The average delay for flights at SFO quadrupled — from 5 minutes in 2025 to 20 minutes currently — after the FAA prohibited parallel landings in April, right as the airport began a repaving project that runs until early October.

As SFist warned in March, the FAA’s ban on parallel landings in April, combined with San Francisco International Airport’s ongoing runway reconstruction project, has dramatically slowed traffic at the airport. Officials said at the time that SFO’s arrival capacity would be reduced from 54 flights an hour to 36.

According to a new report from the Chronicle, the average delays at SFO have climbed from roughly five minutes during the same period last year to about 20 minutes since April 1, while the share of flights delayed by at least 15 minutes has jumped from 18% to 41%.

An airport spokesperson told the California Post earlier this month that roughly one-third of arrivals at SFO were experiencing delays, as officials “continue to work with the FAA to improve arrival rates at SFO while ensuring that safety remains our highest priority.”

Depending on the time of day, delays are averaging as high as 30 minutes, with more than half the flights delayed occurring between 1 and 9 pm, as the Chronicle reports. Early morning flights prior to 7 am have the fewest delays (as frequent travelers are already well aware).

Additionally, departures and domestic flights encounter more delays than arrivals and international routes.

Weather also contributes to the problem, as fog and high winds frequently disrupt airport operations.

Previously: Actually, the SFO Repaving Project Will Probably Cause Fairly Frequent Delays, Due to FAA Restriction

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