Aviation Administration’s lack of engagement with the community during the decision-making process that preceded the implementation of these changes,” write Senators McCain (pictured, left) and Flake (right). “As a result, we have drafted legislation that would address these concerns by requiring community outreach and consultation on these changes. These policy and legislative efforts continue and would ideally be complemented by efforts by the FAA to address these frustrations.”

"We are aware of the steps that the FAA has taken after the flight paths were changed, including meeting with city representatives and the Phoenix Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Working Group. While we appreciate the time the FAA has spent on this matter, we remain concerned about the process used in implementing the PBN flight procedures," the Senators state in the letter.

"We continue to support FAA efforts to improve the safety, efficiency, and future operations of our nation’s airspace through NextGen. But, the events surrounding Phoenix Sky Harbor demonstrate that how NextGen is implemented must be improved. It appears the FAA is aware of the need for further refinements and, through collaboration with the RTCA NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC), continues to consider ways to guarantee the future success of NextGen implementation."

The City of Phoenix has acknowledged the Senators' efforts. In a memo to Deputy City Manager Paul Blue, Government Relations Director Thomas Remes said "Since early on, Arizona’s senators have been actively engaged in the flight path issue, working closely in alignment with the city’s efforts and in coordination with the city’s DC team, Holland & Knight.

"Senators McCain and Flake, as they advised in a July 7 letter, have been exploring multiple legislative vehicles as avenues to address the issues with the flight path changes. To date, the senators’ attempts to get language attached to a Senate bill has included: surface transportation reauthorization legislation; the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) reauthorization; the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015; and, currently, FAA reauthorization legislation, which the Senate Commerce Committee is expected to vote on later this year.

"The proposed amendment would require the FAA to review the categorical exclusions granted at airports where Next Generation (NextGen) flight procedures were adopted. The amendment would apply to decisions of the FAA administrator made on or after February 14, 2012."

(Images from file)

FMI: www.mccain.senate.gov