exclusively to helicopters, seaplanes, and short take-off and landing aircraft.

In colloquial use in certain environments, the terms airport and aerodrome are often
interchanged. However, in general, the term airport may imply or confer a certain stature upon
the aviation facility that other aerodromes may not have achieved. In some jurisdictions, airport
is a legal term of art reserved exclusively for those aerodromes certified or licensed as airports
by the relevant national aviation authority after meeting specified certification criteria or
regulatory requirements.[7]

That is to say, all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. In jurisdictions
where there is no legal distinction between aerodrome and airport, which term to use in the
name of an aerodrome may be a commercial decision. In US technical/legal usage, landing area
is used instead of aerodrome, and airport means "a landing area used regularly by aircraft for
receiving or discharging passengers or cargo".[8]

Management[edit]

Kuala Lumpur's Kuala Lumpur International Airport Main Terminal

Smaller or less-developed airfields, which represent the vast majority, often have a single
runway shorter than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Larger airports for airline flights generally have paved
runways of 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or longer. Skyline Airport in Inkom, Idaho has a runway that is only
122 m (400 ft) long.[9]

In the United States, the minimum dimensions for dry, hard landing fields are defined by the
FAR Landing And Takeoff Field Lengths. These include considerations for safety margins during
landing and takeoff.

The longest public-use runway in the world is at Qamdo Bamda Airport in China. It has a length
of 5,500 m (18,045 ft). The world's widest paved runway is at Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport in
Russia and is 105 m (344 ft) wide.

As of 2009, the CIA stated that there were approximately 44,000 "airports or airfields
recognizable from the air" around the world, including 15,095 in the US, the US having the most
in the world.[10][11]

Airport ownership and operation[edit]

The Berlin Brandenburg Airport is publicly financed by the states of Berlin and Brandenburg and
the Federal Republic of Germany.

Most of the world's large airports are owned by local, regional, or national government bodies
who then lease the airport to private corporations who oversee the airport's operation. For
example, in the UK the state-owned British Airports Authority originally operated eight of the
nation's major commercial airports – it was subsequently privatized in the late 1980s, and
following its takeover by the Spanish Ferrovial consortium in 2006, has been further divested
and downsized to operating just Heathrow. Germany's Frankfurt Airport is managed by the
quasi-private firm Fraport. While in India GMR Group operates, through joint ventures, Indira
Gandhi International Airport and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. Bengaluru International
Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport are controlled by GVK Group. The rest of
India's airports are managed by the Airports Authority of India. In Pakistan nearly all civilian
airports are owned and operated by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority except for Sialkot
International Airport which has the distinction of being the first privately owned public airport in
Pakistan and South Asia[citation needed].

In the US, commercial airports are generally operated directly by government entities or
government-created airport authorities (also known as port authorities), such as the Los Angeles
World Airports authority that oversees several airports in the Greater Los Angeles area,
including Los Angeles International Airport[citation needed].

In Canada, the federal authority, Transport Canada, divested itself of all but the remotest
airports in 1999/2000. Now most airports in Canada are owned and operated by individual legal
authorities or are municipally owned.

Many US airports still lease part or all of their facilities to outside firms, who operate functions
such as retail management and parking. All US commercial airport runways are certified by the
FAA[12] under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 14 Part 139, "Certification of Commercial
Service Airports"[13] but maintained by the local airport under the regulatory authority of the
FAA.

Despite the reluctance to privatize airports in the US (contrary to the FAA sponsoring a
privatization program since 1996), the government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO)
arrangement is the standard for the operation of commercial airports in the rest of the world.

Airport funding[edit]

The Airport & Airway Trust Fund (AATF) was created by the Airport and Airway Development in
1970 which finances aviation programs in the United States.[14] Airport Improvement Program
(AIP), Facilities and Equipment (F&E), and Research, Engineering, and Development (RE&D) are
the three major accounts of Federal Aviation Administration which are financed by the AATF, as
well as pays for the FAA's Operation and Maintenance (O&M) account.[15] The funding of these
accounts are dependent on the taxes the airports generate of revenues. Passenger tickets, fuel,
and cargo tax are the taxes that are paid by the passengers and airlines help fund these
accounts.[16]

Airport revenue[edit]

Airports revenues are divided into three major parts: aeronautical revenue, non-aeronautical
revenue, and non-operating revenue. Aeronautical revenue makes up 56%, non-aeronautical
revenue makes up 40%, and non-operating revenue makes up 4% of the total revenue of
airports.[17]

Aeronautical revenue[edit]

Aeronautical revenue are generated through airline rents and landing, passenger service,
parking, and hangar fees. Landing fees are charged per aircraft for landing an airplane in the
airport property.[18] Landing fees are calculated through the landing weight and the size of the
aircraft which varies but most of the airports have a fixed rate and a charge extra for extra
weight.[19] Passenger service fees are charges per passengers for the facilities used on a flight
like water, food, wifi and shows which is paid while paying for an airline ticket.[citation needed]
Aircraft parking is also a major revenue source for airports. Aircraft are parked for a certain
amount of time before or after takeoff and have to pay to park there.[20] Every airport has his
own rates of parking but at John F Kennedy airport in New York City charges $45 per hour for
the plane of 100,000 pounds and the price increases with weight.[21]

Non-aeronautical revenue[edit]

Non-aeronautical revenue is gained through things other than aircraft operations. It includes
lease revenue from compatible land-use development, non-aeronautical building leases, retail
and concession sales, rental car operations, parking and in-airport advertising.[22] Concession
revenue is one big part of non-aeronautical revenue airports makes through duty free,
bookstores, Restaurants and money exchange.[20] Car parking is a growing source of revenue
for airports, as more people use the parking facilities of the airport. O'Hare International Airport
in Chicago charges $2 per hour for every car.[23]

Landside and airside areas[edit]

Airports are divided into landside and airside areas. The landside area is open to the public,
while access to the airside area is tightly controlled. The airside area includes all parts of the
airport around the aircraft, and the parts of the buildings that are accessible only to passengers
and staff. Passengers and staff must be checked by security before being permitted to enter the
airside area. Conversely, passengers arriving from an international flight must pass through
border control and customs to access the landside area, where they can exit the airport. Many
major airports will issue a secure keycard called an airside pass to employees, as some roles
require employees to frequently move back and forth between landside and airside as part of
their duties.
Facilities[edit]

Singapore's Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3

A terminal is a building with passenger facilities. Small airports have one terminal. Large ones
often have multiple terminals, though some large airports like Amsterdam Airport Schiphol still
have one terminal. The terminal has a series of gates, which provide passengers with access to
the plane.

The following facilities are essential for departing passengers:

Check-in facilities, including a baggage drop-off

Security clearance gates

Passport control (for some international flights)

Gates

Waiting areas

The following facilities are essential for arriving passengers:

Passport control (international arrivals only)

Baggage reclaim facilities, often in the form of a carousel