What does 34 on a runway mean?

On the compass above, find approximately 342 degrees. Round it to 340 and drop the zero. Extend a line outward from that notch away from the compass, and presto, you've drawn runway 34, jetting off to the North-Northwest. It's the direction from the approach to landing that is painted on the runway.



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Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally the magnetic azimuth of the runway's heading in decadegrees. This heading differs from true north by the local magnetic declination.

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For example, Runway 9-27 is oriented east-west. You might be thinking that the numbers on this diagram are backwards. On a handheld compass, south is 180 degrees (so 18 in runway terms) and west is 270 (27). But the “W” is numbered 9 because the runway number is connected to the direction the plane is traveling.

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A runway always has a number between 1 and 36, and that number isn't just the runway's nickname, but also indicates how many degrees away that runway is from magnetic north, rounded to the tens. So runway 24 is 240 degrees from magnetic north, and runway 36 runs right along it.

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A: The runway number is the approximate magnetic heading. As an example, runway 35 is pointing approximately 350 degrees magnetic. The opposite end of the runway is 17 or approximately 170 degrees magnetic.

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“27” requires a heading of 270 degrees (due west, as it turns out). If there are two parallel runways, they become left and right (or “L” and “R”). “27R” is the rightmost of two runways which both require an approach at 270 degrees.

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In addition, runway numbers are connected to the direction a plane is traveling—so while on a handheld compass, south corresponds to 180 degrees, or 18 in runway terms, if a plane is on runway 18–36, then it's heading north, according to the designation on a compass with the runway overlay (see image below, courtesy of ...

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For example, if the magnetic heading of a runway is 233°, it is designated Runway 23. If the magnetic heading changes downwards by 5 degrees to 228°, the runway remains Runway 23.

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Runway numbers are actually a reference to the closest magnetic heading of the runway. The runway heading is rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, and the zero is removed. This number is then assigned to the runway. Further differentiation can be achieved with letters on parallel runways.

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Generally, a typical runway length for a fully loaded Boeing 747-400, one of the most common variants, is around 10,000 to 12,000 feet (3,048 to 3,658 meters) for takeoff.

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Is There a Runway 0? You shouldn't find any runway numbered either “0” or “00”. Any runway which points to magnetic north will normally be given the designator “36” (as in 360 degrees). This will also correspond with the headings read out by both ATC and the pilot.

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Runway 13-31 is a primary runway at ACY and is 10,000 feet long by 150 feet wide, including 25 feet of paved shoulder on both sides, which features ILS approaches at each end, precision instrument pavement markings, and High-Intensity Runway Lighting (HIRL) and a Medium-Intensity Approach Lighting System with Runway ...

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Runway 22 means that the airplane's magnetic heading on this runway will be about 220 degrees when taking off or landing. The actual heading may be 224 degrees, but it is called 22. If the actual heading was 226 degrees then the runway would be 23, or considered 230 degrees.

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