Tempe residents can provide input to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the agency’s evaluation of its recent changes to flight paths. The FAA recently informed the city of a new Environmental Assessment (EA) planned for the area as part of the implementation of its Phoenix Metroplex Project.
This project is a performance measure for the FAA’s larger NextGen program, which included changes to existing flight paths as part of the agency’s effort to optimize airspace and routing. The City of Tempe has been contacted by a number of residents who feel they have been negatively affected by the changes made as part of the Next Gen program.
Tempe has a longstanding intergovernmental agreement with Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport that applies to overflights in Tempe.
The FAA’s Phoenix Metroplex Project will be looking at arrival and departure procedures at Phoenix Sky Harbor, Scottsdale Airport, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, and Tucson International airports. The study could lead to changes in aircraft flight paths including change of altitude in certain areas. The purpose of the EA is to “improve the efficiency of the Phoenix Metroplex airspace by optimizing aircraft arrival and departure procedures” and to “evaluate potential impacts to changes in aircraft routing that are proposed to occur below 10,000 feet above ground level.”
The FAA is not planning public meetings until a draft of the study is published. Community members can submit comments to the FAA via mail, fax and email. The deadline for public comments is April 27. Email and phone feedback is encouraged due to the deadline.
Feedback should be addressed to FAA Environmental Specialist Marina Landis:
Western Service Area – Operations Support Group, AJV-W22
Federal Aviation Administration
1601 Lind Ave, SW
Renton WA, 98057
Telephone: (425) 203-4561
Fax: (425) 203-4505
Email: 9-ANM-Phoenix-Metroplex-Project@faa.gov