Questions tagged [airport-design]
Questions about the planning and design of airports: both the manoeuvring area itself, and the services and passenger facilities.
96
questions
26
votes
4answers
12k views
Why do airports in the UK have so few runways?
Almost all of the major airports in the United Kingdom are single-runway (or functionally-single-runway) installations, with only two of the very busiest (Heathrow and Manchester) having as many as ...
1
vote
1answer
137 views
Why aren't airports built with future expansion in mind? [closed]
There are currently numerous controversies around the world in regards to airport expansion, where local residents are opposed to new runways or changes in the hours of operation. The most famous ...
2
votes
1answer
123 views
Is a Compass Swing Platform part of a runway or taxiway?
I am trying to work out if the compass swing platform is part of the runway or taxiway.
0
votes
1answer
114 views
Chicago O’Hare - Two Towers? [duplicate]
Why does ORD have two towers? I flew in there for a connecting flight this last weekend and saw two towers standing, one obviously larger than the other.
0
votes
3answers
337 views
What is the area between the taxiway and runway shown in the picture below?
Is this the Arresting area? I'm not too sure what you call this area
38
votes
1answer
5k views
Why can't some airports handle heavy aircraft while others do it easily (same runway length)?
As I've seen in this video, they operate flights from Bournemouth airport all the way to Barbados on a Boeing 787-8. As Bournemouth runway length is 2,271 m (7,451 ft), it can handle aircraft such as ...
-4
votes
3answers
541 views
Would building an airport at 30,000 ft save money?
So... this would obviously cost a ton of money initially, but long-term, I believe the savings both environmentally and financially would be returned many times over.
If a building can already be ...
62
votes
1answer
9k views
Why are Gatwick's runways too close together?
Gatwick Airport has two runways (08L/26R and 08R/26L), but they are only 200 metres apart - too close (by just ten metres) to allow simultaneous operations on both runways. As a result, usually only ...
11
votes
2answers
4k views
Why does Beijing's new Daxing airport have so few gates?
There is a lot of press about the Daxing airport, touting that it will be one of the largest in the world in terms of passenger capacity. The images of the terminal build are indeed beautiful.
But ...
0
votes
4answers
349 views
Why don't short runways use (downhill) ramps for takeoff?
This is a followup on question: Why don't short runways use ramps for takeoff?
There are multiple answers to that question that answer why an uphill ramp at the end of the runway does not make ...
37
votes
9answers
16k views
Why don't short runways use ramps for takeoff?
Say you had a runway for light aircraft, but only 700 meters or so of runway. Wouldn't it help to end the runway with a ramp that is ~40 meters above ground and slightly facing the sky at a gradient ...
2
votes
0answers
58 views
How are parallel runways named if there are more than 2 or 3? [duplicate]
I know that it's very common for runways to have a parallel neighbor, and they're normally called left and right. I have also seen some runways called "center" if there are three parallel runways.
...
34
votes
2answers
9k views
Why are Oscar, India, and X-Ray (O, I, and X) not used as taxiway identifiers?
An old CAR "Licensing of Aerodromes" document indicated that taxiways may not be designated by O, I, or X.
Is this still in effect today? Why were (or are) those not used as taxiway identifiers?
My ...
26
votes
5answers
5k views
Why do airports remove/realign runways?
When looking at Google Earth, I often find myself looking for airports. I often notice that no matter what size airport, over time many of them have abandoned old runways and built new runways in ...
3
votes
0answers
184 views
What are these protuberances on the north edge of runway 10/28 at Mataveri?
The single runway (10/28) at Mataveri International Airport (IPC/SCIP) on Rapa Nui1 has (at least according to Google Maps) a few paved protuberances emanating from partway down its northern edge ...
35
votes
4answers
2k views
Do any airports have runways or taxiways that cross active rail lines at grade?
Gibraltar has a runway which crosses an active road at grade (which, due to the peninsula’s geography and the resulting constraints on the airport’s location, happens to be the main road connecting ...
32
votes
1answer
7k views
What is the purpose of a walled area in the vicinity of Heathrow Airport?
Looking at a satellite map to the East of Heathrow Airport, there is a small passenger jet parked in a walled off area. Looking at the aerodrome chart the entire area is listed as Bealine Base, which ...
0
votes
0answers
49 views
Aerodrome category, certification?
I need to know how you tell the certification of new airport just built? how can you tell if airport is certified for International flights or not? approved for intl flights or not meeting ...
17
votes
2answers
4k views
What do these white on red words indicate on a London Heathrow taxiway chart?
What do the words in white block capital letters over a red background denote on this aerodrome chart of LHR?
1
vote
4answers
579 views
Why don't airports have weigh stations to prevent overweight takeoffs?
Currently, ensuring that an airplane isn't overweight when it takes off relies on the cargo handlers loading the aircraft properly and accurately documenting (on the weight-and-balance sheet) what ...
23
votes
1answer
6k views
Is it possible to drive into Gibraltar Airport's runway?
The runway of Gibraltar Airport crosses an active 4 lane highway
Example Video.
My question is are there any security measures which prevent normal traffic from entering the airport through the ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
Are taxiways numbered in a predictable order?
When taxiing at an airport without a full-blown airport diagram (most commonly, a non-towered airport), how does a pilot know whether taxiway A (Alpha) is on one end of a runway, or the other? Or, in ...
50
votes
13answers
14k views
Is there any combination of two airports that are connected via taxiways?
Are there any 2 (or more) airports that are ground-connected so that e.g. aircraft can taxi between them? Would that be even possible from a definition point of view, having a common area with two ...
3
votes
3answers
234 views
What runway materials reduce skidding in wet conditions?
What are the possible materials that can be used on a runway, so as to reduce the plane speed and certainly stop the plane while preventing skidding when the runway is wet?
3
votes
1answer
277 views
Are there any airports that require arriving/departing flights to fly under an obstruction?
Are there any airports with approaches and/or departures that require pilots to fly under an obstruction at some point (thus meaning that, for at least a short segment of the approach or departure, ...
17
votes
2answers
5k views
Why so much ground time at Frankfurt Airport?
Disclaimer: Total layman here.
I frequently fly into and out of Frankfurt Airport (FRA) with regional jets (flight time advertised as 45 minutes) and one thing that everyone is always annoyed about ...
3
votes
7answers
2k views
Has this “straight through” airport design ever been contemplated?
Here's an airport, with some planes on the various runways/taxiways and some using the terminal ..
(airliners in green)
Airport/terminal design is really tricky.
There are many spatial problems ...
3
votes
2answers
365 views
Why are some taxiways named with two characters?
The picture above is a diagram of the Taoyuan Airport, Taipei, and as you can see in the diagram, some taxiways are named with two characters like “NC, NP, WC.” My question is: Is there any good ...
7
votes
2answers
336 views
Do any airbridges move vertically to match arrival/departure halls?
One of the things that always baffles me is that airports almost always have the arrivals and departures sections on different levels, but that you exit the aircraft into the departures hall. In some ...
7
votes
3answers
2k views
Why not a second airbridge at the back? [duplicate]
Airbridges slow boarding and disembarking because (normally) there's only one door in use. But... why?
Now the most obvious reason would be that it's very easy to have the aircraft pull forward until ...
4
votes
1answer
544 views
Why is there such a long displaced threshold on 22R at JFK/KJFK?
This video seems to raise a whole bunch of questions, but here's one I have:
Why such a long displaced landing threshold on 22R at JFK/KJFK? (Scroll down to the 4L/22R section for details.)
...
7
votes
2answers
996 views
What is the purpose of this loop in a taxiway?
This image is of Mariscal Sucre International Airport near Quito, Ecuador. (Official site / in English)
What is the purpose of the loop in the taxiway plainly visible in this image?
From Google ...
2
votes
1answer
255 views
Are taxiways always one-way towards a specific, fixed direction?
I was studying the airport diagram of JFK and I began to wonder if aircrafts use taxiways as a one-way road. In case they do, is the direction of a taxiway fixed or does it change according to the ...
2
votes
1answer
721 views
How can I calculate the Obstacle Free Zone of an aerodrome?
How can I calculate the Obstacle Free Zone of an aerodrome?
3
votes
3answers
1k views
Why do simultaneous-ops parallel runways need to be so far apart?
In the answers to this question about Denver's widely-scattered pinwheel of runways and this question about Schiphol's runway out in the middle of nowhere, it's mentioned that parallel runways are ...
1
vote
1answer
4k views
What is the difference between a Stand and Gate in Airports? How do they differ ?
I have seen Aircrafts having been assigned a Stand and Gate, So wanted to know whether the stand and gate are same physical location of airport or they are different but have link between them.
11
votes
1answer
1k views
Are there any “captains-only” airports in the U.S.?
Some airports in the world only allow captains to take off or land the aircraft, due to airport design or environmental conditions (obstacles, high winds).
Examples include:
Funchal (Madeira, ...
10
votes
1answer
633 views
How will aiport operations at KOAK be affected when taxiway W is promoted to a runway?
For the record, my question is not about mistakenly using a taxiway as a runway.
I've noticed recent changes to the sectional and TAC VFR maps around Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK/...
9
votes
1answer
388 views
Why is London City getting a virtual tower?
(Source)
London City is not a remote-low-traffic airport. Staffing a remote airport is like having lighthouse keepers. That I understand.
And yet the tower will be closed, and moved off-airport to ...
3
votes
2answers
302 views
Are gate ramps sloped?
If you’ve ever seen an airliner park at its gate, you’ll likely note that sometimes it will move beyond slightly beyond its designated parking line. However, you may see that after the brakes are ...
18
votes
4answers
1k views
Why does the Las Vegas Airport have three control towers?
Why does the Las Vegas Airport have three control towers? I just noticed, and I find it a little weird. There should only be one... Does anybody know details on how this came about? And how they work ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
What are the dimensions of the parking apron?
What are the approximate dimensions of the apron aircraft zones, ramp, aircraft stands such as Airbus A380, Boeing B737, F16.
5
votes
1answer
331 views
Why all the taxiway construction at PHL?
Perusing Google Earth around Philadelphia, I noticed some new taxiway construction at PHL/KPHL. The "time machine" feature of GE shows this to be new (latest imagery data is May 2016)--the paved ...
8
votes
1answer
890 views
Telluride (KTEX): Why is the localizer antenna located where the glideslope should be?
Telluride (KTEX) in Colorado, USA:
Source
As visible, the localizer antenna for RWY 09 is located where the glideslope antenna is usually found, abeam the touch down zone. The localizer is normally ...
7
votes
2answers
2k views
Why building a stopway instead of just building a longer runway? [duplicate]
I don't get the point of building a stopway. If you have the space to build a stopway, you could just extend the length of the runway.
Why are stopways necessary?
77
votes
4answers
12k views
Why do control towers have tilted glass panels?
Almost all control towers I've seen have tilted glass panels:
Amsterdam-Schiphol tower (EHAM), source.
What is the reason behind this choice?
How is the tilt angle determined?
3
votes
1answer
818 views
What is the circular pavement at the end of a runway called? [duplicate]
What is the circular pavement at the end of a runway called where aircraft turn 180 degrees to then backtrack? Is the term runway turning bay appropriate for that?
The problem is that there is a ...
7
votes
3answers
6k views
Why are most runways laid out in a generally East-West direction?
Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally the magnetic azimuth of the runway's heading in decadegrees. From what I have read, most airport runways are aligned along an East-...
4
votes
3answers
589 views
Would it be viable to use jet blast deflectors as a power source?
From an environmental point of view would installation of windmills just before jet blast deflectors provide enough power to power up all machinery at airports? How much of a reduction in reliance on ...
27
votes
3answers
9k views
Why is Heraklion airport a 'captains only' airport?
I was recently watching "EasyJet: Inside The Cockpit" and it said pilots need 4 shoulder stripes to land at Heraklion International Airport, “Nikos Kazantzakis” (IATA: HER, ICAO: LGIR), but it didn't ...
