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75-733: An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries . International airports are usually larger than domestic airports , and feature longer runways and have facilities to accommodate heavier aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and the Airbus A380 commonly used for international and intercontinental travel. International airports often host domestic flights , which helps feed both passengers and cargo into international ones (and vice versa). Buildings, operations, and management have become increasingly sophisticated since

150-671: A Public Private Partnership wherein Adani Group , the operator pays Airports Authority of India , the owner of the airports, a predetermined sum of money based on the number of passengers handled by the airports. The rest of India's airports are managed by the Airports Authority of India . In Pakistan nearly all civilian airports are owned and operated by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority except for Sialkot International Airport which has

225-469: A base typically includes a stretch of open water for takeoffs and landings , and seaplane docks for tying-up. An international airport has additional facilities for customs and passport control as well as incorporating all the aforementioned elements. Such airports rank among the most complex and largest of all built typologies, with 15 of the top 50 buildings by floor area being airport terminals. Smaller or less-developed airfields, which represent

300-441: A chair (with a portable transmitter and binoculars). When the traffic volume at an airport gets too high for safe and efficient operations, or when the mix of aircraft types and speeds becomes too large, an airport may be considered for a tower. However, it is also necessary to find the money to construct a building and pay the controllers' salaries; in some cases aviation regulations or local opposition may prevent establishment of

375-429: A clearance before climbing further. Some countries establish low-altitude VFR corridors for non-towered airports in large urban areas so that VFR arrivals and departures can avoid controlled airspace altogether. Some countries, such as Canada and Norway , use mandatory frequency airports (MF) or mandatory traffic advisory airports (MTAF), which operate like towered airports in some ways: the radio operators (typically

450-623: A control tower. The exact procedures vary from country to country, but they may include standard arrival and departure procedures, as well as a common communications phraseology by radio transmissions over a common frequency. For example, a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) is recommended for radio communication and is used in the United States , Canada , New Zealand and Australia . Non-towered airports may lie inside or underneath controlled airspace . In that case, some or all aircraft arriving and departing require clearances from

525-490: A final destination in the U.S. through the airport of entry . A crucial safety aspect of international airports is medical facilities and practices. In particular, controlling transmissible disease , such as SARS , is deemed important at international airports. While these standards are regulated by ICAO Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPs) and WHO 's International Health Regulations (IHR), local authorities have considerable say in how they are implemented. Among

600-614: A flight service station) still issue only advisories, but aircraft are required to make radio contact with the ground station before operating in the airport's control zone . Many non-towered airports have radio to ground operations such as UNICOM to assist aircraft arriving, departing, or maneuvering on the ground. These radio operators such as from fixed-base operators have no authority to give aircraft clearances or instructions, but they can issue advisories to let them know about weather conditions, runway conditions, traffic, and other concerns. A mobile airport traffic control tower (MATCT)

675-505: A hub airport, however, spaces and services are shared. Airport management have to take into account a wide range of factors, among which are the performance of airlines, the technical requirements of aircraft, airport-airline relationships, services for travelling customers, security and environmental impacts. Technical standards for safety and operating procedures at international airports are set by international agreements. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), formed in 1945,

750-528: 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

825-557: A number of regulations and safety measures have been implemented in airports, in order to reduce hazards. Additionally, airports have major local environmental impacts, as both large sources of air pollution , noise pollution and other environmental impacts, making them sites that acutely experience the environmental effects of aviation . Airports are also vulnerable infrastructure to extreme weather , climate change caused sea level rise and other disasters. The terms aerodrome , airfield , and airstrip also refer to airports, and

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900-490: A plane of 100,000 pounds and the price increases with weight. Non-aeronautical revenue is gained through things other than aircraft operations. It includes lease revenue from compatible land-use development, non-aeronautical building leases, retail and concession sales, rental car operations, parking and in-airport advertising. Concession revenue is one big part of non-aeronautical revenue airports makes through duty free , bookstores, restaurants and money exchange. Car parking

975-402: A remote air traffic control unit, such as terminal or center control, even though there is no control tower managing landings and takeoffs. Pilots may be able to obtain those clearances by radio, by phone, or through a company dispatcher or local flight service station ; in some cases, departing aircraft ( IFR or VFR ) take off and level out below the floor of controlled airspace, then radio for

1050-460: A retail store upon exiting security. Airport planners sometimes incorporate winding routes within these stores such that passengers encounter more goods as they walk towards their gate. Planners also install artworks next to the airport's shops in order to draw passengers into the stores. Apart from major fast food chains, some airport restaurants offer regional cuisine specialties for those in transit so that they may sample local food without leaving

1125-409: A series of gates , which provide passengers with access to the plane. Passenger facilities typically include: Links between passenger facilities and aircraft include jet bridges or airstairs . Baggage handling systems transport baggage from the baggage drop-off to departing planes, and from arriving planes to the baggage reclaim. The area where the aircraft parks to load passengers and baggage

1200-481: A valid ticket are allowed inside the sterile lounge. Admittance into the sterile area is done in centralized security checkpoints in contrast to e.g. individual checkpoints at each gate . This allows for more efficient processing of passengers with fewer staff, as well as makes it possible to detect both delays and security threats well ahead of boarding . To ensure the viability of airport operations, new and innovative security systems are being developed. For instance,

1275-488: Is a growing source of revenue for airports, as more people use the parking facilities of the airport. O'Hare International Airport in Chicago charges $ 2 per hour for every car. Many airports are local monopolies. To prevent them from abusing their market power, governments regulate how much airports may charge to airlines, using price-cap regulation . Airports are divided into landside and airside zones. The landside

1350-412: Is a legal term of art reserved exclusively for those aerodromes certified or licensed as airports by the relevant civil aviation authority after meeting specified certification criteria or regulatory requirements. 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

1425-486: Is a series of highly complex operations that requires managing frequent traffic that moves in all three dimensions. A "towered" or "controlled" airport has a control tower where the air traffic controllers are based. Pilots are required to maintain two-way radio communication with the controllers, and to acknowledge and comply with their instructions. A " non-towered " airport has no operating control tower and therefore two-way radio communications are not required, though it

1500-407: Is a temporary tower in an area with an immediate increase in air traffic density. This may be due to wildfire suppression operations carrying out aerial firefighting . For special events such as fly-ins , temporary towers may operate for only several days each year at fields that are otherwise non-towered. Temporary towers may operate out of an existing airport building, an RV , or even simply

1575-598: 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 JFK at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York , Link light rail that runs from the heart of downtown Seattle to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , and the Silver Line T at Boston 's Logan International Airport by

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1650-629: Is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport . They usually consist of a landing area , which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off and to land or a helipad , and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers , hangars and terminals , to maintain and monitor aircraft. Larger airports may have airport aprons , taxiway bridges , air traffic control centres, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges , and emergency services . In some countries,

1725-648: Is common for airports to provide moving walkways , buses, and rail transport systems. Some airports like Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and London Stansted Airport have a transit system that connects some of the gates to a main terminal. Airports with more than one terminal have a transit system to connect the terminals together, such as John F. Kennedy International Airport , Mexico City International Airport and London Gatwick Airport . Airport operations are made possible by an organized network of trained personnel , specialized equipment, and spatial data . After thousands of ground operations staff left

1800-472: Is good operating practice for pilots to transmit their intentions on the airport's common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) for the benefit of other aircraft in the area. The CTAF may be a Universal Integrated Community (UNICOM), MULTICOM, Flight Service Station (FSS), or tower frequency. The majority of the world's airports are small facilities without a tower. Not all towered airports have 24/7 ATC operations. In those cases, non-towered procedures apply when

1875-660: Is known as an apron or ramp (or incorrectly, "the tarmac"). 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 attacks and the Real ID Act of 2005 , airport security has dramatically increased and gotten tighter and stricter than ever before. Most major airports provide commercial outlets for products and services. Most of these companies, many of which are internationally known brands, are located within

1950-698: Is one of the most common sources for the naming of airports. A number of areas close to them have lent their names, including villages, estates, city districts, historical areas and regions, islands and even a waterfall. Sometimes the toponym is combined with or renamed to incorporate another name from another source such as from one of the following: A study found that 44 percent of the world's international airports are named by toponyms: named for politicians (thirty percent), aviators (seven percent), mythology and religion (three percent), public figures (two percent), people of science (two percent) and other (one percent). Airports also use an IATA -3 letter code to abbreviate

2025-594: Is provided by ground-based controllers who coordinate and direct aircraft on the ground and through controlled airspace. Air traffic control also provides advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airspace. Airports with international flights have customs and immigration facilities, which allow right of entry. These change over time but are generally designated by law. However, as some countries have agreements that allow connecting flights without customs and immigrations, such facilities do not define an international airport. The current trend of enhancing security at

2100-489: Is subject to fewer special laws and is part of the public realm, while access to the airside zone is tightly controlled. Landside facilities may include publicly accessible airport check-in desks, shops and ground transportation facilities. The airside area includes all parts of the airport around the aircraft, and the parts of the buildings that are restricted to staff, and sections of these extended to travelling, airside shopping , dining, or waiting passengers. Depending on

2175-534: Is the association of the airline companies. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) is a body of the United Nations succeeding earlier international committees going back to 1903. These two organizations served to create regulations over airports which the airports themselves had no authority to debate. This eventually sparked an entire subject of air travel politics. In January 1948, 19 representatives from various US commercial airports met for

2250-503: 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. The distances passengers need to move within a large airport can be substantial. It

2325-464: The Phoenix Islands ( Kiribati ), after serving as a military airport during World War II , was used as a refuelling stop by commercial aircraft such as Qantas which stationed ground crew there in the late 1950s. The advent in the early 1960s of jet aircraft such as the Boeing 707 with the range to fly non-stop between Australia or New Zealand and Hawaii , meant that a mid-Pacific stop

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2400-524: The 21st century, over 1,200 international airports existed with around 3.8 billion international passengers as of January 2023 along with 50 million metric tonnes of cargo passing through them annually. In August 1919, Hounslow Heath Aerodrome , in London , England , was the first airport to operate scheduled international commercial services. It was closed and supplanted by Croydon Airport in March 1920. In

2475-739: The AATF, as well as pays for the FAA's Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account. The funding of these accounts are dependent on the taxes the airports generate of revenues. Passenger tickets , fuel , and cargo tax are the taxes that are paid by the passengers and airlines help fund these accounts. Airports revenues are divided into three major parts: aeronautical revenue, non-aeronautical revenue, and non-operating revenue. Aeronautical revenue makes up 50% in 2021 (from 54% and 48% in 2019 and 2020, non-aeronautical revenue makes up 34% (40%, 39% in previous years), and non-operating revenue makes up 16% (6%, 14%) of

2550-549: The FAA under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Part 139, "Certification of Commercial Service Airports" but maintained by the local airport under the regulatory authority of the FAA. Despite the reluctance to privatize airports in the US (contrary to the FAA sponsoring a privatization program since 1996), the government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) arrangement is the standard for

2625-868: The Spanish Ferrovial consortium in 2006, has been further divested and downsized to operating just Heathrow. 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 is controlled by Fairfax . Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport , Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport , Mangalore International Airport , Thiruvananthapuram International Airport , Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport , Jaipur International Airport , Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport are operated by Adani Group through

2700-457: The US in particular, airports also typically have one or more fixed-base operators , serving general aviation . Airport operations are extremely complex, with a complicated system of aircraft support services, passenger services, and aircraft control services contained within the operation. Thus airports can be major employers, as well as important hubs for tourism and other kinds of transit. Because they are sites of operation for heavy machinery,

2775-669: The United States, Douglas Municipal Airport in Arizona became the first international airport of the Americas in 1928. The precursors to international airports were airfields or aerodromes . In the early days of international flights , infrastructure was limited, "although if engine problems arose there were plenty of places where aircraft could land". Since four-engined land planes were unavailable for over-water operations to international destinations, flying boats became part of

2850-490: 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

2925-414: 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

3000-600: 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 . Some airports provide smoking areas and prayer areas. Airports may also contain premium and VIP services. The premium and VIP services may include express check-in and dedicated check-in counters. These services are usually reserved for first and business class passengers, premium frequent flyers , and members of

3075-551: The airport, passengers and staff must be checked by security or border control before being permitted to enter the airside zone. Conversely, passengers arriving from an international flight must pass through border control and customs to access the landside area, in which they exit, unless in airside transit. Most multi-terminal airports have (variously termed) flight/passenger/air connections buses, moving walkways and/or people movers for inter-terminal airside transit. Their airlines can arrange for baggage to be routed directly to

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3150-767: The airport, such as at the Hong Kong International Airport , which included the construction of a high-speed railway and automobile expressway to connect the airport to the urban areas of Hong Kong. Construction of the expressway included the construction of two bridges (the Tsing Ma suspension bridge and Kap Shui Mun cable bridge) and the Ma Wan viaduct on Ma Wan island to connect the bridges. Each bridge carries rail and automobile traffic. International airports have commercial relationships with and provide services to airlines and passengers from around

3225-446: The airport. 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. Major airports in such countries as Russia and Japan offer miniature sleeping units within

3300-726: 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 transshipment. Airports require parking lots, for passengers who may leave the cars at the airport for a long period of time. Large airports will also have car-rental firms, taxi ranks, bus stops and sometimes a train station. 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 , Tokyo Haneda Airport , Tokyo Narita Airport , Hamad International Airport , London Gatwick Airport and London Stansted Airport . It

3375-512: The availability of service varies across airports. Some international airports provide secure areas for stranded passengers to rest and sleep. The more usual service is hotels that are available on the premises. The World Airport Awards are voted by consumers in an independent global customer satisfaction survey. Singapore Changi Airport was the first-place winner in 2020. Other winners include Incheon International Airport (South Korea) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (The Netherlands). Toponymy

3450-700: The beginning, required extensive co-ordination between users and interested parties – architects, engineers, managers and staff all need to be involved. Airports may also be regarded as emblematic of national pride and so the design may be architecturally ambitious. An example was the planned New Mexico City international airport , intended to replace an airport that has reached capacity. Airports can be towered or non-towered , depending on air traffic density and available funds. Because of high capacity and busy airspace , many international airports have air traffic control located on site. Some international airports require construction of additional infrastructure outside of

3525-406: The cost of passenger and baggage handling efficiency at international airports is expected to continue in the future. This places financial burden on airports, risks the flow of servicing processes, and has implications for the privacy of passengers. International flights often require a higher level of physical security than do domestic airports , although in recent years, many countries have adopted

3600-534: The departure areas. These include clothing boutiques and restaurants and in the US amounted to $ 4.2 billion in 2015. 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. Many new airports include walkthrough duty-free stores that require air passengers to enter

3675-645: The distinction of being the first privately owned public airport in Pakistan and South Asia . In the US, 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,

3750-430: The elements). Standard amenities include public restrooms, passenger waiting areas and retail stores for dining and shopping, including duty-free shops . Dining establishments may be consolidated in food courts . Some international airports may offer retail sales of luxury goods at duty-free stores. Wi-Fi service and access, offices for bureau de change ( currency exchange) and tourism advice are common, although

3825-473: The facilities used on a flight like water, food, wifi and shows which is paid while paying for an airline ticket . Aircraft parking is also a major revenue source for airports. Aircraft are parked for a certain amount of time before or after takeoff and have to pay to park there. Every airport has its own rates of parking, for example, John F Kennedy airport in New York City charges $ 45 per hour for

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3900-610: The federal authority, Transport Canada, divested itself of all but the remotest airports in 1999/2000. Now most airports in Canada are operated by individual legal authorities, such as Vancouver International Airport Authority (although still owned by Transport Canada); some airports, such as Boundary Bay Airport and Pitt Meadows Airport, 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. All US commercial airport runways are certified by

3975-742: The first time in New York City to seek resolution to common problems they each faced, which initiated the formation of the Airport Operators Council , which later became Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA). This group included representatives from Baltimore , Boston , Chicago , Cleveland , Dallas , Denver , Detroit , Jacksonville , Kansas City , Los Angeles , Memphis , Miami , Minneapolis-Saint Paul , New York , Philadelphia , Pittsburgh , St. Louis , San Francisco and Washington . International airports have extensive operations in managing flight logistics , such as air traffic control . The latter service

4050-489: The industry during the COVID-19 pandemic , there have been discussions on the need for systemic improvements in three primary areas: The surfaces where ground operations occur are generally divided into three regions: runways , taxiways , and aprons . Air traffic control (ATC) is the task of managing aircraft movements and making sure they are safe, orderly and expeditious. At the largest airports, air traffic control

4125-419: The mid-20th century, when international airports began to provide infrastructure for international civilian flights. Detailed technical standards have been developed to ensure safety and common coding systems implemented to provide global consistency. The physical structures that serve millions of individual passengers and flights are among the most complex and interconnected in the world. By the second decade of

4200-831: The most important airport services are further transportation connections, including rail networks, taxi and shuttle services at curbside pick-up areas, and public buses. Large areas for automobile parking , often in co-located multi-storey car parks , are also typical to find at airports. Some airports provide shuttle services to parking garages for passengers and airport employees. Due to the very large scale of international airports, some have constructed shuttle services to transport passengers between terminals. Such systems operate for example, in Singapore Changi Airport and Zurich Airport . At some U.S. international airports, such as O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, some seating and waiting areas are located away from

4275-403: The name of an aerodrome may be a commercial decision. In US technical/legal usage, landing area is used instead of aerodrome , and airport means "a landing area used regularly by aircraft for receiving or discharging passengers or cargo". An airport solely serving helicopters is called a heliport . An airport for use by seaplanes and amphibious aircraft is called a seaplane base . Such

4350-645: The names of all the international airports. Some airports are nicknamed after these codes, such as JFK , BWI , DFW , LAX , YYZ , FCO , and CDG . An "international airport" can be named as such by simply containing customs and border control facilities to enable international flights, regardless of whether international flights currently operate to or from the airport. For example, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility has been in place at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport since July 1, 2012, but no scheduled international flights have been inaugurated to or from Bozeman since. Airport An airport

4425-437: The old security checkpoints can be replaced by a "total security area" encompassing an entire airport, coupled with automatic surveillance of passengers from the moment they enter the airport until they embark on a plane. Passengers connecting to domestic flights from an international flight generally must take their checked luggage through customs and re-check their luggage at the domestic airline counter, requiring extra time in

4500-558: 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. 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

4575-494: The operation of commercial airports in the rest of the world. The Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF) was created by the Airport and Airway Development in 1970 which finances aviation programs in the United States. Airport Improvement Program (AIP), Facilities and Equipment (F&E), and Research, Engineering, and Development (RE&D) are the three major accounts of Federal Aviation Administration which are financed by

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4650-425: The passenger's destination. Most major airports issue a secure keycard , an airside pass to employees, to assist in their reliable, standardized and efficient verification of identity. A terminal is a building with passenger facilities. Small airports have one terminal. Large ones often have multiple terminals, though some large airports, like Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , still have one terminal. The terminal has

4725-669: The process. In some cases in Europe , luggage can be transferred to the final destination even if it is a domestic connection. In some cases, travelers and the aircraft can clear customs and immigration at the departure airport. An example of this would be that some airports in Canada and Ireland , along with several other countries, have United States border preclearance facilities. This allows flights from those airports to fly into US airports that do not have customs and immigration facilities. Luggage from such flights can also be transferred to

4800-465: The same level of security for both. Most international airports feature a "sterile lounge", an area after security checkpoints within which passengers are free to move without further security checks. This area can have services such as duty-free shops that sell goods that have been selected and screened with safety in mind, so that purchasing and bringing them on board flights poses no security risks. In addition to employees, only processed passengers with

4875-536: The solution. At the far end of the longest international route (which became the Kangaroo Route ), on-water landing areas were found in places such as Surabaya and in the open sea off Kupang . In Sydney , Rose Bay, New South Wales , was chosen as the flying-boat landing area. International airports sometimes serve military as well as commercial purposes and their viability is also affected by technological developments. Canton Island Airport , for example, in

4950-460: The terminal building, with passengers being shuttled to terminals. These areas may be referred to as ground transportation centers or intermodal centers. Amenities at ground transportation centers typically include restrooms and seating, and may also provide ticket counters, food and beverage sales and retail goods such as magazines. Some ground transportation centers have heating and air conditioning and covered boarding areas (to protect passengers from

5025-458: The terms heliport , seaplane base , and STOLport refer to airports dedicated exclusively to helicopters , seaplanes , and short take-off and landing aircraft. In colloquial use in certain environments, 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 other aerodromes may not have achieved. In some jurisdictions, airport

5100-470: The total revenue of airports. Aeronautical revenue are generated through airline rents and landing, passenger service, parking, and hangar fees. Landing fees are charged per aircraft for landing an airplane in the airport property. Landing fees are calculated through the landing weight and the size of the aircraft which varies but most of the airports have a fixed rate and a charge extra for extra weight. Passenger service fees are charges per passengers for

5175-784: The tower is not in use, such as at night. Non-towered airports come under area (en-route) control . Remote and virtual tower (RVT) is a system in which ATC is handled by controllers who are not present at the airport itself. 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 may subdivide responsibilities further, with clearance delivery , apron control , and/or other specialized ATC stations. Non-towered airport At non-towered airports, instead of receiving instructions from an air traffic controller , aircraft pilots follow recommended operations and communications procedures for operating at an airport without

5250-495: The unit. Hazards are created by failure to use radios to report positions and intentions when operating within the airspace, which can lead to collisions between aircraft unaware of each other. In 1996, an incoming United Express Flight 5925 collided with a King Air aircraft, which failed to report its intent to take off on a common traffic advisory frequency at non-towered Quincy Airport in Illinois . Some pilots fail to use

5325-683: 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 of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or longer. Skyline Airport in Inkom, Idaho , has a runway that is only 122 m (400 ft) long. 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. The longest public-use runway in

5400-557: The world is at Qamdo Bamda 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

5475-463: The world. Most of the world's large 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 UK 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

5550-534: The world. Many also serve as hubs , or places where non-direct flights may land and passengers may switch planes, while others serve primarily direct point-to-point flights. This affects airport design factors, including the number and placement of terminals as well as the flow of passengers and baggage between different areas of the airport. An airport specializing in point-to-point transit can have international and domestic terminals, each in their separate building equipped with separate baggage handling facilities . In

5625-607: Was no longer needed and the airport was closed to regular commercial use. Other international airports, such as Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong , have been decommissioned and replaced when they reached capacity or technological advances rendered them inadequate. The construction and operation of an international airport depends on a complicated set of decisions that are affected by technology, politics, economics and geography as well as both local and international law. Designing an airport even for domestic traffic or as "non-hub" has, from

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