The Massachusetts Port Authority recently unveiled at the Airports Council International World/North America Conference & Exhibition a composite map that defines the critical airspace around Boston Logan International Airport and helps guide developers and regulatory authorities on building heights.

Massport, which owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport, developed the map with input from airlines, pilots, city officials and the Federal Aviation Administration in order to protect flight corridors in and out of Logan.

"This map will help developers understand early in the process how a proposal may affect the safe and efficient operation of airplanes taking off and landing at Logan Airport," said Ed Freni, Director of Aviation for Massport.

Logan, along with Miami International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, is leading the effort to develop the composite maps and it is becoming an industry best practice. The composite map at Logan was one of the reasons cited by the Air Line Pilots Association in August when it named Logan its Airport of the Year for 2008. ALPA's nomination of Logan noted that the airport "is developing a precedent-setting composite map of critical FAA obstruction surfaces to minimize/prevent further intrusions of tall structures into BOS airspace. Massport has been an industry leader in focusing FAA and industry attention on this critical issue."

The map is meant to help guide developers in their planning and assist the FAA in its review of individual projects to determine if a project presents a hazard to air navigation. The map can be viewed by clicking here.

The map is a composite of critical airspace surfaces that surround Logan Airport and need to be protected to maintain safety and operational efficiency. For example, one area of protection is the path that an aircraft must clear if there is a loss of power to one engine. A tall structure in this "one engine inoperative" corridor will interfere with the aircraft, resulting in airlines requesting different runways for departures, or the weight of a plane being adjusted to maintain an appropriate rate of climb.

Boston Logan serves as the gateway to the New England region and offers nonstop service to 70 domestic and 31 international destinations and in 2007 handled 28.1 million passengers. Boston Logan is the Air Line Pilot Association's Airport of the Year for 2008 because its commitment to safety. Over the past decade, the airport has spent $4.4 billion on a modernization program that includes new terminals, parking facilities, roadways and airport concessions, and has transformed the airport into a world-class 21st Century facility.

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