Tucson airport, Davis-Monthan and Guard brief supervisors on shared-airspace safety and runway overhaul

Tucson Airport Authority, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Air National Guard briefed the Pima County Board of Supervisors on February 18 about how commercial, military and general aviation share and manage local airspace and how ongoing airfield construction at Tucson International Airport will affect operations.

The presenters said aviation remains tightly regulated and that responsibility is distributed among local airport operators, the Federal Aviation Administration, military units and air traffic control. Danette Bewley, president and CEO of the Tucson Airport Authority, described an Airfield Safety Enhancement Program at Tucson International — a approximately $400,000,000 project to relocate and commission a new runway parallel to the main runway to increase separation and redundancy, with runway commissioning scheduled in 2027 and project completion around 2028 depending on federal funding.

Why it matters: Presenters sought to reassure supervisors and the public that landings, takeoffs and military training sorties are handled under positive air traffic control and frequent coordination. They also described changes that will alter arrival and departure procedures once the relocated runway is commissioned, and they warned that changes increase the need for pilots to read Notices to Airmen and for continued FAA oversight.

Bewley said Tucson’s airport operations are closely inspected by the FAA and that airport rescue and firefighting (ARFF) teams train with mutual-aid partners and the Air National Guard for mass-casualty incidents. “If things escalate beyond just handling a very quick incident, We will activate our EOC. We'll communicate with Pima County EOC, and, you know, we're all NIMS and ICS trained,” she said.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Sheehy, representing Davis-Monthan, described military flight planning and said military aviators “adhere to FAA and air traffic control procedures, utilize standardized routing and approved control measures, and regularly coordinate with TIA and other airports to operate in and around the local airspace.” Retired Lt. Col. Matt Ward, speaking as a subject matter expert on F-16 local procedures, explained that military aircraft primarily use UHF radios while civilian aircraft use VHF. He said towers will simulcast transmissions on both bands so civilian and military pilots hear critical instructions, and that mission planning publishes when low-altitude military routes will be active and at what altitudes to deconflict flights before takeoff.

Board members asked how recent federal aviation staffing actions could affect safety. Bewley said recent federal administrative layoffs include 400 FAA administrative employees nationwide and an FAA staffing shortfall of roughly 1,000 controllers; she and other presenters said they were monitoring impacts and coordinating with the FAA’s airport district office in Phoenix to learn how workloads will be redistributed.

Several supervisors pressed for continued updates. Bewley said the airport monitors air traffic control frequencies and issues Notices to Airmen when airfield geometry changes during construction. She also noted that pilot deviations and runway incursions were among the criteria that elevated the airport’s priority for federal airfield safety funds.

Ending: Supervisors thanked the presenters and asked airport staff to keep the board informed about FAA staffing changes and about the timing and expected airspace and procedure changes tied to the new runway commissioning.