FAA Efforts to Keep Air Travel Safe, Smooth in NYC This Summer

The FAA is taking several steps to keep air travel to and from New York City this summer safe and smooth, even as we see strong domestic demand and a return of pre-pandemic international traffic.
 
To help prevent disruptions, the agency will give airlines flexibility on slot usage requirements. In turn, the FAA expects airlines to take actions minimizing impacts on passengers, including operating larger aircraft to transport more passengers and making sure passengers are fully informed about any possible disruptions.
 
Late this month, the FAA will convene a New York airspace summit with airlines and others to discuss additional ways to improve the country's most complex and congested airspace. The summit will be similar to the one hosted in Florida last year that resulted in measures to improve efficiency in another high-demand area.
 
Although the FAA continues to reduce the air traffic controller training backlog at many FAA air traffic facilities, staffing levels at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (N90) continue to be below targets. To maintain safety and meet demand, the agency later this year will reassign the approximately 100 square miles of Newark airspace from N90 to the Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control.

FAA published a notice of limited, conditional waiver of the minimum usage requirement that applies to Operating Authorizations or “slots” at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) due to post-pandemic effects on Air Traffic Controller (ATC) staffing at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility (N90). Carriers seeking to take advantage of this relief must identify the slots and approved operating timings they wish to turn in before April 30, 2023. 

Read the full notice and associated waiver requests from airlines.