How to choose Airport runway directions? when constructing airport?

Question

How to choose Airport runway directions? when constructing airport?

Answer 1

Sathya, aircraft need to take-off and land going into the direction of the wind. For this reason, runways are constructed in the direction of the prevailing winds. There are many, many single runway airports around the world. Runways are numbered by their compass direction divided by 10. So a runway running exactly north and south would be numbered 18-36. Runway 18 would be used for a plane landing into the south, 36 for landing into the north.

For larger airports, there can be cross runways, and parallel ones as well. The traffic patterns for them are much more complicated. They are all numbered in the same manner, with L for left, R for right, and C for center used.

There are other considerations besides wind, such as obstacles, and terrain features that determine runway direction, but wind is the usual primary consideration.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

Most large airports have a north/south and an east/west facing runways.  Take off and landings can be adjusted for wind conditions.  Most new runways when they are constructed today are either a lengthening of an existing runway or the inclusion of additional parallel runway to expand the number of take offs and landing that can be handled at the same time.  Parallel runways are usually only seen at very large regional airports like DFW.

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Answer 3

Main runways are usually in the direction of the prevailing wind. Its easier to take off or land against the wind..

Answer 4

You have to take into consideration the approach and departure paths are clear of obstacles. Some like trees can be removed but hills, power lines and buildings you have to clear or avoid.  So the wind although an important factor is actually a small one when considering the placement and relative direction af a runway.

Answer 5

sathya, runway built into the prevailing wind

Answer 6

well sathya that is a very good question when they start they monitor the wind directions for a whole year using now two ways the old one wich is having more than a paper with a dot at the center ,that dot supose to be the airport and each day the draw three lines at three diffrent times these lines are the relative wind direction on and by using the other method as well with the computers at the end of the year they look to the thickest line on the paperes comparing with the computer  statistics. gives them the rwy headings.

Answer 7

You'd probably have to consult the local Imam as you'd have to make sure that it wasn't facing Mecca.

Answer 8

I actually just learned this in my airport planning course. What they do is gather all the wind information for the past year (azimuth/intensity) and create a wind rose which has 360 degrees and lines in the middle. The area where there is the thickest line would be the average wind direction. This is then used to the runway heading, unless there is a natural or manmade obstacle that conflict with the approach zone (like Kai Tek airport in Hong Kong R.I.P.haha) Then the runway orientation question becomes more complicated.