The Federal Aviation Administration is studying a proposal that would bring some commercial and cargo jets to Salt Lake City International Airport via the Wasatch Mountains on the east side of the Salt Lake Valley.
Currently, the downwind flight path directs all arriving planes to the airport from the west, above the Oquirrh Mountains or the Great Salt Lake.
The proposal is part of a national effort by the FAA to help relieve congestion and prevent delays at airports.
Air traffic congestion is not a critical problem at Salt Lake City International, yet. But Tom Brown, air traffic manager for the FAA's Salt Lake control tower, said it could become a problem in the future.
"The passenger level has probably leveled off, but the fact is we're using more and more of the commuter-type aircraft and the number of airplanes has increased, particularly the number of cargo airplanes and the number of private pilots," Brown said.
"Looking years and years down the road is what we're trying to do here. Should the number of airplanes increase, then you're running into a situation where we're going to be too crowded on the west side and we've got to do something."
The proposal would not affect the path planes follow on their final approach, which brings them as low as 3,000 feet from the ground 10 miles south of the airport.
That final approach path will continue to be either above the lake — when weather conditions mandate an approach from the north — or above a corridor at roughly 2400 West, when the weather dictates an approach from the south.
Residents of the east benches will not be looking at the bellies of low-flying jets above their back yards, Brown said.
Instead, any jets flying to the east side of the valley on their downwind approach likely would be above the ridge tops of the Wasatch range, in the neighborhood of 15,000 feet above sea level, Brown said.
When approaching from the north, the jets would travel south above the Wasatch Mountains and turn to the west somewhere above the Draper-Riverton-Bluffdale area, perhaps above South Mountain, before positioning themselves in that western corridor for final approach.
While the planes will gradually descend as they fly south, they drop about 300 feet per mile on the final approach. So a plane that is 20 miles south of the airport is still about 6,000 feet above the ground.
When approaching from the south, the jets would remain above the Wasatch range and cut across to the west somewhere in northern Davis County or perhaps as far north as Ogden, Brown said, then fly above the lake on final approach.
The eastern downwind flight path probably would be used as a back-up — for when the west side is so crowded delays would otherwise occur — and not as a permanent route, Brown said.
Brown stressed the plan is in the developmental stage and will not be finalized or tested for some time. And while the FAA has final authority in the matter, Brown said the agency has been in contact with Salt Lake City, pilots, air carriers and others, and will continue to work with local officials as the proposal becomes more crystallized.
Officials at Salt Lake City International Airport say they are receiving and evaluating data from the FAA and declined specific comment.
"We don't have, unfortunately, all the information that we need in order to discuss how it would impact our operations," said Theresa Rocco, spokeswoman for the city's Department of Airports.
Brown said a series of public meetings would be held to discuss the proposal, when it is more concrete.
E-mail: zman@desnews.com