Launceston Airport - Changes to Runway 14 Departures

Airservices is implementing improved safety measures to increase separation between departing and arriving aircraft to Runway (RWY) 14 at Launceston Airport.

The majority of air traffic at Launceston Airport arrives from, or departs to, locations to its north. This results in higher levels of both arriving and departing traffic to the north of the runway. It is therefore imperative that these aircraft are kept separated from each other to maximise safety.

As a result of these safety improvements, aircraft departing from RWY 14 (southern runway end) that are headed for northern destinations will be required to be at least 5 nautical miles (NM) from the runway before they turn to track back towards their destination. This will ensure sufficient separation from arriving aircraft to RWY 14 (northern end of runway).

By ensuring this separation, there will be a reduced delay for departures as they will no longer need to account for arriving aircraft, particularly during poor weather conditions. This change will also allow for any arriving aircraft that need to complete a missed approach to remain safely separated from the departing aircraft.

This change will come into effect on 2 November 2023.

A fact sheet with further detail is available here.