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 Canberra’s seasonal wind patterns affect usage of the different runway directions. The prevailing winds favour Runway 35 which is used more than 70 per cent of the time. Runway 17 tends to be used more frequently in the warmer months than at other times, but this does vary.

If the wind is light or calm the direction the runway is used is determined by other factors such as Noise Abatement Procedures (NAP) or air traffic management requirements.

As we gather more data on operations we will update this section with more information.

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