California airport tries back-door tactic to enact curfew

The Burbank, California, Airport Authority is considering using an FAA noise study to enact an overnight curfew at Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport (BUR), a tactic that raises serious concerns for AOPA.

The proposal is contained in an ongoing FAA Part 161 study, which typically used to implement noise procedures for older jet aircraft or large airliners. However, the Burbank proposal would close the airport to all operations between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. This is the first time this process has been used to try for a curfew on all aircraft. Even though this is only a draft, it raises questions about whether this is appropriate use of the FAA process.

"The Airport Authority is proposing that not even the quietest jet and piston aircraft would be permitted to operate during the curfew hours, even though noise-based restrictions are typically only applied to the loudest aircraft," explained Anne Esposito, AOPA's vice president for airports. "The bottom line is, we must oppose the attempt to enact this curfew because no aircraft, including general aviation, would be able to land at night unless they declared an emergency."

AOPA encourages members who use BUR to offer their comments on the financial impact of this proposal on their operations.

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