Iah Airport Landside

Airport Airside

When you talk about the airside components of an airport you are talking about the movement of aircraft around the airport as well as to and from the air. It also includes all the facilities located on the physical property to facilitate aircraft operations. George Busch Intercontinental Airport (IAH) handles seventeen passenger airlines between five passenger terminals, along with thirteen all cargo airlines. For the sixth busiest airport in the world, you are talking a lot of facilities. So how does the airport that lays on over 10,000 acres of land keep everything running efficient?

Well for starters, to accommodate the passenger traffic to and from the terminals they have an underground Inter-terminal passenger train that connects to all the terminal and the airport hotel. Additionally, there is an Inter-terminal pass train above ground that links Terminals B, C, D, and E.

Depending on the flow of air traffic will determine which of the five concrete parallel runways, you will be landing or departing from. When IAH is on an East Flow aircraft depart from runways 15L, 15R and 9; aircraft arrive on runways 8L and 8R. On a West Flow aircraft again will depart runways 15L and 15R but will arrive on runways 27, 26L and 26R. When the winds are out of the north IAH will go to a Northwest Flow, departing runways 33L and 33R; arriving 26L, 26R and 27. All the runways are precision approach runways capable of either Category I/III approaches ranging from 9,000ft to 12,000ft. IAH has an intricate system of parallel, entrance, bypass, and rapid-exit taxiways accommodating the more than 500,000 operations. The tables below describe the lighting system used at IAH.

Another component that partners with the airport at IAH are the aircraft rescue and firefighting facilities (ARFF). “An emergency can be either a Distress or an Urgency condition as defined in the Pilot/Controller Glossary.” (JO 7110.65U) Strategically placed around the airport are 3...