Easterly Takeoffs to Be Few, Garvey Says

Although construction of a new Burbank Airport terminal would allow resumption of easterly departures, they would only be a fraction of the total daily takeoffs, a Federal Aviation Administration official says.

In a letter Monday to Rep. James Rogan (R-Glendale), FAA Administrator Jane Garvey said the agency anticipates that “the most optimistic use of the runway would be at 5% by the larger aircraft. This equates to about four departures out of a total of 85 per day, airport-wide.”

Garvey’s letter failed to satisfy critics of a proposed permanent ban on easterly takeoffs, while Rogan aides called it vague.

Easterly takeoffs have been suspended at Burbank since 1986 because of the proximity of the terminal building to the runway. The city of Burbank is seeking a permanent ban as a condition for approving a deal to build a 14-gate, $300-million terminal.

Proponents of the ban say easterly takeoffs pose safety risks by sending jets toward the Verdugo Mountains and Los Angeles International Airport air traffic.

Opponents, including numerous Los Angeles elected officials, say the ban was proposed to appease residents in Burbank and Glendale and would force Los Angeles residents to bear a disproportionate amount of aircraft noise.

Tom Henry, a deputy to Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs, said Monday that a 5% reduction in flights over Los Angeles neighborhoods was unsatisfactory.

“Before the 1986 ban, both the Airport Authority and airline pilots have said up to 45% of all takeoffs were toward the east and when Santa Ana winds are blowing, it’s the safest way to take off,” Henry said. “Councilman Wachs and the residents would like to know what changed.”

Rogan spokesman Jeffrey Solsby said Garvey had failed to clarify her position.

“We can’t figure her letter out,” Solsby said. “The concern here is that we are once again receiving a general response to a specific question. The issue here is the quality of life in Burbank and the safety of the traveling public.”