Alaska keeps trading its old flight beacons for GPS, one route at a time

The FAA is redrawing a satellite-guided airway near Kodiak this fall, the latest step in a long, quiet shift: Alaska is replacing the aging ground-based beacons that have guided instrument flying for decades with GPS routes across the state.

The change takes effect Oct. 29, amending route T-388, which runs through southwest Alaska and carries instrument traffic toward Kodiak and nearby communities. The FAA says it's meant to better connect Alaska's route structure. T-routes are GPS airways that let pilots fly more direct paths at lower altitudes, which matters here for dodging icing.

For Alaska pilots who fly on instruments, these routes are how towns connect to the wider airspace system, and a change to one reshapes the practical choices behind a flight, the paths available, the fuel to carry, the backup airports a pilot can name as alternates.

The Kodiak amendment is one thread of a statewide project to retire ground-based navigation aids in favor of GPS, the same effort behind route changes near Sitka in 2022 and more proposed in 2025. It follows a proposed rule and public comment.