L.A. Asks FAA to End Takeoff Ban at Burbank

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday called upon the Federal Aviation Administration to lift a ban on easterly takeoffs at Burbank Airport during repairs of the north-south runway this fall.

A unanimous council vote also instructed the city’s attorneys to explore legal action to require easterly takeoffs during the repair work, expected to take about 35 days.

The action was requested by four council members concerned about the danger of aircraft arriving and departing in the same flight path over their San Fernando Valley districts, west of the airport.

Unless the FAA lifts the ban, commercial jets using the airport will have to land from the west and take off to the west while the runway is repaired, airport officials say. The ban was imposed in March, 1986, after the FAA ruled that the passenger terminal is too close to the eastern end of the east-west runway.

About half the commercial airliners now land from the west, said an airport spokesman. The other half land from the north. Landings from the east and south are generally unfeasible because of wind conditions. Less than 10% of the takeoffs are to the west. Most commercial airliners take off to south but then turn west over North Hollywood, Studio City and Van Nuys.

Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky, one of those who sought Tuesday’s vote, argued that all aircraft took off to the east safely for four months in 1979 when repairs to the north-south runway were last made.

“Nothing that I have seen relating to this airport is so ludicrous as this notion of taking off to the west and landing from the west,” Yaroslavsky said.

Councilman Joel Wachs, who also asked for Tuesday’s action, criticized the Burbank Airport Authority for failing to support a temporary lifting of the ban on easterly takeoffs.

“What really angers me is the bad faith of the airport authority,” Wachs said. He contended that the authority “just doesn’t want to be on record” recognizing that easterly takeoffs are safe for fear that it will lead to a permanent shifting of half of the takeoffs to the east. Easterly takeoffs, which would send planes over Burbank and Glendale, have been long sought by East Valley residents affected by noise from the airport.

Wachs, however, said he expects the FAA to lift the ban temporarily “because there’s really no other choice.”

“I can’t imagine them ever really having westerly landings and takeoffs at the same time because it’s simply not safe,” he said.

At hearing before the vote, Alice Sanov, representing the North Hollywood Residents Assn. and Van Nuys Homeowners Assn., said, “If there are departures allowed to the west, in addition to landings from the west, North Hollywood and Van Nuys will bear the brunt of the burden of not only increased noise of all operations from this airport but also the increased safety risk of head-to-head operations.”

An FAA spokesman has said the agency will consider temporarily lifting the ban.

Airport spokesman Victor Gill said the authority will abide by the FAA’s decision. Responding to Wachs’ criticism, he said the authority “is not in the business of telling airplanes how to fly or telling the FAA how to do its business.”