JFK Airport

US Department of Transportation will allow 30 more flights per day than last summer at Newark Liberty Airport, but airlines must spread more services into off-peak times to achieve this and avoid the ‘chronic delays’ seen in 2007.

The new cap will go into effect in early May, and apply to both domestic and international flights, allowing an average of 83 services per hour during peak periods.

The same cap will begin this Saturday on rotations at New York’s JFK airport, and it already exists at the city’s LaGuardia Airport. America’s domestic airline delays were the second worst on record in 2007 according to the Department, and these three airports had the worst on-time arrival rates.

“We have an obligation to travellers to do everything in our power to prevent a repeat of the horrors they experienced last summer,” said US Transportation Secretary Mary E Peters. “Delays in New York are a regional problem, not just a single-airport problem.”

Market-based mechanisms would be used to allow Newark to accommodate growth while helping to reduce congestions and delays – the Department will auction slots at the airport, which “encourages competition, allows new entrants and responds to customer demand” the Secretary said.

There is also a plan to accelerate the introduction of NextGen – the new satellite-based aviation system designed to enhance efficiency and minimise delays – with key elements pushed from design to delivery this year.

Florida will begin serving as the test-bed for the system this summer, which will include the use of a new descent technique in Miami that saves fuel, as well as reducing noise and emissions. The technology will also increase airspace capacity by allowing aircraft to fly more closely together without compromising safety.