FAA Cuts SFO Arrivals to 36 Per Hour on Safety Rules

The Federal Aviation Administration announced new safety restrictions and capacity limits at San Francisco International Airport this week, citing concerns over closely spaced parallel runways and ongoing construction, a move expected to increase flight delays for passengers over the coming months.

The changes, effective immediately for the safety rules and starting March 30 for construction, will reduce the airport's maximum aircraft arrivals from 54 per hour to 36. Half of the reduction stems from a permanent FAA prohibition on simultaneous landings on the airport's parallel east-west runways, which are separated by just 750 feet center to center. Previously permitted in clear weather when pilots visually confirmed separation, the practice is now banned entirely, requiring staggered approaches where one aircraft follows the other with an offset. The FAA stated that this procedure had never been allowed in poor weather and followed a routine review finding it did not meet modern separation standards. "We are exploring ways to safely increase arrival rates while reducing risks tied to visual separation," agency spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Separately, the airport's two north-south...