Weekend travelers using San Francisco International Airport can expect flight delays this month.
As
part of a federally mandated improvement project, the hub will shut
down a runway for three weekends this month. The first closure will
start at 10 p.m. Jan. 11 and last until 8 a.m. Jan. 14. Similar
shutdowns are scheduled for the following two weekends.
Because
of the work, SFO will only be able to handle about 30 flights an hour,
down from its normal rate of 60, according to spokesman Doug Yakel. The
runway closure will have the biggest impact on passengers flying within a
two-hour radius of SFO, which mostly pertains to short-haul flights up
and down the coast, Yakel said. Those flights are likely to be delayed,
but the work also could affect carriers traveling to and from longer
distances, according to Yakel.
“We’re really advising passengers
to check their flights for any delays, even if the weather appears to be
fine at the airport,” he said.
The closures scheduled this month
stem from safety upgrades required by the Federal Aviation
Administration. Crews will install new threshold areas, runway lighting
systems and navigational aids to comply with the FAA’s Runway Safety
Area Program standards.
The three weekend closures — which will
shut down SFO’s 28L runway — are not the only ones planned this year.
The 28L runway will also be closed June 25 and June 26. The 28R runway,
which is parallel to 28L, will be shut down for all four weekends in
April and for two days at the end of June.
Runway closures also are scheduled to occur sometime in 2014.
Yakel
said the closures were timed to coincide with slow travel months and
times of day. SFO is typically busiest in August and during the winter
holiday months, Yakel said.
The $383 million runway enhancement project began in 2012 and is projected to be completed by 2015.
Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com
http://www.flysfo.com
http://airnav.com/airport/KSFO
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