Definition
A painted surface marking on a taxiway consisting of four yellow lines—two solid and two dashed—running across the taxiway perpendicular to its centerline, identifying the point beyond which an aircraft must not proceed onto a runway without ATC clearance. The solid lines are on the side from which an aircraft must hold; the dashed lines are on the runway side, indicating an aircraft exiting the runway may cross from that direction.
Plain English
A pattern of yellow lines painted across a taxiway showing where you must stop and wait before entering a runway. You only cross it when the controller clears you to.
Context Anchor
You see this marking while taxiing near a runway, especially at taxiway entrances to runways and at runway crossing points.
Why Pilots Care
Clearly marks the limit to prevent runway incursions and ensure separation from active runways.
Analogy
It works like the stop line at a traffic light: stop before the line until you are allowed to go.
Intuition Check
Do not read “holding” here as waiting anywhere on the airport. In this term, it means stopping at one specific painted position before the runway.
Example Sentence 1
Cleared to taxi to Runway 9 via Alpha, the pilot stopped at the runway holding position marking and waited for takeoff clearance.
Example Sentence 2
While taxiing to the departure runway, the crew confirmed they had not crossed the runway holding position marking without clearance.