I noticed at YYZ that sometimes take-offs and landings use the same runway and not separate parallel runways. For example, sometimes both take-offs and landings use runway 23, and not both 23 and 24R/24L to separate the traffic flows.

Why is this?


Faro

Noise abatement is a big factor on YYZ runway use. Their website actually has some excellent graphics and explanations.

5/23 frequently works in mixed mode for operational throughput and noise reasons, while 6R/24L and 6L/24R are too close for simultaneous parallel instrument approaches (they'd need an operation like SFO does, and good luck with that), so they will only either have one operating mixed mode or use one for departures and one for arrivals. 5/23 has much less noise impact, so it is one of the preferred use runways and may well run exclusively during non busy times when winds don't allow using the 15/33s as well. They will use 15L/33R in mixed use if winds favor north/south flows and it isn't busy.

The preferred operation at Pearson is arriving 5 and departing 33R. The second preference is departing 23 and arriving 15L.

N1120A wrote:

Noise abatement is a big factor on YYZ runway use. Their website actually has some excellent graphics and explanations.

5/23 frequently works in mixed mode for operational throughput and noise reasons, while 6R/24L and 6L/24R are too close for simultaneous parallel instrument approaches (they'd need an operation like SFO does, and good luck with that), so they will only either have one operating mixed mode or use one for departures and one for arrivals. 5/23 has much less noise impact, so it is one of the preferred use runways and may well run exclusively during non busy times when winds don't allow using the 15/33s as well. They will use 15L/33R in mixed use if winds favor north/south flows and it isn't busy.

The preferred operation at Pearson is arriving 5 and departing 33R. The second preference is departing 23 and arriving 15L.

Thanx N1120A for the detailed answer, you pretty much 100% summarized the answer to my query in those couple of paragraphs.


Faro

Before the pandemic, YYZ mostly used the following configurations during the day:

West flow: Landings - 23, 24L; Departures - 23, 24R

East Flow: Landings - 5, 6R; Departures - 5, 6L

Sometimes, you might see an occasional 33R departure, particularly to Asia, but not always. But as you see, 5/23 was operated in mixed-mode for both landings and departures.

At night, they generally used the following configurations - landings 5, departures 6R or landings 24L, departures 23.

When wind conditions necessitated, you'd see the 33's in use with 33R for departures and 33L, and occasionally, 33R for landings. I have only seen the 15's used once or twice and it's generally avoided due to noise concerns.

Runway 6L/24R was closed last year because of reconstruction, which changed operational procedures. YYZ's also experienced a massive drop in traffic and hasn't come close to recovering. During that time, ATC's mostly operated the runways in segregated mode, like having 23 for departures and 24L for landings or 6R for departures and 5 for landings. Since they didn't need the extra capacity a mixed-mode operation brings, operating it like this served the airport fine and they could keep the noise abatement procedures in place.

Now, Runway 6L/24R reconstruction supposedly finished last November, but I see that it isn't really in use too much, if at all and they seem to be running the same segregated operations like they would at night. Traffic is still way down (900 operations a day vs 1300 before the pandemic), so I assume that's probably why they're keeping the same procedures in place. Unless they're still doing work on 6L/24R?

leader1 wrote:

Before the pandemic, YYZ mostly used the following configurations during the day:

West flow: Landings - 23, 24L; Departures - 23, 24R

East Flow: Landings - 5, 6R; Departures - 5, 6L

Sometimes, you might see an occasional 33R departure, particularly to Asia, but not always. But as you see, 5/23 was operated in mixed-mode for both landings and departures.

At night, they generally used the following configurations - landings 5, departures 6R or landings 24L, departures 23.

When wind conditions necessitated, you'd see the 33's in use with 33R for departures and 33L, and occasionally, 33R for landings. I have only seen the 15's used once or twice and it's generally avoided due to noise concerns.

Runway 6L/24R was closed last year because of reconstruction, which changed operational procedures. YYZ's also experienced a massive drop in traffic and hasn't come close to recovering. During that time, ATC's mostly operated the runways in segregated mode, like having 23 for departures and 24L for landings or 6R for departures and 5 for landings. Since they didn't need the extra capacity a mixed-mode operation brings, operating it like this served the airport fine and they could keep the noise abatement procedures in place.

Now, Runway 6L/24R reconstruction supposedly finished last November, but I see that it isn't really in use too much, if at all and they seem to be running the same segregated operations like they would at night. Traffic is still way down (900 operations a day vs 1300 before the pandemic), so I assume that's probably why they're keeping the same procedures in place. Unless they're still doing work on 6L/24R?

6L/24R is done and operational, but I have also noticed it isn't used a lot.

The 15s/33s are put to use on many days with active weather that produces a lot of wind (not exclusively those runways in weather, but I rarely see those runways used in good weather) If it's really windy in the city and I check FR24, I am never shocked to see them active. I have only taken off on the 15s once (back in Nov). A note to your example, I see Cathay use 33R a lot on their 1:45am departure, even when other traffic is departing 23.

There is a pilot on Twitter with AC who regularly criticizes how the runways are used at YYZ. He notes that when winds favour using 05/06s, you're in for a 15 minute taxi out (fair to note that T1 is at the Se end of the field making it the farthest departure point), when the 06s offer about 5 minute taxi. I don't know nearly enough (re: anything) to comment but I have always wondered as an observer why they can't do departures off 06L/24R while doing landings on 06R/24L and let anyone that needs/wants the north runway (05/23) access.

YYZ757RWY23 wrote:

leader1 wrote:

Before the pandemic, YYZ mostly used the following configurations during the day:

West flow: Landings - 23, 24L; Departures - 23, 24R

East Flow: Landings - 5, 6R; Departures - 5, 6L

Sometimes, you might see an occasional 33R departure, particularly to Asia, but not always. But as you see, 5/23 was operated in mixed-mode for both landings and departures.

At night, they generally used the following configurations - landings 5, departures 6R or landings 24L, departures 23.

When wind conditions necessitated, you'd see the 33's in use with 33R for departures and 33L, and occasionally, 33R for landings. I have only seen the 15's used once or twice and it's generally avoided due to noise concerns.

Runway 6L/24R was closed last year because of reconstruction, which changed operational procedures. YYZ's also experienced a massive drop in traffic and hasn't come close to recovering. During that time, ATC's mostly operated the runways in segregated mode, like having 23 for departures and 24L for landings or 6R for departures and 5 for landings. Since they didn't need the extra capacity a mixed-mode operation brings, operating it like this served the airport fine and they could keep the noise abatement procedures in place.

Now, Runway 6L/24R reconstruction supposedly finished last November, but I see that it isn't really in use too much, if at all and they seem to be running the same segregated operations like they would at night. Traffic is still way down (900 operations a day vs 1300 before the pandemic), so I assume that's probably why they're keeping the same procedures in place. Unless they're still doing work on 6L/24R?

6L/24R is done and operational, but I have also noticed it isn't used a lot.

The 15s/33s are put to use on many days with active weather that produces a lot of wind (not exclusively those runways in weather, but I rarely see those runways used in good weather) If it's really windy in the city and I check FR24, I am never shocked to see them active. I have only taken off on the 15s once (back in Nov). A note to your example, I see Cathay use 33R a lot on their 1:45am departure, even when other traffic is departing 23.

There is a pilot on Twitter with AC who regularly criticizes how the runways are used at YYZ. He notes that when winds favour using 05/06s, you're in for a 15 minute taxi out (fair to note that T1 is at the Se end of the field making it the farthest departure point), when the 06s offer about 5 minute taxi. I don't know nearly enough (re: anything) to comment but I have always wondered as an observer why they can't do departures off 06L/24R while doing landings on 06R/24L and let anyone that needs/wants the north runway (05/23) access.

There is a lot more noise impact off the 06/24s than 05/23.

YYZ757RWY23 wrote:

6L/24R is done and operational, but I have also noticed it isn't used a lot.

I wonder why. I would have thought they’d use that one instead.

The 15s/33s are put to use on many days with active weather that produces a lot of wind (not exclusively those runways in weather, but I rarely see those runways used in good weather) If it's really windy in the city and I check FR24, I am never shocked to see them active. I have only taken off on the 15s once (back in Nov). A note to your example, I see Cathay use 33R a lot on their 1:45am departure, even when other traffic is departing 23.

Yes, Asian flights tend to use 33R, even during the day. My guess is because it goes straight north, but I could be wrong. 5/23 is about the same length as 33R.

There is a pilot on Twitter with AC who regularly criticizes how the runways are used at YYZ. He notes that when winds favour using 05/06s, you're in for a 15 minute taxi out (fair to note that T1 is at the Se end of the field making it the farthest departure point), when the 06s offer about 5 minute taxi. I don't know nearly enough (re: anything) to comment but I have always wondered as an observer why they can't do departures off 06L/24R while doing landings on 06R/24L and let anyone that needs/wants the north runway (05/23) access.

Yup…pilots have complained about this a lot, especially since those runways are so wide apart. In the past, when YYZ was busier, north and west arrivals would use 5/23 and south and eastern arrivals would use the 6s/24s. Because the airport routinely had 50+ arrivals some hours, ATC needed to sequence landings accordingly.