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Quito, Ecuador
UIO (Quito, Ecuador) sits at 0.13°S, 78.36°W, 7,841 ft elevation — coastal with the Andes nearby.
Major airport serving Quito, Ecuador.
Computed from UIO's geography and climate
At 7,841 ft, UIO's elevation reduces climb performance compared with sea-level airports — afternoon thermals and mechanical turbulence in the first few thousand feet of climbout are felt for longer. At tropical latitude the jet stream is rarely directly overhead, so clear-air turbulence is less of a routine concern from UIO. Convective weather closer to the surface is the dominant turbulence source instead. The Andes sit upwind of UIO on prevailing flow days, generating mountain-wave turbulence that can extend several hundred kilometres downwind at cruise level. The lee-wave risk is highest when December–February winds at FL300 cross the Andes at near-perpendicular angles. Quito's tropical climate means convective build-up is a year-round concern — afternoon and early-evening departures from UIO encounter the most cell activity. Morning slots and red-eye departures are typically the smoothest of the day.
Standard Instrument Departures (SIDs) often route around terrain; on strong-wind days, low-level turbulence in the lee of the hills is common in the first few thousand feet.
Convective turbulence cycles with the local wet/dry season rather than a strict calendar month — check regional rainy-season dates for the most accurate risk window. Mountain-wave activity near the Andes peaks in the cold season when upper-level winds blow hardest across the range.
Get a real-time turbulence forecast for any scheduled flight out of Mariscal Sucre International Airport, with live wind, jet-stream analysis and pilot reports.
Mariscal Sucre International Airport is best described as a mountain-wave sensitive airport. At 7,841 ft, UIO's elevation reduces climb performance compared with sea-level airports — afternoon thermals and mechanical turbulence in the first few thousand feet of climbout are felt for longer. At tropical latitude the jet stream is rarely directly overhead, so clear-air turbulence is less of a routine concern from UIO. Convective weather closer to the surface is the dominant turbulence source instead. The Andes sit upwind of UIO on prevailing flow days, generating mountain-wave turbulence that can extend several hundred kilometres downwind at cruise level. The lee-wave risk is highest when December–February winds at FL300 cross the Andes at near-perpendicular angles. Quito's tropical climate means convective build-up is a year-round concern — afternoon and early-evening departures from UIO encounter the most cell activity. Morning slots and red-eye departures are typically the smoothest of the day.
Convective turbulence cycles with the local wet/dry season rather than a strict calendar month — check regional rainy-season dates for the most accurate risk window. Mountain-wave activity near the Andes peaks in the cold season when upper-level winds blow hardest across the range. Peak turbulence window: Regional wet season. Typically calmest: Regional dry season.
Yes — the Andes lie close enough to generate mountain-wave turbulence on days with strong upper-level winds. These waves can propagate hundreds of kilometres downwind, so they sometimes affect cruise even after you've left the immediate area.
Sitting at 7,841 ft, density altitude is a genuine consideration — aircraft need longer takeoff rolls and climbout is shallower than at sea-level airports. That means more time in the lower atmosphere, where thermal and mechanical turbulence is most common, especially on warm summer afternoons.
We combine live NOAA Aviation Weather Center data (PIREPs, SIGMETs, AIRMETs) with physics-based Ellrod and Richardson-number calculations derived from Open-Meteo pressure-level wind and temperature data. If a source is unavailable for a waypoint we show an em dash rather than invent a number.
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