Taxiway

A taxiway is a strip of land on an airport on which aircraft can roll (taxi) to or from a hangar, terminal, runway, or other facility. They are often a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass.

Related Topics:
Airport - Aircraft - Hangar - Terminal - Runway - Asphalt - Concrete - Gravel

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Busy airports typically construct rapid-exit taxiways in order to allow aircrafts to leave the runway at higher speeds. This allows the aircraft to vacate the runway quicker, permitting another to land in a shorter space of time.

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Generally taxiways are marked with yellow lines. A continuous yellow line marks the centerline of the taxiway. Taxiway edges are marked with double parallel yellow lines.

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The taxiways are given alphanumeric identification. These taxiway ids are shown on black and yellow signboards along the taxiways.

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For night operations, taxiways are usually edged with blue lights, to distinguish them from the white lights of a runway. Larger airports sometimes add additional green centerline lighting.

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The centerline lighting is embedded in the taxiway, and an aircraft landing gear can thus roll over the lights.

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