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Airport
*** Shopping-Tip: Airport
{{otheruses}}
image:Airport overhead.jpg thumb|right|300px|An aerial view of a medium-sized airport.
Image:Markham.cnu8.id.jpg thumb|right|300px|An aerial view of a small airport.
An '''airport''' is a facility where
aircraft can
take off and
landing land. At the very minimum, an airport consists of one
runway (or
helipad), but other common components are
hangars and
airport terminal terminal buildings. Apart from these, an airport may have a variety of facilities and infrastructure, including
fixed base operator fixed base operator services,
air traffic control, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and
emergency services. A
military airport is known as an
airbase in North American terminology (other countries may use the term airfield or air station in current parlance). The terms '''airfield''' and '''airstrip''' may also be used to refer to a facility that has nothing more than a runway. The term '''aerodrome''' refers to ''any'' surface used for
take off or
landing. The term '''airport''' refers to an ''aerodrome'' that is licensed by the responsible government organization (ie FAA, Transport Canada). Airports have to be maintained to higher safety standards. There are usually no minimum standards for a basic aerodrome.
Attributes
Airports vary in size, with smaller or less-developed airports often having only a single runway shorter than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Larger airports for international flights generally have paved runways 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or longer. Many small airports have dirt,
Grassland grass, or gravel runways, rather than
asphalt concrete asphalt or
concrete.
In the
United States, the minimum dimensions for dry, hard landing fields are defined by the
Federal Aviation Regulations FAR Landing And Takeoff Field Lengths. These include considerations for safety margins during landing and takeoff. Typically heavier aircraft require longer runways.
The longest public-use runway in the world is at
Ulyanovsk-Vostochny International Airport, in
Ulyanovsk,
Russia. It has a length of 5,000 m (16,404ft).
As of 2005, there were approximately 50,000 airports around the world, including 19,815 in the United States alone.
Airport ownership and operation
Most of the world's airports are owned by local, regional, or federal
government bodies who then lease the airport to private
corporations who oversee the airport's entire operation. For example, the British firm
BAA plc operates most of the commercial airports in the
United Kingdom, as well as several other airports outside of the UK. Germany's
Frankfurt International Airport is managed by the private firm
Fraport AG.
In the
United States, most airports are operated directly by government entities or government-created
airport authorities (also known as port authorities). Only
Indianapolis International Airport, which is owned by the City of
Indianapolis and leased to
BAA Indianapolis, Inc., a subsidiary of the British airport firm
BAA plc, and
Stewart International Airport in
New York New York's Hudson Valley, are entirely operated by a private entity.
Stewart International Airport was the nation's first privatized commercial airport and operates under a 99-year lease agreement with the
New York State Department of Transportation.
National Express Group National Express Group, Inc., operates
Stewart International Airport and is the
United States subsidiary of the
National Express Group National Express Group, plc, in the
United Kingdom.
Many
United States U.S. airports still lease part or all of their facilities to outside firms, who operate specific functions such as retail management and parking. In the
United States, all commercial airport
runways are certified by the
Federal Aviation Administration, but maintained by the local airport under the regulatory authority of the
Federal Aviation Administration FAA.
Despite the reluctance to privatize airports in the
United States (despite the
Federal Aviation Administration FAA sponsoring a privatization program since
1996), the government-owned/commercially operated (GOCO) arrangement is the standard for the operation of commercial airports in the rest of the world.
Airport structures
image:Frankfurt terminal.jpg jetway.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|300px|A view of the Frankfurt airport terminal showing [[jetways and luggage carts..html" title="Meaning of right|300px|A view of the Frankfurt airport terminal showing [[jetway">thumb|right|300px|A view of the Frankfurt airport terminal showing [[jetways and luggage carts.">right|300px|A view of the Frankfurt airport terminal showing [[jetway">thumb|right|300px|A view of the Frankfurt airport terminal showing [[jetways and luggage carts.
Airports are divided into landside and airside areas. Landside areas include
parking lots,
tank farms and access
roads. Airside areas include all areas accessible to aircraft, including
runways,
taxiways and
ramps. Access from landside areas to airside areas is tightly controlled at most airports. Passengers on
airlines commercial flights access airside areas through
airport terminal terminals, where they can purchase tickets, clear security, check or claim luggage and board aircraft. The waiting areas which provide passenger access to aircraft are typically called concourses, although this term is often used interchangeably with terminal.
The area where aircraft park next to a terminal to load passengers and baggage is known as a ramp (or, to the media and uninitiated, "the
tarmac"). Parking areas for aircraft away from terminals are generally called aprons.
Both large and small airports can be
control tower towered or
CTAF uncontrolled, depending on air traffic density and available funds. Due to their high capacity and busy
airspace, most international airports have
air traffic control located on site.
Airports with international flights have
Customs (tax) customs and
immigration facilities. However, as some countries have agreements that allow travel between them without customs and immigrations, such facilities are not a definitive need for an international airport. International flights often require a more conspicuous level of physical security, although in recent years, many contries have adopted the same level of security for international and domestic travel. (See Airport security later on this page.)
Shops and food services
Image:Zurichairportshopping.jpg Zurich International Airport.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|200px|Airport terminal interiors (like this one at [[Zurich International Airport) increasingly look like small
shopping mall shopping centers..html" title="Meaning of right|200px|Airport terminal interiors (like this one at [[Zurich International Airport">thumb|right|200px|Airport terminal interiors (like this one at [[Zurich International Airport) increasingly look like small
shopping mall shopping centers.">right|200px|Airport terminal interiors (like this one at [[Zurich International Airport">thumb|right|200px|Airport terminal interiors (like this one at [[Zurich International Airport) increasingly look like small
shopping mall shopping centers.
Most international airports have shops and food courts. These services usually provide the passengers food and drinks before they board their flight. Many recognizable chain food restaurants have opened branches in large airports to serve often hungry passengers. London's Heathrow Airport, for example, is home to both a Harrods and a Hamleys Toy Shop, providing Duty Free for international passangers.
International areas usually have a ''
duty-free shop'' where travellers are not required to pay the usual
Duty (economics) duty fees on items. Larger airlines often operate member-only lounges for premium passengers.
Airports have a
Captive audience captive audience, and consequently the prices charged for food is generally higher than are available elsewhere in the region. However, some airports now regulate food costs to keep them comparable to so-called "street prices".
Image:Canadian Airlines2.jpg 300px|left|thumb|Loading luggage
Cargo and freight services
In addition to people, airports are responsible for moving large volumes of cargo around the clock.
Cargo airline Cargo airlines often have their own on-site and adjecent infrastructure to rapidly transfer parcels between ground and air modes of transportation.
Support services
Aircraft maintenance, pilot services, aircraft rental, and hangar rental are most often performed by a
fixed base operator (FBO). At major airports, particularly those used as hubs, airlines may operate their own support facilities.
Airport access
Many large airports in the world are located next to or even above
railway trunk routes, for instance
Frankfurt International Airport and Amsterdam-
Schiphol Airport. For local access, many airports have local train lines,
rapid transit,
light rail lines or other
mass transit systems, for instance the
AirTrain JFK at
John F. Kennedy International Airport in
Transportation in New York City New York. These systems are usually directly connected to the main terminals. Large airports usually have access also through
freeways from which cars fed into two access roads, designed as loops, one sitting on top of the other. One level is for departing passengers and the other is for arrivals.
History and development
The earliest airplane landing sites were simply open, grassy fields. The plane could approach at any angle that provided a favorable wind direction. A slight improvement was the dirt-only field, which eliminated the drag from grass. However these only functioned well in dry conditions. They would eventually be replaced by concrete surfaces that allowed all-weather landings in both daylight and at night.
Early airfields were often built for the purpose of entertainment. These
aerodromes consisted of a grassy field, with hangar for storage and servicing of airplanes, and observation stands for the visitors. One of the first aerodrom of the world was Taliedo Airport in
Milan; it was opened in the 1910 and in the mid 20's was transformed in an airport open to the commercial traffic. It was closed in the 30's because it was too small for the commercial transportation boom of those years. Few miles north was built the Linate Airport that is still opened today.
Increased aircraft traffic during
World War I led to the construction of regular landing fields. Airplanes had to approach these from certain directions. This led to the development of aids for directing the approach and landing slope.
Following the war, some of these military airfields added commercial facilities for handling passenger traffic. One of the earliest such fields was Le Bourget, near
Paris. The first international airport to open was the
Croydon Airport, in South
London [http://www.sutton.gov.uk/leisure/heritage/croydon+airport.htm]. In
1922, the first permanent airport and commercial terminal solely for commercial aviation was built at
Königsberg,
Germany. The airports of this era used a paved "apron", which permitted night flying as well as landing heavier airplanes.
The first lighting used on an airport was during the later part of the
1920s; in the
1930s approach lighting came into use. These indicated the proper direction and angle of descent. The colors and flash intervals of these lights became standardized under the
International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO. In the
1940s, the slope-line approach system was introduced. This consisted of two rows of lights that formed a funnel indicating an aircraft's position on the
glideslope. Additional lights indicated incorrect altitude and direction.
Following
World War II, airport design began to become more sophisticated. Passenger buildings were being grouped together in an island, with runways arranged in groups about the terminal. This arrangement permitted expansion of the facilities. But it also meant that passengers had to travel further to reach their plane.
An improvement in the landing field was the introduction of grooves in the concrete surface. These ran perpendicular to the direction of the landing aircraft and served to draw off excess water in rainy conditions that could build up in front of the plane's wheels.
Airport construction boomed during the
1960s with the increase in jet aircraft traffic. Runways were extended out to 3 km. The fields were constructed out of reinforced concrete using a slip-form machine that produces a continual slab with no disruptions along the length.
Modern landing fields are thickest in the area where the plane touchest down in order to support the force of the landing gear touching down. Runways are constructed as smooth and level as possible using measuring devices to correct for variations in height.
Airport designation and naming
Airports are uniquely represented by their
IATA airport code and
ICAO airport code. IATA airport codes are often abbreviated forms of the common name of the airport, such as PHL for
Philadelphia International Airport. Airports sometimes retain their previous IATA code when an airport's name is changed.
O'Hare International Airport in
Chicago, Illinois retains the IATA code ORD, from its former name of
Orchard Field.
The name of the airport itself can be its location, such as
Los Angeles International Airport or
Portland International Airport. It can be the name of a prominent national celebrity, commonly a
politician, e.g.
John F. Kennedy International Airport,
Indira Gandhi International Airport,
Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport or
Charles de Gaulle International Airport. As well as politicians, airports may well be named after a person associated with the region it serves, such as
Liverpool John Lennon Airport or
Robin Hood Airport
Airports may also be named after prominent figures in aviation history.
Kingsford Smith International Airport near
Sydney, Australia is named after the pioneering Australian aviator
Kingsford Smith. Similarly,
San Diego International Airport is subtitled "Lindbergh Field" after
Charles Lindbergh, who picked up his famous aircraft
The Spirit of St. Louis from
Teledyne Ryan Corporation's factory adjacent to the airport.
Airport security
{{main|Airport security}}
Airports are required to have safety precautions in most countries. Rules vary in different countries, but there are common elements worldwide. Airport security normally requires baggage checks, metal screenings of individual persons, and rules against any object that could be used as a weapon. Since the
September 11, 2001 attacks, airport security has been dramatically increased worldwide.
{{seealso|Airport security repercussions due to the September 11, 2001 attacks}}
Airport operations
Outside the terminal, there is a large team of people who work in concert to ensure aircraft can land, take off, and move around quickly and safely. These processes are largely invisible to passengers, but they can be extraordinarily complex at large airports.
Air traffic control
{{seealso|Air traffic control}}
Air traffic control (or ATC) is system whereby ground-based
Air traffic controller controllers direct aircraft movements, usually via
radio. This coordinated oversight facilitates safety and speed in complex operations where traffic moves in all three dimensions. Air traffic control responsibilities at airports are usually divided into two main areas: ground and tower.
Image:Misawa Air Base Control Tower.jpg Misawa Air Base.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|left|250px|Air traffic controllers inside the control tower at [[Misawa Air Base,
Japan..html" title="Meaning of left|250px|Air traffic controllers inside the control tower at [[Misawa Air Base">thumb|left|250px|Air traffic controllers inside the control tower at [[Misawa Air Base,
Japan.">left|250px|Air traffic controllers inside the control tower at [[Misawa Air Base">thumb|left|250px|Air traffic controllers inside the control tower at [[Misawa Air Base,
Japan.
'''Ground Control''' is responsible for directing all ground traffic in designated "movement areas," except the traffic on runways. This includes planes, baggage trains, snowplows, grass cutters, fuel trucks, and a wide array of other vehicles. Ground Control will instruct these vehicles on which taxiways to use, which runway they will use (in the case of planes), where they will park, and when it is safe to cross runways. When a plane is ready to take off it will stop short of the runway, at which point it will be turned over to Tower Control. After a plane has landed, it will depart the runway and be returned to Ground Control.
'''
Control tower Tower Control''' controls aircraft on the runway and in the
controlled airspace immediately surrounding the airport. Tower controllers use
radar to identify and accurately locate an aircraft's position in three-dimensional space. They coordinate the sequencing of aircraft in the traffic pattern and direct aircraft on how to safely join and leave the circuit. Aircraft which are only passing through the airspace must also contact Tower Control in order to be sure that they remain clear of other traffic and do not disrupt operations.
Traffic pattern
{{main|Airfield traffic pattern}}
Image:Airport_traffic_pattern.jpg thumb|left|325px|Standard left-hand traffic pattern.
All airports use a traffic pattern to assure smooth traffic flow between departing and arriving aircraft. Generally, this pattern is a circuit consisting of five "legs" that form a rectangle (two legs and the runway form one side, with the remaining legs forming three more sides). Each leg is named (see diagram), and ATC directs pilots on how to join and leave the circuit. Traffic patterns are flown at one specific altitude, usually 1000 ft
AGL. Standard traffic patterns are ''left-handed'', meaning all turns are made to the left. Right-handed patterns do exist, usually because of obstacles such as a
mountain or to reduce noise for local residents. The predetermined circuit helps traffic flow smoothly because all pilots know what to expect, and helps reduce the chance of a mid-air collision.
At extremely large airports, a circuit is in place but not usually used. Rather, aircraft (usually only commercial with long routes) request approach clearance while they are still hours away from the airport, often before they even take off from their departure point. Large airports have a frequency called ''Clearance Delivery'' which is used by departing aircraft specifically for this purpose. This then allows airplanes to take the most direct approach path to the runway and land without worrying about interference from other aircraft. While this system keeps the airspace free and is simpler for pilots, it requires detailed knowledge of how aircraft are planning to use the airport ahead of time and is therefore only possible with large commercial airliners on pre-scheduled flights. The system has recently become so advanced that controllers can predict whether an aircraft will be delayed on landing before it even takes off; that aircraft can then be delayed on the ground, rather than wasting expensive fuel waiting in the air.
Navigational aids
Image:Indira-Gandhi-Airport-(big).jpg Indira Gandhi International Airport.html" title="Meaning of right right|thumb|250px|The [[Indira Gandhi International Airport,
Delhi is one of the few airports in the world that uses the CAT-3B Instrument Landing System..html" title="Meaning of thumb|250px|The [[Indira Gandhi International Airport">right|thumb|250px|The [[Indira Gandhi International Airport,
Delhi is one of the few airports in the world that uses the CAT-3B Instrument Landing System.">thumb|250px|The [[Indira Gandhi International Airport">right|thumb|250px|The [[Indira Gandhi International Airport,
Delhi is one of the few airports in the world that uses the CAT-3B Instrument Landing System.
Before takeoff, pilots usually check an
Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) for information about airport conditions where they exist. The ATIS contains information about weather, which runway and traffic patterns are in use, and other information that pilots should be aware of.
When flying, there are a number of aids available to pilots, though not all airports are equipped with them. A
Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) helps pilots fly a perfect approach for landing once they have found the airport. Some airports are equipped with a
VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) to help pilots find the direction to the airport. VORs are often accompanied by a
Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) to determine the distance to the airport. In poor weather, pilots will use an
Instrument Landing System to find the runway and fly the correct approach, even if they cannot see the ground.
Larger airports sometimes offer
Precision Approach Radar (PAR). The aircraft's horizontal and vertical movement is tracked via radar, and the controller tells the pilot his position relative to the
approach slope. Once the pilots can see the runway lights, they may continue with a visual landing.
Guidance signs
Image:taximarkings.png thumb|300px|right|Examples of various location sign configurations
Airport guidance signs provide direction and information to taxiing aircraft and airport vehicles and assist in safe and expedient movement of aircraft. Smaller airports may have few or no signs, relying instead on airport diagrams and charts.
There are two classes of signage at airports, with several types of each:
=Operational guidance signs
=
*Location signs - yellow on
black background. Identifies the runway or taxiway currently on or entering.
*Direction/Runway Exit signs - black on yellow. Identifies the intersecting taxiways the aircraft is approaching, with an arrow indicating the direction to turn.
*Other - Many airports use conventional
traffic signs such as
stop sign stop and
yield sign yield signs throughout the airport.
=Mandatory instruction signs
=
Mandatory instruction signs are white on
red. They show entrances to runways or critical areas. Vehicles and aircraft are required to stop at these signs until the
control tower gives clearance to proceed.
*Runway signs - White on a red. These signs simply identify a runway intersection ahead.
*Frequency Change signs - Usually a stop sign and an instruction to change to another frequency. These signs are used at airports with different areas of ground control.
*Holding Position signs - A single solid yellow bar across a taxiway indicates a position where ground control may require a stop. If a two solid yellow bars and two dashed yellow bars are encountered, this indicates a holding position for a runway intersection ahead; runway holding lines must never be crossed without permission. At some airports, a line of red lights across a taxiway is used during low visibility operations to indicate holding positions.
Lighting
Many airports have
lighting that help guide planes using the runways and taxiways at night or in rain or
fog.
On runways, green lights indicate the beginning of the runway for landing, while red lights indicate the end of the runway. Runway edge lighting is white lights spaced out on both sides of the runway, indicating the edge. Some airports have more complicated lighting on the runways including lights that run down the centerline of the runway and lights that help indicate the approach. Low-traffic airports may use
Pilot Controlled Lighting to save electricity and staffing costs.
Along taxiways, blue lights indicate the taxiway's edge, and some airports have embedded green lights that indicate the centerline.
Wind indicators
Planes take-off and land ''into'' the wind in order to achieve maximum performance. Wind speed and direction information is available through the ATIS or ATC, but pilots need instantaneous information during landing. For this purpose, a
windsock is kept in view of the runway.
Safety management
Air safety is an important concern in the operation of an airport, and almost every airfield includes equipment and procedures for handling emergency situations. Commercial airfields include one or more
emergency vehicles and their crew that are specially equipped for dealing with airfield
accidents, crew and passenger extractions, and the hazards of highly flammable airplane
fuel. The crews are also trained to deal with situations such as
bomb threats,
hijacking, and
terrorism terrorist activities.
Potential airfield hazards to aircraft include debris, nesting
birds, and environmental conditions such as
ice or
snow. The fields must be kept clear of debris using cleaning equipment so that loose material doesn't become a projectile and enter an engine duct. In adverse weather conditions, ice and snow clearing equipment can be used to improve traction on the landing strip. For waiting aircraft, equipment is used to spray special deicing fluids on the wings.
Many airports are built near open fields or wetlands. These tend to attract bird populations, which can pose a hazard to aircraft in the form of bird strikes. Airport crews often need to discourage birds from taking up residence.
Depending on their configuration, an airport can have sections of their pavement where collisions between airplanes on the ground can tend to occur. Records are kept of any incursions where airplanes or vehicles are in an inappropriate location, allowing these "hot spots" to be identified. These locations then undergo special attention by the FAA and airport administrators in order to reduce accidents.
During the
1980s, a phenomenon known as
microburst became a growing concern due to
accidents caused by microburst
wind shear. (For example, see
Delta Air Lines Flight 191.) Microburst radar was developed as an aid to safety during landing, giving two to five minutes warning to aircraft in the vicinity of the field of a microburst event.
Some airfields now have a special surface material at the end of the runway that behaves somewhat like styrofoam, bringing the plane to a relatively rapid halt as the material disintegrates. These surfaces are useful when the runway is located next to a body of water or other hazard, and prevent the planes from overrunning the end of the field.
Environmental concerns
The traffic generated by airports both in the air and on the surface can be a major source of
aviation noise and
air pollution which may interrupt nearby residents' sleep and produce other
noise health effects . The construction of new airports, or addition of runways to existing airports, is often resisted by local residents because of the effect on the countryside, historical sites, local
flora (plants) flora and
fauna (animals) fauna. As well, due to the risk of collision between
birds and airplanes, large airports undertake population control programs where they frighten or shoot birds to ensure the safety of air travellers.
The construction of airports has been known to change local
weather patterns. For example, because they often flatten out large areas, they can be succeptible to
fog in areas where fog rarely forms. In addition, because they generally replace
trees and
grass with pavement, they often change
drainage patterns in
agricultural areas, leading to more
flooding, run-off and
erosion in the surrounding land.
Military airbase
{{main|Airbase}}
An airbase, sometimes referred to as a ''military airport'' or ''airfield'', provides basing and support of
military aircraft. Some airbases provide facilites similar to their civilian counterparts. For example,
RAF Brize Norton in
Oxfordshire,
England has a terminal which caters to passengers for the
Royal Air Force's scheduled
Lockheed L-1011 Tristar flights to the
Falkland Islands. A special military airfield is an
Aircraft Carrier.
Aircraft carriers
{{main|Aircraft Carrier}}
An aircraft carrier is a
warship that functions as a floating airport for military aircraft. Aircraft carriers allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for land-based aircraft. After their development in
World War II, aircraft carriers rapidly replaced the
battleship as the centrepiece of a modern fleet. Unescorted carriers are considered vulnerable to
missile or
submarine attacks and therefore travel as part of a ''carrier battle group'' that includes a wide array of other ships with specific functions.
Airports in entertainment
Airports have occasionally played major roles in
Film motion pictures and
television shows due to being transportation hubs, but also because of their unique characteristics. One such example of this is the movie ''
The Terminal'', a film about a man who becomes permanently grounded in an airport terminal and must survive only on the food and shelter provided by the airport. If nothing else, this movie demonstrates the sustaining properties of airport terminals. Movies such as ''
Airplane!'', ''
Airport (film) Airport'', ''
Die Hard 2: Die Harder Die Hard II'', ''
Jackie Brown (film) Jackie Brown'', ''
Get Shorty'', and ''
The Langoliers'' also revolve around the unique culture of the major city airports.
Airport directories
Each national aviation authority has its own system for pilots to be able to keep track of information about airports in their country.
* The
United States uses the '''
Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD)''', seven volumes that contain information such as elevation, airport lighting, runway information, communications, hours of operation, nearby NAVAIDs and much more.
* In Canada, a single publication, the '''
Canada Flight Supplement (CFS)''' provides equivalent information.
* The most comprehensive, consumer/business directory of commercial airports in the world (primarily for airports as businesses, rather than for pilots) is organized by the trade group
Airports Council International.
See also
{{commons|Airport}}
*
List of airports
*
Heliport
*
World's busiest airport
*
List of aviation topics
*
NIMBY
External links
-
AirNav.com - complete list of U.S. airports, with detailed airport information
-
eFAD - the most powerful electronic airport directory (A/FD) on earth!
-
National and international airports
-
ATCSCC Real-time Airport Status page - shows airport delay times for major U.S. airports
-
AFRICASPOTTER.at.tt - Airports in Southern Africa
-
U.S. airport security
-
Department for Transport (United Kingdom)
-
History of Aircraft Landing Aids
-
Airport satellite images
Category:Airports
{{Link FA|pt}}
bg:Летище
cs:Letiště
ca:Aeroport
da:Lufthavn
de:Flughafen
el:ΑεÏ?οδÏ?όμιο
eo:Flughaveno
es:Aeropuerto
fa:Ù?رودگاه
fr:Aéroport
gl:Aeroporto
hr:ZraÄ?na luka
ko:ê³µí•
id:Bandar udara
it:Aeroporto
he:שדה תעופה
ms:Lapangan terbang
nl:Vliegveld
ja:空港
no:Lufthavn
pl:Lotnisko
pt:Aeroporto
ro:Aeroport
ru:Ð?Ñ?ропорт
simple:Airport
sk:Letisko
sv:Flygplats
fi:Lentokenttä
th:สนามบิน
vi:Phi trÆ°á»?ng
zh:æ©Ÿå ´
Image:Apple AirPort Extreme.png thumbnail|right|200px|An Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station
'''AirPort''' is a
wireless LAN local area wireless networking system from
Apple Computer based on the
IEEE 802.11b standard (also known as
Wi-Fi) and certified as compatible with other 802.11b devices. A later family of products based on the
IEEE 802.11g specification is known as '''AirPort Extreme''', offering speeds up to 54 megabits per second and interoperability with older products.
AirPort and AirPort Extreme in common usage can refer to the
protocol (computing) protocol (802.11b and 802.11g, respectively), the expansion card or the
wireless access point base station.
In Japan, AirPort is known as '''AirMac''' due to trademark conflicts.
Overview
'''AirPort''' debuted on
July 21,
1999 at the
Macworld Expo in
New York City with
Steve Jobs picking up an iBook supposedly to give the cameraman a better shot as he surfed the web – the applause quickly built as people realized there were no wires. Thus Apple's secret project 42 was announced. The initial offering included an optional expansion card for Apple's new line of
iBook notebooks, plus an AirPort Base Station. The AirPort card (a repackaged Proxim - ORiNOCO Gold Card
PCMCIA adapter) was later added as an option for almost all of Apple's product line, including
PowerBooks,
eMacs,
iMacs, and
Power Macs. Only
Xserves do not have an AirPort card option. The original AirPort system allowed transfer rates up to 11
Mbit/s and was commonly used to share
internet access and files between multiple computers.
On
January 7,
2003, Apple introduced '''AirPort Extreme''', based on the
802.11g specification. AirPort Extreme allows theoretical peak data transfer rates of up to 54 Mbit/s, and is fully backwards-compatible with existing
802.11b wireless network cards and
wireless access point base stations. Several of Apple's current desktop computers and portable computers, including the
PowerBook,
iBook and
iMac ship with an AirPort Extreme card as standard. All other modern
Macs have an expansion slot for the card. AirPort and AirPort Extreme cards are not physically compatible: AirPort Extreme cards cannot be installed in older Macs, and AirPort cards cannot be installed in newer Macs. The original AirPort card was discontinued in June, 2004.
On
June 7 2004, Apple released the '''AirPort Express Base Station''' as a lower-priced, more
mass-market alternative to the AirPort Extreme Base Station.
Although both AirPort and AirPort Extreme cards are available only for
Apple Macintosh Macintosh computers, all AirPort base stations and cards are fully compatible with third-party
wireless access point base stations and wireless cards; so long as they conform to the 802.11b or 802.11g networking standards. Because of this interoperability, it is not uncommon to see wireless networks composed of several types of AirPort base station serving both old and new
Apple Macintosh Macintosh,
Microsoft Windows, and even
Linux systems. Apple's software drivers for Airport Extreme also support some Broadcom-based PCI Wireless adapters when fitted to
PowerMac computers.
Base stations
An AirPort base station is used to connect AirPort-enabled computers to the
internet, each other, a wired
LAN, and/or other devices.
AirPort
Image:Apple graphite airport base station front.jpg thumb|150px|left|Original (Graphite) AirPort Base Station
The original base station (known as ''Graphite'') featured a
modem and an
Ethernet port. It was based on the
Lucent WaveLan PC Card and used an embedded
Intel_80486 486 processor. It was released
July 21,
1999.
A second generation model (known as ''Dual Ethernet'' or ''Snow'') was introduced on
November 13 ,
2001. It added a second ethernet port, allowing it to share a wired network connection with both wired and wireless clients. Also new was the ability to connect to
America Online's dial-up service -- a feature unique to
Apple Computer Apple base stations. This model was based on
Motorola's
PowerPC 860 processor.
AirPort Extreme
Image:Apple_AirPort_Extreme.png thumb|150px|right|AirPort Extreme Base Station
The AirPort Base Station was discontinued after the AirPort Extreme Base Station was [http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2003/jan/07airportextreme.html announced] on
January 7,
2003. In addition to providing wireless connection speeds of up to a maximum of 54 Mbit/s, it adds an external antenna port and a
USB port. The antenna port allows the addition of a signal-boosting antenna, and the USB port allows the sharing of a USB printer. A connected printer is made available via
Bonjour (protocol) Bonjour's "
Zeroconf zero configuration" technology and
Internet Printing Protocol IPP to all wired and wireless clients on the network. A second model lacking the modem and external antenna port was briefly made available, but then discontinued after the launch of AirPort Express (see below). On
April 19 2004, a third version was introduced that supports
Power over Ethernet and complies to the
Underwriters Laboratories UL UL 2043 2043 specifications for safe usage in air handling spaces, such as above suspended ceilings. All three models support the
Wireless Distribution System (WDS) standard.
An AirPort Extreme base station can serve up to 50 wireless clients at once and thus, is more suitable for a corporate environment than the AirPort Express. All AirPort Extreme models use an
AMD Alchemy Au1500 processor which is based on the
MIPS architecture.
AirPort Express
Image:Apple airport express.jpg thumb|150px|left|AirPort Express Base Station
The AirPort Express is a simplified and compact AirPort Extreme base station with a new feature called ''AirTunes''. It did not replace the AirPort Extreme base station. It was [http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2004/jun/07airport.html introduced by Apple] on
June 7,
2004 and includes an analog/optical audio mini-jack output, a
USB port for remote printing, and a single
Ethernet port. AirTunes allows an AirPort-enabled computer with the
iTunes music player to simultaneously send a single
streaming media stream of music to multiple (up to three) stereos connected to an AirPort Express. The AirPort Express can be used to extend the range of existing AirPort Extreme networks by using
Wireless Distribution System WDS-bridging [http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=107454], which allows AirTunes functionality (as well as internet access, file and printer sharing, etc.) to be extended across a larger distance and multiple wired and wireless clients.
The main processor in the AirPort Express is a
Broadcom BCM4712KFB wireless networking chipset. This has a 200 MHz
MIPS architecture MIPS processor built in. The audio is handled by a
Texas Instruments PCM2705 digital-to-analog converter.
Another use of the USB port is to control AirTunes using a [http://www.keyspan.com Keyspan] USB-enabled
infrared remote control.
Security
AirPort and AirPort Extreme support a variety of security technologies to prevent
eavesdropping and unauthorized network access.
Cryptography plays a major role since all wireless networks are inherently vulnerable to
eavesdropping, unlike wired networks which can, in most cases, be
physical security physically secured.
AirPort Extreme Cards can be made to operate at a restricted military frequency, which is why the drivers are not made open source.
Image:AirPort Admin Utility Icon.png left
The original family of AirPort base stations, like most other
Wi-Fi products, used 40-bit or 128-bit
Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). AirPort Extreme and Express base stations retain this option, but also allow and encourage the use of
Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) and, as of
July 14,
2005,
WPA2.
Generally,
Wired Equivalent Privacy WEP is considered "broken". In March, 2005, a demonstration by the
FBI showed that they could crack a WEP key in 3 minutes using freely available tools from the
internet, although as early as 2001 holes were being found in the WEP protocol.
In response to mounting concern over the insecurity of
WEP, the
Wi-Fi Protected Access WPA standard was made available in June, 2003 as an intermediate solution until a more permanent and secure
protocol (computing) protocol could be developed. This new standard, known as
WPA2, or IEEE 802.11i, was ratified on
June 24,
2004 and uses the
Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).
See also
*
Apple Computer
*
iTunes
*
Wi-fi
*
Wireless access point
*
Wireless LAN
*
IEEE 802.11
External links
-
AirPort Extreme at Apple.com
-
AirPort Express at Apple.com
-
AirPort Support at Apple.com
-
Designing AirPort Networks (PDF)
-
Managing AirPort Extreme Networks (PDF)
-
AirPort Card Revisions
-
AirPort Base Station Experiences
-
JustePort - 3rd-party Apple Express client
-
raop-play - 3rd-party Apple Express client for Linux with graphical interface
{{Apple hardware since 1998}}
Category:Apple hardware
Category:Macintosh internals
Category:Computer networks
Category:Wi-Fi
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