Airspace Capacity
En-route jet aircraft tend to fly at roughly 8nmi per minute: therefore 10–15 minutes' flying time separation using procedural control equates to around 80 to 120 nmi (150 to 220 km; 92 to 140 mi) distance between aircraft at the same altitude. Standard separation on radar while en route is only 5nmi. Likewise, a typical procedural approach might allow one aircraft to land every 5–10 minutes, whereas with radar can allow one landing every 90 seconds. The provision of radar-based air traffic control gives a large increase in airspace capacity.
Read more about this topic: Procedural Control
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