Definition
Two or more runways that cross or meet one another at the same airport, sharing a common point on the airport surface.
Plain English
Runways at the same airport that physically cross each other somewhere along their length.
Context Anchor
Seen on airport diagrams, in tower instructions, and during takeoff or landing planning at airports with more than one runway.
Derivation
Intersecting comes from Latin roots meaning “to cut between.” That fits the aviation meaning: one runway cuts across or meets another, so their paths are connected at a shared point.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must coordinate with ATC to avoid simultaneous operations that could lead to conflicts on the crossing paths.
Intuition Check
Do not assume intersecting runways simply means runways that are near each other. In this context, the runways actually cross or meet within their usable lengths.
Example Sentence 1
Tower cleared us to land on Runway 27 and instructed us to hold short of Runway 33, since the two are intersecting runways.
Example Sentence 2
Before taxi, the pilot checked the airport diagram to confirm the location of the intersecting runways.