Denver International Airport (DEN, KDEN) serves Denver, USA and has 6 runways. Below you can see the latest wind and weather report, how that wind lines up with every runway end, and what the layout means for how the airport works.
The runways fall into two groups, running north-south and east-west. With two directions to choose from, one group usually points reasonably close to the wind. Headings are true (not magnetic), so they differ from the runway number by the local magnetic variation.
| Runway | Length | Width | True headings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16R / 34L | 4,877 m (16,001 ft) | 61 m | 181° / 001° |
| 07 / 25 | 3,658 m (12,001 ft) | 46 m | 090° / 270° |
| 08 / 26 | 3,658 m (12,001 ft) | 46 m | 091° / 271° |
| 16L / 34R | 3,658 m (12,001 ft) | 46 m | 180° / 000° |
| 17L / 35R | 3,658 m (12,001 ft) | 46 m | 181° / 001° |
| 17R / 35L | 3,658 m (12,001 ft) | 46 m | 181° / 001° |
Aircraft take off and land into the wind whenever they can. A headwind slows the ground speed at touchdown, shortens the runway needed and gives better control. A tailwind does the opposite, so airports normally limit it to a few knots. A crosswind (wind across the runway) is harder on the pilots, and large jets have a limit on how much they can accept.
Each runway has two ends, numbered by compass heading divided by ten, so 27 points west and 09 points east. The same strip of tarmac is used in either direction depending on the wind, and parallel runways add L, C and R (left, centre, right) to tell them apart.
Denver sits more than a mile above sea level, so the air is thin: aircraft need more runway and fly faster over the ground for the same airspeed. Six runways, four north-south and two east-west, cover every wind direction, and the longest, 16R/34L at 16,000 ft, is the longest runway at any commercial airport in the US. Crosswinds off the Rockies can be strong and gusty.
AeroGaze can't see air traffic control's runway plan. It shows the latest wind from the KDEN METAR set against each of the 6 runways: aircraft take off and land into the wind where they can, so the runway ends with the strongest headwind are the likely candidates. Noise rules, traffic and the forecast also play a part, so treat it as a guide, not a fact.
Denver International Airport has 6 runways: 16R/34L, 07/25, 08/26, 16L/34R, 17L/35R, 17R/35L. The runways fall into two groups, running north-south and east-west. With two directions to choose from, one group usually points reasonably close to the wind.
Runway 16R/34L, at 4,877 m (16,001 ft) long and 61 m wide.
There is no single limit. Each aircraft type has a demonstrated crosswind figure, commonly in the range of 30 to 40 knots for large jets, airlines set their own limits (often lower on wet or contaminated runways), and the pilots decide on the day. When a strong wind blows across the runways at Denver Airport, you see more go-arounds and diversions.
From the METAR reports that NOAA's Aviation Weather Center publishes for KDEN, refreshed about every ten minutes. A METAR is usually issued once an hour, and sooner if conditions change, so the observation time on the page shows how fresh the report is.
They are flight categories based on cloud height and visibility. VFR: cloud base above 3,000 ft and visibility over 5 miles. MVFR (marginal): 1,000 to 3,000 ft or 3 to 5 miles. IFR: 500 to 1,000 ft or 1 to 3 miles. LIFR: below 500 ft or under 1 mile. The lower the category, the more spacing between aircraft and the more delays.
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Sources: wind and weather from the NOAA Aviation Weather Center (METAR). Runway coordinates from OurAirports (public domain); runway notes are editorial. AeroGaze is an independent site, not affiliated with any airport or air traffic service.