Flight Paths

Arrivals

Aircraft will approach Canberra from all directions before they join the final approach path. Jet aircraft will join the final approach between 15 and 25 kilometres from Canberra Airport and fly towards the runway in a straight line. Jet aircraft will generally be at altitudes from 3000 to 4000 feet when they join the final approach. There is no minimum altitude for aircraft in the process of landing. Aircraft will generally descend on a glide slope of three degrees.

Departures

Departing jets will generally maintain a straight line from the runway for around 15 kilometres before turning to their heading.

The altitude of aircraft after departure will depend on factors such as the type of aircraft and its weight, how heavily laden it is with fuel and passengers, and the atmospheric conditions at the time. All these factors affect an aircraft’s climb rate. There is no regulated minimum altitude for an aircraft in the process of taking off.

Flight path information

See below for images of typical flight paths and how frequently they were used in the quarter indicated. Please note that aircraft do fly outside the shown swathes. For example, the swathes do not extend to all the areas that are overflown by arriving aircraft being vectored or show the full length of departure flight paths. Further, aircraft may be directed off the usual flight paths for reasons including the need to avoid bad weather or for traffic management, that is, to ensure safe separation between aircraft. See WebTrak for further information about where aircraft fly.

April - June 2022

Flight path use

The image below shows typical flight path ‘swathes’ for aircraft arriving (red) and departing (green) Canberra Airport.

How To: Arrivals (shown in red), Departures (shown in green) or Both can be selected using the links immediately below. The figure in the circle is the percentage of aircraft using each flight path during the quarter for the type of operation selected. As you click the (i) icon on the swathe tag, or the applicable radio button below the map, the charts below will change to display information for that flight path.

Flight Paths

Arrivals

Departures

Flight path information

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use

Hourly movements (average)

Aircraft types

Flight path use