New Procedures Carry Traffic Away From Fort Myers Beach During Certain hours

The FAA has instituted new traffic patterns at Southwest Florida International Airport (KRSW) that will carry airline traffic away from Fort Myers Beach during nighttime hours.

As of August 1, incoming flights to KRSW will be directed to use Runway 24 rather than Runway 6 between 2000 and 0600, according to a report appearing on FortMyersBeachTalk.com. That routes flights arriving at KRSW over inland areas, avoiding the beach altogether, limiting nighttime flights over the beach.

The change was made after a study found that of the flights arriving between 2000 and 0000, 60 percent come down the middle of the Florida peninsula. Mike Arnold, a consultant with LCPA and an employee of Environmental Sciences Associates Airports, said that the FAA is willing to implement the procedures in advance of the formal release of a Part 150 study.

LCPA Project Coordinator Chad Rosenstein said the new patterns would be in effect only when weather conditions are favorable for an approach to Runway 24. "It's easier and quicker for aircraft to land on Runway 24 if they are coming down the middle of the state. It saves time, fuel and is more efficient," he told the website's reporter.

FMI: www.faa.gov