Weather, in particular wind speed and direction, is generally the main factor in determining which runways are in use at an airport, in which direction aircraft will take off and land and which flight paths are used.

At all times, the safe operation of aircraft will be the primary consideration.

Runway naming

Runways are named using a numbering system which reflects the runways’ orientation. The number, between 01 and 36, correlates to the degrees on a compass, for example:

• A runway numbed 09 points east at 90 degrees
• A runway numbered 27 points west at 270 degrees.

Some airports will have additional runways side-by-side, in this case the letters, left, right and even center are used to differentiate the different runways.

Runway use

Runways can be used in both directions and a runway will have a different name to refer to each end. In the above example the runway runs east-west, with runway 09 pointing east and 27 pointing west.

How can I find out more?

You can read more in our factsheet, available here.