"FAA to lift Chicago's O'Hare airport flight caps"

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

FAA to lift Chicago's O'Hare airport flight caps


CHICAGO, (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration announced on Monday
it will lift flight caps at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport when they
expire at the end of October.

The move was sparked by the impending completion of key runway projects at
the airport as well as flight cutbacks by airlines struggling with soaring
fuel prices. The end of the flight caps could mitigate revenue losses faced
by the airport due to flight cuts.

"The city of Chicago has outdone itself when it comes to boosting capacity,"
Acting FAA Administrator Robert Sturgell said in a statement. "The extension
of an existing runway two months ahead of schedule, together with the
completion of a new runway later this year, will allow for an additional
four to five arrivals per hour."

With O'Hare carriers required to provide their flight schedules six months
in advance, the FAA was able to see that more capacity was available, a FAA
spokeswoman said. American Airlines (AMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research),
United Airlines (UAUA.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Continental Airlines
(CAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research) have all announced plans to reduce flights
at various airports to deal with crippling fuel prices.

In 2004, the FAA capped O'Hare arrivals at 88 during most hours of the day
in an effort to reduce congestion at the world's second-busiest airport that
causes delays that ripple through the U.S. commercial aviation system.

In August 2006, the FAA extended the caps, which mainly affect hub carriers
United Airlines and American Airlines, for two more years.

The agency said on Monday the runway improvements were expected to result in
a modest decrease in flight delays.

Chicago is in the first phase of its O'Hare Modernization Program that will
add, relocate and extend runways along with other improvements at an
estimated cost of $8.2 billion.

Mayor Richard Daley said without that project, "flight caps might have been
necessary at O'Hare permanently, which would have been bad for Chicago, the
traveling public and the national aviation system."

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************