FAA Revokes Class E Airspace at Zuni, Supporting Black Rock Airport Closure

Black Rock Airport at Zuni Pueblo has moved one step closer to a permanent close on the aviation map. The Federal Aviation Administration published a final rule March 17 in the Federal Register revoking the Class E airspace that had covered the facility, with the change set to take effect at 0901 UTC on May 14, 2026.

The rule modifies 14 CFR part 71 by eliminating Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Black Rock Airport. The FAA cited a single, blunt rationale: the airport closed. Under Title 49 of the United States Code, Section 40103, the agency is charged with assigning airspace necessary to ensure aircraft safety and efficient airspace use; once Black Rock's runways were no longer operational, that designated corridor above Zuni Pueblo had no remaining justification.

The timing of the revocation is not coincidental. The FAA published the Black Rock revocation alongside a separate final rule establishing new Class E airspace at Andrew Othole Memorial Airport, also located in Zuni Pueblo. That pairing signals a deliberate transition in how the federal government classifies controlled airspace over the pueblo, shifting protected airspace resources from the old facility to its successor.

The rule is processed as an incorporation-by-reference action under 1 CFR part 51 and is subject to the annual revision of FAA Order JO 7400.11 and any conforming amendments the agency issues.

Questions that remain unanswered in the federal record include the formal closure date of Black Rock Airport, the authority that ordered the closure, and what operational adjustments pilots who previously used the facility are expected to make before the May 14 effective date. The FAA's Federal Register filing did not include statements from Zuni Pueblo tribal officials, nor did it provide navigational guidance for the transition period.