The Organization of an Airport

An airport is the location where aircraft take off and land, where goods, passengers and their baggage transit. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport, where we usually distinguish two main parts: an air side and a land side. In the former we find all the infrastructures and services that serve to move aircraft, runways, taxiways, aircraft parkings, aprons and the air traffic control system; in the latter there are all the facilities and services associated with passengers such as the access to the airport, the terminal footpaths and the car parks. Gates are instead usually considered the border between the two areas.

The airport ramp or apron is the area where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled and boarded. The apron is not usually open to the general public and a license may be required to gain access.

The use of the apron may be controlled by the apron management service (apron control or apron advisory). The apron is designated by the LC.A.O. (International Civil Aviation Organization) as not being part of the maneuvering area. All vehicles, aircraft and people using the apron are referred to as 'apron traffic'.

In the USA, the words 'apron' and 'ramp' are used interchangeably in most circumstances. Generally, the preflight activities are carried out on ramps and areas for parking & maintenance are called aprons.