Transport CommitteeFurther written evidence from NATS (AS 51A)
The following information explains the images provided by NATS to demonstrate the complexity of airspace over the south east of England.
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Figure 1 |
Figure 3 |
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Figure 1 shows the Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs), Standard Arrival Routes (STARs) and hold locations for airports in the south east. |
Figure 3 shows the trajectory of flights departing from airports in the south east of England, using a density heat map. Reds and yellows show areas with high densities of flights. |
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Heathrow |
Blue |
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Gatwick |
Red |
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Stansted |
Green |
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Luton |
Pink |
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London City |
Orange |
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Figure 2 |
Figure 4 |
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Figure 2 shows the partial schematic of flows of aircraft to/from airports in the south east of England |
Figure 4 shows the trajectory of flights flying 25,000ft and below. They are classified by the airport they are arriving/departing in the south east of England. |
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Heathrow |
Arrivals: light blue Departures: dark blue |
Heathrow |
Blue |
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Gatwick |
Red |
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Gatwick |
Arrivals: Orange Departures: Red |
Stansted |
Green |
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Luton |
Pink |
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Stansted |
Arrivals not shown Departures: Green |
London City |
Orange |
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Luton |
Arrivals not shown Departures: Pink |
Other airports, including military |
Black |
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The schematic of aircraft flows from London City are not shown. |
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Points to Note:
The data behind these images was taken on one day, 5 August 2011, a typical all-westerly day. Prevailing winds in the UK are from the west about 70% of the time. Aircraft generally take-off and land into the wind. Other westerly days will generally be similar but never identical.
For an all-easterly day, the trajectory patterns (Figure 4) will be different closer to the airports, as aircraft are taking off from the opposite direction, but will become similar to the westerly pattern the higher/further away they are.
The patterns would further differ depending on the combination of easterly and/or westerly runways in use at each individual airport, as flow interactions change, and move geographically and vertically. It is important to note that aircraft fly at different heights, which is not easy to demonstrate on paper without multiple height “slices”.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
