What do Practical Annual Capacity and Practical Hourly Capacity measure?

• A. Combined capacity measure of runway, taxiway and gate area for time frames
• B. Aircraft maintenance hours per week
• C. Days the airport is open per year
• D. Total number of flights operated per day

Answer: (A)

Practical Annual Capacity and Practical Hourly Capacity refer to how much airside activity an airport can handle, given the combined physical assets (runways, taxiways, and gates) and the realities of operations. They measure the maximum number of aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings) that can occur within a year or within an hour, factoring in real-world constraints like weather, congestion, turnaround times, gate availability, staffing, and safety buffers. This is a holistic measure of the entire airside system’s throughput, not just a single component.

So, the combined capacity across the runway, taxiway, and gate system for specified time frames captures what the airport can realistically move, hour by hour or year by year, under typical operating conditions. It’s not about maintenance hours, days open, or simply counting flights per day.