General (ICAO)
ICAO Annex 14 Vol I, Chapter 5.3 governs aerodrome lighting.
Aerodrome Beacon (ABN, §5.3.3)
- Rotating or flashing light identifying the aerodrome at night/low visibility.
- Land aerodrome: alternating white and green flashes.
- Water aerodrome: alternating white and yellow flashes.
- Frequency: 20–30 flashes/min.
Identification Beacon (IBN, §5.3.4)
- At aerodromes without an ABN; green flashing light for land aerodromes, Morse identifier of the aerodrome.
Runway edge lights (§5.3.9)
- White along the entire runway.
- Last 600 m or one-third of runway length (whichever is less) seen from approach: yellow (warning of runway end).
Threshold lights (§5.3.10)
- Green, across the threshold, visible from approach direction.
Runway end lights (§5.3.11)
- Red, across the runway end, visible from runway direction.
Runway centre line lights (§5.3.12)
- White, becoming red/white alternating toward runway end (last 900 m: red/white; last 300 m: red).
TDZ lights (§5.3.13)
- White, on either side of the centerline in the touchdown zone.
Taxiway lights (§5.3.16–5.3.18)
- Taxiway edge: blue.
- Taxiway centre line: green.
Approach lighting (§5.3.4–5.3.5)
- Lighting array leading to the threshold, configuration depending on runway category (Simple, Precision Cat I, Cat II/III).
PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator, §5.3.5.4)
PAPI — Precision Approach Path Indicator. Memorise: "Red over white — you are alright. Red over red — you are dead."
- 4 lights perpendicular to approach, on the left side of the runway.
- 4 white = too high.
- 3 white, 1 red = slightly high.
- 2 white, 2 red = on glide path (typically 3°).
- 1 white, 3 red = slightly low.
- 4 red = too low.
- Mnemonic: "Red over white — you're alright. Red over red — you're dead."
VASIS / T-VASIS (older system): similar function, 2 or more bars.
Light signals to aircraft (SERA Appendix 1 / Annex 2 Appendix 1) From tower to aircraft in flight:
| Signal | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Steady green | Cleared to land |
| Flashing green | Return for landing; landing clearance follows |
| Steady red | Give way to other aircraft, continue circling |
| Flashing red | Aerodrome unsafe, do not land |
| Flashing white | Land at this aerodrome and proceed to apron |
| Red pyrotechnic | Notwithstanding previous instructions, do not land for the time being |
From tower to aircraft on ground:
| Signal | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Steady green | Cleared for take-off |
| Flashing green | Cleared to taxi |
| Steady red | Stop |
| Flashing red | Taxi clear of landing area in use |
| Flashing white | Return to starting point on the aerodrome |
From aircraft to tower (acknowledgement):
- Daytime: rocking the wings or moving ailerons or rudder.
- Nighttime: two flashes of landing light.
Europe (EASA / EU)
Light signals are made EU-wide binding via SERA Appendix 1 (annex to Regulation (EU) 923/2012) — identical with Annex 2 Appendix 1.
Annex 14 applied EU-wide via Regulation (EU) 139/2014 / Part-ADR.
Germany (national)
Applied under EU law. AIP Germany publishes the actual lighting available per aerodrome (approach lighting, PAPI/VASIS, runway edge, TDZ, ABN frequency). For VFR airfields: often only runway edge lighting and illuminated wind indicator.