Definition
A taxi operation in which an aircraft taxis on a runway in the opposite direction of the landing or takeoff flow, typically to reposition for departure from the full length of the runway or to exit at a taxiway behind the touchdown point. Back taxi operations require specific ATC authorization at towered airports and clear self-announcement at non-towered airports.
Plain English
Driving the airplane along the runway in the wrong direction — the opposite of the way aircraft are landing or taking off — usually to get to the start of the runway before takeoff.
Context Anchor
Used during airport ground operations, especially at airports where there is no separate taxiway all the way to the runway end.
Derivation
Back simply means in the reverse direction. The phrase describes taxiing back along the runway opposite to normal flow.
Why Pilots Care
Allows safe repositioning without crossing active traffic or creating runway conflicts.
Intuition Check
Do not read “back taxi” as reversing the airplane. It means taxiing along the runway itself, often opposite the direction normally used for takeoff or landing.
Example Sentence 1
Cleared to back taxi runway 27, depart runway 27 at the threshold.
Example Sentence 2
Tower cleared the aircraft to back taxi on runway 09 for a full-length departure.