N E S W 292°
30 / 12
RWY 30/12
HDG 292°
LEN 8,192 ft
João Paulo II Airport

Runway 30 at LPPD

Runway 30/12 at João Paulo II Airport (LPPD) in Ponta Delgada is a 8,192 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 292°/112°. The runway is 148 ft wide, with a 787 ft displaced threshold on the 30 end. SkyMeter has observed 565 landings and 0 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 2.7°, touchdowns averaging 9,017 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 129 kt, a 2.6 kt average crosswind component, a 2.4 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
565 Operations
0 Deps / 565 Arrs

Runway 30/12 at João Paulo II Airport (LPPD) in Ponta Delgada is a 8,192 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 292°/112°. The runway is 148 ft wide, with a 787 ft displaced threshold on the 30 end. SkyMeter has observed 565 landings and 0 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 2.7°, touchdowns averaging 9,017 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 129 kt, a 2.6 kt average crosswind component, a 2.4 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

565 landings observed on Runway 30 in the last 30 days, alongside 0 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 21:00 with 8 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 9,017 ft from the threshold on Runway 30.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at LPPD have prevailed from the north-northeast (30°), accounting for roughly 13% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 9.4 kt with peak gusts to 58 kt. Strong winds (≥20 kt) occur on about 5% of observations — pilots flying into runway 30 should plan for occasional gusty conditions.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 2.6 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 30 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 2.7° on Runway 30, shallower than the standard 3°.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 30 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
2.7°
Avg touchdown GS
129 kts
Avg touchdown zone
9,017 ft
Avg headwind
2.4 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 6 landings
06:00 6 landings
07:00 4 landings
08:00 1 landings
09:00 2 landings
13:00 3 landings
14:00 1 landings
16:00 1 landings
17:00 1 landings
18:00 1 landings
19:00 3 landings
20:00 7 landings
21:00 8 landings
22:00 3 landings
23:00 3 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 30 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 30 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

19:00
243° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
20:00
170° at 5 kts, gusting 0 kts
5 kts
21:00
91° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
22:00
107° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
23:00
317° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
00:00
198° at 2 kts, gusting 0 kts
2 kts
06:00
98° at 2 kts, gusting 0 kts
2 kts
07:00
178° at 5 kts, gusting 6 kts
5 kts
09:00
90° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
13:00
270° at 13 kts, gusting 0 kts
13 kts
14:00
290° at 9 kts, gusting 0 kts
9 kts
16:00
270° at 9 kts, gusting 0 kts
9 kts
17:00
270° at 10 kts, gusting 0 kts
10 kts
18:00
260° at 6 kts, gusting 0 kts
6 kts
08:00
50° at 4 kts, gusting 0 kts
4 kts
METAR
40° at 10 kts, gusting 0 kts
10 kts

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

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
292°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 565 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.