Airport
Sponsored Links:An airport is a facility where aircraft such as airplanes and helicopters can take off and landing. An airport minimally consists of one runway or helipad (for helicopters), but other common components are hangars and terminal buildings.
Additionally, an airport may have a variety of facilities and infrastructure, including fixed base operator services, air traffic control, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. A military airport is known as an airbase or air station. The terms airfield, airstrip, and aerodrome may also be used to refer to airports of varying sizes. In some jurisdictions, the term airport is used where the facility is licensed as such by the relevant government organization (e.g. FAA, Transport Canada). Elsewhere the distinction is merely one of general appearance
Airport structures
Airports are divided into landside and airside areas. Landside areas include parking lots, public transportation stations, tank farms 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 though 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, to the media and uninitiated, “the tarmac”). Parking areas for aircraft away from terminals are generally called aprons.
Both large and small airports can be towered or nontowered, depending on air traffic density and available funds. Due to their high capacity and busy airspace, most international airports have air traffic control located on site.
Airport designation and naming
Airports are uniquely represented by their IATA airport code and ICAO airport code. IATA airport codes are often abbreviated forms of the common name of the airport, such as PHL for Philadelphia International Airport. Airports sometimes retain their previous IATA code when an airport’s name is changed. O’Hare International Airport in Chicago retains the IATA code ORD, from its former name of Orchard Field.
The name of the airport itself can be its location, such as Los Angeles International Airport. It can be the name of a prominent national celebrity, commonly a politician, e.g. John F. Kennedy International Airport, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport, or Charles de Gaulle International Airport. Airports may also be named after a person associated with the region it serves or prominent figures in aviation history, such as Liverpool John Lennon Airport or Kingsford Smith International Airport>, named for the Australian aviation pioneer.
Airport security
Airports are required to have safety precautions in most countries. Rules vary in different countries, but there are common elements worldwide. 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 been dramatically increased worldwide.
Related posts:
- Air Traffic Control
- Runway
- Reasons To Plan Your Airport Parking In Advance
- Take Off
- What You Should Know About Airport Parking
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