The airport’s runway system consists of runways and taxiways.
A paved strip where aircraft take off and land is called a runway. Pathways that connect runways with the terminal area are called taxiways. When aircraft move along these pathways, it is called “taxiing”.
The runway system is linked to aprons (also called ramps), aircraft parking spaces and transport routes for other vehicle traffic, for example Rescue Service and snow removal vehicles.
Runways (RWY)
Stockholm-Arlanda has three runways, abbreviated RWY.
During normal operation, Stockholm-Arlanda uses two runways – one for landings and the other for take-offs. Due to the directions of the runways, only two are used at a time. In rare cases, the airport operates only a single runway, for example in case of very bad weather.
Runway 01L-19R (Runway 1): 10 and 190 degree compass direction, respectively, north-south direction. Length 3,300 metres, width 45 metres.
Runway 08-26 (Runway 2): 80 and 260 degree compass direction, respectively, east-west direction. Length 2,500 metres, width 45 metres.
Runway 01R-19L (Runway 3): 10 and 190 degree compass direction, respectively, north-south direction. Length 2,500 metres, width 63 metres.
The two parallel runways, Runway 1 and Runway 3, have a separation of 2,300 metres. The distance between these parallel runways enables them to be used independently of each other.
When one runway is being used for aircraft take-offs and another for landings, this is called parallel runway operation. Today this is the most common runway use pattern at Arlanda. In case of very bad weather, for example, the airport can go down to single runway operation, which means that aircraft take off and land on the same runway.
Many factors determine the choice of runway for take-offs and landings. Wind direction, visibility and the environmental conditions in the airport’s operating permit are among the decisive factors.
Traditionally, take-offs and landings should preferably occur against the wind. The runway use pattern may change several times during a 24-hour period, but may also be unchanged throughout the period.
Runway 3 is the first in Sweden to employ a CAT III instrument landing system, which means that aircraft can land in very bad visibility.
The categories (CAT) are related to weather conditions and the reliability of the airport’s instrument landing system (ILS). This means that the worse the weather is during landing, the more robust the ILS needs to be.
LFV, the State-owned enterprise that operates Sweden’s major airports, believes that Stockholm-Arlanda Airport may need a fourth runway around 2020-2025. Long-term planning for the airport will result in restrictions on residential construction in surrounding areas.
Taxiways
Taxiways are the routes that connect runways with aprons, the terminal area and aircraft parking spaces. Taxiways have English phonetic names, for example Uniform for U and Whisky for W.
Runway 3 has four taxiway bridges, two of which pass above access roads to Arlanda. Each taxiway bridge can accommodate an aircraft weighing 770 tonnes. As a comparative example, an Airbus A380 “superjumbo” has a maximum take-off weight of 563 tonnes. The heaviest cargo aircraft serving Stockholm-Arlanda today is the Russian-built Antonov-124, which has a maximum take-off weight of 405 tonnes.
Aprons, terminal area and aircraft parking spaces
The airport has about 100 aircraft parking spaces.
The marshalling service (RT) is located in the control tower, one floor below the air traffic controllers. RT handles the allocation of aircraft parking spaces. Around 60 of these spaces are located in the terminal area next to a gate. About 40 spaces are located on aprons around the airport area and are known as remote parking spaces. The aircraft park in these spaces, and their passengers and crew are transported to and from the aircraft by bus.