Airbus awaits answer on new A380 wake proposal
Airbus has issued a new “conservative and interim” recommendation for A380 separation minimums backed by 100 hours of flight testing performed in Toulouse,
Airbus has issued a new “conservative and interim” recommendation for A380 separation minimums backed by 100 hours of flight testing performed in Toulouse, Istres and Frankfurt. According to Airbus’ calculations, an A380 can safely trail another A380 as close as four nautical miles on approach, all other “heavy” aircraft can follow as close as six nautical miles, medium-weight-class aircraft as close as seven miles and light aircraft as close as nine miles. Today’s standards for landing behind a heavy airplane other than an A380, such as a Boeing 747, call for separation of four nautical miles for another heavy aircraft, five nautical miles for a medium-weight aircraft (for example, an A320) and six miles for a light aircraft.
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