Analysis of potential wake vortex encounters at a major European airport

Abstract

Aircraft trailing vortices, generated as an unavoidable consequence of lift, pose a potential risk to following aircraft. The current separation standards between consecutive aircraft are still being heavily influenced by the early studies carried out in the 1970s, with additional refinements introduced in the 1980s and 1990s (Hallock et al., 1998; Gerz et al., 2001). These aircraft separations limit the capacity of congested airports in a rapidly growing aeronautical environment. The most likely economic scenario for the future European Airport demand indicates that there will be around 1.9 Million unaccommodated flights in 2035, constituting approximately 12 per cent of the expected demand (Eurocontrol, 2013).