Court Refuses to Void FAA Action

A federal appeals court Friday refused to halt an emergency order by the Federal Aviation Administration that closed a “visual flight” corridor along the coast that pilots of private planes used to cross over Los Angeles International Airport.

An oral order issued by a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rejected an emergency motion filed by a coalition representing the pilots, who called the FAA action “arbitrary, capricious and an abuse of discretion.” Lawyers for the Aircraft Pilots & Owners Assn. argued that the corridor closing was unnecessary.

The FAA issued the emergency order, which took effect Wednesday, after a reported near-collision last week between an American Airlines jetliner and an unidentified small plane over Santa Monica.