Paper Contents
Abstract
In order to provide safe aircraft takeoff and landing in a variety of weather circumstances, airport runway drainage is an essential component of airfield construction and operation. By eliminating surface and subsurface water, effective drainage systems stop hydroplaning, pavement degradation, and interruptions to operations. Water ponding, subgrade deterioration, higher maintenance expenses, and even total runway closures during severe weather occurrences can result from poorly planned or maintained drainage. The types of drainage solutions, their components, and the engineering principles underlying their construction are all covered in this paper's thorough analysis of airport runway drainage systems. In addition to important design elements including rainfall intensity, catchment area characteristics, runoff coefficients, and soil permeability, international standards like ICAO Annex 14 and FAA AC 1505320-5D are also reviewed. The study also emphasizes sustainability and environmental factors, such as sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS), retention and detention basins, and oil-water separation. To demonstrate real-world issues and solutions, such as Operation Pravaah flood mitigation efforts, a case study of Cochin International Airport (CIAL), which have experienced significant flooding during the 2018 Kerala floods, is examined. The study concludes by examining the upcoming developments including intelligent IoT-based drainage monitoring, artificial intelligence-based predictive maintenance, and the incorporation of drainage design with GIS and BIM systems for sustainable and resilient airport infrastructure.Keywords: hydroplaning prevention, surface and subsurface drainage, runway safety, sustainable urban drainage, and airport drainage.
Copyright
Copyright © 2025 AKHIL M. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.
