Monday November 20, 2006

After some thirty years of controversy, a new runway is scheduled to open at Boston's Logan airport this Thursday. Runway 14/32 is 5000 feet long and is suitable for small jets and props, which should allow the FAA to free capacity on other runways by shunting smaller planes to this new runway.

When it's operational, that is.

Under agreements to limit noise for South Shore residents, the runway will only be used when the wind blows out of the northwest and only when it exceeds 10 knots. According to the FAA, current capacity reductions due to wind from the northwest occur frequently enough at Logan that this new runway should deliver material improvements to throughput.

The above is based, for the most part, on this article.