Types of Airports

Types of Airports
1. Towered Airport

A towered airport has an operating control tower. Air traffic control

(ATC) is responsible for providing the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow
of air traffic at airports where the type of operations and/or volume of
traffic requires such a service. Pilots operating from a towered airport
are required to maintain two-way radio communication with ATC and to
acknowledge and comply with their instructions. Pilots must advise ATC
if they cannot comply with the instructions issued and request amended
instructions. A pilot may deviate from an air traffic instruction in an
emergency, but must advise ATC of the deviation as soon as possible.
Types of Airports
Types of Airports
2. Non Towered Airport

A non-towered airport does not have an operating control tower.

Two-way radio communications are not required, although it is a good
operating practice for pilots to transmit their intentions on the specified
frequency for the benefit of other traffic in the area. The key to
communicating at an airport without an operating control tower is
selection of the correct common frequency.
Sources of Airport Data
3. Notices to Airmen (NOTAM)

Time-critical aeronautical information, which is of a temporary nature or not

sufficiently known in advance to permit publication, on aeronautical charts
or in other operational 14-5 publications receives immediate dissemination
by the NOTAM system. The NOTAM information could affect your decision to
make the flight. It includes such information as taxiway and runway
closures, construction, communications, changes in status of navigational
aids, and other information essential to planned en route, terminal, or
landing operations. Exercise good judgment and common sense by carefully
regarding the information readily available in NOTAMs.
 NOTAMs
Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs):
contains time-critical aeronautical information that could affect a pilot’s decision to make a flight.
• hazards such as air-shows, parachute jumps, kite flying, rocket launches, etc.
• flights by important people such as heads of state (sometimes referred to as temporary flight restrictions, TFRs)
• closed runways
• inoperable radio navigational aids
• military exercises with resulting airspace restrictions
• inoperable lights on tall obstructions
• temporary erection of obstacles near airfields (e.g., cranes)
• passage of flocks of birds through airspace (a NOTAM in this category is known as a BIRDTAM)
• notifications of runway/taxiway/apron status with respect to snow, ice, and standing water (a SNOWTAM)
• notification of an operationally significant change in volcanic ash or other dust contamination (an ASHTAM)
Sources of Airport Data
4. Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS)

The Automated Terminal Information Service (ATIS) is a recording of the local

weather conditions and other pertinent non-control information broadcast on a
local frequency in a looped format. It is normally updated once per hour but is
updated more often when changing local conditions warrant. Important
information is broadcast on ATIS including weather, runways in use, specific ATC
procedures, and any airport construction activity that could affect taxi planning.
When the ATIS is recorded, it is given a code. This code is changed with every ATIS
update. For example, ATIS Alpha is replaced by ATIS Bravo. The next hour, ATIS
Charlie is recorded, followed by ATIS Delta and progresses down the alphabet.
IATA Airport Codes
An IATA airport code, also known as an IATA location identifier, IATA station
code, or simply a location identifier, is a three-letter geocode designating
many airports and metropolitan areas around the world, defined by the
International Air Transport Association (IATA). The characters prominently
displayed on baggage tags attached at airport check-in desks are an
example of a way these codes are used.
IATA Airport Codes
 IATA Airport Codes
Examples:

New York City (NYC) – John F. Kennedy (JFK, formerly Idlewild (IDL)),
LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark (EWR)

Dubai (DXB) – International (DXB) and Al Maktoum (DWC)

 IATA Airport Codes
:
Examples:
ICAO IATA Name Type Municipality

RPLC CRK Diosdado Macapagal International Airport Large airport Angeles/Mabalacat

RPMD DVO Francisco Bangoy International Airport Large airport Davao City

RPMY CGY Laguindingan Airport Large airport Cagayan de Oro City

RPVM CEB Mactan Cebu International Airport Large airport Lapu-Lapu City

RPLL MNL Ninoy Aquino International Airport Large airport Manila

ICAO Airport Codes
The ICAO airport code or location indicator is a four-letter code designating
aerodromes around the world. These codes, as defined by the International
Civil Aviation Organization and published in ICAO Document 7910: Location
Indicators, are used by air traffic control and airline operations such as flight
planning.
 ● A - Western South Pacific
● B - Greenland, Iceland, and Kosovo (European Alternate)
● C - Canada
● D – Eastern parts of West Africa and Maghreb
● E – Northern Europe
● F – Most of Central Africa, Southern Africa, and the Indian Ocean
● G – Western parts of West Africa and Maghreb
● H – East Africa and Northeast Africa
● K – Contiguous United States
● L – Southern Europe, Israel, Palestine and Turkey
● M – Central America, Mexico and northern/western parts of the Caribbean
● N – Most of the South Pacific and New Zealand
● O – Pakistan, Afghanistan and many West Asian countries
● P – most of the North Pacific, and Kiribati
● R – Western part of the North Pacific (Taiwan/South Korea/Philippines and Japan)
● S – South America
● T – Eastern and southern parts of the Caribbean
● U – Russia, Transcaucasus, and some Central Asian countries
● V – Many South Asian countries,
● mainland Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau
● W – Most of Maritime Southeast Asia
● Y – Australia
● Z – China, North Korea and Mongolia

●
IATA codes vs ICAO codes
ICAO codes are separate and different from IATA codes, which are generally
used for airline timetables, reservations, and baggage tags. For example, the
IATA code for London's Heathrow Airport is LHR and its ICAO code is EGLL.
ICAO codes are commonly seen by passengers and the general public on
flight-tracking services such as FlightAware, but passengers will more often
see the IATA codes, such as on their tickets and their luggage tags. In
general IATA codes are usually derived from the name of the airport or the
city it serves, while ICAO codes are distributed by region and country.