Sometimes coming in for a smooth landing requires a few midair loops and extra laps around the airport first
We’ve all been there: As you’re approaching your destination, you feel the plane begin its descent. You might even spot a landmark or two nearby. Then, just when it looks like the plane is about to land at the airport, it starts to make wide turns in the sky, like the pilot’s taking the scenic route before finally coming in for a landing. Passengers looking at the in-flight map may be left wondering what gives.
In my experience, circling usually plays out in one of two ways. There’s the totally mellow version, like when I’m flying into New York’s JFK International Airport and the plane gently veers off over the Atlantic before looping back and gliding in for a landing. It’s barely noticeable, and I usually don’t stress about a few extra minutes added to the flight time—it’s my home airport, and I don’t have to catch a connecting flight.
The second kind, though? Those can feel way more intense. Think dodgy weather conditions or airports in precarious locations, like those seemingly carved into the mountains. That’s when circling (or its much more dramatic cousin, the dreaded go-around) can feel less like a minor delay and a lot more like a nerve-jangling roller coaster ride.
While they may seem random to some passengers, these circling maneuvers happen for very good reasons. Read on to learn the ups and downs of why planes often circle before landing, what would happen if they didn’t and why the next time this happens to you, it’s completely OK to sit back, relax and let the pilots do their thing.
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Why do planes circle before landing?
“Circling can mean a few different things in aviation,” explains Corry Lane, a pilot and the director of safety at Cirrus Aviation Services. Usually, he says, it comes down to safety or efficiency.
And with good reason. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are as many as 50,000 flights per day across the U.S. and up to 5,000 planes in the sky simultaneously during peak hours. To put that into perspective, the agency notes that over a quarter of all daily scheduled flights worldwide take off or land at a U.S. airport. With that much traffic, there has to be a lot of choreography to keep everything safely moving, and that often means planes must wait their turn in the sky.
Here are some of the most common reasons behind circling, including go-arounds and holding patterns.
Air traffic congestion
At busy airports, air traffic control may direct planes into holding patterns, or temporary flight delays in the sky, to help maintain safe spacing between aircraft. “Air traffic control uses these patterns to keep aircraft in a predictable, manageable flow until it’s their turn to land,” Lane says.
Weather
Low visibility, wind shear or crosswinds, storms and other weather issues can delay landings at airports. “Aircraft are held in the air until it’s safe to make an approach,” Lane explains, noting that “this is especially common during rapidly changing weather systems or at airports with fewer instrument landing options.” Go-arounds can often happen here when a pilot begins an approach but then must abort the landing and try again.
Runway availability
Sometimes runways are temporarily unavailable, maybe due to ground delay or debris and other foreign objects on the runway. “Holding allows pilots to pause safely while ground crews clear the issue,” Lane says. “It’s a safer alternative than forcing a rushed or potentially hazardous landing.”
Mechanical or onboard issues
If a plane develops a mechanical issue while in flight or there’s a medical emergency on board, air traffic control may put the plane in a holding pattern, requiring circling, while assessing next steps. “Similarly,” Lane points out, “if another aircraft ahead requires priority, others may be delayed in sequence.”
Fuel balancing
On a particularly bad, nail-biting flight out of Istanbul, shortly after takeoff, my plane had to return to the airport due to a malfunction involving a cargo door. But first, it had to circle above the Sea of Marmara because we were carrying too much fuel to make a safe landing back at the Istanbul Airport.
“Some aircraft, particularly larger jets, need to reduce weight before landing—especially if they’ve taken off for a long-haul flight and return shortly after departure,” Lane says. “In those cases, circling is a controlled way to burn off fuel while staying within safe operating limits.”
Operational decisions
Many behind-the-scenes factors, from temporary airspace restrictions to VIP movements, could prompt delays that result in circling. “International airports near military zones or in high-security airspace may see this more often,” Lane says.
Do planes always circle?
No. In fact, most flights do not enter holding patterns at all. “With modern ATC [air traffic control] systems, direct approaches are more common, particularly at less congested airports or during off-peak hours,” Lane says. He adds that they’re more likely at high-traffic hubs or during inclement weather.
What could happen if planes didn’t circle when necessary?
Skipping the circle wouldn’t end very well in some cases. “Without these systems in place, traffic could become chaotic, increasing the risk of airspace congestion or runway incidents,” Lane says.
Are holding patterns ever dangerous?
If anything, it’s quite the opposite since they’re designed to buy a pilot time and make flying even safer.
The main risk? Daniel Bubb, an aviation expert and former first officer, says that while circling or flying in a holding pattern, pilots must keep a close eye on fuel levels. “If they are placed in a hold pattern for too long and get low on fuel, they will have to declare a low-fuel emergency to be given priority to land,” he says.
That said, in the U.S., there are plenty of safety buffers built into the system. “As required by law, all commercial planes must carry enough fuel to get to their destination, their alternate destination and 45 minutes at cruise altitude,” Bubb notes. “Essentially, they are carrying quite a bit of fuel to compensate for any unexpected delays.”
Should passengers be concerned if pilots don’t announce why they’re circling?
The short answer is no. If a plane suddenly enters a hold pattern or does a go-around, it means the pilots are actively managing the safest solution to the situation. “That might include troubleshooting if it is a mechanical issue or communicating with air traffic control if the plane needs to divert to an alternate destination,” Bubb says.
Though the maneuvers can spark anxiety, passengers are often initially left in the dark—for a good reason. “The pilots are too busy at the moment to inform passengers,” Bubb says. “After the pilots have completed their assessment of the situation, then one of them will inform the flight attendants and/or passengers of what is happening.”
Lane agrees. “Silence,” he says, “usually means it’s routine.”
What are some of the most notorious airports for circling?
Some of the busiest or trickiest airports are the most likely to require that pilots circle.
Major hubs like London, a city of 10 million served by six airports, and New York City, with its three major airports, are well-known for frequent holds because of their high arrival volume and complex airspace.
Airports near bodies of water and those prone to extreme weather or low visibility, such as San Francisco International or my hometown airport, JFK, often require pilots to be placed in hold patterns at times.
Bubb also notes that airports located in challenging landscapes that require circling include Colorado’s Telluride and Ecuador’s Cuenco. Another, Nepal’s Lukla Airport, is set amid steep mountains and requires well-trained pilots to perform critical maneuvers in order to align with the runway.
San Diego International Airport, which has a single runway with an approach over downtown, also requires circling since it’s difficult to make an instrument approach.
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Sources:
- Corry Lane, director of safety at Cirrus Aviation Services; email interview, July 2025
- Dan Bubb, PhD, former first officer at Air Vegas Airlines, associate professor at the University of Nevada and author of Landing in Las Vegas: Commercial Aviation and the Making of a Tourist City; email interview, July 2025
- FAA: “Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC)”
