Wake Turbulence is a disturbance in the air caused by an aircraft generating lift. It is a type of Clear Air Turbulence created by the wings of aircraft generating lift at different phases of flight, most noticeably at takeoff. These disturbances resemble a swirling shape when viewed under the right conditions and can pose hazards to aircraft following behind or operating in close proximity.
What causes Wake Turbulence?
In short, wake turbulence is produced when any wing generates lift. When air flows over and under a wing, areas of high pressure below and low pressure above are created. These two air masses mix causing vortices to form at the wingtips. These vortices are more pronounced on larger and heavier aircraft due to the greater lift their wings will need to generate. Smaller aircraft also generate a wake, but to a lesser extent than bigger jets.
What are the effects of Wake Turbulence on aircraft?
A fast moving vortex of swirling air presents major hazards for an aircraft following behind. The violent air will cause the aircraft to encounter clear air turbulence that can result in loss of control if not handled correctly. In the case of a smaller aircraft, the forces exerted by those maneuvers may be enough to exceed the structural limits of the aircraft. It is important to recognize that wake turbulence doesn’t just affect aircraft on takeoff. In 2017, a Bombardier Challenger 604 registered D-AMSC was cruising at 34,000 feet on a flight from Malé (MLE/VRMM) to Abu Dhabi Al Bateen (AZI/OMAD). When passing through Indian airspace, an Emirates Airbus A380 registered A6-EUL, operating flight EK412 from Dubai (DXB/OMDB) to Sydney (SYD/YSSY) passed 1000 feet overhead in the opposite direction. The smaller challenger jet was severely impacted by the wake turbulence deposited by the A380, finding itself briefly inverted, experiencing significant G forces and losing 8,700 feet of altitude before recovering. The Challenger crew decided to divert and made a safe landing at Muscat airport (MCT/OOMS).
This incident is a great example of the insidious nature of wake turbulence – the fact that it is largely invisible and can remain in the area for several minutes before dissipating. Therein lies the solution to the problem.
How do aircraft avoid Wake Turbulence?
Aircraft are categorized by weight, and this is vital to protecting them from the impacts of wake turbulence. These categories are:
- Super Heavy: the only aircraft this currently includes is the Airbus A380.
- Heavy: includes large aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and the Boeing 777.
- Medium: includes common narrowbody aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.
- Light: includes smaller aircraft such as regional jets, turboprops, and smaller general aviation planes.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) prescribes the recommended time or distance separation for departing aircraft to minimize the impact of wake turbulence. There are two types of separation.
Radar separation
Radar separation is distance based, and used to separate aircraft following each other.
Leading aircraft Following aircraft Separation distance
Heavy Heavy 4 nautical miles
Heavy Medium 5 nautical miles
Heavy Light 6 nautical miles
Medium Light 5 nautical miles
Non-radar separation
When radar separation is not available, departing and arriving aircraft are separated based on time allowing for a larger safety margin.
Leading aircraft Following aircraft Separation when departing Separation when arriving
Heavy Medium 2 minutes 2 minutes*
Heavy Light 3 minutes 2 minutes*
Medium Light 3 minutes 2 minutes*
*This is extended to 3 minutes if the leading aircraft took off from an intersection (a position further down the runway)
As heavier aircraft produce more wake and lighter aircraft are most affected, the longest gap is allowed for a lighter aircraft following a heavier one. Whilst controllers will keep an eye on these timings, pilots are also required to keep an awareness of the issue, and air traffic control may issue additional warnings such as “Caution Wake Turbulence” to improve overall awareness.
Another key tactic in negating the impacts of wake turbulence is pilot training. Commercial pilots undergo a training program referred to as Advanced Upset Recovery Training, or UPRT. This involves recovering aircraft from a series of unusual attitudes and configurations (including what to do if you find yourself upside down).
The safety infrastructure in place globally, combined with extensive pilot training help to avoid and negate the impacts of wake turbulence, ensuring that encounters with the phenomenon are minimized for the flying public.
Cover photo: THPlanespotting, JetPhotos
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-300x148.jpg)
![An example full flight summary response from the Flightradar24 API: { "data": [ { "fr24_id": "0987654321", "flight": "SK1415", "callsign": "SAS1415", "operated_as": "SAS", "painted_as": "SAS", "type": "A20N", "reg": "SE-DOY", "orig_icao": "ESSA", "orig_iata": "ARN", "datetime_takeoff": "2023-01-27T05:15:22", "runway_takeoff": "12R", "dest_icao": "EKCH", "dest_iata": "CPH", "dest_icao_actual": "EPWA", "dest_iata_actual": "WAW", "datetime_landed": "2023-01-27T06:15:10", "runway_landed": "27L", "flight_time": 3600, "actual_distance": 1007.74, "circle_distance": 6245, "category": "Passenger", "hex": "4A91F9", "first_seen": "2023-01-27T05:06:22", "last_seen": "2023-01-27T06:18:10", "flight_ended": "true" } ] }](https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Flight-summary-API-cover-768x378.jpg)
