Denver International Airport’s pinwheel runway shape explained

DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver International Airport is larger than many cities and even some countries, and an airport that big is bound to spark a conspiracy theory or two.

The airport has had fun and played along with some of the theories, and there is even an exhibit in the airport that addresses some of them. But one thing DIA has not addressed — at least not in a humorous manner — is the shape of the runways.

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The runway layout has fascinated people for years, with some users on Reddit describing it as “swastika-shaped” and posting it on threads dedicated to accidental swastikas.

The Denver airport’s media team explained to FOX31 why the runways are positioned in a pinwheel-like shape.

There are six runways currently at DIA: four parallel north-south runways and two east-west crosswind runways. The airport said the configuration was chosen to “maximize efficiency and accommodate a high volume of air traffic.”

Weather considerations

The airport said the four parallel runways were designed to handle the predominant wind patterns in the area, which typically blow north and south.

During periods of strong crosswinds, the airport said the east-west runways make it so that operations can continue smoothly under various weather conditions.

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“When aircraft are arriving to the north, they will primarily use the two runways on the east side, which were positioned more southerly so that when the aircraft exit the runway, they are central to the concourse areas. The same is true in the inverse. When we are landing to the south, the aircraft will land on the two runways on the west side and have a short taxi to gate. Same also goes with departure, in the south flow example with aircraft landing on the west runways, we will depart them on the east runways, so they have a shorter taxi distance,” the airport’s media team told FOX31.

Safety and capacity

“The runway layout was designed to ensure safe and efficient aircraft movements,” DIA’s media team told FOX31.

The spaced-out parallel runways allow for multiple planes to take off and land at the same time, which reduces delays and means the airport can offer more flights to accommodate the high traffic volume.

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Additionally, the space between the parallel runways increases safety by “minimizing the risk of interference between aircraft operations.”

Environmental impact

The DIA media team said that environmental concerts were a “significant consideration” when the airport was being designed.

So, the runways were laid out in a way that aimed to minimize noise pollution and environmental impact on nearby communities.

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“By positioning the runways in a way that directs flight paths away from densely populated areas, the airport reduces noise disturbance,” the airport media team told FOX31.

Notably, DIA said the noise abatement and capacity constraints were some of the main reasons why the old Stapleton Airport was reconstructed to the current DIA.

Future expansion

Another reason why the runways are laid out the way they are is because they allow room for future expansion.

According to the DIA media team, there is additional space for another six to 12 runways in the master plan. Plus, there is space for additional facilities as needed to accommodate the growing traffic.

In fact, the airport has plans to add another 100 gates in the coming decades.

“This forward-thinking approach ensures that the airport can continue to serve the region effectively for decades to come,” the airport’s media team said.

The runway layout design process

The airport shared some of the layout concepts that were considered during the design process:

Ultimately, the current design with widely spaced runways oriented with the wind was the winner. The airport added that the designers chose an option that did not have any intersecting runways, which was a “huge benefit to safety and efficiency.”

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