FAA Splits Hudson River Airspace Into 2 Low Zones

VICTOR EPSTEIN

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The crowded airspace over the Hudson River, where nine people died in the collision of a small plane and a sightseeing helicopter, will be split into a low-altitude zone for local traffic and a higher one for longer-distance flights, the Federal Aviation Administration said Monday.

The new rules provide structure to a Hudson River air corridor that some pilots had compared to the wild West, with helicopters loaded with commuters and sightseers cutting across the waterway as fixed-wing private planes travel down it on longer journeys.

The changes, which follow recommendations in an FAA task force report compiled after the Aug. 8 collision, are to take effect Thursday.

"We're going to separate the aircraft by mission," Babbitt said. "What we have done with the airspace changes is to simplify, crystallize and essentially make a requirement for how you're going to operate."

Local planes and helicopters will be restricted to an altitude of 1,000 feet or less, said FAA chief Randy Babbitt. Those passing through the New York City area on longer flights to other destinations will operate between 1,000 feet and 1,300 feet.