From the Flight Deck - Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ)

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) is a large, multi-use airport located just south and east of the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico. There is associated Class Charlie airspace, and pilots need to be familiar with the requirements to operate in this type of airspace before they arrive. The traffic mix consists of every aspect of the aviation community, from pre-solo students all the way to high time air carrier and military pilots. This combination of pilot experience and aircraft capability makes ABQ a challenging and interesting airport. Add to this high density altitude and surrounding terrain and this quickly warrants increased awareness, especially for the first time visitor.

1:34 - The runway configuration consists of two intersecting runways: 3-21, and 12-30, and non-intersecting runway 8-26. Some arriving pilots have lined up for a runway other than the one they were cleared to use. This occurs predominantly when ABQ is in west flow operations utilizing runways 21, 26 and 30. The airport geometry, particularly concerning the approach ends of runway 8 and 12, have contributed to issues as well.

3:01 - Hot Spot 3 is found at the intersection of taxiways Charlie, Golf, and Foxtrot and runway 3-21. The primary issue here concerns aircraft taxiing in either direction on Golf, instructed to hold short runway 3-21. For any number of reasons, pilots have passed the hold short lines and conflicted with aircraft operating on that runway.

4:08 - Details on issues related to Hot Spot 1, located at the approach end of runway 8.

5:16 - Hot Spot 2 is the intersection of taxiway Golf 1 and runway 12-30. The hold short line is located further back than pilots may expect.

5:53 - Hot Spot 4 is located at the approach end of runway 21 and the intersections of taxiway’s Echo and Hotel. Too many pilots are missing the hold-short lines positioned further back than they may expect, inadvertently crossing into the Runways Safety Area.

6:28 - The often good weather, and beautiful terrain around ABQ attract other aspects of aviation as well. First time travelers to the airport need to be aware of hot air balloons and gliders that share the airspace around the Albuquerque area.

The FAA's From the Flight Deck video series uses aircraft-mounted cameras to capture runway and taxiway footage and combines them with diagrams and visual graphics to clearly identify hot spots and other safety-sensitive items. Learn more at https://www.faa.gov/FromTheFlightDeck