http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/62767.html# Santa Fe Municipal Airport gets OK for larger planes By PHAEDRA HAYWOOD | The New Mexican June 8, 2007 Residents who live near the airport worry about noise levels The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday certified the Santa Fe Municipal Airport to handle larger airplanes. The Class 1 certification lifts the current 30-passenger legal limit on aircraft using the airport, which mostly serves small, general-aviation traffic. Due to physical and other constraints, the airport probably still can?t accommodate aircraft that carry any more than about 60 passengers, said Tom Baca, director of the state Department of Transportation?s Aviation Division. ?Don?t say 747?s are going to be landing there, because they won?t,? Baca said. ?I don?t think you can extend those runways long enough with the property you have there ? not for a long time, if ever. But regional jets to Los Angeles or Dallas or Denver are a really good fit for Santa Fe.? It remains to be seen whether any commercial airlines will take advantage of the change in the airport?s legal status, which was confirmed Friday by FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. Santa Fe?s proximity to a full-service airline hub in Albuquerque has long been a factor in efforts to attract direct airline service to Santa Fe. Santa Fe Municipal Airport Manager Jim Montman said the weight-bearing capacity of the local airport?s runways, the scope of its security program and the size of its terminal continue to limit the capacity of planes that could be used for scheduled service at the airport southwest of the city. ?We want to expand the services, not the airport,? said Montman, who in April told The New Mexican that United Airlines had expressed interest in moving into the Santa Fe market if the airport got Class 1 certification. Currently, only one commercial carrier, Great Lakes Airlines, uses the Santa Fe airport. Great Lakes offers scheduled service to and from Denver. The city of Santa Fe announced in March that it would seek the certification to maximize the airport?s economic development potential. City spokeswoman Laura Banish said Friday that she couldn?t comment except to say the city planned to make an announcement today about something ?that will provide better service for our airport customers and attract more customers.? Baca said his office is working with the Santa Fe Municipal Airport and the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., to obtain funding for approach-control radar at the airport. Currently, air traffic is controlled through the advance filing of flight plans and radio contact with pilots. The radar system would allow visual confirmation of aircraft locations, which would reduce delays, Baca said. The radar system would cost about $12 million, much of which might be funded through the state Aviation Division, he said. Baca said his office also plans to provide grant money to improve lighting on Airport Road. The city of Santa Fe began $6.5 million worth of improvements to the airport this spring, including a $4.5 million runway reconstruction and the purchase of 15 acres east of the airport to provide required safety zones for runways. Montman said a $150,000 noise study was recently completed, and city staff will be briefed on the results July 9. Residents who live near the airport, including some in La Cienega, have expressed concern about noise levels from aircraft flying in and out of the airport. One La Cienega resident, Beverly Garcia, said Friday that she thinks it?s ridiculous the city applied for certification to allow larger aircraft. ?I just don?t know who the heck they are trying to serve,? Garcia said. ?People can use the term economic development, and it sounds good on its face, but what do you really need for whom? Who needs to get in here that fast? Someone that needs to get here from Los Angeles to the detriment of people living in La Cienega?? Garcia, who said the sound of planes passing over her house is sometimes loud enough to wake her sleeping grandchildren, said Santa Fe city councilors ?ought to know better? than to expand the airport when residents have said over and over they don?t want that. Staff from the city?s economic development department told The New Mexican in April that a firm hired last fall to solicit the opinions of 31 major economic players in the region showed an overall positive response to upgrading the airport. But that survey did not include opinions from area residents. Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3004 or phaywood@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Heartthrob. Get better relationship answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545433 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".