Wake turbulence occurrences are being reported at a disproportionate rate by crews flying into Sydney Airport — the only major airport in Australia with parallel runways, according to a study released Friday by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
The study found that 179 wake turbulence occurrences were reported to the ATSB between 2012 and 2016, with 78 (44 percent) occurring at Sydney Airport. The 179 occurrences resulted in eight minor injuries, with seven of the eight at Sydney.
The ATSB report, Analysis of Wake Turbulence Occurrences at Sydney Airport, 2012–2016, said that more than half of the wake turbulence occurrences at Sydney were associated with at least one of the following factors: “high arrival densities across the parallel runway; wind blowing across the parallel runways from the longer to the shorter runway, especially when a heavy or super heavy aircraft was arr…
