ICAO recommends wider spacing for A380 owing to vortices
A380 wake vortex may be a more serious issue than previously understood, according to a Nov. 10 letter from ICAO that states initial tests and modeling undertaken by both European and US authorities have "raised concerns about horizontal and vertical wake turbulence spacing criteria for approach, landing, departure and en-route operations of the A380 relative to other aircraft."According to ICAO, current data analyses indicate A380 wake vortices will descend farther and be significantly stronger at 300 m. (1,000 ft.) than those from current-generation aircraft in the heavy wake turbulence category. It also suggested that on rare occasions, A380 wake vortices may descend 2,000 ft. and possibly pose a passenger comfort issue but not a hazard.
Arguably more significantly, however, the organization recommended that ATC allow an additional minute of spacing behind the A380 for takeoff and an additional 2 nm. on approach. For slot-limited airports such as London Heathrow, this could mean a loss of two landings per hr. The ICAO advice is interim and more tests will be conducted early next year.
