Learn the main airport areas and features, from runways, taxiways and aprons to terminals, towers, stands, lighting and support facilities.
An airport is split into landside and airside areas. Its main features are runways for take-off and landing, taxiways for aircraft movement, aprons and stands for parking and servicing, passenger or cargo terminals, and support facilities such as air traffic control, rescue and firefighting, hangars, fuel, navigation aids and ground transport.
In Aviation & Real-World Flying, the simplest useful model is that landside handles people and road access, while airside handles aircraft. The passenger terminal often straddles the boundary between them.
What are the three main airside areas?
The three core airside areas are the runway, taxiway and apron, each with a separate operational purpose. Our practical comparison of runway, taxiway and apron functions covers their differences in greater depth.
| Area or feature | Main function | Key distinction |
|---|---|---|
| Runway | Take-off and landing | A protected surface identified by runway numbers, white markings and, when equipped, runway lighting. It is not a parking area or an ordinary taxi route. |
| Taxiway | Movement between runways, aprons and other facilities | Normally marked with yellow lines and letter or number identifiers. Holding positions protect runways and other restricted areas. |
| Taxilane | Access between an apron taxiway and aircraft stands | Part of the parking-area system, often with tighter clearance than a full taxiway. |
| Apron or ramp | Parking, boarding, loading, fuelling and servicing | Contains stands, service roads and ground equipment. Apron control arrangements vary by airport. |
| Aircraft stand | A designated aircraft parking position | May be beside a terminal, remote from it or inside a maintenance area. |
| Gate | Passenger processing and boarding | Usually a terminal position associated with a stand; the two terms are often blurred in everyday airline speech. |
A runway also includes features such as thresholds, designation numbers, centreline and edge markings, aiming points, lighting and protected safety areas. Some runway ends have displaced thresholds, stopways or blast pads, but these do not provide extra landing distance in every direction.
The apron may contain contact stands with passenger bridges, open stands reached on foot, remote stands served by buses, cargo positions and maintenance parking. See our explanation of how stands and ground handling fit within an airport apron for the terminology used around these areas.
How are airside and landside airport areas different?
Landside is the publicly accessible side of the airport, while airside is the controlled side used for aircraft operations and servicing. Access from one to the other normally passes through security, customs, staff controls or a vehicle gate.
- Landside areas: terminal entrances, check-in halls, public arrivals areas, roads, car parks, railway or bus stations and rental-car facilities.
- Airside areas: runways, taxiways, aprons, stands, de-icing pads, service roads and many operational buildings.
- Terminal transition areas: security screening, border control and baggage systems connect the two sides rather than fitting neatly into one category.
Movement-area terminology requires care. Under ICAO terminology, the movement area comprises the manoeuvring area plus aprons, while the manoeuvring area excludes aprons. In common US airport usage, “movement area” often means surfaces controlled by ATC, normally excluding loading ramps and parking areas. Local charts, markings and procedures settle which rule applies.
Which other facilities does an airport need?
An airport needs operational, safety and servicing facilities appropriate to the aircraft and traffic it handles, but not every airport has every feature.
- Passenger terminal: check-in, security, departure lounges, concourses, gates, baggage reclaim and, where required, customs and immigration.
- Cargo terminal: freight handling, warehouses, vehicle docks and dedicated aircraft stands.
- Control tower: controls local runway and taxiway traffic at a towered airport. Smaller airports may be non-towered, and radar services may be provided from another location.
- Rescue and firefighting: emergency vehicles, crews and access routes sized according to the airport's regulatory category and operations.
- Navigation and weather equipment: approach lights, visual glide-slope indicators, windsocks, weather sensors and radio navigation or instrument-approach equipment. Some aids are outside the airport boundary.
- Aircraft servicing: fuel storage or hydrants, ground-power equipment, catering, baggage handling, lavatory and water servicing, and de-icing facilities where needed.
- Hangars and maintenance areas: storage, inspection and repair facilities, often separated from passenger stands.
- Airport operations and security: perimeter fencing, controlled gates, patrol roads, electrical systems and an operations centre at larger airports.
- Ground transport: access roads, public transport, taxi ranks and parking for passengers, staff and service vehicles.
Do all airports have the same features?
No; an airport's layout depends on traffic volume, aircraft size, climate, terrain and purpose. A small uncontrolled airfield may have one grass runway, a windsock, a parking area and several hangars, with no tower, passenger terminal or permanent lighting.
A major hub may have several parallel runways, rapid-exit taxiways, multiple terminals, cargo aprons, maintenance bases and its own internal road or rail network. Military aerodromes add dispersal areas, shelters and specialist facilities, while heliports may have landing pads rather than conventional runways.
How can I identify airport areas on a diagram?
Start with the runways, trace the connecting taxiways, and then locate the aprons, stands and terminal buildings. A published diagram also identifies holding positions, hotspots, closed surfaces and other details that may not be obvious from an aerial image.
- Find the runways. Look for long rectangular surfaces labelled with numbers representing their magnetic direction.
- Trace the taxiway network. Follow the lettered routes connecting runway exits to parking and terminal areas.
- Locate aprons and stands. These are broad paved areas beside terminals, cargo buildings or hangars.
- Mark every holding position. Never cross a runway holding line without the required clearance at a controlled airport.
- Check operational information. Construction, closures and temporary restrictions can make an otherwise accurate diagram incomplete.
Our guide to interpreting an airport diagram explains the chart symbols, while the colour and meaning of taxiway signs and pavement markings helps when viewing the airport from cockpit level.
What mistakes cause confusion around airport layouts?
The most common mistake is treating every paved airside surface as interchangeable. Aircraft may taxi across a runway or park temporarily on a taxiway only under specific procedures; those uses do not change the surface's primary function.
Another frequent error is assuming a gate and a stand are identical. The stand is the physical aircraft position, while the gate is the passenger-handling point associated with it. One gate can sometimes serve different stands, and a remote stand may have no conventional terminal gate.
In a flight simulator, airport scenery, navigation data and charts may represent different construction dates. Confirm the painted layout before moving, and choose a parking or stand start rather than a runway start when setting up a cold-and-dark aircraft.