Ajay Kumar at 03:21, 30 August 2023

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{{short description|Location from which aircraft flight operations take place}}
{{Other uses}}
{{distinguish|The Airfield}}
{{More citations needed|date=April 2008}}
[[File:Cotswold airport at kemble from helicopter arp.jpg|thumb|[[Cotswold Airport]] in England]]
[[File:Pulkovo airport.jpg|thumb|[[Pulkovo Airport]], near [[Saint Petersburg]], Russia]]
[[File:Cessna 182P OH-CMR at EFSO 20110712.jpg|thumb|A Cessna 182P aircraft at [[Sodankylä Airfield]] in [[Sodankylä]], Finland]]
An '''aerodrome''' ([[English in the Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth English]]) or '''airdrome'''<ref>[https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/airdrome#:~:text=An%20airdrome%20is%20a%20place,note%3A%20in%20BRIT%2C%20use%20aerodrome airdrome] at [[Collins English Dictionary]]</ref> ([[American English]]) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve [[air cargo]], passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes include small [[general aviation]] airfields, large [[Commercial aviation|commercial]] airports, and military [[air base]]s.

The term ''[[airport]]'' may imply a certain stature (having satisfied certain certification criteria or regulatory requirements) that not all aerodromes may have achieved. That means that all airports are aerodromes, but not all aerodromes are airports. Usage of the term "aerodrome" remains more common in Ireland and Commonwealth nations, and is conversely almost unknown in American English, where the term "airport" is applied almost exclusively.

A water aerodrome is an area of open water used regularly by [[seaplane]]s, [[floatplane]]s or [[amphibious aircraft]] for landing and taking off.

In formal terminology, as defined by the [[International Civil Aviation Organization]] (ICAO), an aerodrome is "a defined area on land or water (including any buildings, installations, and equipment) intended to be used either wholly or in part for the arrival, departure, and surface movement of aircraft."<ref>International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Documents, Annex 14 to The Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), Volume I- Aerodrome Design and Operations under Definitions</ref>

== Etymology ==
The word ''aerodrome'' derives from [[Ancient Greek]] [[wiktionary:ἀήρ|ἀήρ]] (aḗr), ''air'', and [[wikt:δρόμος|δρόμος]] (drómos), ''road'' or ''course'', literally meaning ''air course''. An ancient linguistic parallel is ''[[hippodrome]]'' (a stadium for [[horse racing]] and [[chariot racing]]), derived from [[wikt:ἵππος|ἵππος]] (híppos), ''horse'', and δρόμος (drómos), ''course''. A modern linguistic parallel is ''[[velodrome]]'', an arena for [[velocipede]]s. Αεροδρόμιο is the word for airport in Modern Greek, which transliterates as aerodromio.

In British military usage, the [[Royal Flying Corps]] in the [[World War I|First World War]], and the [[Royal Air Force]] in the First and [[World War II|Second World War]]s, used the term—it had the advantage that their French allies, on whose soil they were often based, and with whom they co-operated, used the [[cognate]] term ''aérodrome''.

In Canada<ref name="TC">[https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/ca-publications/AIM-2016-2-E-AGA.pdf Transport Canada AIM - AGA 2.0 Aerodromes and Airports] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141126222020/https://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/ca-publications/2-AIM-AGA-E.pdf|date=November 26, 2014}}</ref> and Australia,<ref>[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/caa1988154/s3.html Commonwealth Consolidated Acts]</ref> ''aerodrome'' is a legal [[Jargon#Industry term|term of art]] for any area of land or water used for aircraft operation, regardless of facilities.

[[International Civil Aviation Organization]] (ICAO) documents use the term ''aerodrome'', for example, in the Annex to the ICAO Convention about aerodromes, their physical characteristics, and their operation. However, the terms ''airfield'' or ''airport'' mostly superseded{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} use of ''aerodrome'' after the Second World War, in colloquial language.<ref>Compare airport, airfield and aerodrome at [https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=aerodrome%2C+airport%2C+airfield&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Caerodrome%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cairport%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cairfield%3B%2Cc0 Google Books Ngram Viewer]</ref>{{Original research inline|date=May 2018}}

== History ==
In the early days of aviation, when there were no paved runways and all landing fields were grass, a typical airfield might permit [[takeoff]]s and [[landing]]s in only a couple of directions, much like today's airports, whereas an aerodrome was distinguished, by virtue of its much greater size, by its ability to handle landings and takeoffs in any direction. The ability to always take off and land directly into the wind, regardless of the wind's direction, was an important advantage in the earliest days of aviation when an airplane's performance in a [[crosswind]] takeoff or landing might be poor or even dangerous. The development of [[Landing gear#Differential braking|differential braking]] in aircraft, improved aircraft performance, utilization of paved runways, and the fact that a circular aerodrome required much more space than did the "L" or triangle shaped airfield, eventually made the early aerodromes obsolete.

The unimproved airfield remains a phenomenon in military aspects. The [[de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou|DHC-4 Caribou]] served in the United States military in Vietnam (designated as the CV-2), landing on rough, unimproved airfields where the [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|C-130 Hercules]] workhorse could not operate. Earlier, the [[Junkers Ju 52|Ju 52]] and [[Fieseler Fi 156 Storch|Fieseler ''Storch'']] could do the same, one example of the latter taking off from the [[Führerbunker]] whilst completely surrounded by Russian troops.

== Types ==

===Airport===
[[File:Feuerwehr.JPG|thumb|[[Soest-Bad Sassendorf Airfield]] near [[Soest, Germany]]]]
{{Main|Airport}}

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 [[Jargon#Industry term|term of art]] reserved exclusively for those aerodromes certified or licensed as airports by the relevant [[civil aviation authority]] after meeting specified certification criteria or regulatory requirements.<ref>{{CFS}}</ref>

===Air base===
[[File:Hahn Air Base aerial shelters 1977.JPEG|thumb|[[Hahn Air Base]], near [[Kirchberg, Rhein-Hunsrück|Kirchberg]], [[Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis]], Germany]]
{{Main|Air base}}

An [[air base]] is an aerodrome with significant facilities to support aircraft and crew. The term is usually reserved for military bases, but also applies to civil [[seaplane base]]s.

===Airstrip===
[[File:Private airstrip at Knettishall - geograph.org.uk - 243343.jpg|thumb|A private airstrip at what used to be [[RAF Knettishall]]]]
An airstrip is a small aerodrome that consists only of a runway with perhaps fueling equipment.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Dictionary of Aviation |first=David W. |last=Wragg |isbn=0-85045-163-9 |publisher=Frederick Fell, Inc. |publication-place=New York |date=1974 |edition=1st American |page=29}}</ref> They are generally in remote locations, e.g. {{C|airstrips in Tanzania}}. Many airstrips (now mostly abandoned) were built on the hundreds of islands in the [[Pacific Ocean]] during the Second World War. A few airstrips grew to become full-fledged airbases as the strategic or economic importance of a region increased over time.

An [[Advanced Landing Ground]] was a temporary airstrip used by the Allies in the run-up to and during the [[Operation Overlord|invasion of Normandy]], and these were built both in Britain, and on the continent.

===Water aerodrome===
{{main article|Seaplane base}}
[[File:Yellowknife Water Aerodrome.jpg|thumb|[[Yellowknife Water Aerodrome]], [[Northwest Territories]], [[Canada]]]]
A water aerodrome or [[seaplane base]] is an area of open water used regularly by [[seaplane]]s, [[floatplane]]s and [[amphibious aircraft]] for landing and taking off. It may have a terminal building on land and/or a place where the plane can come to shore and dock like a boat to load and unload (for example, [[Yellowknife Water Aerodrome]]). Some are co-located with a land based airport and are certified airports in their own right. These include [[Vancouver International Water Airport]] and [[Vancouver International Airport]]. Others, such as [[Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre]] have their own control tower, [[Vancouver Harbour Control Tower]].

== By country ==

===Canada===
The Canadian [[Aeronautical Information Manual]] says "...for the most part, all of Canada can be an aerodrome", however, there are also "registered aerodromes" and "certified airports". To become a registered aerodrome, the operator must maintain certain standards and keep the [[Minister of Transport (Canada)|Minister of Transport]] informed of any changes. To be certified as an airport the aerodrome, which usually supports commercial operations, must meet safety standards.<ref name="TC" /> [[Nav Canada]], the private company responsible for air traffic control services in Canada, publishes the [[Canada Flight Supplement]], a directory of all registered Canadian land aerodromes, as well as the Canada Water Aerodrome Supplement (CWAS).<ref>[http://products.navcanada.ca/shop-electronic-products/PDFs-for-Download/ CWAS description]</ref>

===Republic of Ireland===

[[Casement Aerodrome]] is the main [[Air base|military airport]] used by the [[Irish Air Corps]]. The term "aerodrome" is used for airports and airfields of lesser importance in Ireland, such as those at [[Abbeyshrule Aerodrome|Abbeyshrule]]; [[Bantry Aerodrome|Bantry]]; [[Birr Aerodrome|Birr]]; [[Inisheer Aerodrome|Inisheer]]; [[Inishmaan Aerodrome|Inishmaan]]; [[Inishmore Aerodrome|Inishmore]]; [[Newcastle Aerodrome|Newcastle, County Wicklow]]; and [[Trim Aerodrome|Trim]].

== See also ==

* [[Airpark]]
* [[Altiport]]
* [[Heliport]]
* [[Joint-use airport]]
* [[Non-towered airport]]
* [[Spaceport]]
* [[STOLport]]
* [[Tabletop runway|Tabletop airport]]
* [[Wayport]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==

{{Commercial air travel}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aerodromes| ]]

Aerodrome - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 03:21, 30 August 2023