FAA Imposes Restrictions on Denver’s Busiest GA Airport
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has unexpectedly imposed a ban on touch-and-go landings, restricted pattern work, and halted simultaneous parallel departures at Centennial Airport (KAPA) near Denver, Colorado. This airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the nation, with over 300,000 flight operations recorded annually. The FAA has directed air traffic controllers to immediately halt parallel departure operations until approved safety mitigations can be identified. This decision was made due to conflicts between departing IFR traffic and VFR traffic on the airport’s closely spaced parallel runways.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) was quick to express concern over this sudden move, describing it as “unprecedented.” Brad Schuster, AOPA Northwest Mountain Regional Manager, criticized the absence of any advance pilot notification. He highlighted that nearly a week passed without the FAA issuing a NOTAM or updating the airport’s ATIS. “While we appreciate the FAA’s role in ensuring safe operations, the sudden decision to ban touch-and-goes and other pattern work without notifying pilots is concerning,” Schuster said.
Flight schools, instructors, and airport businesses have all been disrupted by this decision, with some training flights already diverted to neighboring airports. This has raised new safety concerns at those locations. Both AOPA and the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority have formally requested a meeting with FAA officials to resolve the situation.
Source: AVweb – FAA Imposes Restrictions on Centennial Airport