FAA Slashes SFO's Max Hourly Flight Arrivals, Doubling Delays

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The Federal Aviation Administration has announced new restrictions on the maximum number of hourly flight arrivals at San Francisco International Airport, cutting the previous limit from 54 to 36 aircraft. This change, combined with an ongoing runway repaving project at SFO, is expected to result in approximately 25% of arriving flights experiencing delays of at least 30 minutes.

Why it matters

The reduced arrival capacity at SFO will significantly impact travelers, airlines, and airport operations. As a major West Coast hub, delays at SFO can have ripple effects across the national air travel system. The FAA's safety-driven policy change and SFO's infrastructure project highlight the challenges of maintaining airport efficiency and reliability.

The details

The FAA's decision to prohibit side-by-side approaches to SFO's parallel runways was based on a recent analysis determining the procedure was unsafe, even in clear weather. This new requirement for staggered approaches, along with SFO's closure of Runway 1 Right for repaving, has forced the airport to drastically reduce its maximum hourly arrival rate from 54 to 36 aircraft. Once the runway project is complete in six months, the arrival limit can increase back to 45 under the new FAA restrictions.

• SFO closed Runway 1 Right on Monday, March 31, 2026 for a six-month repaving project.
• The FAA announced the new 36 hourly arrival limit on Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

What’s next

Once the runway repaving project at SFO is completed in six months, the airport will be able to increase its maximum hourly arrival rate back up to 45 aircraft under the new FAA safety restrictions.