N E S W 202°
20 / 02
RWY 20/02
HDG 202°
LEN 9,642 ft
RAF Waddington

Runway 20 at EGXW

Runway 20/02 at RAF Waddington (EGXW) in Waddington is a 9,642 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 202°/022°. The runway is 198 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 57 landings and 35 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 1.7% of arrivals resulting in a go-around (1 events). Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 2.9°, touchdowns averaging 609 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 103 kt, a 7.2 kt average crosswind component, a 1.6 kt average tailwind.

Last 30 Days
92 Operations
35 Deps / 57 Arrs

Runway 20/02 at RAF Waddington (EGXW) in Waddington is a 9,642 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 202°/022°. The runway is 198 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 57 landings and 35 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 1.7% of arrivals resulting in a go-around (1 events). Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 2.9°, touchdowns averaging 609 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 103 kt, a 7.2 kt average crosswind component, a 1.6 kt average tailwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

57 landings observed on Runway 20 in the last 30 days, alongside 35 departures.

Moderate Go-Around Rate

1.7% of arrivals at Runway 20 result in a go-around (1 in the last 30 days).

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 08:00 with 13 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 609 ft from the threshold on Runway 20.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at EGXW have prevailed from the south-southwest (210°), accounting for roughly 16% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 9.6 kt with peak gusts to 44 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Moderate Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 7.2 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 20 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 2.9° on Runway 20, consistent with the standard 3° glide path.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 20 over the last 30 days. Each value is shown only when at least 10 valid samples were available; sparse cells are hidden rather than estimated.

Avg approach slope
2.9°
Avg touchdown GS
103 kts
Avg touchdown zone
609 ft
Avg headwind
-1.6 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

06:00 1 landings
08:00 13 landings
10:00 12 landings
11:00 7 landings
13:00 7 landings
14:00 3 landings
16:00 7 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 20 grouped by hour-of-day (UTC).

Go-Around Analysis

A go-around occurs when a pilot aborts a landing attempt and initiates a climb to return for another approach. While go-arounds are a normal safety procedure, their frequency and causes provide insight into operational challenges at specific runways. Runway 20 experienced go-arounds in 1.7% of arrivals over the last 30 days (1 events of 58 attempts).

Recent Go-Around Events

014f9cfe-06fb-1f43-91c6-f2875ba7e66a
2026-07-10 11:21
Unstable Approach
014f9cfe-06fb-1f43-91c6-f2875ba7e66a
2026-07-10 11:21
Unstable Approach
014f9cfe-06fb-1f43-91c6-f2875ba7e66a
2026-07-10 11:21
Unstable Approach

These events represent normal safety procedures and do not indicate operational deficiencies.

Go-Around Causes Distribution

Unstable Approach 3 events (100%)

Environmental factors dominate go-around causes, indicating that operational procedures remain sound.

Approach Types and Categories

Aircraft approach runways using different procedures based on weather conditions, visibility, and available navigation equipment. An Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach provides precision horizontal and vertical guidance using ground-based radio signals, enabling aircraft to land in low visibility conditions. Visual approaches require pilots to maintain visual contact with the runway and surrounding terrain, typically used during clear weather. Area Navigation (RNAV) approaches use GPS technology to guide aircraft along specific flight paths.

Approach Categories Explained

Category (CAT) classifications define minimum visibility and decision height requirements for instrument approaches. Higher categories enable operations in lower visibility conditions.

CAT I
Decision Height: 200 ft
Visibility: 550m
CAT II
Decision Height: 100 ft
Visibility: 300m
CAT III
Decision Height: 0-50 ft
Visibility: 0-200m
Visual
Clear of Clouds
Visibility: 5 km

Wind and Environmental Factors

Wind conditions directly impact runway operations, influencing approach difficulty, landing performance, and runway selection. Runway 20 benefits from favorable wind alignment, with prevailing winds creating minimal crosswind components for most operations. Average wind speeds of 12 knots pose no operational constraints for commercial aircraft.

24-Hour Wind Pattern

16:00
193° at 13 kts, gusting 17 kts
13 kts
08:00
161° at 7 kts, gusting 8 kts
7 kts
13:00
98° at 8 kts, gusting 8 kts
8 kts
10:00
159° at 7 kts, gusting 8 kts
7 kts
11:00
104° at 8 kts, gusting 6 kts
8 kts
14:00
87° at 12 kts, gusting 9 kts
12 kts
06:00
310° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
METAR
280° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts

Wind patterns show typical diurnal variation with stronger winds during midday hours.

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
202°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 92 operations recorded over the past 30 days, derived from global ADS-B flight broadcasts. Coverage may be incomplete in areas with limited ground-station reception, and statistics may vary with weather and traffic volume.