Commercial Airport Lighting Market Size - By Lighting Type, By Technology, By Position, Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Report ID: GMI13822
   |
Published Date: May 2025
 | 
Report Format: PDF

Download Free PDF

Commercial Airport Lighting Market Size

The global commercial airport lighting market size was valued at USD 752.5 million in 2024, with a volume of 3.48 million units and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% to reach USD 1.4 billion by 2034. The growth of the market is attributed to factors such as the rising global air passenger traffic coupled with the increasing night-time flight operations.
 

Commercial Airport Lighting Market

The commercial airport lighting industry was impacted by the Trump administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports, affecting the price of crucial LED parts, control systems, and aluminum frameworks which are frequently sourced from China. This led to the escalation of spending in U.S. airport projects and stalled some enhancements. Local suppliers were compelled to implement regional content sourcing for domestic tariffs, whereas foreign competitors who were not subject to tariffs enjoyed a temporary cost advantage. In general, these policies caused delays in completing projects and increased spending on projects which in most cases were designed to be low-cost.
 

The rising global air passenger traffic serves as a primary factor behind the growth of the commercial airport lighting market. For instance, In September 2023, the global air passenger traffic, represented a growth of 40% compared to previous year, as stated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This surge in air passenger has further propelled the demand for aircraft movements that requires high-performance runway, taxiway, and apron lighting to ensure visibility and safety.
 

Additionally, this increasing number of air passengers are further forcing airports to expand or build new terminals, which require a full suite of lighting systems, including navigation lights, terminal interior lighting, and emergency systems. Also, several aviation authorities such as ICAO and FAA are further enforcing stringent regulations for lighting standards to ensure safety, which are encouraging airports to upgrade compliant lighting systems, especially with LEDs and automated control solutions.
 

Commercial airport lighting manufacturers should focus on offering energy-efficient LED and automated lighting systems that meet ICAO and FAA standards, targeting airport expansions and upgrades driven by rising air passenger traffic and increased aircraft movements.
 

The increasing night-time flight operations is another major growth driver for the growth for the commercial airport lighting market. Many modern international and regional airports operate around the clock, that requires consistent lighting performance for runways and aprons, along with efficient terminal lighting for passengers and staff.
 

Also, several cargo carriers such as FedEx, UPS, and budget airlines, often prefer off peak hours to reduce airport fees, which rely on fully functional and safe lighting systems during dusk, night, and dawn operations. Moreover, with the growing congestion at major airports, especially in hubs such as London Heathrow, JFK, Dubai, and Singapore, airlines are increasingly scheduling flights during night hours to maintain or expand service offerings.
 

Commercial airport lighting manufacturers should develop and promote high-durability, energy-efficient lighting systems optimized for 24/7 operations, with a focus on enhanced visibility and reliability during night-time conditions specifically targeting busy international hubs and cargo-intensive airports where off-peak flight activity is rising.
 

Commercial Airport Lighting Market Trends

  • Recent trend observed in the commercial airport lighting industry is the growing emphasis among manufacturers towards the development of smart lighting control systems, which enables remote monitoring, real time diagnostics, and automated adjustment of airfield lighting.
     
  • The market sees massive growth because modern airports are now rapidly adopting solar powered lighting systems because they provide both cost-effective operation and environmental sustainability. Solar panels and battery storage innovations now deliver reliable performance during periods of low sunlight thus making solar lighting an effective solution. The adoption of solar powered lighting helps organizations achieve both low carbon emissions and environmental regulatory compliance.
     
  • The commercial airport lighting market sees a growing trend in integrating airport management systems for centralized connection control that works seamlessly with security systems and HVAC systems and passenger flow systems. LED lighting systems with built-in intelligence enable them to share information with management platforms which perform predictive maintenance while optimizing energy consumption.
     

Commercial Airport Lighting Market Analysis

Commercial Airport Lighting Market, By Lighting Type, 2021-2034 (USD Million)

Based on the lighting type, the commercial airport lighting market is segmented into runaway lighting, taxiway lighting, apron lighting, and others.
 

  • The runaway lighting market was the largest market and was valued at USD 288 million in 2024. The rise in night-time and low visibility flight operation has led to surge in demand for high-intensity runway edge lights, centreline lights, touchdown zone lights, and runway threshold lights is set to increase.
     
  • Also, several major infrastructure projects in emerging economies such as Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East is investing in new runaway construction, which automatically propels the demand for full spectrum lighting systems. Moreover, the shift towards LED and solar runaway lights due to their superior visibility, reduced maintenance, and energy savings is further propelling the demand for runaway lights in remote areas and military airfields.
     
  • The taxiway lighting market was the fastest growing market and is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period. The growth in this segment is propelled by the growth in aircraft movements, which rely on continuous, color-coded taxiway centerline, and edge lights, to manage ground traffic safely and efficiently.
     
  • Also, taxiway lights are increasingly integrated with remote-control systems, enabling dynamic light routing and energy optimization, which are highly desirable in smart airport deployments. Furthermore, several airports built in 1960 – 80s are increasingly replacing obsolete taxiway lights with LED and fibre optics, which comply with the modern visibility and safety standards, particularly in ICAO Annex 14 guidance.

 

Commercial Airport Lighting Market Share, By Technology, 2024

Based on the technology, the commercial airport lighting market is categorized into LED and non- LED.
 

  • The LED market was the largest market and was valued at USD 443 million in 2024. The growing emphasis towards energy efficiency and cost saving solution is pushing several major high-volume airports to adopt LEDs, as it consumes up to 70% less energy than traditional lighting, which further reduces operational cost. LEDs also offer longer operational life than other alternative, which reduces replacement frequency and labour cost associated with it. Moreover, LED lights are increasingly integrated with advanced lighting control and monitoring systems (ALCMS) for adaptive brightness, fault diagnostics, and automation, all of which pushes the growth of this segment.
     
  • The non-LED market is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period. The growth in this segment is driven by the budget constraints in some regions, where non-LED systems are used due to their lower upfront costs despite higher long term operating costs. Additionally, several older airports often use the infrastructure designed for halogen or incandescent light, which further makes retrofitting LED light as a costly or technically challenging. Furthermore, these non-LED lights are increasingly used for temporary airstrips, emergency military use, or pop-up runways, where advanced lighting control is not required while offering cheaper and quicker deployment.
     

Based on the position, the commercial airport lighting market is bifurcated into in-pavement/inset lights, elevated lights, and others.
 

  • The in-pavement/inset lights market was the largest market and was valued at USD 319.8 million in 2024. The increasing regulations from ICAO and FAA for CAT II/II airports has mandated the usage of in pavement lights for runway centrelines, touchdown zones, and taxiways in airports that supports low visibility operations.
     
  • Also, the surge in demand for high international traffic hubs is pushing airports with high aircraft movement to adopt in pavement lights for ground traffic management and safety, particularly in complex runway-taxiway layouts. In addition, the increasing emphasis towards integration with advanced lighting control and monitoring systems (ALCMS) is further fuelling the demand for insert lights to ensure intelligent, responsive illumination and diagnostics, while enabling smart airport capabilities.
     
  • The elevated lights market was the fastest growing market and is anticipated to grow with a CAGR of 7.5% during the forecast period. The growth in this segment is driven by the increasing demand for temporary airstrips in military, remote, or emergency-use airports, which propels the growth for elevated lights due to their rapid deployment advantage.
     
  • Also, elevated lights are easier to replace and inspect that inset lights, which further pushes the growth of this segment at smaller and regional airports, while significantly reducing maintenance costs and time. Moreover, several airports do not require advanced CAT III capabilities, which pushes the demand for elevated lights as a budget friendly solution while meeting basic ICAO and FAA standards.

 

U.S. Commercial Airport Lighting Market, 2021-2034 (USD Million)
  • The U.S. dominated the commercial airport lighting market, accounting for USD 232.8 million in the year 2024. This is driven primarily by high growth in airport modernization schemes along with introduction of airport improvement program (AIP) and bipartisan infrastructure law driving high investment for the development of airport infrastructure such as lighting systems.
     
  • For instance, according to the U.S. department of transportation, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program has allotted significant investment of USD 25 billion, which is included in the law for airport improvements. Additionally, the shift toward energy efficient LED runaway and taxi lighting systems is further supported by the federal energy policies and sustainability goals. Furthermore, the high volume of air traffic including both domestic and international passenger in the country further require reliable airfield lighting systems to ensure 24/7 operations safely.
     
  • The Germany commercial airport lighting market accounted for USD 42.5 million in the year 2024. The implementation of green airport initiatives in Europe for sustainable airport infrastructure coupled with strict EU environmental directives is pushing the adoption of LED lighting and renewable energy powered systems among airports. Also, the growing investment from government towards smart airport projects and digital infrastructure including ALCMS (Advanced Lighting Control and Monitoring Systems) across several major airports such as Frankfurt and Munich, that further propels the market growth in the region.
     
  • The commercial airport lighting market in China is projected to reach USD 194.8 million by the year 2034.  The aggressive push towards airport modernization and expansion programs in China under its 13th and 14th year plan has led to development and upgradation of several new airport, which further requires extensive lighting systems. Also, several cities such as Daxing, Chengdu, and Shenzhen are further being positioned as global hubs, which require lighting for CAT III landings, apron operations, and night-time traffic.  
     
  • The Japan commercial airport lighting market accounted for USD 33.8 million in 2024. The increasing focus of Japan towards development of disaster resilient infrastructure, that can withstand seismic activity and ensure fast recovery during emergencies is pushing the demand for robust and modular lighting solutions. In addition, several Japanese airports have legacy lighting systems from the 1980s–90s that are increasingly being replaced with LED-based and smart lighting systems, which further pushes the growth of market in the region.
     
  • The India commercial airport lighting market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 9.4% during the forecast period. The increasing privatization and PPP investment in major airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, are under private management such as GMR, and Adani, that are heavily investing towards smart LED and control systems to ensure compliance with global standards. Additionally, the implementation of UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme has led to construction of regional airports, significantly expanding the demand for basic but modern airfield lighting.
     

Commercial Airport Lighting Market Share

The commercial airport lighting industry is highly competitive and fragmented with the presence of established global players as well as local players and startups. The top 3 companies in the global commercial airport lighting market are ADB SAFEGATE, Honeywell International Inc., and Eaton, collectively accounting for a share of over 32.9%. Leading companies in the market are investing in the next-generation commercial airport lighting solution, which prioritizes on energy-efficient LED technologies, adaptive control systems, and smart lighting grids, that are capable of integration with advanced surface movement guidance and control systems (A-SMGCS).
 

Also, there is a growing emphasis towards modular and low-maintenance designs for runway, taxiway, and apron lighting, which ensures reduced installation time and cost, while offering easier scalability in the expanding airports.
 

Furthermore, the innovation in market such as CAT II/III-compliant inset and centerline lighting, dynamic lighting control systems, and real-time operational analytics, are gaining rapid popularity among manufacturers to ensure optimized traffic movement speed on ground. Additionally, several key application sectors such as commercial aviation, military airbases, and heliports/UAM zones are further increasingly prioritizing advanced lighting solutions that ensure safety, speed, and interoperability, even in unmanned or automated airport environments.
 

Moreover, the advancement in technology has led to development of hybrid lighting systems that blend solar-powered modules, smart controllers, and visual docking guidance systems (VDGS), which ensure airports to comply with carbon neutrality goals and sustainability mandates under ICAO’s CORSIA and regional green frameworks.
 

 Commercial Airport Lighting Market Company

The commercial airport lighting industry features several prominent players, including:

  • ADB SAFEGATE
  • Airfield lighting systems
  • Airport lighting company
  • ARC
  • Avlite systems
  • Eaton
  • Flight light
  • Gmr enlights
  • Hali-brite
  • Honeywell international
  • Ocem airfield technology
  • Osram
  • S4GA
  • Signalight
  • Vosla
     

Honeywell International, Inc. is one of the leading companies in the commercial airport lighting sector due to their extensive inventory of energy-saving LED lights and control systems. Honeywell utilizes Intelligent IoT border control systems focusing on real-time monitoring and reporting for energy efficiency and safety enhancement on airfields. Its systems also allow for maintenance by exception and other advanced operational processes and are designed to be integrated with the predictive airport management systems. Due to these factors, together with its powerful R&D and sustainability focus, Honeywell is regarded as a strong partner for airports needing efficient compliant lighting solutions grounded in current legislation and airport business necessities.
 

ADB SAFEGATE dominates in the integrated airport lighting and airside solutions industry, providing services to more than 2,500 airports. Their competitive advantage is offered in their Airfield 4 strategy which streams real-time insights for automation and insights on a connected airside asset. The company’s cutting-edge technologies such as AXON EQ intelligent LED lights and LINC 360 Individual Light Control & Monitoring System provide predictive maintenance increasing safety, efficiency, and sustainability. Also, achieving climate neutral certification and providing major airports with turnkey solutions, they stand out for digital transformation and operational excellence.
 

Commercial Airport Lighting Market Company

  • In October 2023, ABD Safegate introduced their AXON EQ LED elevated light, which utilizes the latest sensing technologies to capture data critical to making airport operations more streamlined and predictive, and reducing time and costs associated with installation, commissioning and maintenance. AXON EQ elevated light provides versatile functionality and unmatched efficiency in remote monitoring for your approach, threshold/end, runway edge, and taxiway stop bar applications.
     
  • In August 2023, Honeywell announced the establishment of its Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL) production plant in Gurugram India. The Make in India product AGL exists as a completely India-manufactured and engineered product. The essential airport operational component known as AGL must follow detailed safety requirements established by worldwide aviation regulatory standards.
     

The commercial airport lighting market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecasts in terms of revenue (USD Million) and volume (Million Units) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

Market, By Lighting type      

  • Runway lighting         
    • Runway edge lights
    • Runway end identifier lights (REIL)
    • Runway centerline lights
    • Approach lighting systems (ALS)
    • Others
  • Taxiway lighting         
    • Taxiway edge lights
    • Taxiway centerline lights
    • Stop bar lights
    • Others
  • Apron lighting
  • Others

Market, By Technology        

  • LED     
  • Non-LED         
    • Halogen lighting
    • High-intensity discharge (HID) lighting
    • Incandescent lighting
    • Others

Market, By Position  

  • In-pavement/inset lights       
  • Elevated lights
  • Others

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

  • North America 
    • U.S.
    • Canada
  • Europe 
    • Germany
    • UK
    • France
    • Spain
    • Italy
    • Netherlands
  • Asia Pacific 
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • South Korea
  • Latin America 
    • Brazil
    • Mexico
    • Argentina
  • Middle East and Africa 
    • Saudi Arabia
    • South Africa
    • UAE
Authors: Suraj Gujar , Kanhaiya Kathoke
Frequently Asked Question(FAQ) :
Who are the key players in commercial airport lighting industry?
Some of the major players in the industry include ADB SAFEGATE, Airfield Lighting Systems, Airport Lighting Company, ARC, Avlite Systems, Eaton, Flight Light, GMR Enlights, Hali-Brite, Honeywell International, Ocem Airfield Technology, Osram, S4GA, Signalight, and Vosla.
How big is the commercial airport lighting market?
How much is the U.S. commercial airport lighting market worth in 2024?
What is the size of runaway lighting segment in the commercial airport lighting industry?
Commercial Airport Lighting Market Scope
  • Commercial Airport Lighting Market Size
  • Commercial Airport Lighting Market Trends
  • Commercial Airport Lighting Market Analysis
  • Commercial Airport Lighting Market Share
Related Reports
    Authors: Suraj Gujar , Kanhaiya Kathoke
    Buy Now
    $4,123 $4,850
    15% off
    $4,840 $6,050
    20% off
    $5,845 $8,350
    30% off
        Buy now
    Premium Report Details

    Base Year: 2024

    Companies covered: 15

    Tables & Figures: 588

    Countries covered: 19

    Pages: 170

    Download Free PDF

    Top