Araştırma Makalesi

Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics

Sayı: Advanced Online Publication Erken Görünüm Tarihi: 15 Haziran 2026
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Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics

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Context—At large hub airports, runway use has a direct impact on safety, declared capacity, and the day-to-day workload of air traffic controllers. The choice of runway direction is driven mainly by the wind, particularly its crosswind and tailwind components. Although ICAO recommends orienting runways to provide at least 95% wind coverage, the way crosswind, tailwind, and operational factors (such as the desire to keep a stable runway configuration) interact at major hubs is still not well documented. Objective—The aim of this study is to understand how the local wind climate at Istanbul Airport (LTFM) influences runway configuration choices. To this end, we compute crosswind and tailwind components for each runway direction, compare different selection rules, derive ICAO-style and traffic-weighted wind coverage curves, and examine configuration persistence and its impact on ATC workload. Method—METAR data from December 2020 to December 2025 were used in the analysis. Wind components for each available runway heading were obtained by resolving the wind along and across the runway, accounting for magnetic declination. Three decision rules were tested: one based only on crosswind and two that also apply tailwind limits of 10 kt (dry) and 5 kt (wet). From these data, we produced ICAO-style wind coverage curves, traffic-weighted coverage measures, and statistics on how long each runway configuration remained in use. Results—The current layout achieves 96.6% coverage at 15 kt and 99.7% at 20 kt, while coverage falls to 83.4% and 92.3% at the stricter 10.5 kt and 13 kt thresholds. Traffic-weighted coverage at 10.5 kt drops to 82.1%, with daytime coverage 7.8 percentage points lower than at night. Under the dry-tailwind rule, 26.7% of hours exceed 10 kt tailwind and 52.6% exceed 5 kt at the crosswind-optimal runway. The median configuration run length is only 2 hours, and 59.2% of runs last 2 hours or less. Conclusion—The findings show a trade-off between wind coverage, tailwind exposure, and how often runway configurations change. The current layout seems to provide enough wind usability for the design fleet, but the level of tailwind and the frequency of configuration changes mean that operating policies have to balance closely following the wind against keeping controller workload and hub capacity within reasonable limits. The results should be taken as indicative only, as they are based on routine observations and a set of simplifying assumptions.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Kaynakça

  1. [1] Aerodrome Design Manual – Runways (Doc 9157 – Part 1), 4th ed., International Civil Aviation Organization, Montreal, Canada, 2020. https://store.icao.int/en/aerodrome-design-manual-runways-doc-9157-part-1 (10.11.2025).
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Ayrıntılar

Birincil Dil

İngilizce

Konular

Karar Desteği ve Grup Destek Sistemleri, Veri Analizi, Planlama ve Karar Verme, Ulaştırma Mühendisliği

Bölüm

Araştırma Makalesi

Erken Görünüm Tarihi

15 Haziran 2026

Yayımlanma Tarihi

-

Gönderilme Tarihi

17 Şubat 2026

Kabul Tarihi

13 Mayıs 2026

Yayımlandığı Sayı

Yıl 2026 Sayı: Advanced Online Publication

Kaynak Göster

APA
Sadak, M. S. (2026). Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.65206/pajes.1891285
AMA
1.Sadak MS. Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.65206/pajes.1891285
Chicago
Sadak, Mustafa Semih. 2026. “Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, sy Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.65206/pajes.1891285.
EndNote
Sadak MS (01 Haziran 2026) Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi Advanced Online Publication
IEEE
[1]M. S. Sadak, “Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics”, Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, sy Advanced Online Publication, Haz. 2026, doi: 10.65206/pajes.1891285.
ISNAD
Sadak, Mustafa Semih. “Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi. Advanced Online Publication (01 Haziran 2026). https://doi.org/10.65206/pajes.1891285.
JAMA
1.Sadak MS. Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi. 2026. doi:10.65206/pajes.1891285.
MLA
Sadak, Mustafa Semih. “Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics”. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi, sy Advanced Online Publication, Haziran 2026, doi:10.65206/pajes.1891285.
Vancouver
1.Mustafa Semih Sadak. Wind-based runway configuration at Istanbul Airport: computational modeling of crosswind and tailwind dynamics. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Mühendislik Bilimleri Dergisi. 01 Haziran 2026;(Advanced Online Publication). doi:10.65206/pajes.1891285