N E S W 322°
31 / 13
RWY 31/13
HDG 322°
LEN 9,186 ft
Sunshine Coast Airport

Runway 31 at YBSU

Runway 31/13 at Sunshine Coast Airport (YBSU) in Maroochydore is a 9,186 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 322°/142°. The runway is 148 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 238 landings and 238 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 3.2°, touchdowns averaging 1,271 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 92 kt, a 3.6 kt average crosswind component.

Last 30 Days
476 Operations
238 Deps / 238 Arrs

Runway 31/13 at Sunshine Coast Airport (YBSU) in Maroochydore is a 9,186 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 322°/142°. The runway is 148 ft wide. SkyMeter has observed 238 landings and 238 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 3.2°, touchdowns averaging 1,271 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 92 kt, a 3.6 kt average crosswind component.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

238 landings observed on Runway 31 in the last 30 days, alongside 238 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 00:00 with 16 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 1,271 ft from the threshold on Runway 31.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at YBSU have prevailed from the south (180°), accounting for roughly 24% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 9.9 kt with peak gusts to 57 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Light Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 3.6 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 31 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 3.2° on Runway 31, 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 31 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
3.2°
Avg touchdown GS
92 kts
Avg touchdown zone
1,271 ft
Avg headwind
0.4 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

00:00 16 landings
11:00 4 landings
21:00 15 landings
23:00 15 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 31 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 31 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

23:00
250° at 3 kts, gusting 0 kts
3 kts
00:00
238° at 1 kts, gusting 2 kts
1 kts
11:00
223° at 5 kts, gusting 6 kts
5 kts
21:00
246° at 7 kts, gusting 0 kts
7 kts
METAR
230° 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
322°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 476 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.