Optimal Number of Runways?

[VerX]

What is the optimal number of runways?

So far, I have built 5 runways -
Left side: 2 Runways [1000m]
Right side: 2 Runways [1000m]
Top: 1 Runway [1360m]

All runways are Commercial Flight Only and Medium Aircraft Only.

The current Top Runway is closed for the future Big Airplane Update, but all of them are connected to each other via Service Roads.

I technically have 2 terminals - Left and Right side. Each terminal holds 11 Medium Stands, so in total I have 22 Medium Stands.

For experienced players, is having 5 Runways overkill? Or will having 5 runways (techincally 4 working runways) be more efficient in terms of Arrival and Departure flights?

I am in Sandbox Mode, and use “Motherlode” console command. I want to build a full airport, don’t judge me.

[Bardaek]

There’s no point in any runway longer than 800m. I’m not a fan of top and both sides. Planes always seem to find the long way. I like 7 on top 4 arriving, 3 deparing, 2-3 on the side arriving with all planes flowing in the same direction. I did find that became more difficult if I shifted the concourse direction to left-right instead up up and down… fun to experiment though. the above plan was with 81 medium gates, no GA

The current airport (slightly modified save file) is 108 gates I think… but it seems to die on loading structures… that one is the new left to right concourses and it’ll probably dump everything I thought I knew on its head.

[VerX]

Thanks for your advice.

By “Seems to find the long way”, what do you mean by that? Is it that the planes will take the longer route to the furthest runway?

[jasperwillem]

Still working an airport with 4 west (small planes) - 4 east (medium planes)

Will post screens when done with it

I like longer runways to overtake the smaller ones, to be room efficient.

[VerX]

I also have a question on Overshooting A Runway.

So, say if I have a Commercial Medium Aircraft coming in to land on my runway which is 1000m long, will it overshoot, considering the minimum runway length for a Medium Aircraft is 800m?

[Toby_H]

No it will not, all medium aircraft will stop at this distance.

[VerX]

Glad to know that. Thank you.

[Bardaek]

By “Seems to find the long way”, what do you mean by that? Is it that the planes will take the longer route to the furthest runway?

Yes. Either after landing, which ruins the turn around time, or the departure, which usually causes delays for other planes while they wait to cross paths.

[VerX]

What the heck then!?

I suppose this would be a bug then…lol.

Unless, the taxiways can be issued in 1 direction only. So the left stands have airplanes that go to the left runway.

[Bardaek]

Unless, the taxiways can be issued in 1 direction only.

They can actually. It’s a topic of conversation in the past for sure the airplanes waiting lots of time for other aircraft a long ways away. I actually do a whole thing on it entitled “Can we please do something about this”… It’ll happen in time.