What Is CAT III Autoland?
When the runway is invisible, the airplane lands itself. The 2026 explainer on CAT III autoland — the technology that keeps SFO, ORD, and HEL operating in fog.
FlightyFlow Team·· 6 min read
The 30-second answer
CAT III autoland is a low-visibility instrument-landing-system (ILS) approach where the autopilot — not the pilots — flies the airplane to touchdown. The aircraft, the airport's ILS, and the crew must all be CAT III certified.
Why it exists
In fog or low-visibility conditions where the human eye can't see the runway, the autopilot can. Modern autoland systems land more smoothly than most humans.
Limitations
- Requires CAT III certified airport ILS (not all runways).
- Requires certified aircraft (most modern Boeing/Airbus widebodies and many narrowbodies).
- Requires trained crew with current autoland qualification.
- Often slower departures while low-visibility procedures are in effect.
Track delays driven by low visibility
FlightyFlow flags CAT II/III conditions at known fog-prone hubs in its delay-risk model.
#autoland#CAT III#ILS#aviation
Track your next flight with FlightyFlow
Free on the App Store. Live aircraft, smart alerts, and beautiful flight pages — built for iPhone.