What is the runway lighting pattern?
How the edge, threshold, touchdown zone, centreline and end lights fit together, and what their colours tell the pilot.
The runway lighting pattern is the way all the runway lights fit together into one picture. Edge lights line both sides, a row of green threshold lights (with wing bars) shows where the runway starts, touchdown zone barrettes and centreline lights guide the landing and roll, and a row of red end lights closes the runway. Each element has its own place, colour and direction.
Read as a whole, the pattern tells the pilot where the runway is, where it begins, where to touch down and how much is left. White marks the usable runway. Near the far end the edge lights turn yellow and the centreline changes to alternating red and white, then red, a warning that the end is close.
Everything in the earlier entries serves this picture: each light's beam (see Runway Centreline Beam) is shaped for the pilot's view, its orientation decides who sees it and in which colour, and its alignment (see Fixture Alignment) keeps it where the pilot expects. Not every runway has every element: centreline, touchdown zone and wing bar lights are added according to the runway type and the weather minima it supports. Because each end is the threshold for one direction and the runway end for the other, the zones are always measured from the end an aircraft is heading toward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1What is the runway lighting pattern?
The complete arrangement of runway lights: edge lights along both sides, a green threshold row with wing bars, touchdown zone barrettes, centreline lights, and a red runway end row, each in its place, with its own colour and direction.
Q2What do the colours of runway lights tell the pilot?
White marks the usable runway, green marks the threshold where the runway starts, and red marks the runway end. Yellow edge lights and alternating red and white centreline lights near the far end warn that the end of the runway is approaching.
Q3Do all runways have all of these lights?
No. Edge, threshold and runway end lights are the basic set for a runway used at night. Centreline lights, touchdown zone lights and wing bars are added according to the runway type and the weather minima it supports, as the applicable regulation requires.
Q4Does the pattern look different from the other end of the runway?
Yes. Each end is the threshold for one direction and the runway end for the other, and the colour zones are measured from the end an aircraft is heading toward. The same bidirectional fixtures therefore show different colours depending on which way the pilot is travelling.
Q5Where is the runway lighting pattern defined?
In ICAO Annex 14, Volume I, Chapter 5 for the arrangement of each light, Appendix 1 for colours and Appendix 2 for beam shapes, and in FAA AC 150/5340-30J and national regulations. Always confirm against the current edition.
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