(NewsNation) — In time for the summer travel season, 169 new, high-altitude flight routes were launched in order to reduce air traffic on the East Coast, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday.
The new routes will shave off 40,000 miles and 6,000 minutes of travel time annually, according to the FAA press release. The change will reportedly help prevent delays, give controllers more flexibility and enhance safety as flights will have fewer converging points.
The routes will mostly operate above an altitude of 18,000 feet along the East Coast, and offshore over the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
“These significant improvements to our national airspace system are just in time for summer and will help travelers get to their destinations more efficiently,” said FAA chief operating officer Tim Arel.
The FAA has come under fire recently after grounded flights, close calls and two deadly crashes of the Boeing 737 Max.
Last month, the FAA held a safety summit to discuss flight safety after a string of close calls both in the air and on the ground. In January, thousands of flights were delayed or canceled when the FAA’s government-run computer system failed.
“The new routes will reduce complexity and redistribute volume across all available airspace. I’m proud of the FAA and industry’s strong collaboration on this project to get it done,” Arel said.
