NBAA issued a “call to action” today, appealing to business aircraft operators to comment on the FAA’s proposal to impose restrictions on unscheduled operations at three major New York City-area airports. On January 8, the FAA issued the NPRM to impose new landing restrictions on unscheduled operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport (two slots per hour) and Newark Liberty International Airport (one per hour) and permanently implement existing restrictions at La Guardia Airport (three per hour). Comments on the NPRM were originally due April 8, but the FAA extended the comment period to May 8.
The business aviation group is concerned that the proposal would significantly hamper a range of general- and business-aviation operations at these airports, including emergency organ transplant flights. “This proposal significantly threatens access to vital airports in New York and New Jersey," said Doug Carr, NBAA vice president of regulatory and international affairs. "The FAA’s evaluation fails to consider a number of critical data points, including why unscheduled operations use these airports, and also the significant financial impact this proposal will have on fixed-base operators.”