Are runways tarmac or concrete?

At most airports today, the runways are constructed of asphalt or concrete or a combination of both. The type of pavement choice often depends on several factors including ground conditions. Concrete is typically the choice for major and bigger commercial airports.



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Adding tar to macadam makes the surface waterproof as well. Since airplanes must take off and land in all sorts of weather, airport runways are often paved with tarmacadam, as are public roads and highways.

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In general, tarmac is oftentimes used to refer to different areas of an airport where aircraft roam, but the truth is that airports have no area or section officially called tarmac. The parts that are commonly referred to as tarmac include: The runway, which is the way used for takeoff and landing.

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The airport apron, apron, flight line, ramp, or tarmac is the area of an airport where aircraft are parked, unloaded or loaded, refueled, boarded, or maintained. Although the use of the apron is covered by regulations, such as lighting on vehicles, it is typically more accessible to users than the runway or taxiway.

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Unfortunately, tarmac is easily damaged by gasoline and diesel fuel, so much of the tar in tarmac today has been replaced with a more resistant material called bitumen, thus creating “bitmac.” Though, after more than one hundred years of calling airport runways “tarmacs,” the name has stuck, tar or no tar.

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The chart notes that if a Boeing 747-400 had an operational landing weight of 475,000 lbs (215,456 kg) and wanted to land at a runway located at sea level, then the suggested runway length would be a little over 1,500 meters, or roughly 5,000 feet.

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Shigatse Peace Airport, China (runway length: 5,000m) Shigatse Peace Airport (RKZ), a dual-use military and civilian airport in Shigatse, Tibet hosts the longest runway in the world. The new runway (09/27) stretches 5,000m (16,404 ft) long with a 60-meter asphalt overrun at each end.

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