“Flying in Alaska is unlike any other place in the United States,” said Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. “T-routes will provide pilots additional options for completing their missions safely in this uniquely challenging environment.”

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Pilots use T-routes to navigate along specific points while flying under instrument flight rules (IFR) using approved Global Positioning System (GPS)/Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) equipment. To date, 13 have been activated; another 20 are expected to go live in November and December, and the remainder in 2023.

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The FAA launched the Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative in October 2020. The agency issued 11 recommendations last October on how to increase aviation safety in Alaska after a comprehensive yearlong examination of safety issues specific to Alaska, where more than 80 percent of communities are accessible only by air. The development of T-Routes was included in those recommendations.

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The FAA is developing additional T-routes to replace Low Frequency/Medium Frequency (LF/MF) airways between now and 2025.