By Paul Blue

Collaboration and communication are key organizational values at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

As owner and operator of two general aviation airports and a large commercial airport, the city of Phoenix Aviation Department recognizes that delivering world-class customer service to passengers and airport users can only be successful when the community is on our team.

One critical stakeholder to our success is Luke Air Force Base. In any metropolitan area with significant aviation uses, it is important that those users work together.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has the sole and absolute discretion for where planes fly. But, if Luke and Phoenix are not discussing common issues and concerns, the potential for an unintended conflict can arise.

To ensure that doesn’t happen, we take a couple of important steps. First, we meet together with all regional aviation users through a forum aptly named the Phoenix Aviation Users Working Group.

Representatives from the airports, military, FAA, general aviation users, commercial aviation users and many other regularly discuss the current status of aviation operations in the Valley. This group has proven to be a good forum to understand and discuss issues important to the aviation community.

Further, as the largest users of the airspace in the community, Luke and the city of Phoenix meet together quarterly to keep the lines of communication open between both organizations. We have dialogue about current operations, growth and any changes planned for our respective facilities and operational areas.

The success of both our respective organizations is greatly influenced by the actions and the operational impacts of the other. We, in Phoenix, believe that Luke and its mission are economically important to the local community and essential to the national defense.  Similarly, Luke has been very supportive of Phoenix Sky Harbor and the aviation operations it serves.

However, communication alone is not enough and collaboration is about action. We have worked actively with Luke, both locally and in Washington D.C., to request that the FAA implement a Special Air Traffic Rule north of Luke that will help create a safer environment for military and civilian aircraft in the Northwest Valley. Also, 10 years ago, the city of Phoenix acquired 925 acres directly off the north end of Luke’s runways to help prevent future encroachment by incompatible land uses.

We have and will continue to work together to ensure that our two operations remain compatible with each other. The FAA has a complex job to manage aviation users in metropolitan Phoenix, including the diverse needs of Sky Harbor and Luke.

The relationship between Phoenix and Luke has been excellent, but only by working together can we continue to achieve the success that the community deserves and expects.

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Paul Blue is the assistant aviation director at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport