Regulatory Alert: FAA Publishes CertAlert on Temporary Parking of Overflow Aircraft
March 20, 2020
Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a National Part 139 CertAlert providing the airport community with recommendations on the temporary parking of overflow aircraft. As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, many airports are trying to support the temporary parking of aircraft after airlines have begun to look for space to park up to 50% of their fleet. FAA's recommendations for airports include (1) establishing an aircraft parking plan committee to ensure cooperation between interested stakeholders; (2) documenting the aircraft parking plan considerations agreed upon; and (3) coordinating the plan with all airport users to prevent any adverse impacts on certain stakeholders.
You can view FAA CertAlert No. 20-02 here.
FAA Recommendations. FAA's CertAlert contains a minimum list of considerations for airports when temporarily parking overflow aircraft, a growing need which has arisen with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The recommendations emphasize coordination and cooperation amongst airport users by establishing an aircraft parking plan committee, documenting the plan, and coordinating the plan with all airport users. When developing the plan, FAA recommends including or considering a number of items, including:
Today the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a National Part 139 CertAlert providing the airport community with recommendations on the temporary parking of overflow aircraft. As a result of the coronavirus outbreak, many airports are trying to support the temporary parking of aircraft after airlines have begun to look for space to park up to 50% of their fleet. FAA's recommendations for airports include (1) establishing an aircraft parking plan committee to ensure cooperation between interested stakeholders; (2) documenting the aircraft parking plan considerations agreed upon; and (3) coordinating the plan with all airport users to prevent any adverse impacts on certain stakeholders.
You can view FAA CertAlert No. 20-02 here.
FAA Recommendations. FAA's CertAlert contains a minimum list of considerations for airports when temporarily parking overflow aircraft, a growing need which has arisen with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The recommendations emphasize coordination and cooperation amongst airport users by establishing an aircraft parking plan committee, documenting the plan, and coordinating the plan with all airport users. When developing the plan, FAA recommends including or considering a number of items, including:
- Exhaust all space at gates, ramps and aprons first to the fullest extent possible;
- Parking on runways must be avoided due to the potential increased safety risk of inadvertent landings on a closed runway;
- Maximize the use of intermediate taxiways for potential parking;
- Review all potential airport design or facility impacts, including the penetration to any surfaces (ROFA, TOFA, OFZ, etc.) and air traffic control tower line of sight;
- Follow normal notification procedures for closing taxiways long-term if non-standard parking locations are utilized;
- Ensure that any movement area closure does not impact ARFF, law enforcement and other emergency response deployments;
- Define a start and end date for the temporary parking plan, with a re-evaluation and agreement by the committee at least once every 90 days; and
- Update any air traffic MOUs/MOAs/LOAs, as appropriate.
FAA emphasizes these are minimum considerations, not an exhaustive list, and safety to the public and aircraft operations should remain the highest priority.
If you have any questions, please contact Justin Barkowski at justin.barkowski@aaae.org.
