Glossary of Aviation Terms | Repositioning Time

Repositioning Time | Paramount Business Jets

Repositioning time is defined as the time it takes an aircraft still on the ground to reposition itself and transit to the current trip's departure position. Reposition time, in other words, is the time it takes an aircraft to move from its current position to the required airport for departure. Like taxi time, reposition time is the total time of the aircraft moving on the ground from the departure gate to the runway but starts from the time the aircraft begins to reposition itself on the ramp for taxi, unlike taxi time when its starting point begins when the gate is detached. An aircraft can start repositioning at any given point on the ramp, provided the aircraft is still maneuvering off the ramp to the departure end. For example, if an aircraft were departing the gate, it would be pushed back by a toe cart and the taxi time would start at the time in which the gate was detached, whereas the reposition time would start at the point in which the toe cart started moving the aircraft.

Reposition time can be used in many time calculations for an aircraft. It determines the ETA (estimated time of arrival) for an aircraft at its destination. If the original estimate for an aircraft's taxi time was 5 minutes, and it was held in transit for longer, then its ETA at the destination airport would change. On more commercial airlines, repositioning times tend to be a lot longer due to the immovability of the turbojets. When it comes to jet charters, typically super mid-sized, light, and very light jets, repositioning times are much lower. This is because these charter jets are a lot smaller, have a higher turn radius, and often don’t need as much force to move them around or get them rolling. All these factors play a crucial role in how quickly the jet gets off the ground.

Lower reposition times lead to shorter flight times and, in turn, lower costs. These savings are passed down to the customer and are the reason charter jets have become so popular today. Their ability to outdo the high traffic volumes in major airports and their lower cost are making them one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and without short repositioning times, they wouldn’t be going as far. No one likes to get stuck on a plane in the non-air-conditioned air waiting to be pushed back and towed to the ramp to taxi to the runway. Charter jets have overcome this problem with the help of lower repositioning times.