Avionics
Airspace flow program passes test
The FAA ran the first trial of its new airspace flow program (AFP) during this summer’s severe weather season.

The FAA ran the first trial of its new airspace flow program (AFP) during this summer’s severe weather season. The AFP imposes ground delays on traffic inbound to the Northeast U.S. when severe weather crops up and affects air traffic flow. During severe weather action plan (swap) events, pilots flying to destinations in the Northeast must check the AFP Web site to obtain expect departure clearance times, which are adjusted to moderate traffic flow through delay-causing chokepoints. The AFP employs pre-arranged “scenarios” to manage traffic most efficiently during swap events.

During this year’s severe weather season, AFP was implemented just 19 times, according to Jo Damato, NBAA senior manager air traffic and business aviation’s point person at the FAA’s Potomac Tracon near Washington, D.C.

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