tommyinyork,
From Manchester Airport Literature which is fairly dumbed down and easy to understand:
In which direction do aircraft take off and land?
For safety reasons, the direction of take-off and landing is determined by the speed and direction of the wind. For most of the year (approx. 80% of aircraft movements) the prevailing wind is southerly/westerly which means aircraft take-off to the west over Cheshire and land from the east over Greater Manchester (Westerly Operations).
When there is a northerly/easterly wind of 5 knots or more, the mode of operation is reversed. This means aircraft take-off to the east in the direction of Stockport and land from the west over Cheshire (Easterly Operations).
Whenever the weather conditions permit, our preference is for aircraft to depart to the west, which affects fewer people. This policy has been formalised as part of our Air Traffic Control procedures, and in the form of a legally binding planning agreement with the Local Authorities.
Are aircraft allowed to fly at night?
There have been 24-hour operations at Manchester Airport since the 1950’s. In order to minimise the effects of nocturnal operations the Airport does operate a Night Noise Policy.
Under the terms of the policy certain types of noisier aircraft are restricted, the noise level at which a departing aircraft can be fined is reduced and the overall volume of traffic is constrained. In addition to these restrictions the Second Runway is usually closed between 22:00 hrs and 06:00 hrs. During this closure period the Airport reverts back to the same single runway operations, based upon the original runway, that were practised prior to the introduction of the new runway.
How does the airport operate with two runways?
Our two runways operate in segregated mode which means one runway is used for take-offs and the other for landings.
During periods of Westerly Operations, aircraft take-off to the west from Runway 2 (24L) and land from the east on Runway 1 (24R). During periods of Easterly operations, aircraft take-off to the east from Runway 1 (06L), and land from the west on Runway 2 (06R).
How does the airport operate when using a single runway?
Between 10pm and 6am, and whenever possible during the day, we revert to single runway operations on Runway 1 (24R/06L). As usual, the prevailing wind conditions determine the direction of take-off and landing. Runway 2 (24L/06R) is not normally used at night.
Where do aircraft fly on departure?
Departing aircraft must follow a Preferred Noise Route (PNR) until reaching a certain height (release altitude), unless otherwise instructed by Air Traffic Control. To minimise disturbance, we have designed the PNRs to take aircraft away from built up areas wherever possible.
Do arriving aircraft follow preferred noise routes?
No; most inbound aircraft use the Instrument Landing System (ILS), a navigational aid situated on the airfield that guides aircraft on a long and straight approach path to the runway. Usually, aircraft line up on the ILS at between 7 & 10 nautical miles from the runway. Aircraft descend at an angle of 3 degrees which is equivalent to a descent of 318 feet for every nautical mile travelled along the ground. The accuracy of the system is such that most aircraft have the ability to land ‘blind’ in poor visibility.
The route taken by an aircraft to intercept the ILS will vary. This variation occurs because the Air Traffic Controllers may need aircraft to follow different flight paths to take account of the differences in speed between successive aircraft, or to integrate them from different holding locations.
Flex
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