AIRCRAFT are being allowed to land or take off simultaneously on two runways at Pudong International Airport from yesterday, cutting down on the long waiting time and flight delays.

It can increase the number of takeoffs and landings per hour to 85 from the current 65, said Lu Wen, an air traffic controller at the airport.

Previously, an aircraft had to keep a distance of at least 2 kilometers from the plane ahead of it on the two parallel runways. Under the new mode, the aircraft can take off or land “shoulder to shoulder.”