Proposal:Aerodrome Classification
| Aerodrome Classification | |
|---|---|
| Proposal status: | Proposed (under way) |
| Proposed by: | Telegram Sam |
| Tagging: | aerodrome=*
|
| Applies to: | |
| Definition: | Classification of aerodromes. |
| Statistics: |
|
| Draft started: | 2026-01-02 |
| RFC start: | 2026-01-22 |
Introduction
Problem Statement
For a long time there has not been a clear and widely established system of categorizing aerodromes. One is necessary, so that international airports and small aerodromes can each be given proper emphasis in the database. This proposal aims to fix this issue.
Proposal
Aerodromes are classified primarily by size/prominence. The following values are available:
| Tag | Values |
|---|---|
aerodrome=*
|
intercontinental / continental / regional / local / basic |
A separate tag for seaplane bases is used to as is done with heliports:
aeroway=seaplane_base
|
Secondary tags can be used to add detail to the aerodrome:
| Tag | Values |
|---|---|
usage=*
|
commercial_aviation / general_aviation |
access=*
|
yes / private / ... |
sport=*
|
gliding / parachuting / ultralight_aviation / ... |
port_of_entry=*
|
yes / no |
Military aerodromes can be mapped by adding a military=* to them or around them.
Disused aerodromes can be mapped by adding a lifecycle prefix to them.
Rationale
Main Tag
Near the beginning of OSM aerodromes were divided into Airports, Aerodromes and Airstrips. This system was lost after an incident, but it still is a natural and useful way to categorize aerodromes, that is, by size or prominence. This then translates to what one can expect to do at the aerodrome, to travel or enjoy leisure.
Previous proposals sometimes mixed in type of use in the main tag which is not ideal, since usage, like general vs. commercial or sports is usually mixed and other tags are better fit for this purpose.
The original system is largely good as is: Airports are bigger and focus more on commercial traffic (travel), Aerodromes are smaller and focus more on general traffic (leisure and airwork) and Airstrips are special in that they have very little infrastructure, can be deployed almost anywhere, and are very numerous.
I however propose adding a bit extra granularity in order to more accurately separate each type of aerodrome and make the system more adaptable. Physical characteristics are described in the Tagging section however here I'll present a statistical analysis.
I have compiled on my page airport statistics from 5 countries comprised mostly of global to regional aerodromes:
| Division | Percentage of aerodromes | Percentage of passengers | Percentage of movements | Passengers per movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10M passengers or more | 7% | 78% | 54% | 80 or more |
| 1M to 10M passengers | 17% | 19% | 22% | 60 or more decreasing to 20 |
| 1M passengers or less | 76% | 3% | 24% | 20 or more decreasing to 0 |
As you can see, the division at the top is a very small minority but accounts for the vast majority of passenger traffic in the dataset. Then, we have a division with mostly proportionate statistics which capture a fair percentage of the market. Finally, we have a divsion that represents the vast majority of aerodromes but a very small minority of passengers.
These divsions would correspond to intercontinental, continental and regional aerodromes. For the last type, local, we can check the US NPIAS and see that local+basic aerodromes account for 60% of all aerodromes with passenger statistics theoretically even worse than regionals.
Extra Tag
By definition of the ICAO, an aerodrome is anywhere an aircraft can land and take-off. In most cases, this is also the case with the aerodrome=* tag in OSM, irrespective of the types of aircraft that use the aerodrome.
However, precedent has been set by the aeroway=heliport tag, which describes an aerodrome in which only helicopters can land. This makes sense as even though airplanes and helicopters both can use mixed aerodromes, they are always dominated by airplanes since helicopters are an expensive, limited, niche mode of travel. This means that a heliport is very different from a regular aerodrome in terms of its facilities and training and equipment necessary to use it.
The same can be said of seaplanes. The era of seaplanes is long gone since land aerodromes became plentiful after WW2. Now they are limited forms of travel mostly used in undeveloped areas of the world. Seaplane bases also are very different from the average aerodrome requiring special equipment and training. Thus, like heliports, seaplane bases should have their own tag, aeroway=seaplane_base.
The alternatives would be using extra an seaplane=yes tag, which is still inventing new tags, or putting it in the main tag, which makes it more convoluted. Both clash with the existence of the aeroway=heliport tag.
Secondary Tags
Most aerodromes are of mixed use. Commercial transport, airwork, joyriding and airsports can all happen at the same time. There are cases depending on the region and aerodrome size where one type of traffic is the overwhelming majority. The usage=* tag is used mark these extremes.
Private aerodromes can be indicated using the access=* tag. Many times, a private aerodrome is still accessible to the public, even if in limited ways. The many values of the tag give many ways to describe these situations.
In case airsports are practiced at an aerodrome, the sport=* tag is used. These can happen at a variety of aerodrome sizes and while other traffic is using the aerodrome.
Finally, whether an aerodrome can receive international traffic or not is described by the port_of_entry=* tag. This is normally a legal matter and should be available publicly. It can also be used by other objects like ports or border crossings.
Military and Disused
Current methods for mapping military or disused aerodromes are acceptable.
For purely military aerodromes, add a military=base or military=airfield tag to the aeroway=aerodrome. For joint aerodromes, separate the two. Give the aeroway=aerodrome tag to the entire aerodrome and the military tag only to the areas under control of the military.
In the case of disused aerodromes, add a disused:*=* or abandoned:*=* etc. to the aeroway=aerodrome tag.
Tagging
Definitions
Main Tag
The following descriptions are based on airport statistics compiled on my page and visual analysis of some of the airports.
They are rough guidelines and allow some leeway in their definitions. Most aerodromes won't fit a category perfectly, so an average of their met criteria should be used.
Additionally, if a local community see is it fit to modify this system or even adapt the tags to a different one to better fit their own regional realities, they are welcome and encouraged to do so.
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
aerodrome=intercontinental
|
The largest international airports in the world.
|
aerodrome=continental
|
Large airports with large continental influence.
|
aerodrome=regional
|
Medium sized airports with sizable regional influence.
|
aerodrome=local
|
Small aerodromes with small influence around them
|
aerodrome=basic
|
Aerodromes with low infrastructure level.
|
It should be noted that some airports are cargo transport hubs, sporting dedicated cargo terminals.
If we divide total cargo moved by the standard passenger weight (85kg) we get a very rough figure of extra passenger-equivalents transported. Normally, this doesn't affect an airport's statistics too much but for cargo hubs it can change it by an order of magnitude.
Extra Tag
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
aeroway=seaplane_base
|
Aerodromes with only water runways. |
Secondary Tags
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
usage=(no value)
|
Lack of a usage value means usage is mixed. |
usage=commercial_aviation
|
Means that commercial aviation is the overwhelming majority of traffic at an aerodrome.
Aerodromes of type Check for commercial aviation by finding the infrastructure supporting it, like terminals, supporting vehicles and the commercial aircraft themselves. |
usage=general_aviation
|
Means that general aviation is the overwhelming majority of traffic at an aerodrome.
Aerodromes of type Check for general aviation by finding the infrastructure supporting it, like multiple smaller hangars, taxi-in fuel pumps and the light aircraft normally used by private persons. |
It should be noted that aerodromes focused on general aviation cannot be more than aerodrome=regional. This is because by very nature of general aviation, flights are more focused on their own region.
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
access=yes
|
Aerodrome owner allows members of the general public to use the aerodrome. Fees and scheduling may apply.
All aerodromes are assumed to be public. |
access=private
|
Aerodrome owner does not allow members of the general public to use the aerodrome. |
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
port_of_entry=yes
|
International traffic can legally land at this aerodrome.
Aerodromes of type |
port_of_entry=no
|
International traffic cannot legally land at this aerodrome.
Aerodromes of type |
Examples
Commercial Focused
General Focused
Seaplane
| Aerodrome (Bing Maps) | Tags |
|---|---|
| Kenmore Air Harbor | aeroway=seaplane_base
|
Military
| Aerodrome (Bing Maps) | Tags |
|---|---|
| RMAF Butterworth Air Base | aeroway=aerodrome
|
| Lajes Air Base | For the aerodrome:
For the military zone: |
Disused
| Aerodrome (Bing Maps) | Tags |
|---|---|
| Montargil Aerodrome | disused:aeroway=aerodrome
|
Impacts of Proposal
On Data Consumers
Impact is minimal as the aerodrome=* tag is not altered and aerodrome type values are largely being ignored. aeroway=airstrip is also being largely ignored.
Features/Pages affected
Created
aerodrome=intercontinental/continental/regional/local/basic
usage=commercial_aviation/general_aviation
Deprecated
aerodrome:type=* and its values
Current values of aerodrome=*
Previous Discussions
Wiki
Talk:Aeroways#Airport_Classification
Proposals
Forum
Mailing List
Aeroway=Aerodrome Modifier Tags?
Draft proposal for Key:aerodrome
Comments
Please comment on the discussion page.