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.
