The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) asked the FAA to host a public meeting on its recent proposal to impose new limits on unscheduled flights at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and permanently retain current limits at La Guardia Airport (LGA). NATA fears the proposal could have economic consequences for affected businesses and operators even though they don’t significantly contribute to the congestion and delays at the airports. The association also believes the existing reservation system needs improvement. 

“Our members are eager to work with the FAA to ensure that general aviation and on‑demand carrier operations are provided access to these important facilities on an equitable basis while not contributing to overall arrival and departure delays,” the association told the agency in a February 16 letter.

The FAA released the proposal in January, saying unscheduled operations are typically a small percentage of overall traffic, but “these limits are necessary because any airport operation affects congestion and delays.” The proposal would limit operations at JFK to two per hour, at EWR to one per hour, and at LGA to three per hour (which is the current limit). The proposed limits correlate with hourly unscheduled operations at the airports in summer 2008.