During simultaneous operations between departures and arrivals on parallel runways, the departure course must diverge immediately from the missed approach course by at least how many degrees until separation is applied?

• A. 15 degrees
• B. 30 degrees
• C. 45 degrees
• D. 60 degrees

Answer: (B)

When departures and arrivals are operating on parallel runways at the same time, there has to be immediate separation between the paths to prevent them from coming into conflict. The rule requires the departure course to diverge right away from the path an aircraft would follow if a missed approach were initiated, creating a safe lateral buffer before any further separation is applied by air traffic control.

That minimum divergence angle is chosen because it reliably produces enough lateral separation quickly, given typical speeds and climb rates, so the departing aircraft won’t remain on a track that could intersect the inbound missed-approach path. If the divergence were smaller, the trajectories could stay too close; if it were larger, you’d be more restrictive than necessary. So the option describing the required minimum fixed divergence angle is the correct one.