Airports
FAA Prohibiting Side-by-side Approaches at KSFO
New protocol is a result of quality-assurance efforts
United Airlines arrival at KSFO
© AIN/Matt Thurber

A new FAA safety measure at San Francisco International Airport (KSFO) prohibits arriving airplanes from flying side-by-side during approaches in VMC to the airport’s parallel east-west runways. General aviation traffic flying into KSFO will face the same delays, which will be instituted by an FAA ground delay program, according to an airport spokesman. “The mechanism to achieve this reduced arrival rate would apply to business/GA flights as well.”

According to KSFO traffic statistics for January, Part 91 general and business aviation accounted for 2.1% of operations—698 out of 32,546 landing and takeoffs. Part 135 air charter operations reached 2,641, or 8.1% of total operations at the airport. Under the new procedures, arrivals will drop from 54 to 36 per hour.

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