The Airport

Definition and
vocabulary
•An airport is a facility where aircraft can take off
and land.
•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.
•An airport consists of at least one runway, with
other components such as terminal buildings and
hangars. 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.
• The earliest airplane takeoff and landing sites were simply open, 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,
they were replaced by concrete surfaces that allowed all-weather landings
in both daylight and at night.
• Early airfields were often built for the purpose of entertainment. These
"aerodromes” consisted of a grassy field, a hangar for storage and
servicing of airplanes, and observation stands for visitors.
• The first known usage of the term "airport" appeared in a newspaper
article in 1919, in reference to Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
• Airstrip is a military a/p made up of only one single runway.

History and
development
- One of the world's first aerodromes was
Taliedo Airport in Milan, which was opened
in 1910 and in the mid 1920s was
transformed into an airport and opened to
commercial traffic.

- Increased aircraft traffic during World War

I led to the construction of regular landing
fields. Airplanes had to approach these
from certain directions. This led to the
development of aids for directing the
approach and landing slope.

- Following the war, some military airfields

were developed into commercial facilities
for handling passenger traffic. The earliest
such fields included Croydon Airport, in
South London, and Le Bourget, near Paris.
• In 1922, the first permanent airport and terminal for
commercial aviation was built at Königsberg, Germany
The airports of this era used a paved "apron," which
permitted night flying as well as landing heavier airplanes.

The first lighting used at 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 colors and flash intervals of these lights
became standardized under the ICAO.

Following World War II, airport design began to become

more sophisticated. Passenger buildings were being
grouped together in an island, with runways arranged in
groups about the terminal. Airport construction boomed
during the 1960s, with the increase in jet aircraft traffic
Size
• Airports vary in size, with smaller or
less-developed airports often
having only a single runway shorter
than 1,000 meters (m) (3,300 feet).
Larger airports for international
flights generally have paved
runways of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or
longer. Many small airports have
dirt, grass, or gravel runways, rather
than concrete.
Freight

• In addition to people, airports are

responsible for moving large
volumes of cargo around the clock.
Cargo airlines often have their own
on-site and adjacent infrastructure
to rapidly transfer parcels between
ground and air modes of
transportation.
Airport structure
Airports are divided into "landside" and
"airside" areas

• Airside area
•Airside areas include all areas accessible
to aircraft, including runways, taxiways,
and ramps.
•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.
Landside area

•Landside areas include parking lots, public

transportation stations, tank farms and access
roads.
• 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.