FAA re-evaluates JFK runway procedures

JFK Runway Procedures

After a second near-collision of aircraft in less than a week, The Federal Aviation Administration is studying whether to again change takeoff and landing procedures at John F. Kennedy International Airport. At a news Conference, the acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said: “Given that we had two in this short a time frame, we’re going to take a look at the procedure, we’re going to see if there are additional considerations we should add to the procedure, and in the meantime the airport will be using a different configuration”.

Sturgell said that a preliminary study found that both incidents were due to communication problems with the aircrafts’ pilots. He said that the incidents were not caused by understaffing or lack of experience of air traffic controllers. In both instances, air traffic controllers intervened and directed the pilots to take flight paths away from the other aircraft.

According to Sturgell, over the past year there were 24 serious runway incursions, an all-time low. So far this year, there have been 19, four involving commercial aircraft, which he said is on track with the previous year. Sturgell said the recent JFK incidents were not runway incursions. “So we continue to see good results,” Sturgell said. “But I do think we can do better and we are. The steps we’re announcing today, I think will help us get there.”

The runway safety system announced Monday involves lighting systems to be installed at 19 more airports over the next three years. The lights change color to signal when a runway is safe to enter or cross and the system of warning lights has been tested at the Dallas-Fort Worth and San Diego airports.