Hub Airport End-Around Taxiway Construction Planning Development: A Review

Abstract

Hub airports typically have multiple parallel runways, requiring aircraft to transfer between them. This increases the risk of runway incursions. End-around taxiways (EATs) mitigate such risk by enabling bypassing without runway crossings. This review summarizes 15 EAT layouts worldwide and presents two classification methods: by configuration (N-type, M-type, Large N-type) and by operational relationship with runways (back-around, runway end-around, start-around). The key benefits of EATs were manifold, including the reduction of runway incursions, controller workload, and delays while improving communication safety, capacity, and efficiency. However, drawbacks such as increased land use, construction costs, and potentially longer taxi times and distances should be considered. Therefore, the optimization of the EAT layout is essential. In pursuit of optimal design, considerations should encompass limiting obstacle surfaces, flight procedures, navigation/lighting facilities, jet blast, and visual obstructions from end-around aircraft to departing aircraft. Notably, challenges arise in reducing distances between EATs and thresholds/ends. The given solutions include displacing thresholds, creating “sunken” lowered elevation EATs, and utilizing terrain shielding instead of metallic visual screens. A case study was introduced to demonstrate the successful improvement of the EAT via sunken EATs and terrain shielding at Guiyang Airport. The conclusion encourages further optimization of EAT layouts that balance safety and efficiency.