| Year | Heavy1 | Medium1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled | Actual | Scheduled | Actual | |
| 2018 | 117.2 | 131.2 | 49.2 | 56.8 |
| 2019 | 117.2 | 130.6 | 49.6 | 56.6 |
| 2020 | 115.7 | 127.4 | 50.0 | 55.9 |
| 2021 | 115.6 | 125.2 | 50.6 | 56.7 |
| 2022 | 118.9 | 134.3 | 50.4 | 58.6 |
| Source: EUROCONTROL – Computed from data supplied by the airline members to CODA | ||||
| 1 The heavy, medium and light aircraft categories relate to ICAO wake vortex categories based on the maximum certificated take-off mass: Heavy aircraft types of 136 000 kg (300 000 lb) or more; Medium aircraft types less than 136 000 kg (300 000 lb) and more than 7 000 kg (15 500 lb); Light aircraft types of 7 000 kg (15 500 lb) or less | ||||
18 Turnaround time
18.1 EUROCONTROL recommended values
Turnaround time represents the time taken for unloading and ground handling preparation for the return journey of an aircraft. This corresponds to the time during which the aircraft must remain parked at the gate, including air traffic flow management (ATFM) delay.
Table 18.1 presents the evolution of mean scheduled and mean actual turnaround time, in minutes, for medium and heavy aircraft. Please note that this data was provided by EUROCONTROL Central Office for Delay Analysis (CODA) and can be accessed, together with a number of additional information, on the MIRROR tool.[1]
18.2 Description
The values presented in Table 18.1 are computed from data supplied by airlines to EUROCONTROL CODA. It includes the data on the following market segments: traditional scheduled, low-cost and charter.
The total ground time of an aircraft includes overnight stops, maintenance slots, fire breaks, etc., so specific cut-off values are applied to obtain the turnaround time. The turnaround cut-off time for wake turbulence category H (Heavy) is 180 minutes, and for M (Medium) 150 minutes.
The actual turnaround time represents the difference between the actual off-block time (AOBT) of a departing flight and the actual in-block time (AIBT) of the same aircraft on the previous inbound flight. The scheduled turnaround time is the difference between scheduled time of departure (STD) of the departing flight and the scheduled time of arrival (STA) of the same aircraft on the previous inbound flight.
18.3 Other possible values
Table 18.2 presents, for 2019, an overview of turnaround time ranges for the 10th (Low), 50th (Base) and 90th (High) percentiles.
| Aircraft category | Low | Base | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Actual | |||
| Heavy | 67 | 106 | 168 |
| Medium | 31 | 52 | 93 |
| Scheduled | |||
| Heavy | 60 | 90 | 150 |
| Medium | 25 | 45 | 80 |
| Source: EUROCONTROL – Computed from data supplied by the airline members to CODA | |||
18.6 References
[1]
EUROCONTROL CODA, “MIRROR tool.” [Online]. Available: https://www.eurocontrol.int/tool/mirror
An exhaustive definition and list of the ground handling services is given in Council Directive 96/67/EC of 15 October 1996 on access to the ground handling market at Community airports↩︎
18.4 Comments
Turnaround time and ground time typically vary as a function of:
the airport
the type of flight (short, medium or long-haul)
the market segment (traditional scheduled airline, low-cost, business aviation, etc.)
the type of aircraft (B738, A320, etc.)
the type of service (charter, scheduled, positioning, etc.)
The turnaround process involves activities related to the handling of tasks to ensure the cleanliness, safety and efficiency of the next flight. The difference between a turnaround and ground time is that an aircraft at its home base airport will have longer ground time to cover for example for the time it needs for maintenance. The diagram below shows the scope of the various activities, including ground handling time.1