FAA Imposes Unexpected Operational Restrictions at Denver’s Centennial Airport, AOPA Expresses Concern
In an unexpected turn of events, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has enforced immediate and comprehensive operational restrictions at Centennial Airport (KAPA), Denver, Colorado. This airport is one of the busiest general aviation airports in the United States, managing over 300,000 aircraft operations annually. The new restrictions include a ban on touch-and-go landings and a suspension of simultaneous parallel departures until further safety measures are determined and put into action.
The FAA has instructed air traffic controllers to halt parallel departure operations, attributing this decision to hazardous conflicts between departing IFR and VFR traffic on the airport’s parallel runways, which are only about 700 feet apart. Notably, these orders were not accompanied by a NOTAM or an update to the airport’s ATIS. As a result, many pilots arrived at the airport unaware of the new restrictions, which were only communicated through an email to airport tenants from the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority.
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has labeled this action as unprecedented. “The sudden decision to ban touch-and-goes and other pattern work without notifying pilots is concerning,” stated AOPA Northwest Mountain Regional Manager Brad Schuster. The new restrictions have impacted flight schools, instructors, and aviation businesses operating at Centennial. Both AOPA and the airport authority have requested urgent meetings with FAA officials to discuss a feasible solution.
Source: AVweb – FAA Imposes Unexpected Operational Restrictions at Centennial Airport