Wikipedia:WikiProject Aviation/Style guide/Layout (Airports)

Note: These guidelines are not complete and could use some general comments on what should be provided.

This is a set of suggested guidelines for articles on specific airports. Some Wikipedians prefer a standardised look and feel to articles on closely-related subjects and these guidelines exist to facilitate achieving that goal for articles about aircraft.

For general guidelines about writing and editing Wikipedia articles, see Category:Wikipedia style guidelines.

Remember that you're in no way obliged to follow all, or even any, of these guidelines to contribute an article.

Introduction

• Introduction

Infobox

• An infobox, see Wikipedia:WikiProject Aviation/Infobox Airport

Body

History

The history sections should explain highlights of the airport's history in prose form, avoid lists when possible.

Facilities

• Terminals

In accordance with WP:NOTTRAVEL, while the specific location of every airline at each airport is not encyclopedic, general information about the characteristics and history of passenger facilities is encouraged.

• Air navigation

ATC towers, NAVAIDS, ILS antennae, etc.

• Other

Notable features such as powerplants, cargo facilities, parks, and significant or historic buildings

Operations

Can be used to highlight operational features or design constraints, such as unique airspace, special flight rules, noise curfews, etc.

Access

Describes the various transportation methods that are available to reach the airport including:

• Bus
• Car
• Train

However, be careful not to violate WP:NOTTRAVEL by including detailed information about bus numbers, specific train services and the like.

Future developments

• New runways
• New terminals

Airlines and destinations

The consensus among the participants in a 2023 request for comment (RfC) was summarized as follows: airlines and destination tables may only be included in articles when independent, reliable, secondary sources demonstrate they meet WP:DUE. A review of the closure of that RfC yielded no consensus to overturn it.

Past discussions about lists of airlines and destinations are listed below:

• 2016: Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Airports/Archive 15 § Request for comments on the Airlines and destinations tables
• 2017: Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Airports/Archive 17 § RfC about references for the "Airlines and destinations" tables
• 2021: Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)/Archive 167 § Airport destination lists

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroméxico	Seasonal charter: Cancún
Air France	Algiers Seasonal: Calvi, Dublin, Eilat–Ovda, Halifax, Kittilä, Oujda, Rhodes
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Austin (begins March 2, 2018), Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle/Tacoma Charter: Cancún, Orlando
Delta Connection	Austin (ends March 1, 2018), Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus–Glenn, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Indianapolis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Newark, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, Washington–National Seasonal: Fort Myers, Miami
Shandong Airlines	Beijing–Capital, Changchun (resumes May 18, 2018), Chiang Mai, Dalian, Fuzhou, Guilin, Harbin, Kunming, Phnom Penh, Pyongyang (suspended), Qingdao, Shanghai–Pudong, Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Xiamen, Zhengzhou

1. Do not use template substitution with the {{Airport destination list}} template.
2. Do not list secondary carriers for code share flights. For example, if Air New Zealand operates a domestic flight under its own flight number and an additional Singapore Airlines codeshare, the codeshare should not be listed.
3. For flights operated by one airline but marketed by another, so that the flight uses only the marketing airline's flight number, avoid using the term operated by or dba, an abbreviation of the American business term doing business as (e.g. "Alaska Airlines", not "Alaska Airlines operated by Skywest Airlines").
4. Use city names for destinations (not the airport names), and only disambiguate using airport names when there are multiple airports serving the same city. Wikilinks may be made to destination airports; for instance, one should link to Calgary International Airport rather than Calgary. Each occurrence of a destination airport should be linked: as the destination tables are re-sortable, there is no fixed "first occurrence" of a destination in the list. Note that the overlinking guidelines do not apply to tables.
5. Differentiate between multiple airports in one city using "–" (en dash) (e.g., "London–Heathrow", not "London Heathrow").
6. Use the actual cities served (or city/airport combinations, where appropriate), not the ones that some airlines choose to use instead (e.g., "Beauvais", not "Paris–Beauvais"; "Rygge", not "Oslo–Rygge").
7. List non-stop and direct flights only. That means the flight number and the aircraft, starts at this airport and continues to one or more airports. Avoid using the description 'via' since that is more correctly listed as another destination. If passengers cannot disembark at a stop on a direct flight, then do not list it as a destination or as 'via'. Direct flights are not always non-stop flights. However, avoid listing direct flights that contain a stop at a domestic hub, as virtually all of these are simply flights from one "spoke city" to a hub, with the plane continuing from the hub to a second spoke city. Furthermore, these flights often involve plane changes, despite the direct designation. Including these flights dramatically increases the length of destination listings, artificially inflates the airline's presence at a location and requires constant updating, as these "timetable direct" destinations have little rhyme or reason and may change as often as every week or two.
8. For flights that do not operate year round, destinations should be listed on a separate line from year-round destinations, with seasonal destinations listed after the Seasonal: label, e.g. "Seasonal: Chicago–O'Hare". Do not include beginning or ending dates.
9. For flights that do operate on regular charter basis, destinations should be listed on a separate line from the other destinations, being further divided into seasonal and year-round charter flights. They should be listed after the Seasonal charter: and Charter: label respectively, e.g. "Seasonal charter: Memmingen". Do not include beginning or ending dates for seasonal charter flights.
10. Do not include ad-hoc, irregular, or private charter services.
11. Per WP:VERIFY, references must be included for "any material whose verifiability has been challenged or is likely to be challenged," and this includes the list of destinations.
12. For future destinations, add: "(begins date service begins)" after the destination. Starting dates must be provided with full date including the year and references should be provided.
13. For destinations with termination dates that have already been announced, add: "(ends date service ends)" after the destination. References should be provided.
14. Do not include flags for airlines or the actual destination.
15. Do not separate flights into domestic (national) and international.
16. Do not separate scheduled and charter flights into multiple lists.
17. Do not list the terminal(s) or concourse(s) that airlines operate from in the third column of the table.

Cargo airlines

Cargo airlines may be included after Airlines and destinations but are not necessary. The decision about whether cargo airlines add encyclopedic value to an airport can be made on an airport-by-airport basis. The text before the list should also make clear what inclusion in the list means, as these guidelines are not likely to be obvious to readers.

It is often difficult to find reliable source which verifies cargo service. This does not lessen the need to follow Wikipedia's policies and is a consideration in whether to include cargo airlines in an article.

If a list of cargo airlines is included, only airlines that operate cargo-only planes to the airport should be included. Cargo airlines in the following common situations should not be listed if they do not also operate cargo-only planes to the airport:

• Airlines which sell cargo space on passenger planes.
• Airlines with "cargo drop off" stations or cargo offices.
• Airlines which sell cargo space on trucks from the airport to a different airport.
• Airlines which sell cargo space on flights operated by other airlines, except for the primary codeshare partner if the operating carrier does not market the flight.

If cargo airlines are included, cargo destinations are optional. Cargo destinations are not necessary for several reasons:

• unlike passenger destinations, the encyclopedic value of cargo destinations is unclear.
• direct cargo destinations are less important than direct passenger destinations, as cargo does not mind connections, whereas passengers generally do.

If cargo destinations are listed, only destinations served nonstop should be included.

If cargo airlines only are included, a simple list is typically a useful format for presenting the information. If cargo airlines are listed with destinations, an airlines and destinations table may be used, as for passenger airlines.

Sources: Because cargo airline schedules are often less readily available than passenger schedules, a reliable source should be explicitly listed verifying the service of each cargo airline.

• The best source is typically the airline's schedule listing a flight number of a cargo-only service to the airport in question. If an airline cargo timetable is available, it should be listed as a reference, with the reference including the direct URL of the timetable and the publication or access date.
• If a timetable is not available and no other reliable source explicitly states that the airline operates a cargo flight to the airport, each destination should be justified by footnoting a flight number. URLs for cargo schedule/status on airport websites can be used. For areas of the world with air traffic control tracking coverage (North America, Europe, Australia, and any flight flying through related airspaces, such as most of the North Atlantic and North Pacific), a flight number and a static URL of such a flight number (e.g. CPA095 on FlightAware within <ref></ref> tags) should be included so anyone can easily verify if the service still exists. For these types of references, the inclusion of an access date is particularly important.

Several common types of sources do not usually establish that an airline operates cargo service:

• Destination maps. Many airline cargo destination maps include passenger flights which carry cargo, airports with truck cargo service only, or other cargo services which do not merit inclusion.
• The existence of a cargo office.
• Sales directories. Cargo airlines and third parties advertise cargo space on an airline from an airport even if the service from the airport is on passenger planes, on other airlines, or on trucks.

Otherwise, the guidelines for the passenger Airlines and destinations list apply.

Statistics

Statistics should be included when proper sourcing is available. Per WP:NOTSTATBOOK, avoid including too many statistics, and it is recommended to provide some explanatory context. Below is an example of such context:

Foo Airport was ranked the fourth-busiest airport in the country in 2016, with approximately 10 million passengers transiting through it that year. The majority of these passengers were traveling within the country (65%), whereas the remainder were traveling internationally. The airport witnessed a 3% increase in passenger traffic compared to the previous year. Officials stated that the rise in traffic represents Foo City's gradual recovery from the Great Recession.

Tables of data plus a graph can accompany this information. Examples of common statistics are the following:

• Total passengers enplaned/deplaned per year
• Total aircraft movements per year
• Total cargo enplaned/deplaned per year
• Top domestic destinations
• Top international destinations

Other

Per WP:NOTTRAVEL, Wikipedia is not a travel guide, so take caution when adding information about services/concessions, airline lounges, navigation tips, nearby hotels, and ground transportation options. Similarly, detailed lists of aviation services and rental or charter aircraft offered by organizations such as fixed base operators, flight schools and flying clubs are typically not encyclopedic and may violate WP:PROMOTION.

Accidents and incidents

Accidents or incidents should only be included in airport articles if they took place at or near the airport and:

• The accident was fatal or caused injury to either the aircraft occupants or persons on the ground.
• The accident involved hull loss or serious damage to the aircraft or airport.
• The accident invoked a change in procedures, regulations or process that had a wide effect on other airports or airlines or the aircraft industry.

References

This section contains details of print references and/or external links to websites used in the article. Wikipedia prefers the APA format, so that's what we should use as well (see here for a comprehensive example set, and here for a list of templates). To integrate your references into the article, please use the reference tags. Examples of citations:

Book source

Lincoln, Abraham; Grant, U. S.; & Davis, Jefferson (1861). Resolving Family Differences Peacefully (3rd ed.). Gettysburg: Printing Press. ISBN 0-12-345678-9.

Journal

Brandybuck, Meriadoc. (1955). "Herb-lore of the Shire". Journal of the Royal Institute of Chemistry 10 (2), 234–351.

Newspaper/Magazine articles

Blair, Eric Arthur (Aug. 29, 1949). "Looking forward to a bright tomorrow". New English Weekly, p. 57.

Websites

Gates, Bill & Ballmer, Steve (1998). "The Big Open-source Advocacy Homepage". Retrieved Aug. 5, 2003.

Other Wikipedias

Citau les fonts from the Catalan-language Wikipedia. Retrieved December 27, 2004.

Company press releases

Siemens AG (July 13, 1999). Shell and Siemens to develop emission-free fuel cell power plant. Press Release.

There are also templates that allow the automatic formatting of references based on the information you have available; for websites, use {{cite web | }}, and for books, use {{cite book | }}.

External links

The following guidelines suggest what to include or avoid in External links sections. Links in the "External links" section should be kept to a minimum.

When available, start with a link to the airport's or airport operator's website. News articles about the airport may be appropriate if they establish notability or provide relevant information not already used as an in-line reference. Links to official or government (including local, state, federal or national government organizations) websites are good sources if they add value to the article. When available, try to include links that provide additional information about the history or notable events related to the airport.

WikiProject Airports recommends that government airport databases only provide verifiability. So notability must still come from other citations and sources in the article.

If the entry has an infobox then links to mapping sites are available by clicking on the linked coordinates.

Airline service, if offered at the airport, should be in its own section of the body as shown above.

An airport operator may not provide all the services and activities of an airport. This applies more often in some countries than others. Links to on-field businesses and organizations may be relevant parts of the description of the airport but are subject to restrictions. See WP:SPAM and WP:EL for guidelines. In general, these guidelines are intended to help differentiate appropriate and relevant links from linkspam.

• The business, service or organization must be aviation related.
• It must be located on-field, and state on its website that it is located at the airport.
• As per WP:SPAM, links to businesses or organizations must be presented equally and in an appropriate and neutral manner.
  • No links are allowed to stand out from the others.
  • No marketing fluff (including unnecessary adjectives) is allowed in link text or descriptions.
  • No conflict of interest links. You can't add a link to a business or organization that you own or work for – but you're welcome and encouraged to offer it on the talk page. (Note for other editors: try to not to create an environment where asking permission is seeking denial – because then the result is people just won't ask.)
  • In reaction to increasing COI/linkspam, some editors now prefer to remove all links to any kind of business. But remember to retain a balance. WP:EL does not prohibit commercial links. And many airports cannot be described without including some. Use good judgement and assume good faith.
• If an airport has multiple FBOs, they may be presented as a sub-list of the External links section or in a separate section on FBOs.
• For ground transportation information, these should be located on or adjacent to the field. Links to transit planning resources may be included if there is adequate coverage of the airport.
• Weather information for an airport is not directly related and should not appear in this section.

Keep in mind that the primary purpose of an airport article is an encyclopedic-level description of the airport. An airport article is not a comprehensive travel or business guide – however, it is also not prohibited from having general information which could be used as an overview by a potential visitor. Links to travel or ground transportation providers may not be suitable unless they are relevant to the description of the airport. Likewise, links to businesses operating at or near the airport also need to be relevant to the description of the airport. FBOs independent of the airport operator generally are relevant to an airport's description. See WP:REL for guidance on relevance.

Links to opposition groups or opinion sites may not be suitable with regard to WP:NPOV.

Links to organizations that are already wiki-linked in the article should not be repeated.

Be mindful that airports are used and regulated in different ways in different countries. Wikipedia is a global resource – editors should seek a balance between consistency of presentation and tolerance of different cultures, while resisting abuse of the system. Bring questions to the article's talk page or to WikiProject Airports' talk page.

Talk page

• Optionally you may add Template:WPAVIATION to the article's discussion page (insert {{WPAVIATION|Airports-project=yes}}) so other editors are directed to this project.