FAA Urged to Change Directions at Burbank Airport

Citing the potential danger of aircraft arriving and departing in the same flight path over San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, four Los Angeles city councilmen Friday called for lifting a ban on easterly takeoffs from Burbank Airport during reconstruction of the north-south runway this fall.

Because of the Federal Aviation Administration ban on easterly takeoffs, airport officials say commercial jets would have to land from the west and take off toward the west during the runway construction. The FAA ban was ordered in March, 1986, because of concern that parked planes and the passenger terminal are too close to the east-west runway.

“Passengers using the Burbank Airport shouldn’t feel that they are taking part in a lottery every time a plane takes off,” said Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky.

Yaroslavsky and Councilmen Ernani Bernardi, Michael Woo and Joel Wachs, all of whom represent communities west of the airport, introduced motions in the council Friday calling on the FAA to permit easterly takeoffs during the runway reconstruction, expected to take about 35 days.

Yaroslavsky also asked the council to authorize legal action, if necessary, to require easterly takeoffs during the runway work. The councilmen’s motions are expected to be approved by the full council Tuesday.

Pilots have complained that easterly takeoffs are not as safe as those in other directions because aircraft must thread through a narrow path between the Verdugo Mountains and the flight path of planes landing at Los Angeles International Airport.

Nevertheless, Yaroslavsky pointed out, all aircraft took off to the east safely for four months in 1979, when repairs to the north-south runway were previously made.

“It appears certain that any risk of easterly takeoffs is far less than the risk of forcing all takeoffs to the west, into the teeth of all arrivals,” he said.

Dick Morrison, Valley coordinator for the FAA, said the agency will consider temporarily lifting its ban on easterly takeoffs during the runway construction. He said the decision will be based on what best serves public safety.

A spokesman for Burbank Airport said the airport legally must abide by the FAA’s decision. Airport spokesman Victor Gill conceded that having all aircraft arriving from the west and departing to it would be “operationally difficult.”

East Valley homeowners hope that if the FAA temporarily lifts the ban on easterly takeoffs, it will provide them ammunition in their fight to reduce noise in the neighborhoods by permanently shifting half of the flights to the east.