Intersecting runways at Dublin - use simultaneously?

franer1970

I was reading about simultaneous operations on intersecting runways, which seems to be quite common in the US, and wondering if it had ever been considered at Dublin. A cheaper alternative to a new runway maybe??

crisco10

I think they do do it. In fact I know they do, took off on 34 last week, while other planes were lining up on 28...but think it's quite hard to control traffic once in air then or something?

colbarr

This was discussed here before. Google "Dublin airport dual runway operations" (I can't post links). I think it still happens in the early morning rush with flights to the North departing 34 and flights to the south departing 28.

lovelyhurler

Yeah, still happens most mornings - weather permitting.

colbarr

Also, Check out Flightradar24 at 0545z on the 7th September.

colbarr

Also, Check out Flightradar24 from 0545z on the 7th September.

Irish Steve

To see an example of how dual runway working is used, have a look at Istanbul on FR24, but the difference is that there, they can land without affecting the departure line up, there are problems with the 28/34 intersection at Dublin that would make real dual operation more complex, due to timings, and as has been reported on here on a number of occasions, there are also problems with taxiway configurations that have resulted in several incidents of wing tips hitting other aircraft.

The other issue then is that there are no precision approach aids to 34, so that makes for problems when the weather is not good.

For dual runway working to be effective (Istanbul are at capacity, nothing smaller than a 737/A320 gets in there, but they are handling 80 Million passengers a year) there needs to be appropriate separation between the runways so that continuous operation can be managed without disruption to the other runway, which just can't be done at Dublin with 28/34 as presently configured,

The other factor that then affects dual runway operation is the wind direction and strength, strong winds can make it impossible to use 34 for some aircraft types,

The best solution going forward for Dublin is to get the second parallel runway issues resolved, and start building it, but with the gombeen attitude that this country has towards infrastructure issues (not just runways, Dublin Metro and motorways are just as badly managed) I will be surprised to see 28R in action within the next 5 years, and even then, that won't solve the problems, as there will be major works to then be done to "rehabilitate" the existing 10/28, which is in urgent need of major works, and not getting any better as time goes on.

ProfessorPlum

EIDW 34 has a fairly new RNAV approach with minima of 490ft. While not quite as low as ILS minima, which would be 410 on this runway if it was available, it's not far off.
I don't really see Dublin ATC moving to using simultaneous runways for arrivals or arrivals / departures anytime soon though. The taxiway configuration is a problem.