airport

Basic aviation terms:

AIRPORT means a civil aerodrome designed for the take-off and landing of passenger-carrying aircraft for the general public and/or cargo aircraft.

AERODROME means any area of land or water designed for the taking off and landing of aircraft.

RUNWAY means a rectangular strip designed for aircraft to take off and land.

TAXIWAY means a rectangular strip designed for aircraft to get to and from the runway.

AIRSIDE means the part of the airport where the aircraft take off and land, load, or unload.

LANDSIDE means the part of an airport farthest from the aircraft.

APRON means an area of tarmac, concrete, etc., outside a hangar for parking aircraft.

RUNWAY INCURSION means the unauthorized entry onto a runway by an aircraft, a vehicle, a person or an object. In such situations there is a serious danger to any airplane which may be taking off or landing.

HOTSPOT means a point in an airport where there is danger of runway incursions.

AIRPORT SIGNAGE means letters, numbers and symbols that are positioned around an airport to show pilots where they are and which way to go.

AIRPORT

AIRPORT means a civil aerodrome designed for the take-off and landing of passenger-carrying aircraft for the general public and/or cargo aircraft.

Airports are divided into airside and landside areas.

Airside areas are where the airplanes can be found. These include RWs and TWs, as well as stand, where AC are parked for providing direct access to the terminal building through an air bridge or jetway. The airside area also includes the apron, where several AC may park at a distance from the terminal buildings.

Access to all airside areas is subject to tight security controls. Landside areas, on the other hand, which include shops, restaurants, car parks and check-in areas, are more accessible to the general public.

ATC is usually provided from a control tower situated on-site. At major airports ATC is separated into ground control and tower control. Approach control handles aircraft which have just taken off or are about to land. En route traffic is controlled at an area control centre, which can be situated anywhere, as the AC are only visible on a controller’s radar screen.

At every airport there is a number of supplementary services such as rescue and security services, an airport clinic, a fire brigade, special vehicles and equipment units (water trucks, tow tractors, etc.).

Other services include maintenance, overhaul and repair of stationary and mobile equipment, the supply of electricity, water, heat and air conditioning.