N E S W 333°
33 / 15
RWY 33/15
HDG 333°
LEN 12,303 ft
Istres Le Tubé Air Base

Runway 33 at LFMI

Runway 33/15 at Istres Le Tubé Air Base (LFMI) in Istres/Le Tubé is a 12,303 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 333°/153°. The runway is 197 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 99 landings and 104 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 2.5°, touchdowns averaging 1,434 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 103 kt, a 2.9 kt average crosswind component, a 6.4 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
203 Operations
104 Deps / 99 Arrs

Runway 33/15 at Istres Le Tubé Air Base (LFMI) in Istres/Le Tubé is a 12,303 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 333°/153°. The runway is 197 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 99 landings and 104 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 2.5°, touchdowns averaging 1,434 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 103 kt, a 2.9 kt average crosswind component, a 6.4 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

99 landings observed on Runway 33 in the last 30 days, alongside 104 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 14:00 with 12 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 1,434 ft from the threshold on Runway 33.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at LFMI have prevailed from the north-northwest (330°), accounting for roughly 22% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 9.2 kt with peak gusts to 55 kt. Strong winds (≥20 kt) occur on about 6% of observations — pilots flying into runway 33 should plan for occasional gusty conditions.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 2.9 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 33 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 2.5° on Runway 33, shallower than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 33 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
2.5°
Avg touchdown GS
103 kts
Avg touchdown zone
1,434 ft
Avg headwind
6.4 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

02:00 4 landings
06:00 3 landings
07:00 6 landings
08:00 1 landings
09:00 8 landings
10:00 5 landings
11:00 1 landings
12:00 5 landings
13:00 1 landings
14:00 12 landings
15:00 4 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 33 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 33 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

09:00
193° at 8 kts, gusting 17 kts
8 kts
10:00
316° at 11 kts, gusting 17 kts
11 kts
12:00
327° at 13 kts, gusting 19 kts
13 kts
14:00
313° at 9 kts, gusting 15 kts
9 kts
15:00
315° at 9 kts, gusting 15 kts
9 kts
06:00
0° at 2 kts, gusting 0 kts
2 kts
07:00
227° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
02:00
84° at 5 kts, gusting 8 kts
5 kts
08:00
290° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts
11:00
270° at 8 kts, gusting 0 kts
8 kts
13:00
290° at 9 kts, gusting 0 kts
9 kts
METAR
0° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
333°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 203 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.