August 10, 2021 Update: Northern California Airspace Public Workshop

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hosted Northern California Airspace Virtual Public Information Workshops on July 20 and 21, 2021. A total of 413 people joined the workshops via Zoom. Additionally, the FAA broadcasted the workshops on Facebook Live, Twitter, and YouTube, read more.

Status of Engagement: Completed Spring 2016

The implementation Northern California Metroplex effort is complete. Expected long-term benefits include improved efficiency, increased access to affected airports, and improvements to operations. The project redesigned airspace, introduced new Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures, and made use of Time Based Flow Management (TBFM) to make the Northern California Metroplex airspace more efficient with improved access to its airports. Some of the airports in the focus area include Hayward Executive (HWD), Oakland International (OAK), Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County (PAO), San Francisco International (SFO), Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International (SJC), and Sacramento International (SMF). The information below may also include data from nearby airports outside of the Northern California Metroplex.

Supplemental Materials

• Northern California Metroplex Environmental Assessment Site

NorCal Working Group Meeting Presentations

• NorCal_Working_Group_Meeting_071516_v5.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal Working Group Meeting_080416_v2.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal Working Group Meeting_081816_v7.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal Working Group Meeting_090116_v2.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal Working Group Meeting_09116_noiseSlidesv3.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal WorkingGroup Meeting_13Oct2016_v5.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal WorkingGroup Meeting_17Nov2016_NoiseSlidesv4.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal WorkingGroup Meeting_3Nov2016_v5.pdf (PDF)
• NorCal WorkingGroupMeeting_28Sept2016_v1.pdf (PDF)

OSG NCT

• OSG NCT.wmv (WMV)

NorCal Initiative Report Summary

• ReportSummary_NorCal_Initative_20May2016v3.pdf (PDF)

Select Committee Meeting

• Select Committee Meeting_072216_v3.pdf (PDF)

Projected Annual Benefits

Source: FAA – Northern California Metroplex Post-Implementation Analysis

Value of Fuel Savings

$-7.7 Million

Fuel Savings

-2.5 Million Gallons

Carbon Savings

-20.1 Thousand Metric Tons

Northern California Metroplex benefits were negatively impacted by several factors. These factors included: New departures introduced shallower climb profiles which led to higher fuel burn estimates; fuel cost decreased approximately 50% between time periods; differences in aircraft payload; and, higher wind conditions during the period analyzed. Flight distance for San Francisco arrivals also increased slightly.