Definition
A dynamic value set by air traffic management that specifies the number of aircraft an airport can launch on departure each hour under current conditions. It is used by traffic flow specialists to meter departures, balance demand against available runway and airspace capacity, and coordinate with downstream constraints such as en route congestion or destination arrival limits.
Plain English
The number of planes an airport is allowed to send off the ground per hour right now. It changes through the day depending on weather, runways in use, and how busy the system is.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic flow planning, delay programs, and discussions of airport capacity during busy traffic periods.
Why Pilots Care
It determines how long you may wait for takeoff clearance during busy periods or reduced capacity.
Grounding Statement
If the airport departure rate is 30 aircraft per hour, the system is planning for about 30 takeoffs from that airport in one hour.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse Airport Departure Rate with an airplane’s climb performance after takeoff. This term is about how many aircraft the airport can send out over time, not how fast one aircraft climbs.
Example Sentence 1
Due to low ceilings and a single runway in use, the tower reduced the airport departure rate from forty-eight to thirty per hour.
Example Sentence 2
Controllers increased the Airport Departure Rate once the storm passed and runways reopened.