Post by TCU 2U2 on Mar 13, 2013 6:32:23 GMT -5
Estimated Effects of Sequestration on Air Traffic: New York
Airport: LaGuardia (LGA)
Current Arrival Rate: Hourly arrival and departures rates average between 36-40. In addition to hundreds of daily operations over NYC in LGA’s Class “B” airspace.
Estimated Effects of Sequestration: If staffing is reduced due to furloughs, there could be a 15 to 25 percent reduction or delay in flight capacity at LGA.
Arrival and departure rates at LGA are all Instrument Flights Rules (IFR), and helicopter and through flights are all Visual Flight Rules (VFR), but require radar services. If LGA cannot reliably staff its radar positions, controllers will have to curtail or deny services to
the users. Many of the delays felt throughout the country begin and end at LGA. LGA will be impacted in particular by furloughs as it accommodates many businesses and connecting flights that take place within the contiguous U.S., unlike EWR and JFK, which handle many international flights.
LGA will have to combine operational positions and require controllers to handle a greater workload for longer hours.
All facilities are interdependent on each other and furloughs will have a domino effect throughout the system. LGA already has routine daily restrictions to manage daily peak hours and system demand and these restrictions/delays will most certainly increase
immediately under furloughs. Many commercial operators in the NYC area rely on all three airports to provide services, which are vital to their operation. One of which is Liberty Helicopter Tours, which has a very busy schedule and accounts for much of
LGA’s traffic count.
Police and law enforcement agencies such as NYPD, DEA, ATF
and FBI will be affected, not to mention Presidential and dignitary movements, such as the United Nations General Assembly. Also, LGA hasfour sports stadiums located within its airspace: Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Arthur Ashe Stadium (U.S. Open) Icahn Stadium and EWR has MetLife Stadium/Meadowlands Complex located within its
airspace.
Estimated Effects of Sequestration on Air Traffic: Philadelphia
Airport: Philadelphia International
Current Arrival Rate: 35-60 Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) arrivals per hour at peak times; 38-58 IFR and VFR departures per hour at peak times.
Estimated Effects of Sequestration: Under furloughs, there may be times when sectors are combined and controllers in the tower would be unable to continue to deliver at normal rates. The Traffic Management Unit (TMU) would have to consider staffing
levels when peak traffic times are expected and set the flight arrival rates accordingly. For example, if the tower would normally have a flight arrival rate of 60aircraft per hour, but is working under reduced staffing, the secondary arrival control position could not be split, and the flight arrival rate would likely be educed to 44-48 to ensure PHL can provide a smooth flow to the airport without the need to hold flights or vector them excessively.
Airport: LaGuardia (LGA)
Current Arrival Rate: Hourly arrival and departures rates average between 36-40. In addition to hundreds of daily operations over NYC in LGA’s Class “B” airspace.
Estimated Effects of Sequestration: If staffing is reduced due to furloughs, there could be a 15 to 25 percent reduction or delay in flight capacity at LGA.
Arrival and departure rates at LGA are all Instrument Flights Rules (IFR), and helicopter and through flights are all Visual Flight Rules (VFR), but require radar services. If LGA cannot reliably staff its radar positions, controllers will have to curtail or deny services to
the users. Many of the delays felt throughout the country begin and end at LGA. LGA will be impacted in particular by furloughs as it accommodates many businesses and connecting flights that take place within the contiguous U.S., unlike EWR and JFK, which handle many international flights.
LGA will have to combine operational positions and require controllers to handle a greater workload for longer hours.
All facilities are interdependent on each other and furloughs will have a domino effect throughout the system. LGA already has routine daily restrictions to manage daily peak hours and system demand and these restrictions/delays will most certainly increase
immediately under furloughs. Many commercial operators in the NYC area rely on all three airports to provide services, which are vital to their operation. One of which is Liberty Helicopter Tours, which has a very busy schedule and accounts for much of
LGA’s traffic count.
Police and law enforcement agencies such as NYPD, DEA, ATF
and FBI will be affected, not to mention Presidential and dignitary movements, such as the United Nations General Assembly. Also, LGA hasfour sports stadiums located within its airspace: Citi Field, Yankee Stadium, Arthur Ashe Stadium (U.S. Open) Icahn Stadium and EWR has MetLife Stadium/Meadowlands Complex located within its
airspace.
Estimated Effects of Sequestration on Air Traffic: Philadelphia
Airport: Philadelphia International
Current Arrival Rate: 35-60 Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) and Visual Flight Rules (VFR) arrivals per hour at peak times; 38-58 IFR and VFR departures per hour at peak times.
Estimated Effects of Sequestration: Under furloughs, there may be times when sectors are combined and controllers in the tower would be unable to continue to deliver at normal rates. The Traffic Management Unit (TMU) would have to consider staffing
levels when peak traffic times are expected and set the flight arrival rates accordingly. For example, if the tower would normally have a flight arrival rate of 60aircraft per hour, but is working under reduced staffing, the secondary arrival control position could not be split, and the flight arrival rate would likely be educed to 44-48 to ensure PHL can provide a smooth flow to the airport without the need to hold flights or vector them excessively.