Due to “significant” changes affecting the three major New York City-area airports, the FAA today withdrew proposed rulemaking that would have imposed new landing restrictions on nonscheduled operations. The Jan. 8, 2015 NPRM would have limited unscheduled operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport to two slots per hour and at Newark Liberty International Airport to one per hour, as well as permanently implementing existing restrictions of three per hour at La Guardia Airport.
Since the FAA initiated this rulemaking early last year, there have been “significant changes in circumstances affecting New York City-area airports, including changes in: competitive effects from ongoing industry consolidation; slot utilization and transfer behavior; and actual operational performance at the three airports.” Furthermore, the agency recently announced that slot controls are no longer needed at Newark.
“In light of the changes in market conditions and operational performance, and particularly the potential impact of Newark’s change in status, the FAA is withdrawing the NPRM to allow for further evaluation of these changes,” the agency concluded.