Airports are areas used for the arrival and departure of aircraft of any kind, either level national or international. The airports have runways of several kilometers in length, cargo and passenger terminals and hangars that serve as parking for those ships that are not in use. In the same way they serve to be used for military, commercial or general aviation.
Airports can be classified according to:
To the activity they carry out:
Civil airport: they are used to serve passengers who use the aircraft as a means of transport, for air mail and for cargo. There are airports where they only offer passenger or cargo service depending on certain situations, however most of these facilities offer all three services.
Air cargo airport: these airports are generally located in important economic zones where there is a significant network of air connections with other airports and where various international airlines operate. Although it is true that airports are focused (mostly) on passenger traffic, it is also true that there is a significant movement of cargo in them.
To the type of flight:
National airport: it is one that only offers the service within the country, the flights that are made in it are usually called "cabotage". These types of airports do not have a customs office, or passport inspection or registration, so they cannot make or receive flights from other countries. The runways at these airports are short, so only smaller planes can land.
International airport: it is the largest, since it consists of large facilities, both for the boarding of passengers, merchandise, baggage, aircraft maintenance, fuel supply, etc. national and international flights are made and received at these airports.
Regarding its facilities, an airport is divided into two areas: the air side and the land side. In the first one are the take-off and landing runways, hangars and parking platforms, that is, in this area it only focuses on everything related to the aircraft. In the second, the attention is focused on the passengers and what they need. In this area you will find the passenger terminal, the customs area, the trade, the car park, etc.
On the other hand, there are the so-called aerodromes, which should not be confused with airports since, the aerodromes are only used for the landing and take-off of aircraft without commercial traffic.
There are also the so-called Heliports which are aerodromes but designated for the exclusive use of helicopters
