Air Service Board Addresses Airport Challenges

SUN VALLEY/KETCHUM/HAILEY, Idaho – Friedman Memorial Airport experienced high volumes of traffic on certain days during the 2019/2020 December and January holiday season.

Due to the volume of commercial and general aviation flights during these peak demand times, coupled with periods of inclement weather, there was an unusually high level of Air Traffic Control delays which contributed to flight diversions by commercial airlines. Aircraft typically land from the south and take off to the south, adding a further limiting factor as to how many aircraft can land or take-off in any given period.

Due to the number of delays and diversions by some commercial flights, the members of the Sun Valley Air Service Board (SVASB) met with Friedman Memorial Airport Authority (FMAA) to further examine policies and procedures around flight delays and diversions. They also explored whether any actions should be taken that could improve the visitor flying experience.

From that meeting, SVASB made the following observations:

• Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy is to treat all aircraft equally on a first-come, first-served basis allowing for no discrimination between aircraft, whether commercial airlines or general aviation.
• Changes to this policy would require changes to federal law, which would likely be a long political process at the federal level with no guarantee of success.
• FMAA suggested that proactive management methods can improve operational efficiency. These practices have been successful in the past in addressing issues related to crowded airspace and have dramatically improved the visitor experience.
• Progress continues toward alleviating some of the weather-related diversions experienced during this past holiday season, and historically throughout the winter season, via improved approach procedures and advanced avionics used on aircraft. Adoption of the new technologies is at the sole discretion of the airlines.

SVASB came to the following conclusions:

• FMAA continues to proactively work with all users and stakeholders to address issues relating to commercial airline delays, diversions, missed connections, and overall efficiency of the airport to better serve all users.
• SVASB supports the actions being taken by FMAA and will continue to work closely with them to examine all options in support of the airport’s operational efforts.