Large aircraft exemptions — does your airport have one?

May 2, 2011
As an accident investigator for many years, I was interested to learn that the A380 that spun a Comair Regional Jet with its oversize wing span had been granted an exemption from FAA standards to operate at JFK.  The exemption was granted based on certain conditions being followed.  Well, it will be some time before we learn from the NTSB whether those exemptions were complied with, although it would certainly seem that the procedures were either not followed correctly or were inadequate, or both. But I was curious whether operators on the ramp were aware of whether their airport had been granted an exemption and the conditions that were attached.  More than a dozen airports have received waivers to allow operations of a new generation of large or very large aircraft, because the airports were not designed or built for these new aircraft.  But have the exemptions been disseminated to all the personnel at an airport, including those responsible for ramp operations?  Have ramp operators had an opportunity to comment on the waivers?  Preliminary news reports indicate that the Comair aircraft had stopped because of ramp congestion.  If congestion was a factor, were ground handlers aware that their actions on the ground could result in a loss of separation on the taxiways?  Seems to me that everyone who operates at an airport where new, large aircraft operate, or are planning to operate, needs to familiarize themselves with whether an exemption was granted and the conditions of those exemptions.