N E S W 270°
26 / 08
RWY 26/08
HDG 270°
LEN 12,000 ft
Denver International Airport

Runway 26 at KDEN

Runway 26/08 at Denver International Airport (KDEN) in Denver is a 12,000 ft, lighted, concrete runway oriented 270°/090°. The runway is 150 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 65 landings and 43 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 1.9°, touchdowns averaging 3,603 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 128 kt, a 5.8 kt average crosswind component.

Last 30 Days
108 Operations
43 Deps / 65 Arrs

Runway 26/08 at Denver International Airport (KDEN) in Denver is a 12,000 ft, lighted, concrete runway oriented 270°/090°. The runway is 150 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 65 landings and 43 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 1.9°, touchdowns averaging 3,603 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 128 kt, a 5.8 kt average crosswind component.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

65 landings observed on Runway 26 in the last 30 days, alongside 43 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 13:00 with 43 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 3,603 ft from the threshold on Runway 26.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KDEN have prevailed from the south-southwest (210°), accounting for roughly 17% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 8.2 kt with peak gusts to 54 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Moderate Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 5.8 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 26 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 1.9° on Runway 26, shallower than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 26 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
1.9°
Avg touchdown GS
128 kts
Avg touchdown zone
3,603 ft
Avg headwind
-0.3 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

08:00 1 landings
13:00 43 landings
17:00 3 landings
22:00 3 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 26 grouped by hour-of-day (UTC).

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 26 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

13:00
109° at 7 kts, gusting 11 kts
7 kts
22:00
106° at 10 kts, gusting 10 kts
10 kts
17:00
87° at 7 kts, gusting 5 kts
7 kts
08:00
170° at 15 kts, gusting 0 kts
15 kts
METAR
260° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
270°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 108 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.