Joint-use airport


A joint-use airport is an aerodrome that is used for both military aviation and civil aviation. They typically contain facilities of both a civil airport and a military air base.

By country

United States

The United States has several joint-use airports in Federal Aviation Administration records, where they are also described as shared-use airports. One example is Northwest Florida Regional Airport, which utilizes the runway and ATC services of Eglin Air Force Base. Charleston International Airport uses the runways and services of Charleston Air Force Base. Both civil airports, however, operate their own passenger terminals and taxiways. Charleston also has private fixed-base operators on the civilian side of the field catering to the general flying public.

Singapore

In Singapore, Changi Air Base shares runway facilities with Singapore Changi Airport, the country's main international airport.

Enclaves

In some cases, if one type of operations is considered the primary user or owner of the airport, the other user may sometimes be described as an enclave.

Civil enclave

A civil enclave is an area at a military air base allotted for the usage of civil aviation. Civil enclaves are common in countries like India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan where a part of an air base, almost invariably a legacy of World War II vintage, is allotted for domestic air traffic instead of building a new civilian airport. These airports usually have a curfew during which civil aircraft are not permitted to operate. Many reserve morning hours for military flight training. Some civil enclaves adopt an altitude restriction, i.e. one below which a civilian aircraft cannot descend while over-flying the enclave. The curfew system may result in airport congestion while the altitude restriction can cause long detours and greater fuel consumption.
Air traffic control at civil enclaves is usually entrusted to the armed forces or it may be a joint civilian-military crew. In some countries security is the responsibility of military personnel; in others, civil security authorities such as the Transportation Security Administration in the United States retain responsibility for all civilian aviation security. It is generally accepted that the military receives revenues from civil use of ATC services if they own and operate them, but in some countries it is not clear as to whether capital expenditure for improvements such as runway expansion is the responsibility of the military or civilian authorities. One example in India is Goa's Goa International Airport at Dabolim.

Military enclave

The obverse, a military enclave, is an area of a civil airport that is allocated for use by the military. It is common in the United States; many Air National Guard operations take place at smaller regional airports run by civil authorities. Airports containing ANG enclaves include McGhee Tyson Airport, Harrisburg International Airport and Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport among many others; virtually every state without a major Air Force base has military operations present in at least one civilian airport.
Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India and Zia International Airport in Bangladesh are examples of South Asian military enclaves.