The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted a temporary restriction at San Francisco International Airport that prevented foreign airlines from landing side by side, a spokesman said.
The temporary restriction, which required solo approaches by foreign flights landing on SFO’s parallel runways, was put in place two weeks after the July 6 crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214.
The restriction was lifted on Thursday when SFO’s instrument landing system was put back into service, FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.
The “glide slope” landing system, which communicates real-time information about an airplane’s descent path to the cockpit, had been turned off at SFO when Asiana Airlines Flight 214 approached the airport too slow and too low and crashed, killing three passengers and injuring more than 180.
The system is not a mandatory tool and had been turned off at the airport since June to accommodate a construction project, SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said.
The FAA had said that the landing restriction on foreign carriers was put in place following an increase of aborted landings or “go-arounds” at SFO.
A pilot in the cockpit of Flight 214 had requested a go-around just seconds before the plane crashed, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is continuing its investigation into the disaster.
A full report should be complete in 12 to 18 months from the date of the crash.
