The airports must always consider the optimal runway design to ensure the aircraft can take off and land safely.
The runway at Gatwick International Airport in London, England. Image: BBC
The runway length of the airport can greatly affect flight operations. Airports around the world have a variety of runways, allowing to meet some types of aircraft. Airlines and pilots also consider designing and running the airport runway to make sure the aircraft can fly or leave safely, according to Simple Flying.
The airport runway is a rectangular area in the landing beach, specially prepared for the aircraft and take off. While large airports around the world have asphalt or concrete runways, some of the runways in a smaller area are just dirt or weed. This is due to the diverse demand of the airport and the region. Most airports often have many runways, sometimes up to 5-6 bands with different sizes for large commercial jets such as Airbus A380, Boeing 747 … Small aircraft used to fly in the area will use shorter runways to ensure the airport performance.
Airport runway length ranges from 350 to 5,000 m. The longest runway in the world (5,000 m) is located at Ulyanovsk Vostochny airport in Russia and Shigatse Peace in China. Small airports often have narrow runways (23 m) while at a larger airport, the airport width can be up to 61 m. In addition to the type of aircraft, other factors need to consider when designing the runway including airport height, weather conditions, regional geography and environment.
Compared to small aircraft, large aircraft require more space to ensure sufficient speed when taking off or to use brakes when landing. The long runway is essential for the airport in the hot climate. Make sure the runway is long enough because it allows the aircraft to stop safely in case of cancellation or reject. Most commercial airports usually have a runway length of 2,438 – 3,962 m. If the airport is too short, the plane can take off, leading to an accident.