The Portland International Jetport today announced that starting last Thursday, April 16, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration published a new approach to PWM that will keep more aircraft over the water when approaching from the east.  The publication of this approach concludes a six year process started by the Airport Noise Advisory Committee to move more arriving traffic over the water and reduce the number of approaches over populated areas in South Portland accoding to a press release received this morning from Zachary Sundquist, Assistant Airport Director.

The RNAV RNP Z RWY 29 approach was published on April 16, 2026.  It establishes six new GPS waypoints and established GPS arcs between those waypoints, that allow pilots to program the approach into their flight computers and the aircaft will fly the approach, deconflicting overflights of neighborhoods in South Portland.

“Fo over 20 years we have had the harbor visual approach to Runway 29 that was used between sunrise and sunset on days when visibiity was over 3 miles.  This new RNAV RNP Z RWY 29 approach will allow all aircraft equipped with the proper RNAV RNP equipmet to use this approach which mimics the harbor visual approach 24 hours a day and in weather down to a half-mile visibility,” said Paul Bradbury, Airport Director.

For background information on the Jetport, please visit post herein dated February 26, 2026 herein.