Draft EA - San Diego International Airport

SAN DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT – PROPOSED RUNWAY 9 DISPLACED THRESHOLD
1.3 Critical Design Aircraft
FAA planning guidelines presented in FAA Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5325-4B, Runway Length Requirements
for Airport Design, and FAA Order 5090.3C, Field Formulation of the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
(NPIAS), define a substantial use threshold of 500 or more annual itinerant operations (landings and take-offs)
to identify the critical design aircraft for an airport. The critical design aircraft may be a single aircraft or a
composite of the most demanding characteristics of several aircraft. Design criteria for the critical design
aircraft are contained in FAA AC 150/5300-13A, Airport Design. The Airport Layout Plan (ALP) 15
for SDIA
identifies the Boeing 787-900 as the critical design aircraft for the Airport. The Boeing 787-900 is an
Approach Category D, ADG V 16 aircraft. These two components make up the Airport Reference Code (ARC),
which is used to relate airport design criteria with the operational and physical characteristics of the aircraft
intended to use an airport. As a result, the ARC for SDIA is D-V.
While the SDCRAA has identified the Boeing 787-900 as the critical design aircraft for the Airport, the Boeing
787-900 is not currently in production. However, the Boeing 787-800, which operates at the Airport today, is
also a D-V aircraft. Effective June 1, 2013, JAL (Japan Airlines) now conducts daily operations of the Boeing
787-800 at SDIA. Based on actual operations of the Boeing 787-800 at SDIA through May 31, 2013 and
projections based on airline schedules through the end of 2013, SDCRAA projects 474 operations of the
Boeing 787-800 at SDIA this year. Because this is just below the 500 operations per year FAA threshold for the
critical design aircraft, the SDCRAA examined other Approach Category D and ADG V aircraft operating at the
Airport to determine the required runway design characteristics (see Table 1-1 and Table 1-2).
The SDCRAA prepared updated aviation forecasts in 2012 for the proposed Airport Development Plan (ADP)
that have been submitted to the FAA for review and approval. 17
Based on these forecasts, passenger airline
Approach Category D and ADG V aircraft operations at SDIA are expected to increase. Table 1-1 provides the
number of aircraft operations by Approach Category D and ADG V aircraft in 2011 and 2012 at SDIA, as well
as projected 2013 and 2021 and 2031 forecast data. As shown in Table 1-1, Approach Category D and ADG V
operations represented 10.8 percent and 12.7 percent of the total operations in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
Approach Category D and ADG V operations are anticipated to increase to 25.0 percent of the total share by
2031.
As part of this study, landing length requirements for the various Approach Category D and ADG V aircraft
forecast to operate at SDIA were evaluated, and are presented in Table 1-2. As shown, the proposed
reduction of LDA of 300 feet on Runway 9 from 7,580 feet to 7,280 feet would not adversely impact Approach
Category D or ADG V aircraft operations at SDIA.
15
16
17
San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, San Diego International Airport, Airport Layout Plan, June 26, 2009.
ADG V refers to airplanes with wingspans of at least 171 feet up to but not including 214 feet wingspan or tail height from 60 feet up to
but not including 66 feet (FAA, AC 150/5300-13A, Airport Design).
LeighFisher, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, Airport Development Plan, San Diego International Airport, Technical
Memorandum – Aviation Demand Forecasts, March 2013.
Draft EA
Purpose and Need
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