Selecting the direction of the runway in use:

Selecting which runway to operate is directly linked to the direction and strength of the wind. An aircraft always lands and takes off upwind, or to be more precise, with a component of the oncoming wind parallel to the runway (the wind never being strictly parallel to the runway). The speed of the wind increases the aircraft's speed to enable it to take off faster and, when landing, enables the aircraft to break faster and to use a shorter section of the runway.

Nice airport can use its runways in two directions (referred to as QFUs): 04 or 22.

The number of the runway heading in use (04 or 22) corresponds to the runway's magnetic orientation expressed in tens of degrees on a compass. For example: 04 corresponds to a runway oriented at 040°, or in other words towards the north-east, and 22 refers to a runway oriented at 220°, or towards the south-west.

Runway specificities:

On the above photo, you will notice that Nice Airport has two parallel runways. In QFU 04 mode, the right-hand runway is called "04R" (R = Right), and the runway to the left is called "04L" (L = Left).

To reduce noise levels, take-off occurs on the runway furthest away from residential areas - either on Runway 04R, or on Runway 22L. Consequently, aircraft land on the other runway, either Runway 04L or Runway 22R. This may vary on rare occasions (due to building work, etc.).

Most frequent runway heading(QFU) :

Strictly applying the rule of wind direction would result in 2/3 of take-offs and landings occurring on QFU 04 and 1/3 on QFU 22. However, for technical reasons that will be addressed below, QFU 04 is used for tail winds up to approximately 10 km/hr (6 knots).
The effective ratio is in fact 90% for QFU 04 and 10% for QFU 22.

Selecting an approach procedure:

The choice of approach procedure is directly linked to the runway being used. There are different procedures for both QFU 04 and QFU 22.

QFU 04:

ILS 04 procedure:

All major airports have a direct approach procedure based on an Instrument Landing System (ILS). This makes it possible to land in total safety even when weather conditions are poor. At Nice airport, QFU 04 is equipped with such a system and means that aircraft can land in poor visibility and low cloud.

Both runways at Nice Airport have an ILS procedure:"ILS 04L" for runway 04L and "ILS 04R" for runway 04R.

The procedure commences approximately 20km away on a straight line approach to the runway, and takes the aircraft to the east of Cannes and Vallauris and over the centre of Antibes.

A day for ILS landings

The populations of towns over which aircraft fly obviously suffer from the noise thus generated. Airlines have been requested to adopt "the least noisy" piloting methods (moderate speeds, landing gear and flaps deployed as late as possible, etc.). For further information about "why an aircraft generates noise", visit the www.acnusa.fr website. In an ideal world, aircraft would not have to fly over populated areas.

RIVIERA 04 procedure:

The RIVIERA procedure, introduced in 1994, provides an approach to QFU 04 without flying over the towns of Cannes, Vallauris and Antibes (downtown and cape).

For safety reasons, this indirect procedure can only be used when visibility is good.

Visibility must be greater than 10km and the cloud base higher than 900 metres before the RIVIERA procedure can be adopted. As such weather conditions are frequent in Nice, the RIVIERA procedure is used quite a lot (see below).

QFU 22: SALEYA 22 procedure:

As mentioned above, QFU 04 is sometimes out of the question because of the wind. In such cases, QFU 22 enters into play. However, due to the hilly terrain to the north-east of the airport (Mont Boron, Mont Alban), it is not possible to make a direct approach when using QFU 22 to land.

The current QFU22 landing procedure consists in an initial approach off the coast from Cap Ferrat with a subsequent manoeuvre to line the aircraft up for landing.. This is known as SALEYA procedure.

 Frequency of approach procedures:

Procedures are adopted as follows:

- RIVIERA 04 procedure : 55%,

- ILS 04 procedure : 35%,

- 22 procedure : 10%.

For more detailed information, download the monthly bulletin here.

Further technical aeronautical information is available on the DGCA's website: www.niceairport.org (online from early April).

Take-off:

Due to obstacles located ahead of the runways, aircraft turn out towards the sea immediately after take-off. They thus gain the necessary altitude over the water before turning back in towards the land and heading off to their destinations.

Trajectories vary in function of QFUs.

QFU 04 (90% of the time)

QFU 22 (10% of the time)

There is an obligatory minimum altitude of 2000 metres for flying over land after take-off. Readings taken during actual flights show that in almost every case an altitude of at least 2,500 or even 3000 metres is maintained over land. The trajectories traced out below in red correspond to flights at an altitude of less than 2000 metres and those in blue to altitudes over 2000 metres; it is plain to see that the minimum altitude is reached well before the aircraft fly over land.

Helicopters:

Nice Airport is Europe's busiest helicopter platform. It boasts a helistation with 14 bays. Most of the traffic is on the regular air route between Nice and Monaco. The rest concerns Cannes, Saint-Tropez and a host of private heliports.

Scheduled helicopter flights between Nice and Monaco operate within Nice's air space; they are confined within specific trajectories so as not to conflict with airplane traffic.

There are no trajectory restrictions outside Nice's air space.

Examples of helicopter trajectories heading towards Monaco and Cannes/St Tropez.

Restrictions:

In order to protect the airport's environment, a certain number of restrictions have been imposed by the ministry responsible for civil aviation. They are formulated within a ministerial decree published in the government's Official Gazette.

The main restrictions are the following:

 aircraft that are incompatible with chapter 3 of the International Civil Aviation Organisation's appendix 16*;

- landing between 11.30pm and 6.15am (time of arrival in the parking bay);

- taking off between 11.15pm and 6am (time of leaving the parking bay).

*Appendix 16 of the OACI entitled "Protecting the Environment" defines recommended international standards and practices in matters of aircraft acoustic certification.

On landing, reverse thrust is not to be used in Nice beyond the slowing down process - except for operational or safety reasons.

Engine tests cannot be carried out between 9pm and 6am. However, for reasons pertaining to flight safety, the Prefect can grant derogations between 9pm and 11 pm and between 5am and 6am.