Aircraft usually take-off and land into the wind for safety and performance reasons. As the wind direction changes the runway in operation and the flight paths being used may also change.

This means that Cairns’ seasonal wind patterns affect usage of the runway directions. The prevailing wind year-round tends to be southerly which results in more use of Runway 15. Therefore, when the wind direction is northerly and Runway 33 is used, it can be more noticeable to affected residents because it occurs less frequently.

Learn more about how the runway is named and oriented on our Cairns Airport Runways page.