On Friday, March 16, 2018, Petitioners in Benedict Hills Estates Association, et al. v. FAA, et al., D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Case No. 16-1366 (consolidated with 16-1377, 16-1378, 17-1010 and 17-1029) filed an Opening Brief in their challenge to the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) in its realignment of flight paths over heavily populated neighborhoods throughout Southern California. The challengers strongly object to FAA’s emphasis on efficiency (i.e., savings in fuel consumption) by the airlines, to the exclusion of any consideration of the noise and emissions tradeoffs necessary to achieve the efficiency benefits of that tradeoff. A more complete discussion of the basis for the challenge is set forth in an article published by Law360 on March 19, 2018, and can be accessed by clicking here.
