SFO runway work raises disruption risk

San Francisco International Airport is running with less runway capacity through October 2, and that is pushing more departing flights over Pacifica while raising delay risk across the Bay Area. (flysfo.com) The airport closed Runway 1 Right on March 30 for a six-month repaving and taxiway project, and it plans to reopen the runway on October 2. During the work, all arrivals and departures are using Runways 28 Left and 28 Right, while Runway 1 Left is serving as a taxiway instead of a takeoff-and-landing strip. (flysfo.com) Pacifica said residents in northern Pacifica should expect about 30% more flights overhead from March 29 through October 2. The city said the shift is tied to the runway repaving plan and the airport’s temporary operating pattern during construction. (coastsidebuzz.com) San Francisco International Airport said the runway closure by itself is expected to delay fewer than 10% of flights, with average delays under 30 minutes and the worst congestion around 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. KQED reported the airport later raised its forecast to 15% of flights delayed during the project. (flysfo.com) (kqed.org) A second change hit at the same time: the Federal Aviation Administration now bars side-by-side clear-weather approaches to San Francisco’s closely spaced parallel runways. The agency now requires staggered approaches, which KQED said cut the airport’s arrival rate from about 60 an hour in clear weather to 36 an hour. (faa.gov) (kqed.org) KQED reported that the Federal Aviation Administration change could push delays to roughly 25% of arriving flights, with many running at least 30 minutes late. The airport’s four-runway layout has long depended on parallel approaches in clear weather to keep traffic moving. (kqed.org) (fly.sfo.gov) Weather can still overwhelm that reduced system in a single afternoon. During Bay Area thunderstorms on April 11, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a ground stop at San Francisco International Airport, and by 6 p.m. the airport had logged 367 delays and 17 cancellations, according to AirHelp and reporting republished by Yahoo. (airhelp.ca) (yahoo.com) The Federal Aviation Administration’s National Airspace System dashboard also showed San Francisco under a ground delay program on April 15, with average delays of 31 minutes because of low ceilings. That means travelers are now dealing with a runway project, a permanent landing-rule change, and spring weather at the same time. (faa.gov) The construction contract is worth about $180 million, and the airport said $92.1 million will come from the Federal Aviation Administration. For Coastside residents, the extra noise is scheduled to ease when Runway 1 Right returns to service in early October. (flysfo.com)