# [Amended]
**AGENCY:**
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
**ACTION:**
Final rule.
**SUMMARY:**
This action modifies the Class E airspace area designated as a surface area for an airport and the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Ketchikan International Airport, Ketchikan, AK. Additionally, this action makes administrative amendments to the airport's Class E airspace legal descriptions. These actions support the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.
**DATES:**
Effective date 0901 UTC, May 14, 2026, The Director of the Federal Register approves this incorporation by reference action under 1 CFR part 51, subject to the annual revision of FAA Order JO 7400.11 and publication of conforming amendments.
**ADDRESSES:**
A copy of the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), all comments received, this final rule, and all background material may be viewed online at *www.regulations.gov* using the FAA Docket number. Electronic retrieval help and guidelines are available on the website. It is available 24 hours each day, 365 days each year. An electronic copy of this document may also be downloaded from *www.federalregister.gov.*
FAA Order JO 7400.11K, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, and subsequent amendments can be viewed online at *www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/.* You may also contact the Rules and Regulations Group, Policy Directorate, Federal Aviation Administration, 600 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20597; telephone: (202) 267-8783.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Nathan A. Chaffman, Federal Aviation Administration, Western Service Center, Operations Support Group, 2200 S 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone (206) 231-3460.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
**Authority for This Rulemaking**
The FAA's authority to issue rules regarding aviation safety is found in Title 49 of the United States Code. Subtitle I, Section 106 describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the agency's authority. This rulemaking is promulgated under the authority described in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that section, the FAA is charged with prescribing regulations to assign the use of the airspace necessary to ensure the safety of aircraft and the efficient use of airspace. This regulation is within the scope of that authority as it modifies Class E airspace to support IFR operations at Ketchikan International Airport, Ketchikan, AK.
**History**
The FAA published an NPRM for Docket No. FAA FAA-2025-5579 in the *Federal Register* (87 FR 61107; December 30, 2025), proposing to amend Class E airspace at Ketchikan International Airport, Ketchikan, AK. Interested parties were invited to participate in this rulemaking effort by submitting written comments on the proposal to the FAA. One comment was received which requested a visual depiction of the airspace as it was proposed in the NPRM. An image was posted to the docket on January 5, 2026, in response to the comment.
**Incorporation by Reference**
Class E2 and E5 airspace areas are published in paragraphs 6002 and 6005, respectively, of FAA Order JO 7400.11, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, which is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 on an annual basis. This document amends the current version of that order, FAA Order JO 7400.11K, dated August 4, 2025, and effective September 15, 2025. These amendments will be published in the next update to FAA Order JO 7400.11. FAA Order JO 7400.11K, which lists Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, air traffic service routes, and reporting points, is publicly available as listed in the *ADDRESSES* section of this document.
**The Rule**
This action amends 14 CFR part 71 by modifying the Class E airspace area designated as a surface area and the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Ketchikan International Airport, Ketchikan, AK.
An airspace evaluation was conducted to analyze the airspace containment of a new special procedure at the airport. The evaluation identified several areas where the airspace at Ketchikan was not providing the minimum containment necessary for IFR operations within surface and transitional Class E airspace. Prior to this final rule, the Class E surface area airspace at the airport did not fully contain IFR departures until reaching the base of the next adjacent controlled airspace, nor did it fully contain the airport's approach procedures when operating less than 1,000 feet above the surface, with the only exception being the Area Navigation (RNAV) (Global Positioning System [GPS])-B approach procedure. FAA Order JO 7400.2, *Procedures for Handling Airspace Matters,* provides airspace containment guidance, and states that Class E surface airspace *may* be designated to accommodate: instrument approach procedures and IFR arrival, departure, holding, and en route operations not protected by other controlled airspace. Operational and economical effects were discussed with the Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center and Juneau Flight Service Station (Ketchikan's servicing facilities) using FAA policy guidance for establishing and modifying Class E airspace areas. Neither facility desired an expansion of the Class E surface area airspace at Ketchikan International Airport based on multiple factors affecting the location. An expansion of the surface area would create communication issues in known radio blind spots east and southeast of the airport. Radio blind spots are not consistent with surface area placement, as communications capabilities *must* exist down to the runway surface of an airport, and neither direct nor relayed communications exist in the identified radio blind spot areas at Ketchikan. Moreover, any expansion of the surface area could cause undesirable economic and operational impacts to the local community by blocking visual flight rules (VFR) access into/out of Ward's Cove and Ketchikan's City Center, amongst other areas. Additionally, a surface area expansion could lead to an expanded reliance on Special VFR clearances for VFR aircraft to operate into/out of/through an expanded surface area when weather conditions exist that would prevent flight in less-than-VFR weather. Accordingly, the FAA did not propose expanding the Class E airspace designated as a surface area. To supplant the lack of an expanded surface area, Ketchikan International Airport will continue to rely on its Special Air Traffic Rules (14 CFR part 93 Subpart M), Instrument Flight Procedures, Visual Checkpoints, and Special VFR arrival/departure procedures that are all intended to contribute to the airport's overall safety and efficiency.
The airspace review conducted on Ketchikan International Airport also revealed that its transitional Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface (Class E5) is not sized properly to contain arriving IFR operations below 1,500 feet above the surface and departing IFR operations until reaching 1,200 feet above the surface. The area of Class E5 immediately surrounding the airport is expanded to a 4.3-mile radius to better contain the circling portions of the Localizer (LOC) X Runway (RWY) 11, RNAV (GPS)-B, and RNAV (GPS)-C approach procedures. The northwestern portion of the Class E5 airspace is expanded approximately three miles and lengthened approximately 10 miles to better contain arriving and departing IFR operations when utilizing the Instrument Landing System (ILS) Y or LOC Y RWY 11, LOC X RWY 11, and WIGUL ONE DEPARTURE (RNAV) instrument flight procedures. The southeast portion of the Class E5 airspace is expanded by approximately two miles, lengthened by approximately one mile, and re-oriented to the south by approximately 10 degrees to better contain arriving and departing IFR operations when utilizing the ILS Y or LOC Y RWY 11, RNAV (GPS) RWY 11, ILS Z or LOC Z RWY 11, KETCHIKAN SIX DEPARTURE (Obstacle), ANNETTE THREE DEPARTURE (RNAV), DOOZI TWO DEPARTURE (RNAV), and UDENE THREE DEPARTURE (RNAV) procedures.
Further transitional containment above 1,200 feet above the surface is provided by the “Southeast Class E6” airspace that extends upward from 1,200 feet above the surface.
Furthermore, the airspace review identified administrative errors within the Ketchikan Class E airspace legal descriptions, which are being corrected. Ketchikan's geographic location (airport reference point) is updated to reflect the FAA's database, and the airspace areas are described using the updated location. This change creates a negligible shift in the airspace's lateral boundaries of approximately 700 feet. Additionally, Ketchikan's Class E airspace areas are partly described in relation to the Ketchikan LOC. Any reference to its LOC is removed as it is no longer needed to describe the airspace. Lastly, the Ketchikan Class E Surface Area Airspace contains a cut-out at the northwestern portion of the airspace near Ward's Cove that, prior to this final rule, was described using five named points. Of the five, only three of the listed points within the description's text header are usable as a reference due to their respective geographic locations, and one point is listed within the description body instead of its text header. Accordingly, “East Island” and “Decoy Benchmark” are removed as references, and the reference to the “Refuge Cove State Recreation Site Picnic Area” is shortened to “Refuge Cove State Recreation Site” and moved from the description's body to its text header.
**Regulatory Notices and Analyses**
The FAA has determined that this regulation only involves an established body of technical regulations for which frequent and routine amendments are necessary to keep them operationally current. It, therefore: (1) is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a “significant rule” under DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034; February 26, 1979); and (3) does not warrant preparation of a regulatory evaluation as the anticipated impact is so minimal. Since this is a routine matter that only affects air traffic procedures and air navigation, it is certified that this rule, when promulgated, does not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
**Environmental Review**
The FAA has determined that this action qualifies for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act in accordance with FAA Order 1050.1G, “FAA National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures,” Appendix B-2.5. This airspace action is not expected to cause any potentially significant environmental impacts, and no extraordinary circumstances exist that warrant preparation of an environmental assessment.
**Lists of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 71**
Airspace, Incorporation by reference, Navigation (air).
**The Amendment**
In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation Administration amends 14 CFR part 71 as follows:
**PART 71—DESIGNATION OF CLASS A, B, C, D, AND E AIRSPACE AREAS; AIR TRAFFIC SERVICE ROUTES; AND REPORTING POINTS**
**14 CFR Part 71**
1. The authority citation for 14 CFR part 71 continues to read as follows:
**Authority:**
49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40103, 40113, 40120; E.O. 10854, 24 FR 9565, 3 CFR, 1959-1963 Comp., p.389.
§ 71.1
**14 CFR Part 71**
2. The incorporation by reference in 14 CFR 71.1 of FAA Order JO 7400.11K, Airspace Designations and Reporting Points, dated August 4, 2025 and effective September 15, 2025, is amended as follows:
**Paragraph 6002 Class E Airspace Areas Designated as Surface Areas.**
**AAL AK E2 Ketchikan, AK [Amended]**
Ketchikan International Airport, AK
(Lat. 55°21′15″ N, long. 131°42′40″ W)
Danger Island
(Lat. 55°24′08″ N, long. 131°45′47″ W)
Refuge Cove Recreation Site
(Lat. 55°24′31″ N, long. 131°45′36″ W)
Wrong Benchmark
(Lat. 55°23′35″ N, long. 131°44′10″ W)
That airspace extending upward from the surface within a 3-mile radius of the airport, within 1.1 miles northeast and 1 mile southwest of the airport's 136° bearing extending to 4 miles southeast, and within 1 mile either side of the airport's 316° bearing extending to 4.7 miles northwest, excluding that airspace within a boundary defined by a line beginning at Refuge Recreation Site, thence to Danger Island, to Wrong Benchmark, thence northeast along the Ward Cove shoreline to the airport's 355° bearing at 3 miles, thence to the point of beginning.
**Paragraph 6005 Class E Airspace Areas Extending Upward From 700 Feet or More Above the Surface of the Earth.**
**AAL AK E5 Ketchikan, AK [Amended]**
Ketchikan International Airport, AK
(Lat. 55°21′15″ N, long. 131°42′40″ W)
That airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface within a 4.3-mile radius, within 3 miles either side of the airport's 146° bearing extending to 10 miles southeast, within 2.2 miles either side of the airport's 316° bearing extending to 7.8 miles northwest, and within 3.5 miles either side of the airport's 316° bearing extending from 7.8 miles northwest of the airport to 20.2 miles northwest.
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on March 3, 2026.
B.G. Chew,
Group Manager, Operations Support Group, Western Service Center.