The ten miles trail comes form required spacing for landing. At about 30-40 miles out if you are less than 10 miles behind and the same speed, the runway won't be clear when you need a landing clearance.
I'm sorry but every international airport that I have flown to/from outside good OL Aus (and there has been a few) requires a 5 mile separation between landing aircraft and the runway is always bloody well clear every time. Yet we require 10?
A lot of things may have been "done to death" but air traffic control in this country continues to be inefficient and amongst the worst I have experienced anywhere in the world year in year out. Despite the whatever we hear from ASA the "emperor continues to be naked".
Nothing personal towards anyone, just a cold hard fact.
