Local News in Brief : No Plans to Reroute Jets

Saying that safety must be paramount, Burbank Airport officials on Monday refused demands by Los Angeles political leaders and noise protesters that they try to reroute more departing jetliners over the three cities that own the airport.

The unanimous decision by the nine members of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority drew strong protests from Los Angeles lawmakers and predictions of a lawsuit.

Almost all jetliners now climb for altitude over Los Angeles neighborhoods in the eastern San Fernando Valley, bringing complaints from residents there.

In response to the growing political power of neighborhood groups, officeholders in the Los Angeles City Council, state Legislature and Congress have all tried to find a way to make the authority adopt what they called a “fair share” plan.

They wanted the authority to adopt a policy urging federal air traffic controllers and airline pilots--who have the final say--to route departing planes toward the east at least half the time.

Pilots say the traditional takeoff pattern is the safest for a number of factors connected with the geography of the area and the local air traffic lanes.