Plain English Meaning

The lights on and around a runway that show pilots where the runway starts, ends, and runs, so they can line up and land safely when it's dark or hard to see.

Full Definition

A coordinated set of airport lights that mark the runway and its approach for pilots operating at night or in low-visibility conditions. These systems include runway edge lights, threshold lights, runway end lights, centerline lights, touchdown zone lights, and approach lighting, each providing specific visual cues about the runway's position, length, alignment, and usable surface.