While landing at an airport, have you ever noticed another aircraft landing simultaneously on a parallel runway? While it is common to spot other aircraft taking off or landing on other runways, parallel takeoffs and landings are not very common. Simultaneous landings or takeoffs, such as those that can be witnessed at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), can be incredibly beautiful, especially for those onboard who witness another aircraft land right alongside them. Despite the fact that these events are rather marvelous to behold, they are surprisingly rare among US airports.
SFO 2023 Statistics Total passengers 50.2 million Aircraft operations 385,000 Cargo operations 484,100 tonnes However, the facilities that are required for a simultaneous landing are actually rather common, as all an airport requires are two parallel runways separated by more than 4,300 feet. Furthermore, parallel takeoffs and landings can even be authorized with less than that separation distance under specific circumstances, such as if both aircraft are significantly smaller.
SFO Runways Dimension Surface 10L/28R 11,870 ft (3,618 m) Asphalt 10R/28L 11,381 ft (3,469 m) Asphalt 01R/19L 8,650 ft (2,637 m) Asphalt 01L/19R 7,650 ft (2,332 m) Asphalt Despite this, simultaneous landings and takeoffs are actually rather rare, and many have only seen them at a few US airports. Therefore, which airports could permit these marvelous landings, and why are they not that common even when the appropriate faci.
