FAA proposes redrawing Anchorage airspace so JBER can open instrument runway

The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to redraw airspace and flight paths over the Anchorage basin so Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson can use an instrument landing system on its extended Runway 17. The agency is taking public comment on the draft plan through Nov. 9. The redesign also touches Ted Stevens Anchorage International, Elmendorf, Bryant Army Airfield, Lake Hood and Merrill Field.

The draft environmental assessment finds no significant impacts requiring mitigation. It projects reportable noise increases for 364 residents by 2032, south of the Anchorage airport and in and southwest of Tyonek, but none in 2027. No civilian areas or noise-sensitive land uses cross the FAA's significance threshold, a rise of 1.5 decibels or more where day-night noise levels already reach 65 decibels.

"As a critical strategic gateway for homeland defense, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) is currently restricted from operating at its intended capacity and fleet mix until the surrounding airspace is officially modified," Byron G.Y. Chew, group manager of the FAA's Operations Support Group, said in the notice.

The Air Force decided in 2018 to extend the runway north to 10,000 feet for F-22 launch and recovery, and construction began in 2023. Elmendorf's controlled airspace ends less than one nautical mile from the runway's departure end, so instrument arrivals would conflict with Merrill Field and Anchorage airport traffic. Merrill Field's tower warned the change would hurt local aircraft using its Runway 7/25.

The plan would convert much of the basin's special-rules airspace to Class C and Class D airspace, shrinking the special-rules area. It includes 29 procedures, among them 12 new or amended satellite-based departures. En route transitions would rise from 53 to 69 and runway transitions from 17 to 42. The FAA says the plan adds no flights, does not change the aircraft mix and requires no construction.

Every significant noise increase falls on JBER land or over Cook Inlet. Of the affected residents, 271 would see increases of 3 decibels or more and 93 would see 5 decibels or more. The Anchorage increases stem from a redesigned Runway 15 departure and Runway 33 arrivals. Tyonek's stem from a proposed arrival route. Protected sites with reportable increases would rise from 11 in 2027 to 20 in 2032, including Cook Inlet beluga critical habitat, a bald eagle nesting site and trails near Sand Lake Road and Diamond Boulevard. "None of the resources are managed for a quiet setting," the draft said.

The tribal consultation letter is listed as pending in Appendix C, which names 29 recipients from 26 tribes, including the Native Village of Tyonek. Consultation with NOAA, the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service and the Interior Department is also pending, and the FAA has made no final decision.

Comments can be sent to [email protected] through Nov. 9. Virtual workshops are scheduled for Oct. 27 from 1 to 3 pm and Oct. 28 from 5 to 7 pm Alaska Daylight Time.