What Goes Into an Airport Layout Plan (ALP) Update

What an ALP is — and why it matters

An Airport Layout Plan is a set of FAA-approved scaled drawings depicting the existing and planned (ultimate) facilities at an airport. It captures runways, taxiways, aprons, buildings, navaids, airspace surfaces, and property boundaries — together with the data tables that quantify them. In short, it is the single drawing that says what the airport is and what it intends to become.

For a federally obligated airport — one that has accepted Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant funds — maintaining a current, FAA-approved ALP is required under the grant assurances. Sponsor Assurance 29, “Airport Layout Plan,” obligates a sponsor to keep a current FAA-approved ALP on file and to refrain from making or permitting changes that are inconsistent with it without prior FAA approval. The ALP is the master reference that ties planning, environmental, and funding decisions together. FAA approval of an ALP is itself a federal action, which means it can trigger environmental review under NEPA before development depicted on it can proceed.

The key drawings and data tables

An ALP is not a single sheet but a coordinated drawing set. The exact composition scales with the size and complexity of the airport, but a typical set includes:

• Cover sheet — title, vicinity/location maps, sheet index, and signature/approval blocks.
• Airport Layout Drawing (ALD) — the core sheet. It depicts existing and ultimate facilities to scale and carries the principal data tables.
• Airport Airspace Drawing — the FAR Part 77 imaginary surfaces around the airport.
• Inner-Portion of the Approach Surface Drawing — a detailed plan and profile of the approach surface near each runway end, showing obstructions.
• Runway Departure Surface Drawing — the departure surface and any penetrations, where applicable.
• Terminal Area Plan — an enlarged view of congested terminal/landside areas.
• On-Airport Land Use Drawing — how land inside the airport boundary is designated and used.
• Airport Property Map / Exhibit ‘A’ — the inventory of airport property, parcels, and the interests held in them.
• Off-Airport Land Use Drawing — surrounding land use and compatibility, where applicable.

The ALD itself carries the quantitative backbone of the plan: data tables covering basic airport data, runway data, declared distances, modification of standards, wind data, and similar reference values. These tables are what let a reviewer check the geometry against current FAA design standards.

When an ALP update is triggered

Because the ALP must always reflect existing and planned conditions, almost any meaningful physical or operational change can require an update. Common triggers include:

• New construction or facility changes — new taxiways, aprons, buildings, hangars, or relocated facilities.
• Runway extension or a new runway — any change to runway length, width, or count.
• Change in the critical (design) aircraft — which can shift the runway design code and the dimensional standards that flow from it.
• Land acquisition or disposal — any change to the airport property boundary or the interests held, reflected on Exhibit ‘A’.
• Changes to declared distances or approach types — new instrument approaches, displaced thresholds, or revised TORA/TODA/ASDA/LDA values.

The underlying test is simple: if the drawing no longer accurately depicts the airport as it exists or as it is planned, the ALP needs to be brought current and re-submitted for FAA approval of the changed items.

FAA coordination and approval process

An ALP update is a coordinated submission, usually prepared by the sponsor’s planning consultant. At a high level:

• The sponsor submits the ALP (or the changed drawings) to the FAA — typically the Airports District Office (ADO) or the appropriate Regional Office.
• The FAA conducts an aeronautical / airspace review and an airport design review, checking the geometry and surfaces against current standards and against the airport’s safe and efficient operation.
• The FAA issues either an unconditional or a conditional approval. A conditional approval generally means certain depicted items are approved for planning purposes but require further action — environmental review, additional study, or design refinement — before they can be built.
• Airspace-related items may carry a separate airspace determination through the FAA’s airspace evaluation process, distinct from the ALP design approval itself.

Timelines vary widely with the scope and complexity of the change and with workload, so it is worth coordinating early with the ADO. The governing process and documentation expectations are set out in ARP SOP 2.00.

This article is a reference summary for planning use, not a substitute for the governing FAA text. Citations refer to FAA Order 5100.38 (Airport Improvement Program Handbook), ARP SOP 2.00 (FAA Review and Approval of Airport Layout Plans), Exhibit ‘A’ guidance under ARP SOP 3.00, and AC 150/5070-6B (Airport Master Plans). Always verify ALP content and process against the current governing documents and coordinate with your FAA Airports District Office before issuing a planning product. See the full airport planning glossary or the AvPlot toolkit.