WHY DON'T PLANES STAY ON TRACK?

Flight procedures on departure

Flight procedures dictate how aircraft approach and depart an airport. These procedures are also colloquially referred to as 'flight routes'. This is a misleading term, because in practice aircraft can deviate from the procedures. There are many reasons for such deviations.

flight route deviations
© DFS
  1. Numerous departure procedures are available on departure. This allows the optimal route for the respective destination to be selected.

  2. Even with precise navigation procedures, deviations from the departure route by several hundred metres are possible, due to crosswinds or different flying characteristics, for example.

  3. Once the aircraft has reached the minimum altitude (1,500 metres for jet aircraft, 900 metres for propeller aircraft), the air traffic controller can assign a direct route and thus shorten the flight path.