Runway

This article is about the aircraft takeoff and landing area. For other uses, see Runway (disambiguation).
"Landing strip" and "RWY" redirect here. For the pubic hairstyle, see Bikini waxing. For other uses, see RWY (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Roll way.

Runway 13R at Palm Springs International Airport
Runway 34 at Nagoya Airfield
An MD-11 at one end of a runway

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft".[1] Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (grass, dirt, gravel, ice, sand or salt). Runways, taxiways and ramps, are sometimes referred to as "tarmac", though very few runways are built using tarmac. Takeoff and landing areas defined on the surface of water for seaplanes are generally referred to as waterways. Runway lengths are now commonly given in meters worldwide, except in North America where feet are commonly used.[2]

  1. ^ International standards and recommended practices. Aerodromes. Annex 14 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. ICAO. 1951. p. 17.
  2. ^ H, Ken (5 September 2014). "Aviation's Crazy, Mixed Up Units of Measure". AeroSavvy. Archived from the original on 23 January 2024.