The runways of an airport determine the type of aircraft that they can serve at each location. The lengths of the runways are particularly relevant, as they generally determine whether the airport can support direct flights to faraway places. Many airports in the world cannot accommodate the large jumbo aircraft that serve international destinations because the runways were designed mostly for smaller aircraft.

Most airports are geographically close to large cities so their hours of operations are generally limited by noise constraints and they operate only during "day hours. Cargo tends to fly at night, specialised cargo airports that are located outside of large cities and can operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

Another concern of importance for cargo shippers is the existence of appropriate warehouse space at an airport; cargo should be protected while it is in transit, and not left to the elements. This is particularly important as air cargo tends to be not as well packaged as cargo destined for ocean shipping. The problem is even more acute for refrigerated warehouse space, which can be in very short supply.