Airport terminology

ACI - Airport Council International. An international association of more than 450 airports.
AEA - the Association of European Airlines. An association of the largest European scheduled airlines.
EVRA - ICAO code for RIGA International Airport.
Catchment area - the number of people living within an area in which people have approximately two hours of
transport by bus, car or train to an airport. The size of the catchment area is of great importance to an airlines
choice of routes and thus of airports. There are 2.5 million people in the RIX catchment area.
Luggage - personal belongings presented for registration during the flight check-in. During the flight, luggage is
kept in special storage area of the airplane and is taken out after the flight. The rules and fares for luggage
transportation are set by the airline companies.
Luggage sticker - a sticker attached to the passenger luggage registered for transportation in the airplane.
Civil aviation - aircrafts, airfields and other objects serving the purpose of transportation by air and specific
aviation functions, as well as sport aviation, aviation popularization and other public and private needs.
Civil aviation agency - a state institution responsible for the coordination and supervision of the National civil
aviation safety program. The purpose of the Civil Aviation Agency is to execute the civil aviation and flight
safety policies. Civil Aviation Agency is supervised by the Ministry of Communications Aviation department.
Civil aviation safety - a set of actions involving rules, people and material resources aiming to protect the civil
aviation against the illegal interference in its operation.
Civil aviation safety program - a set of events necessary for protecting the civil aviation against the illegal
interference in its operation.
Civil aviation aircraft staff - individuals entrusted by the related aviation institutions to operate the aircraft
during the flight.
Civil aviation aircraft - aircraft registered in the civil aviation aircraft registry, which is not used for military,
custom or state border control institutions.
Dispatcher commands - instructions from the air traffic control service dispatcher to the pilot in relation to a
specific action.
Security - measures taken on entry to the airside area to prevent illegal acts against civil aviation.
Security check - a manual or technical check to detect weapons, objects or substances which must it be
assumed can be used in an illegal act against civil aviation.
Safety - measures taken in the airport area to prevent acts that may cause danger or inconvenience to traffic at
the airport.
Aircraft captain - a pilot responsible for the aircraft operation and safety during the flight.
Aircraft type - aircrafts with the construction of a same type, including the modifications, except the
modifications with the different air dynamic data.
Aircraft - a flying machine holding in the air using the interaction with air, if it does not involve the interaction of
air with land or water surfaces.
Aircraft parking lot - a place on the apron for parking the aircraft.
Air transportation - aircraft flight carrying passengers, luggage, cargo and mail on the basis of payments or
rental agreement.
Air traffic - movement of aircrafts in the air and on the manoeuvring area of the airfield.
Jet bridge - The bridge connecting an aircraft to the gate so that passengers can embark and disembark
without getting their feet wet.
Air route - controlled air space or part of it is the form of a corridor secured for use of air transportation.
IATA - International Air Transport Association. A global association of more than 200 airlines.
ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organisation. A UN body for international civil aviation.
Departure sector - an area for passenger entrance in the aircraft, usually marked with special numbers or
letters.
Airport Office - RIX official office, from which flights are handled. Representatives from the press, etc. must
report to the Airport Office for photography and access permits
Republic of Latvia civil aviation aircraft - civil aviation aircraft registered in the Civil Aviation Registry of the
Republic of Latvia.
Airspace of the Republic of Latvia - air space above the land of the Republic of Latvia and its internal and
Baltic Sea territorial waters.
Air field restricted area - part of the airport building and airfield with restricted access.
Airfield manoeuvring territory - a part of the air field for aircraft landing, take-off and manoeuvring needs.
Air field traffic - all traffic on the territory of manoeuvring field as well as flights above the territory around the
air field.
Air field traffic area - air space of a certain size above the territory around the air field to ensure the safety of
the air field traffic.
Air field - a certain land or water territory as well as building, objects and equipment fully or partially intended
for organization of aircraft departures and arrivals (including airplane landing, take-off, manoeuvring, parking,
passenger entrance, luggage, cargo and mail loading and unloading, technical maintenance and fuelling).
Flight restricted area - restricted air space above the land and internal and Baltic Sea territorial waters for
aircraft flights according to the special rules.
Airport ID card - ID card held by airport staff.
Illegal interference in the civil aviation operations - actions endangering or possessing a possibility of
danger to aviation safety (unauthorized entry of a person at the airport restricted areas or aircrafts, possession
of dangerous and explosive substances or weapons without permission, use of weapons against the aircraft
personnel or passengers, aircraft kidnapping etc).
Taxes and charges - fees for safety measures paid by each passenger departing from RIX. These fees are
stated in the TAXES/FEES/CHARGES section of a ticket with a LV code. The amount of the applicable taxes
and charges for departing passengers in the RIGA International Airport is defined on the basis of Aviation law
of the Republic of Latvia, Sales tax regulations, as well as rules No 991 The rules for air navigation and SJSC
RIGA International Airport services adopted by the Cabinet of Ministers on December 5, 2006.
OneWorld - An alliance of the following airlines: American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair,
Iberia, Japan Airlines, Lan Chile, Malev, Qantas and Royal Jordanian.
Passenger transportation - transportation of passengers between terminal and aircraft.
Passenger area - an area beyond the safety and passport control. Allowed only for passengers and assigned
airport personnel.
Carrier - aircraft operator conducting air transportation on the basis of assigned rights.
Apron - a part of the airport field for airplane parking, passenger entrance, luggage and cargo loading and
unloading, technical maintenance and fuelling.
Landing - a moment when wheels of the landing aircraft touch the ground.
Peak - peak period/airport rush hour.
Public area - area in the airport, where are no entry restrictiond
Bird control - A special team at the airport working to prevent collisions with birds from the areas where
aircraft take off and land.
Hand luggage - luggage that the passengers can take along to the aircraft. The hand luggage must match size
and weight requirements set by the airline company.
Birdstrike - A collision between an aircraft and one or more birds.
Traffic hub - an airport used by an airline company as a transfer point to deliver the passengers to the
destination point. Many airline hubs are situated in the same town with the airline company headquarters. RIGA
International Airport is the main traffic hub for airBaltic airline company.
Runaway - a part of the airfield for aircraft landing and take-off.
Skyteam - an alliance of the following airlines: Aeroflot, Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, China Southern
Airlines, Continental, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM, Korean Air and Northwest.
Star Alliance - an alliance of the following airlines: Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA All Nippon
Airways, Asiana (South Korea), Austrian Airways, British Midland, Egypt Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa,
SAS - Scandinavian Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, Spanair, Swiss,
TAP Air Portugal, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.
International flights - aircraft flights through the airspace of more than one state.
International airline traffic - traffic with starting point and interflight point or destination point are situated in
the different states.
RIX - IATA code for RIGA International Airport.
Third-party state - a state that is not a member of European Union or a part of European Economy Zone.
Transfer passenger - a passenger arriving at the airport and than to continuing the flight on a different aircraft.
Transit passenger - a passenger arriving at the airport with the intention to continue the flight on a same
aircraft.
Transit area - passenger area beyond the safety and passport control where the passengers stay before the
flight.
Civil aviation airfield of the state importance - strategically important for the aviation infrastructure and
public interests airfield providing substantial quality and safety standards.
Ground Handling - handling of passengers, baggage and cargo, etc. In RIX this service is provided by ground
handling department.
VIP-centre - a separate terminal for VIP passengers with convenient pre-flight waiting areas, various
specialized services.