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FAA Suspends Landings On 1 MSP Airport Runway

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has suspended landings at one of the runways at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

According to the FAA, it's because that specific landing area has been deemed dangerous. The FAA says the runway could lead to a mid-air crash if a pilot has to abort a landing and circle back around crossing the path of a departing plane.

The order affects planes arriving from the southeast over Dakota County on Runway 35, which runs parallel to Highway 77 on the airport's west side.

The suspension will reduce the airport's capacity for arriving flights that are landing and departing in a northerly direction, according to the FAA.

"Using these new procedures, the maximum hourly arrival rate is between 60 and 64 aircraft, down from a previous maximum of 90 aircraft," the FAA said in a statement. "The FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association are evaluating options to increase arrival and departure rates while adhering to the new safety measures."

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