Officials to discuss fixes for JFK delays

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Friday released its targets for flight numbers that can be handled safely at New York's JFK International Airport.

The initial targets were announced in advance of next week's scheduled reduction meeting between the FAA and airlines, Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters said in a news release.

Eighty flights per hour is the general target for JFK for the period 6 a.m. to 9:59 p.m., Peters said. The exception would be from 3 p.m. to 7:59 p.m., when the target would be 81 flights.

To spread demand evenly for both arrivals and departures, and to get the most out of the airport’s runway configuration, the number of arrivals or departures may not exceed 53 in any one-hour period, Peters said.

To establish targets, the FAA reviewed hourly arrivals and departures from July 2005 through July 2007, the DOT news release said.

The meeting next week is to address chronic New York delays, Peters said. She also appointed a group of airline, airport and travel officials to develop market-based measures to reduce congestion at New York’s three major airports before the start of the 2008 summer travel season.