Taxiway Lighting – Airfield

Taxiway lighting is essential for safe aircraft movement on the ground during low visibility or nighttime operations. According to ICAO Annex 14 – Volume I (Aerodrome Design and Operations), the types of taxiway lights vary in size, color, placement, operation, manufacturer standards, and spacing. Here’s a breakdown based on ICAO standards:

Taxiway Centerline Light (TXC)

  • Type: Inset Light
  • Size: 8”
  • Mounting: Inset
  • Spacing: 7.5 / 15 meters (as per ICAO recommendations)
  • Color: Green / Yellow (typically green along straight sections, yellow before runway-holding positions)
  • Manufacturers:
    • ADB SAFEGATE
    • OCEM
    • Hella

Template for Remaining Taxiway Lights

Taxiway Edge Light (TXE)

  • Type: Elevated or inset
  • Size: (Usually 12″ for elevated / 8″ for inset)
  • Spacing: Typically 60 meters or as per design
  • Color: Blue
  • Manufacturers:
    • ADB SAFEGATE
    • OCEM
    • Hella

Taxiway Stop Bar Light (TXS)

  • Type: Inset
  • Size: 12”
  • Spacing: 3 meters between lights along the bar
  • Color: Red
  • Manufacturers:
    • ADB SAFEGATE
    • OCEM
    • Hella

Runway Guard Light (RGL / WIG-WAG)

  • Type: Elevated flashing lights
  • Spacing: As per standard (typically paired on either side of a taxiway/runway intersection)
  • Color: Yellow (flashing)
  • Manufacturers:
    • ADB SAFEGATE
    • OCEM
    • Hella

Runway Lights Explained | Colors, Spacing, Types

Runway Centerline Lights (RCL)

  • 8” inset lights
  • spacing 15 m
  • white/Red
  • From threshold to 900 m before runway end: White
  • From 900 m to 300 m before the runway end: Alternating white and red
  • Last 300 m of runway: Red
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

Runway Edge Lights

  • 12″ inset light
  • Elevated/inset (typically)
  • spacing 60 m (typical)
  • Colour During Operation:
    • White
    • Last 600 m or 1/3 of runway length (whichever is less): Yellow (caution zone)
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

Touchdown Zone (TDZ) Lights

  • 8″
  • Inset lights
  • Spacing: 3 m or 6 m lateral spacing per pair; longitudinal 30 m intervals
  • Colour During Operation:
    • White
    • Installed in symmetrical pairs on both sides of the centreline
    • Extends from 30 m beyond threshold up to 900 m (or runway midpoint)
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

Threshold Lights

  • 12″
  • Elevated or inset
  • Spacing: 3 m to 4.5 m
  • Colour During Operation:
    • Green (as seen from approach direction)
    • Red (as seen from runway side — acts as runway end light)
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

Runway End Lights

  • 12″
  • Type: Elevated or inset
  • Spacing: Typically spaced equally across runway end
  • Colour During Operation:
    • Red (visible to aircraft on approach or during rollout from the opposite direction)
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

Approach Lighting System (ALS)

  • 12″
  • Type: Combination of elevated/inset lights and light bars
  • Spacing: Varies by system (e.g., ALSF-1, ALSF-2, SSALR)
  • Colour During Operation:
    • White (steady-burning lights)
    • Sequenced flashing lights (white) may be included (e.g., “the rabbit”)
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

Runway Guard Lights (RGL)

  • Type: Elevated or in-pavement
  • Spacing: At runway/taxiway intersections
  • Colour During Operation:
    • Flashing yellow
    • Used to warn of active runway ahead
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

Runway Threshold Identification Lights (RTILs)

  • 12″
  • Type: Inset/Elevated flashing lights
  • Spacing: Typically one light on each side of the runway threshold
  • Colour During Operation:
    • Flashing white
    • Helps identify threshold in low visibility/night conditions
  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • OCEM
  • Hella

air field lighting system

Basics of Airfield Lighting Systems: An Introduction to Airport lighting system (AGL).

Why airfield lighting?

Optical landing aids at an airport help guide aircraft during landing in different visibility conditions, such as daytime, nighttime, fog, rain, or haze. To ensure pilots can see them clearly, the brightness of these lights can be adjusted as needed.

Aircraft touch down at speeds of around 250 km/h, so airfield lighting must be highly reliable. Several lights failing in bad weather is unacceptable. That’s why most lighting systems have backup (redundant) setups, often two or three layers.

air field lighting system