This document discusses different types of airport lighting used to guide aircraft. It describes runway edge lights, runway end identifier lights, visual approach slope indicator lights, runway centerline lights, runway threshold lights, touchdown zone lighting, taxiway centerline lead off-on lights, land and hold short lights, runway status lights, and taxiway edge lights. Each type of lighting serves a specific purpose to help pilots navigate safely to and from runways in varied visibility conditions.

1. AIRPORT AND
HARBOUR
ENGINEERING
By:
R.Sivaprashad

2. Types of Airport Pavement Lighting:
 Runway Edge Lights
 Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL’s)
 Visual Approach Slope Indicator Lights (VASI)
 Runway Centerline Lights
 Runway Threshold Lights

3. Cont..
 Touchdown Zone Lighting (TDZL)
 Taxiway Centerline Lead Off-On Lights
 Land and Hold Short Lights (LAHSO)
 Runway Status Lights
 Taxiway Edge light

4. Runway Edge Lights:
 Many small airports may have only runway edge lights—white lights located just
beyond the edge of the runways surface; and there are many sod runways with edge
lighting.
 From the air, at night, they are the familiar white lights that define the width and length
of the runway.
 At larger airports, these may be embedded in the pavement of the runway.
 For runways served with an instrument approach, the last 2000 feet of runway edge
lights are yellow

6. Runway End Identifier Lights (REIL’s):
 REIL lights are often used at smaller airports instead of Runway Threshold lights to
identify the approach end of the runway.
 The system consists of a pair of synchronized flashing lights located on each side of the
runway threshold.
 REILs are useful for identifying the approach end of a runway for pilots unfamiliar with
an airport, and for runway location in reduced visibility

8. Runway Centerline Lights:
 The centerline lights are white until the last 3,000 feet of the runway.
 At 3000 feet remaining, they become alternating white and red; then become all red for
the last 1000 feet of runway.
 These lights are in protected assemblies that are slightly raised above the runway
surface; rolling directly over them creates a bumpy ride.

10. Visual Approach Slope Indicator Lights
(VASI):
 Some aircraft lighting is used to assist pilots in maintaining a typical glide path to the
touchdown area of the runway.
 VASI installations are one of the simplest, most effective aids to landing available.
 In its simplest form VASI’s consists of two pairs of panels, both with red and white
lighting; one pair set behind the other.
 When the aircraft is established on a typical 3-degree glide slope to the runway, the
pilot will see the red panels over (behind) the white panels.

12.  Runways served by instrument approaches often have a row of green lights that identify
the landing threshold
 These are especially useful for identifying a displaced threshold.
 When on the runway, the threshold lights at the far or departure end of the runway are
red alerting pilots that the end is approaching
Runway Threshold Lights:

14. Touchdown Zone Lighting (TDZL):
 Touchdown zone lights are installed on some precision approach runways to indicate
the landing area when landing in reduced visibility conditions
 They consist of two rows of “transverse light bars” symmetrically placed across the
runway centerline.
 The light bars are steady-burning white lights that start 100 feet beyond the landing
threshold and extend to 3,000 feet beyond the landing threshold or to the midpoint of
the runway, whichever is less.

16. Taxiway Centerline Lead Off-On Lights:
 Taxiway centerline lead-off lights provide visual guidance to pilots exiting the runway
 They are color-coded to warn pilots and vehicle drivers that they are within the runway
environment or instrument landing system (ILS) critical area, whichever is more
restrictive.
 Alternate green and yellow lights are installed, beginning with green, from the runway
centerline to one centerline light position beyond the runway holding position or ILS
critical area holding position.

18. Land and Hold Short Lights (LAHSO):
 Land and hold short lights are used to indicate the hold short point on certain runways that
are approved for Land and Hold Short Operations (LAHSO).
 This system will work only if pilots have a clear understanding of what LAHSO is and how
to use it.
 The aircraft to the right has been cleared to “land and hold short” of the crossing runway at
or before the LAHSO line, “B.”
 Pilots are expected to know that they will be able to land and stop in the available distance.

20. Runway Status Lights:
 The Runway Status Lights ( are a relatively new system to enhance operations by
alerting aircraft on intersecting runways and taxiways of potential hazards of aircraft or
other vehicles crossing in front of them.
 Typically, the hazards are brief—15 to 30 seconds while the vehicle passes with enough
time to not actually be a hazard to the aircraft on the crossing runway.

22. Taxiway Edge:
 Blue lights outline the edges of taxiways around the airport.
 Guidance to and from runways is provided by lighted signs and arrows.
 Lights may be elevated lights beside the edges of the taxiways or embedded in the
pavement.