Sen. John McCain: Community should be consulted before flight path changes
Feb 29, 2016, 5:00 AM
Sen. John McCain and Sen. Jeff Flake are pushing legislation that would force the Federal Aviation Administration to meet with Arizona communities before making changes to flight patterns.
In 2014, flight path changes at Sky Harbor caused an uproar as residents complained of flight noise over their homes. The FAA made the changes without “adequate communication” with local officials that had invested efforts into zoning and residential planning, according to Flake’s website.
“We want two things to happen: One, reevaluate that decision, but also in the future you have to have the local government engaged and involved in the decision-making process,” McCain said.
Now, the Arizona senators are pushing the Airspace Management Advisory Act.
Modernizing flight paths is important to enhance safety and efficiency, McCain said, but communities deserve a seat at the table before changes like what has happened in the past.
“This was an arbitrary move by the FAA, and one which has caused a great deal of discomfort for a lot of our valley residents,” he said.