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Airport Runway Conditions

Airport runway conditions improved at the nation’s major public-use airports between 1990 and 2001 [1]. At the nation’s commercial service airports, pavement in poor condition declined from 5 percent of runways in 1990 to 2 percent in 2001 (figure 88). At the larger group of National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) airports, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found poor conditions on 5 percent of runways in 2001, down from 10 percent in 1990 (figure 89).

FAA inspects runways at public-use airports and classifies runway condition as good, fair, or poor. A runway is classified as good if all cracks and joints are sealed. Fair condition means there is mild surface cracking, unsealed joints, and slab edge spalling.¹ Runways are in poor condition if there are large open cracks, surface and edge spalling, and/or vegetation growing through cracks and joints [1].

See box for Classification of Airports in the United States

Source

1. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) (2001–2005) (Washington, DC: 2002).

¹ Spalling refers to chips, scales, or slabs breaking off of surface pavement.