Airport

I

Introduction

Airport, transportation center used for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. Airports provide transportation not only for people but also for freight, such as mail, perishable foods, and other important items.

An airport is composed of several areas and structures that are designed to serve the needs of both aircraft and passengers. Runways are the long, narrow areas where airplanes take off and land. Taxiways are paths that aircraft follow from the runways to the terminal building, where passengers board and exit aircraft at areas called gates located within the terminal. The terminal also contains ticket and baggage counters. The control tower is located near the terminal. From this tower, people involved in air traffic control coordinate aircraft movement both in the air and on the ground. Maintenance and refueling facilities for aircraft are located near the runways or in nearby hangars. For security purposes, access to major airports is usually limited to special roads. Many airports have large automobile parking areas or multistory ramps to accommodate travelers.

Airports are among the busiest transportation centers. The business they create is vital to the world economy and individual national economies. In the United States, over 500 airports provide airline passenger service to about 600 million people annually. These airports also handle about 15 million metric tons of air cargo each year. Canada’s 26 airports in its National Airport System provide service to about 60 million passengers annually. The total annual economic impact of U.S. airports is estimated at over $500 billion. This value includes the price of airfares purchased by passengers, the salaries of airline and airport employees, taxes, and indirect earnings from related businesses and industries. Airports are so important economically that many companies will not locate factories or offices in cities that do not have an adequate airport.

The busiest passenger airports in the world are Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago-O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, near Dallas, Texas; and Heathrow Airport in London, England.

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II

Types of Airports

Airports differ in size and layout depending on their function and the types of aircraft that use them. There are three major types of airports: military airports, general aviation airports, and commercial airports. Military airports have one or two paved runways, generally 3,000 to 4,600 m (10,000 to 15,000 ft) long. These airports are used only by military aircraft.

General aviation airports, which cater to small civilian aircraft, are smaller than commercial airports. They are often found in rural areas or in small towns. General aviation airports have one or two runways from 900 to 1,500 m (3,000 to 5,000 ft) long. Some runways at general aviation airports are paved, but many are simply grass-covered paths. Facilities vary widely at general aviation airports, depending on the size of the airport.

Commercial airports are used by airlines. These airports may be small or large. Small commercial airports have one or two runways from 1,800 to 2,400 m (6,000 to 8,000 ft) long and can accommodate larger aircraft than general aviation airports can. Large commercial airports serve the world’s major cities. They usually have pairs of parallel runways from 3,000 to 3,700 m (10,000 to 12,000 ft) in length. Airports approved as destinations for flights from other countries are known as international airports.

III

Airport Operations

Commercial airports are designed to transfer passengers and freight to and from aircraft. In order to accomplish this transfer as efficiently and as safely as possible, airport operations are grouped into four general areas: aircraft services, passenger and freight services, support services, and airport security. Aircraft services focus on the flight, maintenance, and refueling of aircraft at the airport, as well as on air traffic control around the airport. Passenger services are centered in the terminal building, where passengers purchase tickets, load and retrieve baggage, and enter and exit aircraft. Terminals are designed in a variety of ways depending on the needs and size of a given airport. Airports also provide many support services indirectly related to air travel, such as restaurants, shops, parking, and aircraft emergency services. Finally, airport security involves ensuring the safety of passengers and aircraft by screening passengers and their luggage for weapons or explosives.

A

Aircraft Services

The primary requirement of aircraft at an airport is an adequate runway. The runway of an airport allows aircraft to land at and take off from the airport. Airport runways are arranged to permit the maximum number of safe takeoffs and landings in all weather conditions. Runway designs at airports differ according to the type of aircraft the runway serves, the prevailing wind direction and speed, and the availability of land. Environmental factors such as nearby wildlife or obstructions to navigation such as mountains must also be considered when building runways.

Many airports have more than one runway. Parallel runways at civilian airports must be separated by at least 1,300 m (4,300 ft) if simultaneous approaches are to be allowed on both runways. If runways are closer together than that, aircraft landings and takeoffs must be staggered to ensure that a safe degree of separation exists between aircraft during flight. Good design practices require each runway to have a parallel taxiway so aircraft can enter or leave the runway as directly as possible. Taxiways are short paths followed by aircraft that connect the runways to an area called the apron, which surrounds the terminal gates. When an airplane lands, it moves from the runway to the taxiway, so that other aircraft can use the runway. Aircraft preparing to take off wait on the taxiway until the runway is clear. To aid in night landings and increase visibility in foul weather, runways are lit with white edge lights and taxiways are lined with blue edge lights.

The control tower is a structure located at or near the terminal. It manages all air traffic at the airport. The tower is centrally located and elevated so that an unobstructed view of the airport can be maintained from the tower at all times. Controllers inside the tower issue taxiing instructions to guide aircraft both to and from the runways and ensure that aircraft do not land or take off until the runways are clear.

At larger airports, smaller additional towers are staffed by airline employees who control the ground operations of the airlines they work for. The airline tower staff manages the flow of ground vehicles and aircraft in the immediate vicinity of the terminal building. It also coordinates baggage, fuel, and food service. Other airline employees provide pilots with final flight information, such as the passenger list and the latest weather information.

Ground crews working on the apron area near the gates help maintain aircraft in between flights. They load baggage, restock food and other supplies, perform routine maintenance, and refuel aircraft. Fuel is normally stored in large tanks above ground and transported to aircraft either by underground pumping facilities or by refueling trucks. Repair facilities range from small facilities housed in a single hangar to large complexes that employ thousands of trained maintenance technicians. In cold climates, ground crews also work to keep runways and aircraft free of snow and ice.

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