FAA Issues Guidance on Cold Temperature Airport Procedures for Instrument Approach
Why It MattersThe update underscores how instrument-approach safety in cold climates depends on operators consistently applying published correction procedures rather than discretionary judgment at designated airports.
What happened
The FAA's Aeronautical Information Services (AJV-A) has published guidance on Cold Temperature Airport procedures applicable to FAA-authorized operators. Cold temperature limitations are indicated on Airport Instrument Approach Procedures (IAPs) in the United States Terminal Procedures Publication (TPP), marked next to a snowflake symbol.
Segments requiring altitude corrections are listed for operators using the Individual Segment(s) Method. The procedures outlined in the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) are mandatory for FAA-authorized operators at designated cold temperature airports.
Industry impact & what to watch
This guidance belongs to the broader category of cold-weather operational corrections that instrument flight relies on to keep barometric altimeter readings accurate when temperature deviates from standard atmosphere assumptions. Designating specific airports with a snowflake symbol in the Terminal Procedures Publication lets operators identify, at the approach-plate level, exactly where the Individual Segment(s) Method correction must be applied rather than leaving that determination to ad hoc calculation.
Because the AIM procedures are described as mandatory for FAA-authorized operators at these designated airports, compliance becomes a checkable item tied to the published chart rather than a judgment call left to individual crews.
