[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 44 (Friday, March 6, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 10968-10970]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04457]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 71
[Docket No. FAA-2025-5579; Airspace Docket No. 23-AAL-58]
RIN 2120-AA66
Modification of Class E Airspace; Ketchikan International
Airport, Ketchikan, AK
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: This action modifies the Class E airspace area designated as a
surface area for an airport and the Class E airspace extending upward
from 700 feet above the surface at Ketchikan International Airport,
Ketchikan, AK. Additionally, this action makes administrative
amendments to the airport's Class E airspace legal descriptions. These
actions support the safety and management of instrument flight rules
(IFR) operations at the airport.
DATES: Effective date 0901 UTC, May 14, 2026, The Director of the
Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under
1 CFR part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order JO 7400.11
and publication of conforming amendments.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), all
comments received, this final rule, and all background material may be
viewed online at www.regulations.gov using the FAA Docket number.
Electronic retrieval help and guidelines are available on the website.
It is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. An electronic
copy of this document may also be downloaded from
www.federalregister.gov.
FAA Order JO 7400.11K, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points,
and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/. You may also contact the Rules and
Regulations Group, Policy Directorate, Federal Aviation Administration,
600 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20597; telephone: (202) 267-
8783.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nathan A. Chaffman, Federal Aviation
Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200
S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-3460.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority for This Rulemaking
The FAA's authority to issue rules regarding aviation safety is
found in Title 49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, Section 106
describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII,
Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the agency's
authority. This rulemaking is promulgated under the authority described
in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that section,
the FAA is charged with prescribing regulations to assign the use of
the airspace necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft and the
efficient use of airspace. This regulation is within the scope of that
authority as it modifies Class E airspace to support IFR operations at
Ketchikan International Airport, Ketchikan, AK.
History
The FAA published an NPRM for Docket No. FAA FAA-2025-5579 in the
Federal Register (87 FR 61107; December 30, 2025), proposing to amend
Class E airspace at Ketchikan International Airport, Ketchikan, AK.
Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking
effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. One
comment was received which requested a visual depiction of the airspace
as it was
[[Page 10969]]
proposed in the NPRM. An image was posted to the docket on January 5,
2026, in response to the comment.
Incorporation by Reference
Class E2 and E5 airspace areas are published in paragraphs 6002 and
6005, respectively, of FAA Order JO 7400.11, Airspace Designations and
Reporting Points, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 on
an annual basis. This document amends the current version of that
order, FAA Order JO 7400.11K, dated August 4, 2025, and effective
September 15, 2025. These amendments will be published in the next
update to FAA Order JO 7400.11. FAA Order JO 7400.11K, which lists
Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and
reporting points, is publicly available as listed in the ADDRESSES
section of this document.
The Rule
This action amends 14 CFR part 71 by modifying the Class E airspace
area designated as a surface area and the Class E airspace extending
upward from 700 feet above the surface at Ketchikan International
Airport, Ketchikan, AK.
An airspace evaluation was conducted to analyze the airspace
containment of a new special procedure at the airport. The evaluation
identified several areas where the airspace at Ketchikan was not
providing the minimum containment necessary for IFR operations within
surface and transitional Class E airspace. Prior to this final rule,
the Class E surface area airspace at the airport did not fully contain
IFR departures until reaching the base of the next adjacent controlled
airspace, nor did it fully contain the airport's approach procedures
when operating less than 1,000 feet above the surface, with the only
exception being the Area Navigation (RNAV) (Global Positioning System
[GPS])-B approach procedure. FAA Order JO 7400.2, Procedures for
Handling Airspace Matters, provides airspace containment guidance, and
states that Class E surface airspace may be designated to accommodate:
instrument approach procedures and IFR arrival, departure, holding, and
en route operations not protected by other controlled airspace.
Operational and economical effects were discussed with the Anchorage
Air Route Traffic Control Center and Juneau Flight Service Station
(Ketchikan's servicing facilities) using FAA policy guidance for
establishing and modifying Class E airspace areas. Neither facility
desired an expansion of the Class E surface area airspace at Ketchikan
International Airport based on multiple factors affecting the location.
An expansion of the surface area would create communication issues in
known radio blind spots east and southeast of the airport. Radio blind
spots are not consistent with surface area placement, as communications
capabilities must exist down to the runway surface of an airport, and
neither direct nor relayed communications exist in the identified radio
blind spot areas at Ketchikan. Moreover, any expansion of the surface
area could cause undesirable economic and operational impacts to the
local community by blocking visual flight rules (VFR) access into/out
of Ward's Cove and Ketchikan's City Center, amongst other areas.
Additionally, a surface area expansion could lead to an expanded
reliance on Special VFR clearances for VFR aircraft to operate into/out
of/through an expanded surface area when weather conditions exist that
would prevent flight in less-than-VFR weather. Accordingly, the FAA did
not propose expanding the Class E airspace designated as a surface
area. To supplant the lack of an expanded surface area, Ketchikan
International Airport will continue to rely on its Special Air Traffic
Rules (14 CFR part 93 Subpart M), Instrument Flight Procedures, Visual
Checkpoints, and Special VFR arrival/departure procedures that are all
intended to contribute to the airport's overall safety and efficiency.
The airspace review conducted on Ketchikan International Airport
also revealed that its transitional Class E airspace extending upward
from 700 feet above the surface (Class E5) is not sized properly to
contain arriving IFR operations below 1,500 feet above the surface and
departing IFR operations until reaching 1,200 feet above the surface.
The area of Class E5 immediately surrounding the airport is expanded to
a 4.3-mile radius to better contain the circling portions of the
Localizer (LOC) X Runway (RWY) 11, RNAV (GPS)-B, and RNAV (GPS)-C
approach procedures. The northwestern portion of the Class E5 airspace
is expanded approximately three miles and lengthened approximately 10
miles to better contain arriving and departing IFR operations when
utilizing the Instrument Landing System (ILS) Y or LOC Y RWY 11, LOC X
RWY 11, and WIGUL ONE DEPARTURE (RNAV) instrument flight procedures.
The southeast portion of the Class E5 airspace is expanded by
approximately two miles, lengthened by approximately one mile, and re-
oriented to the south by approximately 10 degrees to better contain
arriving and departing IFR operations when utilizing the ILS Y or LOC Y
RWY 11, RNAV (GPS) RWY 11, ILS Z or LOC Z RWY 11, KETCHIKAN SIX
DEPARTURE (Obstacle), ANNETTE THREE DEPARTURE (RNAV), DOOZI TWO
DEPARTURE (RNAV), and UDENE THREE DEPARTURE (RNAV) procedures.
Further transitional containment above 1,200 feet above the surface
is provided by the ``Southeast Class E6'' airspace that extends upward
from 1,200 feet above the surface.
Furthermore, the airspace review identified administrative errors
within the Ketchikan Class E airspace legal descriptions, which are
being corrected. Ketchikan's geographic location (airport reference
point) is updated to reflect the FAA's database, and the airspace areas
are described using the updated location. This change creates a
negligible shift in the airspace's lateral boundaries of approximately
700 feet. Additionally, Ketchikan's Class E airspace areas are partly
described in relation to the Ketchikan LOC. Any reference to its LOC is
removed as it is no longer needed to describe the airspace. Lastly, the
Ketchikan Class E Surface Area Airspace contains a cut-out at the
northwestern portion of the airspace near Ward's Cove that, prior to
this final rule, was described using five named points. Of the five,
only three of the listed points within the description's text header
are usable as a reference due to their respective geographic locations,
and one point is listed within the description body instead of its text
header. Accordingly, ``East Island'' and ``Decoy Benchmark'' are
removed as references, and the reference to the ``Refuge Cove State
Recreation Site Picnic Area'' is shortened to ``Refuge Cove State
Recreation Site'' and moved from the description's body to its text
header.
Regulatory Notices and Analyses
The FAA has determined that this regulation only involves an
established body of technical regulations for which frequent and
routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current.
It, therefore: (1) is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under
Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a ``significant rule'' under DOT
Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February 26, 1979);
and (3) does not warrant preparation of a regulatory evaluation as the
anticipated impact is so minimal. Since this is a routine matter that
only affects air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified
that this rule, when promulgated, does not have a significant economic
impact on a substantial
[[Page 10970]]
number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory
Flexibility Act.
Environmental Review
The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical
exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance
with FAA Order 1050.1G, ``FAA National Environmental Policy Act
Implementing Procedures,'' Appendix B-2.5. This airspace action is not
expected to cause any potentially significant environmental impacts,
and no extraordinary circumstances exist that warrant preparation of an
environmental assessment.
Lists of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71
Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).
The Amendment
In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation
Administration amends 14 CFR part 71 as follows:
PART 71--DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, B, C, D, AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR
TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS
0
1. The authority citation for 14 CFR part 71 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40103, 40113, 40120; E.O.
10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p.389.
Sec. 71.1 [Amended]
0
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order JO
7400.11K, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 4,
2025 and effective September 15, 2025, is amended as follows:
Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.
* * * * *
AAL AK E2 Ketchikan, AK [Amended]
Ketchikan International Airport, AK
(Lat. 55[deg]21'15'' N, long. 131[deg]42'40'' W)
Danger Island
(Lat. 55[deg]24'08'' N, long. 131[deg]45'47'' W)
Refuge Cove Recreation Site
(Lat. 55[deg]24'31'' N, long. 131[deg]45'36'' W)
Wrong Benchmark
(Lat. 55[deg]23'35'' N, long. 131[deg]44'10'' W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 3-mile
radius of the airport, within 1.1 miles northeast and 1 mile
southwest of the airport's 136[deg] bearing extending to 4 miles
southeast, and within 1 mile either side of the airport's 316[deg]
bearing extending to 4.7 miles northwest, excluding that airspace
within a boundary defined by a line beginning at Refuge Recreation
Site, thence to Danger Island, to Wrong Benchmark, thence northeast
along the Ward Cove shoreline to the airport's 355[deg] bearing at 3
miles, thence to the point of beginning.
* * * * *
Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700
Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.
* * * * *
AAL AK E5 Ketchikan, AK [Amended]
Ketchikan International Airport, AK
(Lat. 55[deg]21'15'' N, long. 131[deg]42'40'' W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface
within a 4.3-mile radius, within 3 miles either side of the
airport's 146[deg] bearing extending to 10 miles southeast, within
2.2 miles either side of the airport's 316[deg] bearing extending to
7.8 miles northwest, and within 3.5 miles either side of the
airport's 316[deg] bearing extending from 7.8 miles northwest of the
airport to 20.2 miles northwest.
* * * * *
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on March 3, 2026.
B.G. Chew,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.
[FR Doc. 2026-04457 Filed 3-5-26; 8:45 am]
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