Runways

Naming

Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally the magneticazimuth of the runway's heading in decadegrees. This heading differs from true north by the local magnetic declination. A runway numbered 09 "points" east (90°), in the sense that aircraft taking off or landing on it are moving to the east; similarly, runway 18 points south (180°), runway 27 points west (270°) and runway 36 points north (360° rather than 0°). A runway can normally be used in both directions, and is named for each direction separately: e.g., "runway 15" in one direction is "runway 33" when used in the other. The two numbers differ by 18 (= 180°). For clarity in radio communications, each digit in the runway name is pronounced individually: runway one-five, runway three-three, etc. (instead of "fifteen" or "thirty-three").