The FAA is seeking public comment on the draft environmental assessment (Draft EA) for the Las Vegas metroplex airspace redesign. The project proposes to use satellite navigation to move air traffic more efficiently through Southern Nevada. The Draft EA indicates the project would not have any significant environmental impacts under federal environmental law. The public can submit comments through December 20.
Key elements of the plan include implementing new routes that are “more direct, automatically separated from each other, and have efficient climb and descent profiles,” the FAA said. “The potential benefits of these routes can include reductions in pilot-controller communications, miles flown, fuel burn, and CO2 emissions.”
Also included in the Las Vegas Metroplex redesign are new and replacement arrival and departure routes for McCarran International Airport, Henderson Executive Airport, and North Las Vegas Airport. Additionally, flight procedures for the following airports are being developed and are included in the Draft EA: Boulder City Municipal Airport, Temple Bar Airport, Triangle Airpark, and Echo Bay Airport.
The FAA will host five public workshops on the Draft EA scheduled between Monday, December 9 and Friday, December 13 to be held at various venues in the Las Vegas area. The workshops will feature informational videos and other visual aids that show existing and proposed routes and explain the inefficiencies in the current system. Agency representatives will be available to answer questions.