Seattle- Tacoma International airport
Runway Use Summary and Data
- Runway Use Summary - annual percentage of arrivals and departures at Sea-Tac
- Daily Use Data - percentage of arrivals and departures at Sea-Tac on a daily basis. Data used as the basis for the Runway Use Summary
Please note that throughout the year, the Runway Use Summary and Daily Use Data will reflect the predominant seasonal traffic flow, i.e. during the winter months, south flow is more common, while in the summer, north flow is more common.
How to Read the Runway Use Summary
- Airport runways are designated by numbers based on compass headings.
- Each runway has two designations - North and South Flow - based on which direction an aircraft is arriving or departing.
- At Sea-Tac, when an aircraft is pointing to the north, the runways are designated with the number 34
(north flow).
- When they are pointed to the south, the designation is 16 (south flow).
Sea-Tac's three runways are further designated by their relation to each other -- left, center and right (noted next to 16 or 34 as L, C, or R) Thus, runway designations for Sea-Tac are 34L, 34C, and 34R in north flow. In south flow, they are 16L, 16C, and 16R. Therefore, the third runway is known officially as 34L/16R. The runway closest to the terminal is 34R/16L and the center runway is 34C/16C.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's
Voluntary Runway Use Agreement
The voluntary Runway Use Letter of Agreement (Runway Use LOA) does not change the way the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) assigns aircraft to runways. Instead, the Runway Use LOA gives the public a better understanding of how the FAA generally assigns aircraft to each runway in different weather and traffic conditions both on arrival and departure. The FAA, which has sole responsibility for managing the safe and efficient use of the nation’s airspace, can deviate from the runway uses described in the Runway Use LOA for a variety of reasons.
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Questions?
Residents can request information about Sea-Tac-related aircraft noise and operations, learn more about noise insulation or report aircraft noise through the port’s online
Noise Comment Form; or contact the Noise Programs Office by calling 206-787-5393 or toll-free 1-800-826-1147.