A
water airport is a water aerodrome (an area of open water used regularly by seaplanes or
amphibious aircraft for landing and taking off), usually with passenger facilities on adjacent land, which acts as an airport
Terminology
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 artreserved 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.
[edit]Infrastructure
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. Many small airports have dirt,
grass, or
gravelrunways, rather than
asphalt or
concrete.
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]
[edit]Airport ownership and operation
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.
[edit]Airport structures
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 apron from the top floor observation room, Halifax International Airport,
Canada
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
immigrationfacilities. 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.
[edit]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.
[citation needed]
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]
Major airports in such countries as Russia and Japan offer miniature sleeping units within the airport that are available for rent by the hour. The smallest type is the
capsule hotel popular in Japan. A slightly larger variety is known as a
sleep box. An even larger type is provided by the company
YOtel.
[edit]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, separate departures and/or arrivals lounge, priority
boarding, separate
air bridges, and priority baggage handling.
These services are usually reserved for
First and
Business classpassengers, 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.
[edit]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 International airports need areas where 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. 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
[edit]Support services
Aircraft maintenance, pilot 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.
[edit]Airport access
[edit]Internal transport
[edit]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.
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
Roosevelt . 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 January 1920—to 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 Iled 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
Königsberg, 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.
Following
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 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.
[edit]Airport designation and naming
Some airports have unofficial names, possibly so widely circulated that its official name is little used or even known.
[citation needed]
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).
[edit]Airport security
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.
[edit]Airport operations
[edit]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.
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.
[edit]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 airplanes 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.
[edit]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 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.
[edit]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.
[edit]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.
[edit]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.
[edit]Safety management
"FLF Panther" airport crash tender in
Germany
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 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 airplanes on the ground tend to occur. Records are kept of any
incursions where airplanes 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.
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.
[edit]Airport ground crew
Most airports have
groundcrew handling the loading and unloading of passengers, crew, baggage and other services.
[citation needed] Some groundcrew are linked to specific airlines operating at the airport.
Many groundcrew at the airport work at the airplanes. 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 that we enjoy 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 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.
[edit]Environmental concerns
Aircraft noise is 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.
[citation needed]
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 airplanes, large airports undertake population control programs where they frighten or shoot birds.
[citation needed]
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.
[citation needed]
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.
