Definition
A defined rectangular area on a land airport prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft. Runways are identified by a number based on their magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, with the trailing zero dropped (e.g., a runway aligned to 273° magnetic is labeled Runway 27).
Plain English
The strip of pavement (or prepared surface) you take off from and land on. The number painted on it tells you roughly which compass direction it points.
Context Anchor
Seen on approach charts, airport diagrams, radar approach figures, and other written airport information where space is limited.
Derivation
Runway combines “run” and “way.” In aviation, it points to the path where the aircraft makes its takeoff run or landing roll.
Why Pilots Care
Runway identification has to be unambiguous. Reading back the wrong runway, lining up on the wrong runway, or landing on a closed runway are serious safety events. The two-digit number on the runway gives an immediate cross-check against the heading indicator before takeoff.
Intuition Check
RWY is not a runway number by itself. It only means “runway”; the number or direction information is separate, such as RWY 27.
Example Sentence 1
Cleared to land Runway 18, the pilot confirmed the heading indicator read close to 180° before touchdown.