Airport runway geometry

Aspects such as length, slope or orientation are key in the development of the operations of any airport.

The runways para las aeronaves son la razón de ser de los aeropuertos. Son su elemento fundamental y todo gira en torno a la actividad que se realiza sobre ellas. Las dimensiones, orientación, estado o la cantidad de pistas disponibles condicionan el desarrollo de las operaciones y, por tanto, la capacidad del aeropuerto. Además, en función de cómo sea la pista, habrá algunos modelos de aviones que podrán utilizarla y otros que no.

The orientation of the runway is key to ensure that the winds or the orography are in favour of the greatest possible number of operations being carried out. Furthermore, the possibility of minimising the impacts (especially acoustic impacts) of the airport itself on nearby towns or protected areas also depends on it.

The length and width of the runway are going to be key factors in whether one type of aircraft or another can be used safely.

The pendingThe airport operations will also be determined by the terrain, which is often conditioned by orography.

In this infographics we take a look at those aspects that condition the geometry of airport runways, showing some examples of each of the cases. 

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