Airport engineering is the branch of aeronautical engineering that applies solid scientific knowledge such as physics, chemistry, materials science, geology and other more specific aspects of the aeronautical-airport sector such as aeronautical infrastructure, structural theory, airspace management , aerodynamics and flight mechanics, aerospace technology.

It should be noted that although it is true that "airport engineering" is one of the five specialties of aeronautical engineering, it shares a very deep connection with civil engineering given the nature of this career; Therefore, although in Spain this career only empowers the ing. airports in the tasks of design and maintenance of the entire airport complex and infrastructure, this can perfectly be incorporated into the civil engineering labor market throughout the world.

The aeronautical infrastructure system from the subsoil to space, from pipes and installations many meters deep, to the satellites that rotate with the Earth. It comprises two large areas:

The airports

air navigation systems and facilities

At airports, passengers or cargo arriving by car, subway or train are transferred to aircraft or vice versa. The airport is divided, in turn, into two zones:

One of land transport

Other air transport

Air navigation needs:

A structuring of the airspace, through routes and monitoring and control systems for aircraft

A management of the airspace near airports to safely, efficiently and smoothly carry out approaches and takeoffs to the runways

Visual and radioelectric aids for aircraft landing and surface movement.