The number of flights performed globally by the airline industry has increased steadily since the early 2000s and reached **** million in 2019. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of flights dropped to **** million in 2020. The flight volume increased again in the following years and was forecasted to reach ** million in 2025.

A. SUMMARY This information shows SFO’s Nighttime Preferential Runway Use program and air carrier operations using jet and regional aircraft. The Nighttime Preferential Runway Use program aims to maximize overwater departures and minimize flights over residential areas between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to reduce aircraft noise in surrounding communities. The preferred departing runways during these hours are Runways 10 Left (10L) / 10 Right (10R), 1 Left (1L) / 1 Right (1R), or 28 Left (28L) / 28 Right (28R) with an immediate right-turn; when safety, weather, and traffic operations permit. Although the program cannot be used 100% of the time due to these factors, all stakeholders work together to maximize its use when conditions allow. This dataset also provides air carrier total monthly departures and monthly arrivals by runway, along with percent utilization.

B. HOW THE DATASET IS CREATED Details of flights from the Federal Aviation Administration’s National Offload Program are processed into SFO’s Airport Noise and Operations Management System (ANOMS) where reports are generated. It serves to quantify, analyze, and report on runway usage in support of programs to help reduce aircraft noise in communities surrounding SFO.

C. UPDATE PROCESS Data is available starting in January 2005 and will be updated monthly.

D. HOW TO USE THIS DATASET This information is the data source used in producing the Runway Usage and Nighttime Operations sections (page 4) of the Airport Director’s Reports. These reports are presented at the SFO Airport Community Roundtable Meetings and available online at https://noise.flysfo.com/reports/?category=airport-directors-report

Please contact the Noise Abatement Office at NoiseAbatementOffice@flysfo.com for any questions regarding this data.

E. RELATED DATASETS Other related datasets are Aircraft Noise Reports, Late Night Aircraft Departures, Flight Operations, Aircraft Noise Climates, and Noise Exceedance Rating.

Date created: September 27, 2023