Aircraft at the Pudong International Airport are now allowed to take off or land on two runways at the same time. This would significantly reduce the waiting time that passengers usually experience as well as the constant flight delays.
According to Lu Wen, an air traffic controller of the airport, this new flying mode can remarkably increase the number of takeoffs and landings per hour from just 65 to 85.
Before this new flying mode was authorized, an aircraft needed to be at least 2 kilometers away from a plane ahead of it before it could take off on the parallel runway.
With this new mode, aircraft can fly shoulder to shoulder. With this flying rule, an aircraft does not have to circle for a long time in the air as it waits for an earlier plane to land either, significantly reducing the circling time in the air for the benefit of the passengers.
This new mode of flying and landing was already experienced on Thursday morning. Two passenger aircraft landed at the No. 2 and 3 runways at the same time.
The new mode is guided by an improved radar system. Pilots are also set to be trained with regard to this new flying model. Air traffic controllers would be trained to always stay calm and mentally alert so that their judgment would always consider the safety of the passengers.
The new process would be widely applied during the Spring Festival as the number of people traveling and flying explodes.