6 types of airport signs and their benefits

From navigating the bureaucratic process of travelling abroad to trying to locate where the toilets are, a trip to the airport can be stressful – even more so with strikes and staff shortages leading to flight cancellations and long delays!

A brilliant way to ensure the airport operates as effectively as possible, and to improve the experience of the people moving through it, is to provide clear, informative signage.

Airport signage is not only intended to build a good rapport with visitors, but also has the potential to make an otherwise confusing and frustrating experience a whole lot easier.

Let’s take a closer look at the different types of signs you can expect to see around the airport, and what their purposes are.

Instruction signs

Mandatory instruction signs are those that have a red background with a white inscription. They are typically used to signify an entrance to a runway, a critical area, or an area that the aircraft is prohibited from entering, serving as a visual cue for pilots.

Common examples of instruction signs include:

• Runway Holding Position Signs
• Runway Approach Area Holding Position Signs
• ILS Critical Area Holding Position Signs
• No Entry Signs

Instruction signs like these provide pilots with clear instructions, ensuring that planes don’t interfere with ongoing operations on the runway. This also maximises the safety of the passengers on board, as well as the aviation staff.

Location signs

With their black backgrounds, yellow inscriptions and yellow borders, location signs are used to indicate the taxiway or runway where an aircraft is located.

There are several types used at the airport, including Taxiway Location Signs that can be used on their own or with other direction signs, and runway holding position signs.

Runway Location Signs are typically used where the proximity of two or more runways could confuse pilots – ensuring they know exactly which runway they are on.

Runway Boundary Signs feature a graphic that shows the pavement holding position. These face the runway and are visible to the pilot when they exit the runway, helping them to determine when they are clear of the runway.

ILS Critical Area Boundary Signs are often adjacent to the ILS holding position marking on the ground. They can be seen by pilots as they leave critical areas and let them know when they are clear of ILS critical areas.

Direction signs

Direction signs are also yellow with a black inscription. These include the designation of the intersecting taxiway and an arrow indicating the direction of the turn.

These airport signs are usually located on the left-hand side before the intersection that a pilot would need to turn onto or hold short of – giving them plenty of notice. However, when used on a runway to indicate an exit, they will be found on the same side as the runway exit.

Taxiway designations and their associated arrows are arranged in a clockwise manner – starting with the taxiway on the pilot’s left.

Destination signs

These airport signs are used to indicate various destinations, including runways, aprons, terminals, military areas, civil aviation areas, cargo areas and fixed-based operators.

Often, an abbreviation of these destinations will be used and an arrow will show the direction of the taxiing route, which makes the airport easier to navigate.

If two or more destinations share a taxiing route, they will be separated by a dot and will feature one arrow. However, if the sign contains two or more different routes, each one will be accompanied by an arrow and separated with a vertical black divider.

Information signs

Information signs provide pilots with crucial details regarding areas that are not necessarily visible from the control tower, as well as information about radio frequencies and other procedures.

This type of airport signage will be located along taxi routes or aircraft parking or staging areas, and the size will be determined by the airport.

Aside from being used on the runway, information signs come in handy inside the airport terminal too. For example, they can point visitors in the direction of departures, arrivals, baggage, check-in, transfers, toilets, lifts, etc.

Runway distance remaining signs

On one or both sides of the runway at the airport, you may have spotted black signs with a white number. These are known as runway distance remaining signs, and the number indicates the distance (in thousands of feet) of the landing runway remaining.

The last sign will have a number one and be located at least 950 feet from the end of the runway, ensuring the pilot has slowed down enough before making their way towards the terminal gate.

Ready to invest in airport signage?

Whether you’re looking for top-quality airport signage to ease the experience of passengers, or you simply want to freshen things up at your airport, let the team at Vinyline Graphics help!

They can design, supply and install signs that not only look great – making your airport more welcoming to travellers and workers – but they can help you to create a safer environment where operations run smoothly, both on the ground and in the air.

To find out more about their airport signage and how they can help you, why not give them a call on 01744 756 644?