Taxiway & Apron Marking
Taxiway and apron marking guides aircraft ground movement between the runway and parking stands, covering centerlines, holding position markings, stand guidance lines, and equipment safety lanes. NLS delivers turnkey layout and application of taxiway and apron markings to ICAO Annex 14 and FAA AC 150/5340-1 standards, for airport apron and taxiway projects across Saudi Arabia.
Taxiway and apron marking is the ground-movement guidance system that takes over from runway markings the moment an aircraft exits the runway, and it carries a different job: precise, low-speed positioning rather than high-speed alignment. Taxiway centerline markings guide the aircraft's nose wheel along the taxi route, taxiway edge markings define the usable pavement width, and mandatory instruction markings mark runway holding positions where an aircraft must stop and receive clearance before proceeding, a marking category with direct safety consequences if it's missing, faded, or misplaced against the actual holding distance the airport's aeronautical study requires.
Apron marking adds a further layer specific to aircraft parking and servicing: stand guidance lines (lead-in and lead-out lines matched to a specific aircraft type's nosewheel geometry), stand identification numbers, wingtip clearance markings, and service vehicle lanes that keep ground equipment clear of engine and propeller arcs. Apron layout work is inherently more custom than taxiway marking because stand dimensions and guidance geometry are set against the specific aircraft types a stand is designed to accept, not a single universal template.
ICAO Annex 14 Volume I and FAA AC 150/5340-1 both set the pattern, colour, and dimensional requirements for taxiway and apron markings, mandatory instruction markings in particular follow a strict red-and-white format specified to the letter because misreading one at a runway holding position is a direct runway incursion risk.
NLS delivers taxiway and apron marking as one turnkey scope alongside runway marking work, using the same retroreflective, skid-resistant aviation marking paint sourced from established international suppliers, set out against the airport's aeronautical study or apron layout drawing. On an active apron, marking work is sequenced around aircraft parking schedules and ground handling operations rather than a simple closure, since an apron rarely goes fully dark the way a runway does during a maintenance window, which calls for staged marking by stand or taxiway lane instead of a single blanket closure.
A project team typically sends the taxiway or apron layout drawing, including stand geometry and aircraft design group if new stand markings are needed, and NLS returns a set-out and application scope matched to the site's operational constraints.
Specifications
- ✓Taxiway elements: centerline, edge markings, mandatory instruction (holding position) markings in standard red-and-white format
- ✓Apron elements: stand guidance lead-in/lead-out lines, stand ID numbers, wingtip clearance, service vehicle lanes
- ✓Layout dimensions and colour per ICAO Annex 14 Volume I and FAA AC 150/5340-1
- ✓Stand guidance geometry set against specific aircraft design group and nosewheel steering geometry
- ✓Retroreflective, skid-resistant aviation marking paint matched to pavement type
- ✓Staged application by stand or taxiway lane to work around live apron parking and ground handling schedules
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between taxiway marking and apron marking?+
Taxiway marking guides an aircraft's route between the runway and apron, centerlines, edges, and holding positions. Apron marking is more custom, stand guidance lines, identification numbers, and clearance markings sized to the specific aircraft types a stand is designed to accept.
Can apron marking work be done without closing the whole apron?+
Yes. NLS sequences apron marking by stand or lane around live parking and ground handling schedules, since an apron rarely has the single overnight closure window a runway gets for maintenance.
Who applies mandatory holding position markings at Saudi airports?+
NLS sets out and applies mandatory instruction markings, including runway holding positions, to the ICAO Annex 14 and FAA AC 150/5340-1 red-and-white format, verified against each airport's aeronautical study for holding distance.