The FAA SMS panel has determined that the O'Hare's north airfield may be used during overnight hours post OMP-buildout.
FAA Regional Administrator Rebecca MacPherson addressed the Fly Quiet Committee at their meeting on January 28, 2020 to report on the FAA's SMS decision that runways 9R/27L, 9C/27C and 4L/22R will be available for use without any need for special mitigation. The level of risk has been identified as “moderate,” which is acceptable to the FAA, indicating they are confident of their ability to handle traffic safely. Those runways will be available not only for arrivals and departures upon commissioning but also for a potential rotation system or other program that the ONCC develops as part of a Fly Quiet 21 plan. She explained that there are varying levels of SMS reviews, ranging from one week to several months, depending on the complexity of the situation.
The FAA announced in July that it would be necessary to evaluate the use of the runways on the north airfield before they could commit to them being available as part of a future Fly Quiet program. Administrator MacPherson reiterated that safety is the FAA’s number one concern.
