SFO expects fewer potential delays as runway improvement closure ends

By Jose Fabian

People flying in and out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) could see fewer delays as of Tuesday, the airport said.

Runway 1 Right officially reopened after a six-month closure for repaving and other improvements. Alongside the FAA’s revised procedures on parallel landings, SFO said it expects fewer potential delays as more aircraft will be arriving per hour.

The closure and initial FAA restriction back in March brought the number of arrivals down from 54 to 36 per hour. The number of arrivals is now expected to be between 45 and 48 per hour, SFO said.

According to SFO, the initial FAA procedural change had much more of an impact on delays than the repavement work, as it suspended parallel arrivals on SFO’s east-west runways. The FAA said it made its decision after an internal review found the existing procedures did not align with its aircraft separation standards.

The FAA later modified its decision, allowing for staggered arrivals.

During the improvement closure, workers poured 200,000 tons of asphalt, replaced 64 miles of electrical cable, painted new markings and signage, installed 2,440 new light fixtures and replaced guidance signs. It cost about $215 million and was partially funded, $92.1 million, by the FAA. 

“Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to complete our new and improved Runway 1R! We’re so happy to have R1R back and operational at SFO,” SFO said.