New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Airspace Redesign

Background

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FAA's Eastern Region Air Traffic Division is redesigning the airspace in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metropolitan area to reduce delays in the area. The major airports experiencing severe delays are:

• Newark International (EWR)
• John F. Kennedy International (JFK)
• LaGuardia (LGA)
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

The closeness of the airports results in complex interaction between Flight Crew and Air Traffic Controllers coordination and circuitous flight paths. The current airspace environment is inefficient for aviation users and FAA.

The FAA designed and implemented the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia metropolitan air traffic environment in the 1960s. The volume of air traffic and the types of aircraft that use the airports have changed significantly. So has the Air Traffic Control system. It has grown beyond its procedural and operational capacity. As a result the area services over 8000 flights a day and 4 of our local airports are on the list of the 10 most delayed airports in the United States.

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

Air Traffic Control procedural changes associated with the proposed airspace redesign have the potential to affect the environment. Therefore, we have produced an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that analyzes the potential environmental impacts of airspace redesign and documents the analysis. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires us to involve the public in decisions which affect the quality of the human environment.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Process

• Publish a Notice of Intent (NOI)
• Develop scoping process
• Hold community meetings
• Coordinate with other interested agencies
• Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
• Hold a public review
• Identify a preferred redesign alternative
• Publish a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
• Announce the Record of Decision (ROD)