ATS.TR.220 Application of wake turbulence separation

CATEGORISATION OF AIRCRAFT FOR THE PURPOSES OF WAKE TURBULENCE SEPARATION MINIMA APPLICATION Wake turbulence separation minima should be based on a grouping of aircraft types into four categories according to the maximum certificated take-off mass as follows:

(a)SUPER (S) if so identified by the competent authority;

(b)HEAVY (H) — all aircraft types of 136 000 kg or more;

(c)MEDIUM (M) — aircraft types less than 136 000 kg but more than 7 000 kg; and

(d)LIGHT (L) — aircraft types of 7 000 kg or less. [applicable until 30 April 2025 - ED Decision 2020/008/R] CATEGORISATION OF AIRCRAFT FOR THE PURPOSES OF WAKE TURBULENCE SEPARATION MINIMA APPLICATION Wake turbulence separation minima should be based on a grouping of aircraft types into four categories according to the maximum certificated take-off mass as follows:

(a)SUPER (J)— aircraft types listed as such in ICAO Doc 8643 ‘Aircraft Type Designators’, latest edition;

(b)HEAVY (H) — all aircraft types of 136 000 kg or more, with the exception of aircraft types covered in point (a);

(c)MEDIUM (M) — aircraft types less than 136 000 kg but more than 7 000 kg; and

(d)LIGHT (L) — aircraft types of 7 000 kg or less. [applicable from 1 May 2025 - ED Decision 2024/006/R]

TIME-BASED WAKE TURBULENCE LONGITUDINAL SEPARATION MINIMA — ARRIVING AIRCRAFT Except for arriving VFR flights, and for arriving IFR flights executing visual approach, the following separation minima should be applied to aircraft landing behind a SUPER, a HEAVY or a MEDIUM aircraft:

(a)MEDIUM aircraft behind SUPER aircraft: 3 minutes;

(b)MEDIUM aircraft behind HEAVY aircraft: 2 minutes;

(c)LIGHT aircraft behind SUPER aircraft: 4 minutes; and

(d)LIGHT aircraft behind a HEAVY or MEDIUM aircraft: 3 minutes.

TIME-BASED WAKE TURBULENCE LONGITUDINAL SEPARATION MINIMA — DEPARTING AIRCRAFT

(a)A separation minimum of 3 minutes should be applied for a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft and 2 minutes for a HEAVY aircraft taking off behind a SUPER aircraft when the aircraft are using:

(1)the same runway;

(2)parallel runways separated by less than 760 m (2 500 ft);

(3)crossing runways if the projected flight path of the second aircraft will cross the projected flight path of the first aircraft at the same altitude or less than 300 m (1 000 ft) below; and

(4)parallel runways separated by 760 m (2 500 ft) or more if the projected flight path of the second aircraft will cross the projected flight path of the first aircraft at the same altitude or less than 300 m (1 000 ft) below.

(b)A separation minimum of 4 minutes should be applied for a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft when taking off behind an SUPER aircraft from:

(1)an intermediate part of the same runway; or

(2)an intermediate part of a parallel runway separated by less than 760 m (2 500 ft).

(c)A separation minimum of 2 minutes should be applied between a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft taking off behind a HEAVY aircraft or a LIGHT aircraft taking off behind a MEDIUM aircraft when the aircraft are using:

(1)the same runway (see Figure 43);

(2)parallel runways separated by less than 760 m (2 500 ft) (see Figure 43);

(3)crossing runways if the projected flight path of the second aircraft will cross the projected flight path of the first aircraft at the same altitude or less than 300 m (1 000 ft) below (see Figure 44); and

(4)parallel runways separated by 760 m (2 500 ft) or more if the projected flight path of the second aircraft will cross the projected flight path of the first aircraft at the same altitude or less than 300 m (1 000 ft) below (see Figure 44). [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.] Figure 43: 2-minute separation for following aircraft [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.] Figure 44: 2-minute wake turbulence separation for crossing aircraft

(d)A separation minimum of 3 minutes should be applied (see Figure 45) between a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft when taking off behind a HEAVY aircraft or a LIGHT aircraft when taking off behind a MEDIUM aircraft from:

(1)an intermediate part of the same runway; or

(2)an intermediate part of a parallel runway separated by less than 760 m (2 500 ft). [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.] Figure 45: 3-minute wake turbulence separation for following aircraft

TIME-BASED WAKE TURBULENCE LONGITUDINAL SEPARATION MINIMA — DISPLACED LANDING THRESHOLD

(a)A separation minimum of 3 minutes should be applied between a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft and a SUPER aircraft when operating on a runway with a displaced landing threshold when:

(1)a departing LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft follows a SUPER aircraft arrival; or

(2)an arriving LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft follows a SUPER aircraft departure, if the projected flight paths are expected to cross.

(b)A separation minimum of 2 minutes should be applied between a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft and a HEAVY aircraft and between a LIGHT aircraft and a MEDIUM aircraft when operating on a runway with a displaced landing threshold when:

(1)a departing LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft follows a HEAVY aircraft arrival and a departing LIGHT aircraft follows a MEDIUM aircraft arrival; or

(2)an arriving LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft follows a HEAVY aircraft departure and an arriving LIGHT aircraft follows a MEDIUM aircraft departure, if the projected flight paths are expected to cross.

TIME-BASED WAKE TURBULENCE LONGITUDINAL SEPARATION MINIMA — OPPOSITE DIRECTION

(a)A separation minimum of 3 minutes should be applied between a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft and a SUPER aircraft when the SUPER aircraft is making a low or missed approach and the LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft is:

(1)utilising an opposite-direction runway for take-off; or

(2)landing on the same runway in the opposite direction, or on a parallel opposite-direction runway separated by less than 760 m (2 500 ft).

(b)A separation minimum of 2 minutes should be applied between a LIGHT or MEDIUM aircraft and a HEAVY aircraft and between a LIGHT aircraft and a MEDIUM aircraft when the heavier aircraft is making a low or missed approach and the lighter aircraft is:

(1)utilising an opposite-direction runway for take-off (see Figure 46); or [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.] Figure 46: 2-minute wake turbulence separation for opposite-direction take-off

(2)landing on the same runway in the opposite direction, or on a parallel opposite-direction runway separated by less than 760 m (2 500 ft) (see Figure 47). [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.] Figure 47: 2-minute wake turbulence separation for opposite-direction landing

DISTANCE-BASED WAKE TURBULENCE SEPARATION MINIMA BASED ON ATS SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM The following distance-based wake turbulence separation minima should be applied to aircraft being provided with an ATS surveillance service in the approach and departure phases:

RECAT-EU WAKE TURBULENCE SEPARATION MINIMA

(a)As an alternative to the wake turbulence separation minima prescribed in AMC1 to AMC6 ATS.TR.220, an air traffic services provider may decide to implement RECAT-EU or parts thereof, subject to the approval of the competent authority.

(b)The following wake vortex aircraft groupings, based on the allocation of aircraft types to six categories according to both maximum certificated take-off mass and wingspan, and associated separation minima should be used when applying RECAT-EU:

(1)‘SUPER HEAVY’ — all aircraft types of 100 000 kg or more, and a wingspan between 72 m and 80 m;

(2)‘UPPER HEAVY’ — all aircraft types of 100 000 kg or more, and a wingspan between 60 m and 72 m;

(3)‘LOWER HEAVY’ — all aircraft types of 100 000 kg or more, and a wingspan below 52 m;

(4)‘UPPER MEDIUM’ — aircraft types less than 100 000 kg but more than 15 000 kg, and a wingspan above 32 m;

(5)‘LOWER MEDIUM’ — aircraft types less than 100 000 kg but more than 15 000 kg, and a wingspan below 32 m;

(6)‘LIGHT’ — all aircraft types of 15 000 kg or less (without wingspan criterion).

(c)Aircraft types with maximum certificated take-off mass of 100 000 kg or more, and wingspan between 52 m and 60 m are included in one of the above categories on the basis of specific analyses.

(d)RECAT-EU wake turbulence distance-based separation minima for arriving and departing aircraft when ATS surveillance service is provided should be: [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.] (*) means that the separation minimum to be applied is the horizontal separation minimum based on an ATS surveillance system (established in accordance with AMC1 ATS.TR.210(c)(2)), and should remain compatible with runway capacity.

(e)RECAT-EU wake turbulence time-based separation minima between departing aircraft should be: [Figure or form omitted from this preview — available in the Avioverse workspace library.]

(f)Wake turbulence time-based separation minima between departing aircraft should be applied by determining airborne times between successive aircraft.

(g)An additional 60 seconds should be applied to all the wake turbulence time-based separation minima above when taking off from:

(1)an intermediate part of the same runway; or

(2)an intermediate part of a parallel runway separated by less than 760 m (2 500 ft).

WAKE TURBULENCE EFFECTS INDUCED BY HELICOPTERS

(a)Helicopters should be kept well clear of light aircraft when hovering or while air-taxiing.

(b)Helicopters produce vortices when in flight and there is some evidence that, per kilogramme of gross mass, their vortices are more intense than those of fixed-wing aircraft. When hovering in ground effect or air taxiing, helicopters generate downwash producing high-velocity outwash vortices to a distance approximately three times the diameter of the rotor.