FAA cites ‘concerns’ over planned runway closure

Safety questioned in Pittsburgh airport plan

The Federal Aviation Administration has “very significant safety and efficiency concerns” about a proposal to close the longest runway at Pittsburgh International Airport.

In a Nov. 1, 2017, letter, Steven M. Urlass, director of the FAA’s eastern region airports division, stated that a Pittsburgh International master plan recommendation to close runway 10 Right/28 Left made various assumptions that the agency found concerning, specifically related to air traffic management, navigational aids and airport design standards.

The airport is considering the closing at a time when its passenger totals are nowhere near where they were during its years as a hub for the former US Airways — even with the new flights and new