OUR PROPOSALS
Current operations at Glasgow Airport
How runways are used
A runway may be used in two directions, depending on wind direction, amongst other factors. As far as possible, aircraft need to take-off and land into wind.
Proposals
Modernising the airspace
To modernise our arrival and departure routes and meet the vision and objectives of the UK Government’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy, Glasgow Airport is proposing the introduction of Performance Based Navigation (PBN).
PBN improves the accuracy of where aircraft fly by using modern satellite navigation.
Currently at Glasgow Airport, the departure routes use conventional navigation aids and are vectored. There are no arrivals routes between the holding stacks and the final approach, and therefore arrivals are also vectored.
Vectoring is when Air Traffic Control (ATC) provides an instruction to pilots in the form of a direction (heading based on a compass bearing). ATC may also instruct pilots to climb or descend. ATC do this to ensure aircraft are safely separated and where possible are given the most efficient routes.
Vectoring creates dispersion across the airspace. When aircraft fly PBN routes, they are typically more concentrated over a narrower area, compared to when they are vectored by ATC.
Often PBN routes are implemented alongside vectoring, so that ATC have the flexibility to continue to manage traffic efficiently within the airspace.