Terms used

aircraft stand – The bays provided on aprons for parked aircraft.

airfield ground lighting (AGL) – The ground level lighting system on runways, taxiways and aprons, designed to assist the navigation of aircraft around the airfield.

airside – The areas of the airport that are within a secure boundary, access to which is through controlled security access points.

air transport movement (ATM) – An air transport movement is a landing or departure by an aircraft operating a civilian, commercial passenger or cargo flight. An aircraft movement is counted as either one arrival or one departure.

ANCON – Aircraft Noise Contour Model used by the CAA to model aircraft noise.

apron – The area defined for the stationing of aircraft for the embarkation and disembarkation of passengers, the loading and unloading of cargo, and for parking.

BATA – British Air Transport Association

CAA – The Civil Aviation Authority (BAA’s regulator).

central terminal area (CTA) – The public area around the terminal building's containing car parking, transportation facilities, hotels, offices, etc.

CO2 – Carbon dioxide.

cross-taxiways – The taxiway system linking two separate runways.

dBA – Sound is measured in decibels (dB) with the usual form of measurement being 'A weighted', dB(A) such that sound levels measured in dBA correspond to what the human ear hears.

DfT – Department for Transport.

General Aviation (GA) – General Aviation consists of all private and business aviation, including executive or corporate operations, flying club activity and commercial operations by small aircraft such as air taxi, agricultural work and flying training.

Generation 2 (G2) – The name of the project to deliver a second runway at Stansted Airport.

ha – Hectare.

landside – The areas of the airport which do not require full security screening to gain access.

Leq – A measure of long-term average noise exposure. The Leq index measures the duration of each aircraft noise event, the sound exposure level, as well as the number of noise events.

listed buildings – Buildings identified on the English Heritage statutory list as being historically and/or architecturally important.

mixed mode – A method of operating two runways allowing both take-offs and landing on each.

NATS – National Air Traffic Services.

non-air transport movement (NATM) – A landing or take-off by an aircraft which is not engaged in a commercial passenger or cargo flight. Examples of NATM flights are general aviation flights and positioning flights.

Northside – The area of Stansted Airport located to the north of the existing runway which accommodates General Aviation, car parking and other ancillary activities.

NOx – Oxides of nitrogen produced during combustion of fuel.

parallel taxiways – The single or dual taxiway system running adjacent to and parallel to the runway.

public safety zone (PSZ) – Areas of land at both ends of the runway within which development may be
restricted in order to control the number of people on the ground at risk in the event of an aircraft accident.

PSZ risk contours – These contours represent the area of risk of being killed as a result of an aircraft accident. The Secretary of State regards the maximum tolerable level as 1 in 10,000 per year.

runway end safety area (RESA) – An area of ground at the end of the runway intended to reduce the risk of damage to an aircraft undershooting or overrunning the runway.

segregated mode – A method of operating a pair of runways where one runway is used by departing aircraft and the other runway is used by arriving aircraft.

SERAS – The Government’s South East and East of England Regional Air Services Study.

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) – Nationally important areas of biodiversity and geological conservation value.

taxiway – A defined path established for the taxiing of aircraft and providing a link between one part of the aerodrome and another.

turnaround – The operation of unloading, servicing and loading an aircraft between its arrival at, and departure from, the airport.

White Paper –  The Air Transport White Paper The Future of Air Transport published by the DfT in December 2003.