For a premature breakdown of a wing vortex pair +/-.GAMMA..sub.M behind an aircraft in flight (1) comprising a symmetry plane (7), two wings (3), a fuselage (2) and a horizontal tail plane (HTP) (4), the wing vortex pair +/-.GAMMA..sub.M being generated in the area of the tips of the wings (3), having a first spin direction and descending behind the aircraft, an interfering vortex pair -/+.GAMMA..sub.P, which is generated between the fuselage (2) and the tips of the wings (3) without merging already in the near field behind the wing (3) with the wing vortex pair +/-.GAMMA..sub.M and which has a second spin direction that is opposed to the first spin direction, is retained behind the aircraft (1) in an altitude range of the wing vortices of the wing vortex pair +/-.GAMMA..sub.M by adjusting to suitable values the relative circulation and the relative span of the interfering vortex pairs -/+.GAMMA..sub.P, each related to the wing vortex pair +/-.GAMMA..sub.M. The interfering vortex pair -/+.GAMMA..sub.P includes portions of a fuselage vortex pair -/+.GAMMA..sub.F, which is generated in the junction area of the wings (3) to the fuselage (2), and a tail plane vortex pair -/+.GAMMA..sub.H, which is generated in the area of the wing tips (5) of the horizontal tail plane (4).