Establishment, Modification, and Revocation of Class E Airspace; Alaska, AK
Key claim: The FAA proposes to redraw Class E airspace over Alaska so controllers can vector IFR flights on direct routes, while removing redundant 1,200-foot airspace and updating legal descriptions.
Abstract
(Proposed Rule · Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration) This action supplements a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published by the FAA in the Federal Register on June 17, 2025, which proposed to establish Class E domestic en route airspace (Class E6) within a designated landmass and within 12 miles from a designated shoreline associated with the state of Alaska to facilitate the vectoring of instrument flight rules (IFR) aircraft on direct routes where the current en route structure is insufficient or improper within the proposed airspace areas. As revised in this SNPRM, the FAA now proposes to establish five discrete areas of Class E domestic en route airspace over the state. Due to redundancy, the NPRM also proposed to remove two Class E6 airspace areas and modify 101 Class E airspace areas extending upward from at least 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth (Class E5) to remove any portion extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface. This SNPRM continues to propose these actions, but also now proposes to remove two Class E airspace areas extending upward from 1,200 feet above the surface, revoke a duplicate Class E5 airspace legal description, and redefine airspace areas from a “Point of Origin” instead of using their respective airport reference points. Finally, both the NPRM and this SNPRM propose administrative amendments to the legal descriptions of 101 Class E5 airspace areas that would correct or update nomenclature as needed. This action would support IFR operations while enhancing the safety and management of aircraft operations within the National Airspace System (NAS).
Why this matters
Class E redesigns are the baseline mechanism by which the FAA aligns controlled airspace with modern IFR routing, and Alaska’s sparse radar/navaid environment makes these cleanups consequential for en route vectoring. Removing redundant 1,200-foot floors and tightening legal descriptions reduces chart clutter and controller workload without altering operating rules for most pilots.