Helipad Lighting Requirements: Perimeter, Floodlighting, Beacons and Wind Cones Under ICAO

A helipad built for daytime use only and one certified for night operations are two different projects, and the lighting package is most of the difference. Owners commonly discover this after a helipad is already built, when an operator asks whether it is night-capable and the honest answer is no. Getting the lighting scope right at design stage, against ICAO Annex 14 Volume II and, in Saudi Arabia, GACAR Part 138, avoids retrofitting a finished pad later.

Perimeter lighting defines the touchdown and lift-off area at night

Perimeter lights mark the edge of the touchdown and lift-off area (TLOF) or the final approach and take-off area (FATO), giving a pilot an unambiguous outline of the usable landing surface after dark. Annex 14 Volume II sets out the arrangement, color and general characteristics expected of this perimeter marking so that it reads clearly and consistently regardless of which helipad a pilot is approaching. The lights need to survive rotor downwash, foot traffic around the pad edge, and in many Saudi sites, sustained heat and dust exposure, which is as much a durability and mounting question as a photometric one.

Floodlighting supports the approach and the surrounding area

Floodlighting illuminates the wider helipad area and its immediate surroundings, giving the pilot visual reference beyond the perimeter markings themselves during approach, hover and landing. Unlike perimeter lights, which outline the landing surface itself, floodlighting addresses the broader visual environment the pilot is flying into, including any obstacles, structures or terrain features near the pad that need to be visible rather than just guessed at in the dark. Positioning floodlights to light the area without creating glare toward an approaching aircraft, particularly on rooftop helipads with limited space for offset mounting, is one of the more site-specific parts of a helipad lighting design.

Heliport beacons help a pilot find the site from a distance

Where fitted, a heliport beacon operates as a longer-range visual aid, helping a pilot locate the general position of the heliport before the perimeter and floodlighting become the primary references during final approach. Not every helipad configuration calls for one, and whether a beacon is warranted depends on the site's surroundings, how the helipad is expected to be used, and what the governing aeronautical study for that location concludes. This is a case where copying another site's lighting package without checking the specific case can mean paying for equipment the site does not need, or missing a beacon the site does.

Illuminated wind cones give the pilot wind information at night

A wind indicator is a standard requirement at any helipad, but at night that indicator has to be lit to remain useful, since a pilot cannot read wind direction and rough strength off an unlit wind cone in the dark. An illuminated wind cone keeps this information available for the entire operating window, not only in daylight, and its positioning still has to satisfy the same siting logic as an unlit wind cone, clear of rotor wash disturbance and obstacle-free approach and departure paths, while also being lit brightly enough to remain readable at the distance a pilot needs it from during approach.

GACAR Part 138 sets the domestic layer over ICAO

ICAO Annex 14 Volume II is the international reference for heliport design, but in Saudi Arabia, GACAR Part 138 is the regulation the General Authority of Civil Aviation applies to heliport certification and operation. A helipad lighting design intended for GACA approval needs to be checked against both, since the domestic regulation is what actually governs certification in the Kingdom even where it closely tracks the ICAO framework. Skipping straight to an ICAO-only design and assuming GACA will accept it without a domestic-specific review is a common source of delay late in a project.

Rooftop and confined helipads add their own constraints

Rooftop helipads and other confined sites layer additional considerations onto the standard lighting scope: limited space for floodlight offset, nearby structures that can create shadow or glare conflicts, and often tighter access for maintenance of lighting fixtures mounted at height. None of this changes what ICAO Annex 14 Volume II or GACAR Part 138 require, but it does change how a design team achieves compliant coverage on a site that does not offer the open ground clearance a purpose-built ground-level helipad would have.

Specifying a night-capable helipad from day one

The lowest-cost way to get a night-capable helipad is to specify it as one from the start, rather than building a daytime-only pad and adding lighting later once an operator asks. Northlane Solutions supplies helipad lighting systems, including perimeter lights, floodlighting, heliport beacons and illuminated wind cones, engineered to ICAO Annex 14 Volume II and GACAR Part 138 for helipads across Saudi Arabia.

FAQ

Q: What lighting does a helipad need to operate at night? A: At minimum, perimeter lighting to define the touchdown and lift-off area and an illuminated wind cone so wind information stays readable after dark. Floodlighting for the wider approach and surrounding area is typically also required, and a heliport beacon may be needed depending on the site and what the governing aeronautical study concludes for that location.

Q: Is ICAO Annex 14 enough for a helipad in Saudi Arabia, or do I need to check a local regulation too? A: Both apply. ICAO Annex 14 Volume II is the international reference, but GACAR Part 138 is the regulation the General Authority of Civil Aviation actually applies to heliport certification in the Kingdom, so a design needs to satisfy both rather than assuming ICAO compliance alone will clear GACA approval.

Q: Can an existing daytime-only helipad be upgraded for night operations later? A: Generally yes, but it usually costs more and takes longer than including night lighting in the original design, since retrofitting perimeter lights, floodlighting and wind cone illumination onto a finished pad often means reworking cabling routes, mounting points and power supply that were never planned for a lighting package.

Q: Does a rooftop helipad need different lighting than a ground-level one? A: The regulatory requirements under ICAO Annex 14 Volume II and GACAR Part 138 are the same, but achieving them is harder on a rooftop site, where limited space for floodlight positioning, nearby structures, and glare toward the approach path all need more careful handling than a ground-level pad with open surroundings.