Plainly put, airport runways are numbered according to compass bearings. This means runway numbers are based on the compass with 360 representing north, 90 representing east, 180 representing south, and 270 representing west. Runways are numbered between 01 and 36. Continue...
For runway headings, the last number is dropped and each individual number is pronounced. For instance, a compass heading of 310 degrees would read 31 and be pronounced as three one. For the sake of simplicity, the FAA rounds headings to the nearest ten so even if the heading is 308 degrees, the runway would be called three one instead.
Since most runways are oriented
to take advantage of prevailing winds to assist in takeoffs and landings, they
can be used either direction. This is why most runways have two numbers. The
second number differs by 18 or 180 degrees.Busy Airports and Runway Numbering
Some airports are busier than others. Airports that have two parallel runways going in the same direction, they are designated as the left or right runway with an L or R. In this case, runway 02 would be called 02R or 02L.
If there are three parallel runways, the
designation of C will be assigned to the runway in the center. In this case you
would have 02L, 02R, and 02C.Exceptionally busy airports like ATL in Atlanta and LAX in Los Angeles may have more than three runways parallel to each other. In these instances, even though all runways have the same heading, the number for some of the runways is shifted by ten degrees, making for a one-digit difference.
In the case of DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) there are
five runways with the same heading. Those on the east side of the airport have
the traditional L, R, C designations according to standard runway numbers,
while those located to the west have been increased by 10 degrees while utilizing
the L and R designations.Credit: presidencial aviation
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