{"id":6743,"date":"2025-03-11T12:19:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-11T11:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/?p=6743"},"modified":"2025-03-11T12:19:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T11:19:14","slug":"nfl-2025-1-3417-new-regulation-for-reduced-runway-staggering-increased-efficiency-in-flight-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/nfl-2025-1-3417-neue-regelung-zur-herabgesetzten-pistenstaffelung-effizienzsteigerung-im-flugbetrieb\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL 2025-1-3417 - New regulation on reduced runway staggering: increased efficiency in flight operations"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What does reduced piste staggering mean?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Normally, aircraft must maintain a certain minimum distance from each other after take-off or landing before the runway is cleared for the next aircraft. This distance is determined by the <strong>Slope staggering<\/strong> defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With the new regulation <strong>these minimum distances are reduced<\/strong>so that subsequent aircraft can take off or land earlier. This allows <strong>Better utilisation of capacities<\/strong>This is particularly advantageous for small and medium-sized airports with mixed air traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Categorisation of aircraft<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new scale distinguishes between three categories of aircraft:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Category 1<\/strong>Single-engine propeller aeroplanes with a maximum take-off mass (MTOM) of <strong>up to 2,000 kg<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category 2<\/strong>:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Single-engine propeller aircraft with an MTOM between <strong>2,000 kg and 7,000 kg<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Twin-engine propeller aircraft with an MTOM of <strong>under 7,000 kg<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category 3<\/strong>All other aircraft, including commercial aircraft and larger jets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This categorisation is crucial, as the reduced runway separation provides for different minimum distances depending on the aircraft type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Requirements for the application<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To ensure that the reduced scale can be implemented safely, certain <strong>Meteorological and operational conditions<\/strong> be fulfilled:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2714 <strong>Minimum visibility:<\/strong> The ground visibility must be at least <strong>5 kilometres<\/strong> amount.<br>\u2714 <strong>Cloud cover:<\/strong> The main cloud base must not be below <strong>1,000 feet<\/strong> lie.<br>\u2714 <strong>Tailwind limitation:<\/strong> The tailwind component must not <strong>maximum 5 knots<\/strong> amount.<br>\u2714 <strong>Braking effect:<\/strong> The piste must <strong>Dry or free from contamination<\/strong> (such as ice, slush or water).<br>\u2714 <strong>Ground monitoring:<\/strong> Air traffic control must provide suitable means of <strong>Distance judgement between aircraft<\/strong> either through optical landmarks or electronic systems.<br>\u2714 <strong>Traffic information:<\/strong> Following aircraft must be informed of aircraft flying ahead.<br>\u2714 <strong>Wake vortex staggering:<\/strong> The wake vortices of larger aircraft must still be taken into account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The staggering is <strong>Not applied<\/strong>when an aircraft has just taken off and another aircraft has landed before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Minimum distances with reduced piste staggering<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following stagger values apply to aircraft taking off and landing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Landing aircraft<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Category 1 follows category 1 or 2:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aircraft in front must <strong>at least 600 metres behind the threshold<\/strong> have passed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category 2 follows category 1 or 2:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aircraft in front must <strong>at least 1,500 metres behind the threshold<\/strong> have passed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category 1-3 follows category 3:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aircraft in front must <strong>at least 2,400 metres behind the threshold<\/strong> have passed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Aircraft taking off<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Category 1 follows category 1 or 2:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aircraft in front must <strong>at least 600 metres from the starting position<\/strong> be removed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category 2 follows category 1 or 2:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aircraft in front must <strong>at least 1,500 metres away<\/strong> be.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Category 1-3 follows category 3:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The aircraft in front must <strong>at least 2,400 metres away<\/strong> be.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These values show that smaller aircraft in particular benefit from the new separation, as they can already maintain significantly shorter distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Areas of application and affected airports<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reduced piste staggering will be <strong>not at all German airports<\/strong> but only at selected locations with suitable conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Aerodromes with general application (all categories):<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2714 <strong>Brunswick (RWY 08\/26)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Dortmund (RWY 06\/24)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Friedrichshafen (RWY 06\/24)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Karlsruhe\/Baden-Baden (RWY 03\/21)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Lahr (RWY 03\/21)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>M\u00f6nchengladbach (RWY 13\/31)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Paderborn\/Lippstadt (RWY 06\/24)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Aerodromes with staggering for category 1 &amp; 2:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2714 <strong>Dortmund (RWY 06\/24)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Friedrichshafen (RWY 06\/24)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Karlsruhe\/Baden-Baden (RWY 03\/21)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Lahr (RWY 03\/21)<\/strong><br>\u2714 <strong>Paderborn\/Lippstadt (RWY 06\/24)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Aerodromes with staggering for category 3:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2714 <strong>Karlsruhe\/Baden-Baden (RWY 03\/21)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This selection shows that <strong>Medium-sized regional airports<\/strong> and smaller commercial airports will benefit from this measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The introduction of the <strong>reduced piste grading<\/strong> at selected German airports represents an important step forward in increasing the efficiency of flight operations. By optimising the use of runways, waiting times can be reduced and <strong>Overall capacity of airports better utilised<\/strong> become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Especially <strong>smaller aircraft<\/strong> benefit from shorter distances, while at the same time safety is guaranteed by clear rules and suitable meteorological conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pilots, airlines and aerodrome operators should familiarise themselves with the new staggering rules and actively incorporate them into their <strong>Integrate flight preparations and processes<\/strong>to benefit from the advantages of more efficient utilisation of the runways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Source references:<\/strong><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eisenschmidt.aero\/nfl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NFL (the link requires a subscription to Eisenschmidt)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>DFS Aviation Services GmbH (DAS) has announced a significant change for air traffic in Germany: from 17 April 2025, a reduced runway separation will be introduced at several German airports. This regulation is intended to optimise the flow of traffic and lead to more efficient processes, particularly at busier airports.<\/p>\n<p>The new runway separation applies to aircraft using the same runway and applies at selected controlled aerodromes where DAS provides the aerodrome control service. The regulation is based on international standards and helps to reduce waiting times without compromising safety.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"module":[],"class_list":["post-6743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6745,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6743\/revisions\/6745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6743"},{"taxonomy":"module","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pilot-hub.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/module?post=6743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}