Airport

Planning &
Management
Airport Planning & Management
Ridmi Hirimbura
 UNIT 04

COMPONENTS OF
AN AIRPORT
Part 01
 Components of an airport

Airside Airfield

Airspace
Airport
Terminal
Landside
Ground
Access
 Airfield
Runways

Taxiways

Airfield markings, areas, signage and

lighting
Airfield

NAVAIDS

ATC and Surveillance facilities

Weather reporting facilities

Security infrastructure
▪ Airfield - Area and facilities on the property of an airport to
facilitate movement of aircraft

▪ Airfield: Planned, designed and managed to accommodate the

volume and type of aircraft that utilize the airport.

Prominent facilities Facilities to aid safe operations

Aircraft rescue & fire fighting (ARFF)
Runways
Facilities
Taxiways Snow plowing

Aircraft parking areas Aircraft de-icing stations

Navigational aids Fuel facilities

Lighting systems

Signage and Marking

 Runway
• Most important facility on the airfield

• Strict and comprehensive regulations apply in the management

and planning of runway systems.

• Eg: Length, width, orientation, configuration, slope, thickness,

surrounding area etc.

• Runway operations are facilitated by system of;

✓ Markings
✓ Lighting systems
✓ Signage

• Provide directional guidance for aircraft taxiing, takeoff,

approach, and landing.
Runway configuration
• Runway configuration refers to the relative orientations of one
or more runways on an airfield.

• Fixed-wing aircraft rely on airflow over the aircraft's wings to

achieve flight.

• The appropriate and safe direction to take off and land an

aircraft is into the wind.

• Allows aircraft to achieve the desired amount of airflow over

the wings with the least amount of ground speed and takeoff
distance.

• As a result of this physical property of aircraft, airport runways

are typically oriented into the prevailing winds of the area.
• Runways oriented into the prevailing winds - Primary
runway(s).

• Most appropriate for aircraft to take off and land into the wind
- With a Headwind

• Least appropriate, and highly unsafe, to land or take off with a

wind blowing directly perpendicular to the direction of travel -
With a direct Crosswind
The basic configurations are:

Single Parallel
runways runways

Intersecting Open-V
runways runways
 SINGLE RUNWAY

• The simplest of the runway configurations.

• Capacity depends on the composition of the aircraft mix and navigational
aids available.
PARALLEL RUNWAY

• Capacity depends on the number of runways and on the spacing

between the runways.
• Spacing is classified as close, intermediate, and far
 INTERSECTING RUNWAY

• They are necessary when

relatively strong winds occur
from more than one direction.

• Capacity depends on the

location of the intersection

• When the winds are strong,

only one runway of a pair of
intersecting runways can be
used
OPEN-V RUNWAYS

• Open-V runways revert to a single runway when winds are strong

from one direction.

• When the winds are light, both runways may be used

simultaneously.
Runway designation
• Runways are designated by their orientation with respect to
magnetic north.

• Runways are identified by their degrees from magnetic north,

divided by 10, rounded to the nearest integer.

• A runway is identified by both of its possible operating

directions.

• When an airfield has parallel runways, each runway

designator is allocated a letter to identify whether it is the
Left (L) or Right (R) runway when viewed from an
approaching aircraft.
 04 400/10 = 04

400

2200

2200/10 = 22 22
Example: Two runways with an easterly runway orientation,
the nothern parallel runway would be designated 9L and the
southern runway, 9R.

If the two runways were operated in both east and west

directions, the northern and southern runways would be
designated 9L-27R and 9R-27t, respectively.
Runway Designator of BIA -

04/22
Runway length and Width
• Aircraft require given minimum distances to accelerate for
takeoff and to decelerate after landing.

• Runways are planned with specific lengths to accommodate

aircraft operations.

• Characteristics that determine the required length of a

runway include:
✓ Performance specifications of runway’s design aircraft
✓ Prevailing atmospheric condition
✓ MTOW
✓ Acceleration rate
✓ Safe lift off velocity of aircraft
✓ Elevation above sea level / MSL
✓ Outside air temperature
• Most air carrier jet aircraft require between 6,000 and
10,000 feet of runway length for takeoff at a typical
airport located at sea level.

• The width of a runway is determined by the design

aircraft.

• Specifically, the wingspan of the largest aircraft

performing operations determines the width of a
runway.

• Most common runway width planned to accommodate

commercial service air carrier operations is 150 feet
Runway Pavements
• With creation of heavier aircraft, it was necessary to stabilize
and strengthen the runway

• All commercial service airports have at least one paved

runway

• Runways may be constructed of flexible (asphalt) or rigid

(concrete)
 Concrete/ Rigid pavement Asphalt / Flexible
runway runway
Remain useful for 20-40 years Lasts between 15-20 years if properly
designed, maintained and constructed
Found at large commercial service Found at smaller airports
airports

Constructed by aligning a series of Much less expensive to construct than

concrete slabs connected by joints rigid pavement runways

Joint concrete slabs allow for

pavement contraction and expansion
in change in temperature
Runway Markings
• Mainly three types of markings for runways:

Visual

Non-precision instrument

Precision instrument

• Runway marking types reflect the types of navigational aids

associated with assisting aircraft on approach to land on the
runway.
1. Visual runway -
Intended solely for aircraft operations using visual approach
procedures.

2. Non-precision instrument runway -

An instrument approach procedure using air navigation
facilities with only horizontal guidance for straight-in
approach

3. Precision instrument runway –

An instrument approach procedure using a precision
instrument landing system (e.g., ILS) or Precision Approach
Radar (PAR) that provides both horizontal and vertical
guidance to the runway
Visual Runway

• Visual runways are used at small airstrips and are usually

just a strip of grass, gravel, ice, asphalt, or concrete.

• Do not provide an instrument-based landing procedure;

pilots must be able to see the runway to use it.
Non-precision Instrument Runway
Precision Instrument Runway
• All runway markings are painted in white
Runway Markings
Runway Designator:

• Identify the name of the runway by the runway’s orientation.

• The runway number is the whole number nearest one-tenth

the magnetic north the centerline of the runway

• The letters differentiate among left (L), right (R), or center (C)
parallel runways, as applicable.
Runway Centerlines

• Identify the center of the runway

• Provide alignment guidance during

takeoff and landings

• Consist of a line of uniformly

spaced stripes and gaps

Runway threshold markings:

• Identify the beginning of the runway available for landing

• Consist of a number of stripes related to the width of the

runway.
Runway Aiming points:

• Visual aiming points for a landing aircraft

• Two rectangular markings consist of a broad white strips

located on each side of the runway centerline

• It is the beginning of the runway allowable for landing

Touchdown Zone Markings:

• Identify the touchdown zone for landing operations

• Coded to provide distance information in 500 ft increments

for a distance of 2500 ft from threshold

• Markings consist of groups of one, two and three

rectangular bars, symmetrically arranged in pairs about the
centerline
Runway side stripes:

• Delineate the edges of the runway.

• They provide a visual contrast between the runway and

the abutting terrain or shoulders.

• Consist of continuous white stripes located on each side

of the runway.
Runway Lighting

• Important for nighttime aircraft operations or in poor

visibility weather conditions.

• Runway lighting systems include:

Approach Visual Glideslope Runway End

Lighting Systems Indicators Identifiers

Runway Edge In-runway

Light Systems Lighting Systems
Approach Lighting Systems (ALS)

• Approach lighting systems aid aircraft in properly aligning with

the runway on approach to landing.

• provide the basic means for aircraft to identify runways when

operating in poor weather conditions and when operating
under IFR.

IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) - Flights operate in reference to

the instruments in flight deck

• ALS are a configuration of signal lights starting at the landing

threshold and extending back from the runway, called the
approach area.
Visual Glideslope Indicators

• Lighting systems located adjacent to runways on the airfield

to assist aircraft with visually based vertical alignment on
approach to landing.

• The five most common visual glideslope indicators are:

✓ Visual Approach Slope Indicators (VASI)
✓ Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPI)
✓ Tricolor Systems
✓ Pulsating Systems
Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI)

• A system of lights so arranged to provide visual descent

guidance information during an aircraft’s approach to a
runway.

• These lights are visible from 3 to 5 miles during the day and
up to 20 miles or more at night.

• VASIs may consist of 2, 4, 6, 12, or 16 light units arranged in

bars referred to as near, middle, and far bars.

• The basic principle of the VASI is that of color differentiation

between red and white.
• Each light unit projects a beam of light having a white
segment in the upper part of the beam and red segment
in lower part of the beam

• The light units are arranged so that the pilot using the
VASIs during an approach will see the combination of
lights associated with their height relative to the
approach path.

Example:
➢ On two bar VASI, the glide slope is associated with the
pilot seeing red lights emanating from the far bar and
white lights from the near bar.
➢ Aircraft approaching below glide path, both bars would
be seen as having red lights

➢ Aircraft approaching above glide path both bars would be

seen as white
 Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)

• Uses light units installed in a single row of two or four light

units.

• Visual range of about 5 miles during the day and up to 20 miles

during night

• Row of light units installed on the left side of the runway

• PAPI light units are equipped with red and white light beams to
project various degrees of the glide path

• More precise than VASIs - Allows the pilot to judge

approximately how many degrees above or below the glide
path the aircraft is on approach by the number red versus white
lights observed.
Example: On a four(04) light PAPI

➢ Observing two red and two white lights denote on glide path

➢ Three red and one white light denotes slightly below glide
path

➢ Four red lights denote more degrees below glide path

Tricolor Visual Approach Slope Indicators

• Normally consist of a single light unit projecting a three-

color visual approach path to the runway.

• The below glide indication is red, the slightly below and

above glide path indications are amber, and the on glide
path indication is green.
Pulsating Visual Approach Slope Indicators

• Normally consist of a single light unit projecting a two-

color visual approach path to the runway.

• The on glide path indication is a steady white light.

The slightly below glide path indication is a steady red light.
If the aircraft descends further below the glide path, the red
light begins to pulsate.
Runway End Identifier Lights

• Provide rapid and positive identification of the approach

end of a runway.

• The system consists of a pair of synchronized flashing lights

located laterally on each side of the runway threshold.

• REILs may be either omnidirectional or unidirectional facing

the approach area.

• They are effective for identifying a runway that lacks

contrast with surrounding terrain, or a runway during
reduced visibility.
Runway Edge Light Systems

• Runway edge lights are used to outline the edges of

runways during periods of darkness or reduced visibility.

• These light systems are classified according to the intensity

or brightness they are capable of producing.

• Runway edge light systems include:

➢ HIRL-high-intensity runway lights

➢ MIRL-medium-intensity runway lights

➢ URL-low-intensity runway lights

• Runway edge lights are white, the last 2,000 feet or half the
runway length, whichever is less, is yellow to form a caution
zone for landings.

• Emit red light toward the runway to indicate the end of the
runway to a departing aircraft.

• Emit green outward from the runway to indicate the

threshold to landing aircraft.
In-Runway Lighting

Lighting system is integrated into the runway pavement:

Runway centerline lighting system –

▪ Installed on some precision instrument runways to facilitate
landing under reduced visibility conditions.

▪ They are located along the runway centerline and are spaced at
50-foot intervals.

▪ When viewed from the landing threshold, the runway

centerline lights are white until the last 3,000 ft of the runway.

▪ The white lights begin to alternate with red for the next 2,000
ft, and for the last 1,000 ft of runway, all centerline lights are
red.
Touchdown zone lights (TDZL)
• Installed on some precision approach runways to
indicate the touchdown zone when landing under
adverse visibility conditions.

• They consist of two rows of transverse light bars

disposed symmetrically about the runway centerline.