FAA landing restrictions lead to San Francisco flight delays
New Federal Aviation Administration safety restrictions could result in months of minor disruption for fliers at San Francisco International Airport.
SFO is undergoing runway and taxiway upgrades.
The FAA has prohibited simultaneous landings on adjacent side-by-side runways.
This means landings on the east to west runways will have to be staggered.
The FAA said the new landing rules are implemented independently and not as a result of the construction.
The FAA has been ‘exploring ways to safely increase the airport arrival rate.’
However, it will likely cause some short delays for up to 25% of all arriving flights.
Wait times could reach up to 30 minutes.
Side-by-side landings have been permitted but a few close call incidents in recent years have raised concerns.
About a quarter of all arriving flights were delayed at the airport on Tuesday, the first day since the restrictions were implemented.
It also caused delays to departing flights too.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments