WASHINGTON - THE US government has taken the first step toward possibly limiting flights as early as next summer at New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) airport, one of the busiest and one of the worst for delays and congestion.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken the rare early step of asking major carriers for their JFK scheduling information for next spring and summer, according to a regulatory notice obtained by Reuters.

A similar request also was sent to airlines at New Jersey's Newark international airport, another location hit hard by delays this year.

Airlines must respond to both requests by Oct 11.

The FAA only reviews schedule information this far in advance at a handful of airports nationally, and only controls flight operations at two, New York LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare.

'We want to determine if there will be periods where scheduling exceeds capacity,' said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown.

The scheduling request, Ms Brown said, does not mean the agency has decided to limit flight operations.

But the FAA said in its notice to airlines: 'This could result in operational limits during peak hours'.

JetBlue Airways is based at JFK and Delta Air Lines operates two terminals there. In a statement, JetBlue said it supported FAA efforts aimed at 'getting ahead of congestion' and encouraged the agency to immediately convene a meeting of airlines to discuss scheduling.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents international carriers, said the status quo of delays was not acceptable, noting that airlines waste fuel and emit more emissions if arrival and departure times are extended. About 100 international carriers serve JFK.

'By reviewing schedules in advance, we hope this will help FAA and Port Authority improve efficiency and better plan for the peak operations next summer,' an IATA spokesman said. -- REUTERS