The FAA has published details outlining new procedures for air traffic controllers conducting simultaneous approaches to offset parallel runways (SOIA) at airports separated laterally by less than 3,000 feet, such as San Francisco International (SFO). The new procedures, published on June 27, are expected to improve arrival rates at qualifying airports that employ the required high-updating radar–one second per update–to be able to track aircraft closely enough to warn pilots should one intrude on the other’s airspace during poor weather.

ATC must still provide a minimum of 1,000 feet vertical or a minimum of three-mile radar separation between aircraft during turns onto final approaches. The order also outlines a number of additional separation requirement standards as they are applied to the leading aircraft on one runway and the trailing aircraft on the parallel.