Airport - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

Sample infrastructure of an airport
Airport distribution in 2008

Part of Terminal 3 of the Dubai
International Airport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An airport is a location where aircraft such
as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and
blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be
stored or maintained at an airport. An airport
consists of at least one surface such as a
runway for a plane to take off and land, a
helipad, or water for takeoffs and landings,
and often includes buildings such as control
towers, hangars and terminal buildings.
Larger airports may have fixed base operator
services, seaplane docks and ramps, air
traffic control, passenger facilities such as
restaurants and lounges, and emergency
services. A military airport, in the US, is
known as an airbase or air station.
A seaplane base is an area of open water
used regularly by seaplanes or amphibious
aircraft for landing and taking off.
1 Terminology
2 Infrastructure
2.1 Airport ownership and
operation
2.2 Airport structures
2.3 Products and services
2.4 Premium and VIP services
2.5 Cargo and freight services
2.6 Support services
2.7 Airport access
2.8 Internal transport
2.9 History and development
3 Airport designation and naming
4 Airport security
5 Airport operations
5.1 Air traffic control
sc)
Airport - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airport
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Air bridges at Oslo Airport in a
Icelandair Boeing 757-200
5.2 Traffic pattern
5.3 Navigational aids
5.4 Taxiway signs
5.5 Lighting
5.6 Weather observations
5.7 Safety management
6 Airport ground crew
7 Environmental concerns
8 Military airbase
9 Airports in entertainment
10 Airstrip
11 Airport directories
12 See also
13 Notes and references
14 Bibliography
15 References
16 External links
The terms aerodrome, airfield, and airstrip may also be used to refer to
airports, and the terms heliport, seaplane base, and STOLport refer to
airports dedicated exclusively to helicopters, seaplanes, or short take-off
and landing aircraft.
In colloquial use, the terms airport and aerodrome are often interchanged.
However, in general, the term airport may imply or confer a certain stature
upon the aviation facility that an aerodrome may not have achieved. In
some jurisdictions, airport is a legal term of art reserved exclusively for
those aerodromes certified or licensed as airports by the relevant national
aviation authority after meeting specified certification criteria or regulatory
requirements.
[1]
That is to say, all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. In jurisdictions where there is no
legal distinction between aerodrome and airport, which term to use in the name of an aerodrome may be a
commercial decision.
Smaller or less-developed airports, which represent the vast majority, often have a single runway shorter than
1,000 m (3,300 ft). Larger airports for airline flights generally have paved runways 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or longer.
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The passenger terminal buildings at
Incheon International Airport,
Incheon, South Korea
The Berlin Brandenburg Airport is
publicly financed by the states of
Berlin and Brandenburg and the
Federal Republic of Germany.
Many small airports have dirt, grass, or gravel runways, rather than
asphalt or concrete.
In the United States, the minimum dimensions for dry, hard landing
fields are defined by the FAR Landing And Takeoff Field Lengths.
These include considerations for safety margins during landing and
takeoff. Heavier aircraft require longer runways.
The longest public-use runway in the world is at Qamdo Bangda Airport
in China. It has a length of 5,500 m (18,045 ft). The world's widest
paved runway is at Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport in Russia and is 105 m
(344 ft) wide.
As of 2009, the CIA stated that there were approximately 44,000 "...
airports or airfields recognizable from the air" around the world,
including 15,095 in the US, the US having the most in the world.
[2][3]
Airport ownership and operation
Most of the world's airports are owned by local, regional, or national
government bodies who then lease the airport to private corporations
who oversee the airport's operation. For example, in the United
Kingdom the state-owned British Airports Authority originally operated
eight of the nation's major commercial airports - it was subsequently
privatized in the late 1980s, and following its takeover by the Spanish
Ferrovial consortium in 2006, has been further divested and downsized
to operating just five. Germany's Frankfurt Airport is managed by the
quasi-private firm Fraport. While in India GMR Group operates, through
joint ventures, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Rajiv Gandhi
International Airport. Bengaluru International Airport and Chhatrapati
Shivaji International Airport are controlled by GVK Group. The rest of
India's airports are managed by the Airports Authority of India.
In the United States commercial airports are generally operated directly by government entities or government-
created airport authorities (also known as port authorities), such as the Los Angeles World Airports authority
that oversees several airports in the Greater Los Angeles area, including Los Angeles International Airport.
In Canada, the federal authority, Transport Canada, divested itself of all but the remotest airports in 1999/2000.
Now most airports in Canada are owned and operated by individual legal authorities or are municipally owned.
Many US airports still lease part or all of their facilities to outside firms, who operate functions such as retail
management and parking. In the US, all commercial airport runways are certified by the FAA under the Code of
Federal Regulations Title 14 Part 139, "Certification of Commercial Service Airports"
[4]
but maintained by the
local airport under the regulatory authority of the FAA.
Despite the reluctance to privatize airports in the US (despite the FAA sponsoring a privatization program since
1996), the government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) arrangement is the standard for the operation of
commercial airports in the rest of the world.
Airport structures
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Terminal structures at Sheremetyevo International Airport
The apron from the top floor
observation room, Halifax
International Airport, Canada
Airports are divided into landside and airside areas.
Landside areas include parking lots, public
transportation train stations and access roads.
Airside areas include all areas accessible to aircraft,
including runways, taxiways and ramps. Access
from landside areas to airside areas is tightly
controlled at most airports. Passengers on
commercial flights access airside areas through
terminals, where they can purchase tickets, clear
security check, or claim luggage and board aircraft
through gates. The waiting areas which provide
passenger access to aircraft are typically called
concourses, although this term is often used
interchangeably with terminal.
The area where aircraft park next to a terminal to load passengers and
baggage is known as a ramp (or "the tarmac"). Parking areas for aircraft
away from terminals are called aprons.
Airports can be towered or non-towered, depending on air traffic density
and available funds. Due to their high capacity and busy airspace, many
international airports have air traffic control located on site.
Airports with international flights have customs and immigration
facilities. However, as some countries have agreements that allow travel
between them without customs and immigrations, such facilities are not
a definitive need for an international airport. International flights often
require a higher level of physical security, although in recent years,
many countries have adopted the same level of security for international
and domestic travel.
Some airport structures include on-site hotels built within or attached to a terminal building. Airport hotels have
grown popular due to their convenience for transient passengers and easy accessibility to the airport terminal.
Many airport hotels also have agreements with airlines to provide overnight lodging for displaced passengers.
"Floating airports" are being designed which could be located out at sea and which would use designs such as
pneumatic stabilized platform technology.
Products and services
Most major airports provide commercial outlets for products and services. Most of these companies, many of
which are internationally known brands, are located within the departure areas. These include clothing
boutiques and restaurants. Prices charged for items sold at these outlets are generally higher than those outside
the airport. However, some airports now regulate costs to keep them comparable to "street prices". This term is
misleading as prices often match the manufacturers' suggested retail price (MSRP) but are almost never
discounted.
Apart from major fast food chains, some airport restaurants offer regional cuisine specialties for those in transit
so that they may sample local food or culture without leaving the airport.
[5]
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Food court and shops, Halifax
Stanfield International Airport,
Canada
Duty-free shop at Suvarnabhumi
International Airport in Bangkok,
Thailand
Shahjalal International Airport's VIP
Terminal, Dhaka, Bangladesh
The waiting hall at the international
departure lounge, Chennai
International Airport, Chennai, India
Major airports in such countries
as Russia and J apan offer
miniature sleeping units within
the airport that are available for
rent by the hour. The smallest
type is the capsule hotel popular
in J apan. A slightly larger variety
is known as a sleep box. An even
larger type is provided by the
company YOTEL.
Premium and VIP services
Airports may also contain premium and VIP services. The premium and
VIP services may include express check-in& dedicated check-in
counters. These services are usually reserved for First and Business class
passengers, premium frequent flyers, and members of the airline's clubs.
Premium services may sometimes be open to passengers who are
members of a different airline's frequent flyer program. This can
sometimes be part of a reciprocal deal, as when multiple airlines are part
of the same alliance, or as a ploy to attract premium customers away
from rival airlines.
Sometimes these premium
services will be offered to a
non-premium passenger if the
airline has made a mistake in handling of the passenger, such as
unreasonable delays or mishandling of checked baggage.
Airline lounges frequently offer free or reduced cost food, as well as
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. Lounges themselves typically
have seating, showers, quiet areas, televisions, computer, Wi-Fi and
Internet access, and power outlets that passengers may use for their
electronic equipment. Some airline lounges employ baristas, bartenders
and gourmet chefs.
Airlines sometimes operate multiple lounges within the one airport
terminal allowing ultra-premium customers, such as first class customers, additional services, which are not
available to other premium customers. Multiple lounges may also prevent overcrowding of the lounge facilities.
Cargo and freight services
In addition to people, airports move cargo around the clock. Cargo airlines often have their own on-site and
adjacent infrastructure to transfer parcels between ground and air.
Cargo Terminal Facilities are areas where international airports export cargo has to be stored after customs
clearance and prior to loading on the aircraft. Similarly import cargo that is offloaded needs to be in bond before
the consignee decides to take delivery. Areas have to be kept aside for examination of export and import cargo
by the airport authorities. Designated areas or sheds may be given to airlines or freight forward ring agencies.
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Recife International Airport in
Recife, Brazil.
Every cargo terminal has a landside and an airside. The landside is where the exporters and importers through
either their agents or by themselves deliver or collect shipments while the airside is where loads are moved to or
from the aircraft. In addition cargo terminals are divided into distinct areas export, import and interline or
transhipment
Support services
Aircraft and Passenger Boarding Bridges Maintenance, Pilot Operations,
Commissioning, Training Services, aircraft rental, and hangar rental are
most often performed by a fixed base operator (FBO). At major airports,
particularly those used as hubs, airlines may operate their own support
facilities.
Some airports, typically military airbases, have long runways used as
emergency landing sites. Many airbases have arresting equipment for
fast aircraft, known as arresting gear a strong cable suspended just
above the runway and attached to a hydraulic reduction gear mechanism.
Together with the landing aircraft's arresting hook, it is used in situations
where the aircraft's brakes would be insufficient by themselves.
In the United States, many larger civilian airports also host an Air National Guard base.
Airport access
Many large airports are located near railway trunk routes for seamless connection of multimodal transport, for
instance Frankfurt Airport, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, London Heathrow Airport, London Gatwick Airport
and London Stansted Airport. It is also common to connect an airport and a city with rapid transit, light rail
lines or other non-road public transport systems. Some examples of this would include the AirTrain J FK at J ohn
F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Link Light Rail that runs from the heart of downtown Seattle to
SeattleTacoma International Airport, and the Silver Line T at Boston's Logan International Airport by the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Such a connection lowers risk of missed flights due to
traffic congestion. Large airports usually have access also through controlled-access highways ('freeways' or
'motorways') from which motor vehicles enter either the departure loop or the arrival loop.
Internal transport
The distances passengers need to move within a large airport can be substantial. It is common for airports to
provide moving walkways and buses. The HartsfieldJ ackson Atlanta International Airport has a tram that takes
people through the concourses and baggage claim. Major airports with more than one terminal offer inter-
terminal transportation, such as Mexico City International Airport, where the domestic building of Terminal 1 is
connected by Aerotrn to Terminal 2, on the other side of the airport.
History and development
The earliest aircraft takeoff and landing sites were grassy fields. The plane could approach at any angle that
provided a favorable wind direction. A slight improvement was the dirt-only field, which eliminated the drag
from grass. However, these only functioned well in dry conditions. Later, concrete surfaces would allow
landings, rain or shine, day or night.
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The Kharkov Airport in Sokolniki,
Ukraine (1924).
The New Orleans International
Airport passenger terminal building
in New Orleans (1960s).
The title of "world's oldest airport" is disputed, but College Park Airport
in Maryland, US, established in 1909 by Wilbur Wright, is generally
agreed to be the world's oldest continually operating airfield,
[6]
although
it serves only general aviation traffic. Bisbee-Douglas International
Airport in Arizona was declared "the first international airport of the
Americas" by US president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943. Pearson
Field Airport in Vancouver, Washington had a dirigible land in 1905 and
planes in 1911 and is still in use. Bremen Airport opened in 1913 and
remains in use, although it served as an American military field between
1945 and 1949. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol opened on September 16,
1916 as a military airfield, but only accepted civil aircraft from
December 17, 1920, allowing Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia
which started operations in J anuary 1920to claim to be one of the
world's oldest continually operating commercial airports.
[7]
Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Minneapolis-Saint Paul,
Minnesota, opened in 1920 and has been in continuous commercial
service since. It serves about 35,000,000 passengers each year and
continues to expand, recently opening a new 11,000 foot (3,355 meter) runway. Of the airports constructed
during this early period in aviation, it is one of the largest and busiest that is still currently operating. Rome
Ciampino Airport, opened 1916, is also a contender. Increased aircraft traffic during World War I led to the
construction of landing fields. Aircraft had to approach these from certain directions and this led to the
development of aids for directing the approach and landing slope.
Following the war, some of these military airfields added civil facilities
for handling passenger traffic. One of the earliest such fields was Paris
Le Bourget Airport at Le Bourget, near Paris. The first airport to operate
scheduled international commercial services was Hounslow Heath
Aerodrome in August 1919, but it was closed and supplanted by
Croydon Airport in March 1920.
[8]
In 1922, the first permanent airport
and commercial terminal solely for commercial aviation was opened at
Flughafen Devau near what was then Knigsberg, East Prussia. The
airports of this era used a paved "apron", which permitted night flying as
well as landing heavier aircraft.
The first lighting used on an airport was during the latter part of the
1920s; in the 1930s approach lighting came into use. These indicated the
proper direction and angle of descent. The colours and flash intervals of these lights became standardized under
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). In the 1940s, the slope-line approach system was
introduced. This consisted of two rows of lights that formed a funnel indicating an aircraft's position on the
glideslope. Additional lights indicated incorrect altitude and direction.
After World War II, airport design became more sophisticated. Passenger buildings were being grouped together
in an island, with runways arranged in groups about the terminal. This arrangement permitted expansion of the
facilities. But it also meant that passengers had to travel further to reach their plane.
An improvement in the landing field was the introduction of grooves in the concrete surface. These run
perpendicular to the direction of the landing aircraft and serve to draw off excess water in rainy conditions that
could build up in front of the plane's wheels.
Airport construction boomed during the 1960s with the increase in jet aircraft traffic. Runways were extended
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The Bender Qassim International
Airport in Bosaso, Somalia (2007).
Baggage is scanned using X-ray
machines, passengers walk through
metal detectors
out to 3,000 m (9,800 ft). The fields were constructed out of reinforced
concrete using a slip-form machine that produces a continual slab with
no disruptions along the length. The early 1960s also saw the
introduction of jet bridge systems to modern airport terminals, an
innovation which eliminated outdoor passenger boarding. These systems
became commonplace in the United States by the 1970s.
Airports are uniquely represented by their IATA airport code and ICAO
airport code.
Most airport names include the location. Many airport names honour a
public figure, commonly a politician (e.g. Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport) or a prominent figure in aviation
history of the region (e.g. Will Rogers World Airport).
Some airports have unofficial names, possibly so widely circulated that its official name is little used or even
known.
Some airport names include the word "International" to indicate their ability to handle international air traffic.
This includes some airports that do not have scheduled airline services (e.g. Texel International Airport).
Airport security normally requires baggage checks, metal screenings of
individual persons, and rules against any object that could be used as a
weapon. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, airport security has
dramatically increased.
Air traffic control
The majority of the world's airports are non-towered, with no air traffic
control presence. However, at particularly busy airports, or airports with
other special requirements, there is an air traffic control (ATC) system
whereby controllers (usually ground-based) direct aircraft movements
via radio or other communications links. This coordinated oversight facilitates safety and speed in complex
operations where traffic moves in all three dimensions. Air traffic control responsibilities at airports are usually
divided into at least two main areas: ground and tower, though a single controller may work both stations. The
busiest airports also have clearance delivery, apron control, and other specialized ATC stations.
Ground Control is responsible for directing all ground traffic in designated "movement areas", except the traffic
on runways. This includes planes, baggage trains, snowplows, grass cutters, fuel trucks, stair trucks, airline food
trucks, conveyor belt vehicles and other vehicles. Ground Control will instruct these vehicles on which taxiways
to use, which runway they will use (in the case of planes), where they will park, and when it is safe to cross
runways. When a plane is ready to takeoff it will stop short of the runway, at which point it will be turned over
to Tower Control. After a plane has landed, it will depart the runway and be returned to Ground Control.
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Tower Control controls aircraft on the runway and in the controlled airspace immediately surrounding the
airport. Tower controllers may use radar to locate an aircraft's position in three-dimensional space, or they may
rely on pilot position reports and visual observation. They coordinate the sequencing of aircraft in the traffic
pattern and direct aircraft on how to safely join and leave the circuit. Aircraft which are only passing through
the airspace must also contact Tower Control in order to be sure that they remain clear of other traffic.
Traffic pattern
All airports use a traffic pattern (often called a
traffic circuit outside the U.S.) to assure
smooth traffic flow between departing and
arriving aircraft. Generally, this pattern is a
circuit consisting of five "legs" that form a
rectangle (two legs and the runway form one
side, with the remaining legs forming three
more sides). Each leg is named (see diagram),
and ATC directs pilots on how to join and
leave the circuit. Traffic patterns are flown at
one specific altitude, usually 800 or 1,000 ft
(244 or 305 m) above ground level (AGL).
Standard traffic patterns are left-handed,
meaning all turns are made to the left. Right-
handed patterns do exist, usually because of obstacles such as a mountain, or to reduce noise for local residents.
The predetermined circuit helps traffic flow smoothly because all pilots know what to expect, and helps reduce
the chance of a mid-air collision.
At extremely large airports, a circuit is in place but not usually used. Rather, aircraft (usually only commercial
with long routes) request approach clearance while they are still hours away from the airport, often before they
even takeoff from their departure point. Large airports have a frequency called Clearance Delivery which is
used by departing aircraft specifically for this purpose. This then allows aircraft to take the most direct approach
path to the runway and land without worrying about interference from other aircraft. While this system keeps
the airspace free and is simpler for pilots, it requires detailed knowledge of how aircraft are planning to use the
airport ahead of time and is therefore only possible with large commercial airliners on pre-scheduled flights.
The system has recently become so advanced that controllers can predict whether an aircraft will be delayed on
landing before it even takes off; that aircraft can then be delayed on the ground, rather than wasting expensive
fuel waiting in the air.
Navigational aids
There are a number of aids available to pilots, though not all airports are equipped with them. A Visual
Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) helps pilots fly the approach for landing. Some airports are equipped with a
VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) to help pilots find the direction to the airport. VORs are often accompanied
by a distance measuring equipment (DME) to determine the distance to the VOR. VORs are also located off
airports, where they serve to provide airways for aircraft to navigate upon. In poor weather, pilots will use an
instrument landing system (ILS) to find the runway and fly the correct approach, even if they cannot see the
ground. The number of instrument approaches based on the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) is
rapidly increasing and may eventually be the primary means for instrument landings.
Larger airports sometimes offer precision approach radar (PAR), but these systems are more common at military
air bases than civilian airports. The aircraft's horizontal and vertical movement is tracked via radar, and the
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Standard Visual Approach Slope
Indicator
"FLF Panther" airport crash tender in
Germany
controller tells the pilot his position relative to the approach slope. Once
the pilots can see the runway lights, they may continue with a visual
landing.
Taxiway signs
Airport guidance signs provide direction and information to taxiing
aircraft and airport vehicles. Smaller aerodromes may have few or no
signs, relying instead on diagrams and charts.
Lighting
Many airports have lighting that help guide planes using the runways and taxiways at night or in rain or fog.
On runways, green lights indicate the beginning of the runway for landing, while red lights indicate the end of
the runway. Runway edge lighting consists of white lights spaced out on both sides of the runway, indicating the
edge. Some airports have more complicated lighting on the runways including lights that run down the
centerline of the runway and lights that help indicate the approach (an approach lighting system, or ALS).
Low-traffic airports may use pilot controlled lighting to save electricity and staffing costs.
Along taxiways, blue lights indicate the taxiway's edge, and some airports have embedded green lights that
indicate the centerline.
Weather observations
Weather observations at the airport are crucial to safe takeoffs and landings. In the US and Canada, the vast
majority of airports, large and small, will either have some form of automated airport weather station, whether
an AWOS, ASOS, or AWSS, a human observer or a combination of the two. These weather observations,
predominantly in the METAR format, are available over the radio, through Automatic Terminal Information
Service (ATIS), via the ATC or the Flight Service Station.
Planes take-off and land into the wind in order to achieve maximum performance. Because pilots need
instantaneous information during landing, a windsock is also kept in view of the runway.
Safety management
Air safety is an important concern in the operation of an airport, and
almost every airfield includes equipment and procedures for handling
emergency situations. Airport crash tender crews are equipped for
dealing with airfield accidents, crew and passenger extractions, and the
hazards of highly flammable aviation fuel. The crews are also trained to
deal with situations such as bomb threats, hijacking, and terrorist
activities.
Hazards to aircraft include debris, nesting birds, and reduced friction
levels due to environmental conditions such as ice, snow, or rain. Part of
runway maintenance is airfield rubber removal which helps maintain
friction levels. The fields must be kept clear of debris using cleaning
equipment so that loose material does not become a projectile and enter
an engine duct (see foreign object damage). In adverse weather conditions, ice and snow clearing equipment can
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An aircraft tow tractor moving a
KLM Boeing 777
Ground operations at Berlin Tegel
Airport
be used to improve traction on the landing strip. For waiting aircraft, equipment is used to spray special deicing
fluids on the wings.
Many airports are built near open fields or wetlands. These tend to attract bird populations, which can pose a
hazard to aircraft in the form of bird strikes. Airport crews often need to discourage birds from taking up
residence.
Some airports are located next to parks, golf courses, or other low-density uses of land. Other airports are
located near densely populated urban or suburban areas.
An airport can have areas where collisions between aircraft on the ground tend to occur. Records are kept of any
incursions where aircraft or vehicles are in an inappropriate location, allowing these "hot spots" to be identified.
These locations then undergo special attention by transportation authorities (such as the FAA in the US) and
airport administrators.
During the 1980s, a phenomenon known as microburst became a growing concern due to aircraft accidents
caused by microburst wind shear, such as Delta Air Lines Flight 191. Microburst radar was developed as an aid
to safety during landing, giving two to five minutes warning to aircraft in the vicinity of the field of a
microburst event.
Some airfields now have a special surface known as soft concrete at the end of the runway (stopway or
blastpad) that behaves somewhat like styrofoam, bringing the plane to a relatively rapid halt as the material
disintegrates. These surfaces are useful when the runway is located next to a body of water or other hazard, and
prevent the planes from overrunning the end of the field.
Most airports have groundcrew
handling the loading and
unloading of passengers, crew,
baggage and other services.
Some groundcrew are linked to
specific airlines operating at the
airport.
Many groundcrew at the airport
work at the aircraft. A tow tractor
pulls the aircraft to one of the
airbridges. The ground power
unit is plugged in. It keeps the electricity running in the plane when it
stands at the terminal. The engines are not working, therefore they do
not generate the electricity, as they do in flight. The passengers
disembark using the airbridge. Mobile stairs can give the ground crew
more access to the aircraft's cabin. There is a cleaning service to clean
the aircraft after the aircraft lands. Flight catering provides the food and
drinks on flights. A toilet waste truck removes the human waste from the
tank which holds the waste from the toilets in the aircraft. A water truck
fills the water tanks of the aircraft. A fuel transfer vehicle transfers aviation fuel from fuel tanks underground, to
the aircraft tanks. A tractor and its dollies bring in luggage from the terminal to the aircraft. They also carry
luggage to the terminal if the aircraft has landed, and is being unloaded. Hi-loaders lift the heavy luggage
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Runway in Congonhas-So Paulo
Airport in Brazil.
Fighter aircraft at an airbase in
Lithuania
containers to the gate of the cargo hold. The ground crew push the luggage containers into the hold. If it has
landed, they rise, the ground crew push the luggage container on the hi-loader, which carries it down. The
luggage container is then pushed on one of the tractors dollies. The conveyor, which is a conveyor belt on a
truck, brings in the awkwardly shaped, or late luggage. The airbridge is used again by the new passengers to
embark the aircraft. The tow tractor pushes the aircraft away from the terminal to a taxi area. The aircraft should
be off of the airport and in the air in 90 minutes. The airport charges the airline for the time the aircraft spends
at the airport.
Aircraft noise is a major cause of noise disturbance to residents living
near airports. Sleep can be affected if the airports operate night and early
morning flights. Aircraft noise not only occurs from take-off and
landings, but also ground operations including maintenance and testing
of aircraft. Noise can have other noise health effects. Other noise and
environmental concerns are vehicle traffic causing noise and pollution
on roads leading the airport.
The construction of new airports or addition of runways to existing
airports, is often resisted by local residents because of the effect on
countryside, historical sites, local flora and fauna. Due to the risk of
collision between birds and aircraft, large airports undertake population
control programs where they frighten or shoot birds.
The construction of airports has been known to change local weather patterns. For example, because they often
flatten out large areas, they can be susceptible to fog in areas where fog rarely forms. In addition, they generally
replace trees and grass with pavement, they often change drainage patterns in agricultural areas, leading to more
flooding, run-off and erosion in the surrounding land.
Some of the airport administrations prepare and publish annual environmental reports in order to show how they
consider these environmental concerns in airport management issues and how they protect environment from
airport operations. These reports contain all environmental protection measures performed by airport
administration in terms of water, air, soil and noise pollution, resource conservation and protection of natural
life around the airport.
An airbase, sometimes referred to as an air station or airfield, provides
basing and support of military aircraft. Some airbases, known as military
airports, provide facilities similar to their civilian counterparts. For
example, RAF Brize Norton in the UK has a terminal which caters to
passengers for the Royal Air Force's scheduled TriStar flights to the
Falkland Islands. Some airbases are co-located with civilian airports,
sharing the same ATC facilities, runways, taxiways and emergency
services, but with separate terminals, parking areas and hangars.
Bardufoss Airport and Bardufoss Air Station in Norway are an example
of this.
An aircraft carrier is a warship that functions as a mobile airbase.
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Washington Dulles International
Airport, ostensibly the setting for Die
Hard 2; the movie was actually
filmed at Los Angeles International
Airport
A private airstrip at what used to be
RAF Knettishall
Aircraft carriers allow a naval force to project air power without having to depend on local bases for land-based
aircraft. After their development in World War I, aircraft carriers replaced the battleship as the centrepiece of a
modern fleet during World War II.
Airports have played major roles in films and television programs due to
its very nature as a transport and international hub, and sometimes
because of distinctive architectural features of particular airports. One
such example of this is The Terminal, a film about a man who becomes
permanently grounded in an airport terminal and must survive only on
the food and shelter provided by the airport. They are also one of the
major elements in movies such as The V.I.P.s, Airplane!, Airport (1970),
Die Hard 2, Soul Plane, Jackie Brown, Get Shorty, Home Alone, Liar
Liar, Passenger 57, Final Destination (2000), Unaccompanied Minors,
Catch Me If You Can, Rendition and The Langoliers. They have also
played important parts in television series like Lost, The Amazing Race,
America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10 which have significant parts of
their story set within airports. In other programmes and films, airports
are merely indicative of journeys, e.g. Good Will Hunting.
Several computer simulation games put the player in charge of an airport. These include the Airport Tycoon
series.
An airstrip or airfield is a kind of airport that consists only of a runway
with perhaps fueling equipment. They are generally in remote locations.
Many airstrips (now mostly abandoned) were built on the hundreds of
islands in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. Sometimes a few
airstrips become full fledged airbases as strategic or economic
importance of a region increases over time.
Each national aviation authority has a source of information about
airports in their country. This will contain information on airport
elevation, airport lighting, runway information, communications facilities and frequencies, hours of operation,
nearby NAVAIDs and contact information where prior arrangement for landing is necessary.
Australia
Information can be found on-line in the En route Supplement Australia (ERSA)
[9]
which is published by
Airservices Australia, a government owned corporation charged with managing Australian ATC.
Canada
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Two publications, the Canada Flight Supplement (CFS) and the Water Aerodrome Supplement, published
by NAV CANADA under the authority of Transport Canada provides equivalent information.
Europe
The European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) provides an
Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), aeronautical charts and NOTAM services for multiple
European countries.
Germany
Provided by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (Federal Office for Civil Aviation of Germany).
France
Aviation Generale Delage edited by Delville and published by Breitling.
The United Kingdom and Ireland
The information is found in Pooley's Flight Guide, a publication compiled with the assistance of the
United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). Pooley's also contains information on some continental
European airports that are close to Great Britain. National Air Traffic Services, the UK's Air Navigation
Service Provider, a publicprivate partnership also publishes an online AIP for the UK.
The United States
The U.S. uses the Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD), published in seven volumes. DAFIF also includes
extensive airport data.
J apan
Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP)
[10]
is provided by J apan Aeronautical Information Service
Center, under the authority of J apan Civil Aviation Bureau, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism of J apan.
A comprehensive, consumer/business directory of commercial airports in the world (primarily for airports
as businesses, rather than for pilots) is organized by the trade group Airports Council International.
Airport accessibility
Airport wheelchair assistance
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Airport assistance for elderly passenger
Airport terminal
Domestic airport
Environmental impact of aviation
Model airport
NIMBY
World's busiest airport
Lists:
Index of aviation articles
List of cities with more than one airport
List of countries without an airport
List of hub airports
^ Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 29
May 2014 to 0901Z 24 J uly 2014
1.
^ CIA World Factbook airport listing
(https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/fields/2053.html)
2.
^ CIA World Factbook Country Comparison to the
World (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications
/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2053rank.html)
3.
^ "Part 139 Airport Certification"
(http://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety
/part139_cert/). FAA. 2009-06-19. Archived
(http://web.archive.org/web/20100729055419/http:
//www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/part139_cert/)
from the original on 29 J uly 2010. Retrieved
2010-07-20.
4.
^ USA Today newspaper, Oct. 17, 2006, p. 2D 5.
^ "College Park Airport" (http://www.pgparks.com
/places/historic/cpairport.html). Pgparks.com.
Archived (http://web.archive.org
/web/20100721234620/http://www.pgparks.com
/places/historic/cpairport.html) from the original on
21 J uly 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
6.
^ "Sydney Airport history"
(http://www.sydneyairport.com.au/NR/rdonlyres
/353DC91E-A259-449B-8B68-C8E88CB58691
/0/FactSheetHistory1.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved
2010-07-20.
7.
^ Bluffield (2009) 8.
^ "En route Supplement Australia (ERSA)"
(http://www.airservices.gov.au/publications
/aip.asp?pg=10). Airservices.gov.au. 2010-07-16.
Retrieved 2010-07-20.
9.
^ "Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP),
NOTAMs in Japan" (https://aisjapan.mlit.go.jp
/Login.do). J apan Civil Aviation Bureau. Retrieved
2011-02-14.
10.
15 of 17 7/29/2014 10:11 PM
Look up airport in
Wiktionary, the free
dictionary.
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Airport.
Bluffield, Robert. 2009. Imperial Airways The Birth of the British Airline Industry 19141940. Ian
Allan ISBN 978-1-906537-07-4
Salter, Mark. 2008. Politics at the Airport. University of Minnesota Press. This book brings together
leading scholars to examine how airports both shape and are shaped by current political, social, and
economic conditions.
Lopez, Donald S. "The inside Story Airports." Flight. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1995. 3637. Print.
Airport Safety Challenges related to Ground Operations
(http://www.skybrary.aero/index.php
/Category:Ground_Operations)
Airports Council International (http://www.airports.org) (ACI)
industry group representing over 1,600 major airports.
Airport Railways of the World
(http://www.airportrailwaysoftheworld.com) Interactive resource of over 300 airports with rail links
(available in 5 European languages).
Global Airport Directory (http://www.notams.com/)
History of aircraft landing aids (http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Government_Role/landing_nav
/POL14.htm)
"Conquest of Fog" (http://books.google.com/books?id=p-IDAAAAMBAJ &pg=PA210&
dq=popular+mechanics+1930+aircraft&hl=en&ei=KaMmTZ-LCentnQeE6ZzjAQ&
sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&
q=popular%20mechanics%201930%20aircraft&f=true) Popular Mechanics, February 1930, illustration
and article on a modern airport in the 1930s
Airport Distance Calculator (http://www.transtats.bts.gov/Distance.asp?pn=0) Research and Innovative
Technology Administration (RITA) in U.S. Department of Transportation
Airport Search (http://www.airportsearch.org/) A comprehensive list of world's airports
Map of worldwide airports (http://airports.qmaps.nl/)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Airport&oldid=618906624"
Categories: Airports
This page was last modified on 29 J uly 2014 at 02:14.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may
apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipediais a registered
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