slide 1: Airport Infrastructure - Nathaniel Pyron Smaller as well as less developed airports which represent the vast majority often have a single runway shorter than 1000 m whereas larger airports for airline flights generally have paved runways 2000 m or longer. Many small airports have dirt grass and gravel runways rather than asphalt or concrete and the minimum dimensions for dry hard landing fields are defined by the landing as well as take-off field lengths. These include considerations for safety margins during landing and take-off and heavier aircraft require longer runways. The longest public use runway in the world is at Qamdo Bangda Airport in China and it has a length of 5500 m and the worlds widest paved runway is at Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport in Russia and is 105 m wide. There are approximately 44000 airports or airfields recognizable from the air around the world which also includes 15095 in the US and the US having the most in the world. Most of the airports are possessed by local regional and national government bodies who then lease the airport to private corporations who look after the airports operation. Airports are divided into landside and airside areas in which landside areas include parking lots public transportation and train stations as well as access roads whereas airside areas include all the areas accessible to aircraft which includes runways taxiways and aprons.

slide 2: Airport Design – Nathaniel Pyron Access from landside areas towards airside areas is tightly controlled at most airports and passengers on commercial flights access airside areas through the terminals where they can purchase tickets clear security check or claim luggage as well as board aircraft through gates. The area where aircraft park next to a terminal to load passengers and baggage is known as a ramp and parking areas for aircraft away from terminals are called aprons. Airports can be towered as well as non-towered depending on air traffic density and available funds and due to their high capacity as well as busy airspace many international airports have air traffic control located on site. Airports with international flights have customs and immigration facilities and some countries have agreements that allow travel between them without customs and immigrations like facilities are not a definitive need for an international airport. International flights often require a very higher level of physical security although in recent years many countries have adopted the same level of surveillance for international as well as domestic travel. Some airport structures include on site hotels built within or attached to a terminal building and airport hotels have grown popular due to their convenience for transient passengers and easy accessibility to the airport terminal.