FAA eases SFO landing limits, aiming to cut chronic flight delays

The Federal Aviation Administration has signed off on revised landing procedures for San Francisco International Airport, increasing the permitted arrivals from 36 to 40 planes per hour by Aug. 12 and to 42 by the end of the month. The new policy permits staggered parallel landings, a step up from the side-by-side ban imposed in March that forced pilots to space out approaches. Doug Yakel, the airport’s spokesperson, noted the move improves the flow but does not completely restore earlier arrival rates.

The rule still bars parallel landings when visibility drops. Meanwhile, a six-month construction project keeps two runways out of service until October, compounding congestion. Data from Flightly show that delays of 15 minutes or more affected over a third of flights after the earlier restrictions were applied.