FAA Redraws Invisible Lines Over South Bend Airport
Published Date: 12/4/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
The FAA wants to update and expand the Class E airspace around South Bend International Airport to keep up with new flight rules after a key navigation system was shut down. This change helps pilots fly safely using instruments and updates the airport’s official location info. If you have thoughts, you’ve got until January 20, 2026, to speak up—no costs or delays expected for travelers or airlines.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
South Bend Class E Airspace Changes
The FAA proposes new and modified Class E airspace around South Bend International Airport to support instrument flight rules after the Keeler VOR was decommissioned. Changes include establishing extensions within 2 miles each side of the 179° bearing from the 5-mile radius to 9.7 miles south, reducing the 700-foot airspace radius from 8 miles to 7.5 miles, changing an east extension to within 4 miles south and 8 miles north of the South Bend INTL: RWY 27L-LOC from the 7.5-mile radius to 10 miles east, adding an extension to 10.7 miles south, removing the Gipper VORTAC, and updating localizer and airport name/coordinates in FAA records.
Jerry Tyler Airport Airspace Adjustment
The proposal increases the Class E area around Jerry Tyler Memorial Airport (Niles, MI) from a 6.4-mile radius to a 6.9-mile radius and removes the city name from the airspace legal description header. The change also updates naming conventions to match FAA databases.
FAA Finds Minimal Economic Impact on Small Entities
The FAA certified that the proposed airspace amendments are routine technical changes and "will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities" under the Regulatory Flexibility Act and that the anticipated impact is minimal.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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