Which statement describes a single runway?

Which statement describes a single runway?

• A. It provides the highest capacity
• B. It supports parallel operations with other runways
• C. It is the least flexible, lowest capacity
• D. It requires no maintenance

Answer: (C)

A single runway creates a bottleneck: all arrivals and departures must use the same strip, so you can’t run independent, parallel streams of traffic. That limitation makes operations less flexible and reduces the maximum throughput compared with airports that have multiple runways or parallel facilities. In practice, this means the airport can’t easily handle high or variable traffic without delays, and any disruption to that single strip—whether due to weather, maintenance, or incidents—impacts the entire operation. The statement that describes a single runway as the least flexible with the lowest capacity fits this reality best. It’s not about being the most capable or about avoiding maintenance—runways do require maintenance, and a single runway doesn’t inherently provide the highest capacity or parallel operations.

A single runway creates a bottleneck: all arrivals and departures must use the same strip, so you can’t run independent, parallel streams of traffic. That limitation makes operations less flexible and reduces the maximum throughput compared with airports that have multiple runways or parallel facilities. In practice, this means the airport can’t easily handle high or variable traffic without delays, and any disruption to that single strip—whether due to weather, maintenance, or incidents—impacts the entire operation.

The statement that describes a single runway as the least flexible with the lowest capacity fits this reality best. It’s not about being the most capable or about avoiding maintenance—runways do require maintenance, and a single runway doesn’t inherently provide the highest capacity or parallel operations.