Airport Basic Components

OVERALL COMPONENTS OF AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
(Airside &Landside)
Airports are links between ground transportation and air transportation. An airport consists of at
least one runway and the buildings necessary for takeoff and landing. An Airport can also be
defined as an airfield equipped with control tower and hangars as well as accommodations for
passengers and cargo.

An airport has two major components; an airfield (airside) and terminals (landside). A typical
airfield is composed of a runway for takeoffs and landings as well as two (or one) parallel
taxiing lanes (taxiway). Connecting lanes between the runway and the taxiing lanes usually
have an angle permitting the quick exit from the runway for planes that have just landed.
Modern airfield designs provide two of three exiting options per landing direction depending of
the plane's size. A small aircraft will take less distance to brake than a large aircraft and has
thus the opportunity to exit the runway, freeing valuable takeoff or landing slots., freeing
valuable takeoff or landing slots.
Common category of Terminal Design:
The linear orientation of terminals (1) allows several planes to board passengers at
the same time (through jet bridges) and represents one of the most common terminal
design. The drawbackoffthis type of terminal is when they are of large size, movdhis
type of terminal is when they are of large size, movements of passengers and luggage
can be long particularly if they are used as hubs (e.g. Frankfurt, Chicago, Brussels,
Minneapolis / St. Paul).particularly if they are used as hubs (e.g. Frankfurt, Chicago,
Brussels, Minneapolis / St. Paul).
The islet (2), or satellite, is an answer to the lack of terminal space problem by
permitting the stowage of several planes on a smaller terminal surface. The satellite is
often linked to the rest of the airport by a hall or an underground passage (e.g. Charles
de Gaulle, Terminal 1, Dallas/Fort Worth).
Some airports opt for shuttles (3), which enables to reduce the size of the terminal and
maximize the number of planes that can be serviced but may involve longer boarding
times. This type of design is however less common for a whole terminal, but commonly
applied to parts of a larger terminal. This can be the case for smaller domestic planes
that are parked on a pad and serviced by buses. In situations of congestion shuttles can
be used for unloading passengers, which frees valuable gates for boarding. In a normal
situation, freight planes are loaded and unloaded by shuttles (haulers bringing air unit
load devices), so the shuttles design is prevalent in air cargo operations.

BASIC COMPONENTS OF AN AIRPORT

a. Parking Areas
b. Vehicle Driveways
c. Terminal Buildings
d. Apron Gate Areas
e. Taxiway Systems
f. Runway

Runways
A runway is the area where an aircraft lands or takes off. It can be grass, or packed dirt, or a
hard surface such as asphalt or concrete. Runways have special markings on them to help a
pilot in the air to tell that it is a runway (and not a road) and to help them when they are
landing or taking off. Runway markings are white.
Most runways have numbers on the end. The number is the runway's compass direction. (For
example, runway numbered 36 would be pointing north or 360 degrees). Some airports have
more than one runway going in the same direction, so they add letters to the end of the
number R for right, C for center, and L for left. The other end of the runway is pointing in the
opposite direction, so it gets a different number. The runway called 36 would be called 18 (for
180 degrees) if you were looking at it from the other end.
Taxiways
Taxiways are areas used by the aircraft to get to and from their parking place and the runway.
Taxiways look a lot like runways, but they usually aren't as wide as the runway, and they don't
have the same kind of markings. Taxiway markings are yellow. Instead of numbers, taxiways
use letters (like A, B, or C) for names. Like runways, taxiways are meant for aircraft use. Never
drive your vehicle on a taxiway unless you are authorized to do so.
TYPESOF OPERATION
Airports provide two types of operations: land and aircraft.
The land operations are the different activities occurring at the landside of the airport and they
include:
Embarking, disembarking and transferring of passengers, crew, and cargo
Storage and warehousing of merchandise on land
Provide inland access and intermodal connections
Complementary services to shipping carriers
Provide immigration and customs checkpoints
The aircraft operations take place at the airside of the airport:
Provide Air Traffic Control Services
Weather observations
Control aircraft on the runway and in the controlled airspace immediately surrounding
the airport
All other operations involving the landing and movement of aircraft across the airfield
OPERATIONAL FLOW
The airport operational flow has different functions that can go in two different directions: from
land to air (red), and from air to land (green). Depending on the direction, the operations
may vary.

Land to air
Terminal operations
Gate/Apron operations
Controlling and preparing takeoffs
Holding Bay operations (taxiing)
Takeoff/Runway operations
Air to land
Control and prepare for landing
Landing/runway operations
Taxiing
Gate/Apron Operations
Terminal Operations

Airport Basic Components

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OVERALL COMPONENTS OF AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

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