In radiotelephony phraseologies, the expression “Holding Point” is used to designate the runway holding position. An aircraft between the holding position and the runway is considered to be on the runway as far as ATC operations are concerned.
This means that:
- A landing aircraft is not considered to have vacated the runway unless it has passed the holding position;
- A departing aircraft that has moved beyond the holding position is considered to be on the runway, although it may technically still be on the taxiway surface; and,
- If the movement beyond the holding position is made without appropriate authorization, this is considered as a Runway Incursion.
As mentioned earlier, while the term “Holding Position” is used in ICAO documents, it is replaced by “Holding Point” in radio-telephony. The reason for substituting “Position” with “Point” is that a similar sounding instruction existed in the United States, “Taxi into position and hold” which had a completely different meaning – it was an authorization to line up on the active runway. Therefore, in order to avoid confusion and reduce the risk of runway incursions, the ICAO radio-telephony term was changed.
REFERENCES
ICAO ANNEX 2
ICAO ANNEX 14
