What are the advantages and disadvantages of parallel and intersecting runways in airports?

Question

Please indicate specifically...

Answer 1

It isn't really a matter of advantages and disadvantages.  Runways intersect because they are laid out to allow for varying wind conditions.  Parallel runways are sometimes built at heavy traffic airports to accommodate more flights.

Answer 2

You want to land and take-off into the wind (more lift that way), so you want runways at various angles so that you can take advantage of the wind, no matter what direction it is blowing.  It is not practical to have these various runways pointing various directions all spread out - at some point they cross or else your airport is gigantic.

Typically there are not parallel runways.  One is a runway, the other parallel one is a taxiway.  One is for aircraft to take off and land on, the other is for airplanes on the ground to use in order to get into position to take off, or to get to the terminal after they land.

On some very very large (read very very busy) airports, they may have multiple parallel runways, so that they can take off and land multiple planes at the same time.  This is really only at major airports at major cities (NY, LAX, Chicago/O'Hare, etc.) - airports that are big enough to be hubs.

Answer 3

Runways are laid out according to two criteria, topography of the land and prevailing wind. Whether they intersect or not does not matter and is determined strictly on those two criteria. If the prevailing winds do not favor one direction over another, they build intersecting runways. If the winds favor one direction, then parallel runways can be built and there is no point to building a runway which will always have a crosswind, which is the hardest to land and take off in. The ideal situation is to take off and land directly into the wind. Once the runways are laid out, it becomes a simple matter of handling the traffic, which is what air traffic control is for.

Answer 4

Parallel runways can land more planes at the same time. Intersecting runways allow planes more options on take-offs and landings while taking up less space.