What are information signs?
Yellow-on-black or black-on-yellow, never red — the advisory family that tells a pilot where they are and which way to turn. Guidance, not a prohibition.
Information signs are advisory, not instructional — they carry no clearance requirement of their own, unlike the red mandatory sign covered in Entry 1. A pilot still follows ATC taxi instructions, and a direction sign does not authorise a turn. But the family itself splits into two colour schemes that are deliberately inverted, so a pilot can never confuse "where am I" with "where do I turn."
A location sign — black background, yellow inscription (with a yellow border where it stands alone) — confirms the taxiway or runway the aircraft is currently on. A direction sign — yellow background, black inscription, always with an arrow — points toward the next taxiway or intersection ahead. A destination sign uses the same yellow background and black inscription to point toward a general area (cargo apron, de-icing pad, terminal) rather than a single named taxiway. ICAO's information signs also include runway-exit, runway-vacated and intersection take-off signs. The runway distance-remaining sign is an FAA sign, not an Annex 14 sign, and breaks the pattern entirely: black background, white numerals only, no border — about every 1,000 ft (roughly 300 m) along the runway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1What are information signs?
The advisory family of airfield signs — yellow-on-black or black-on-yellow, never red — that tell a pilot where they are, which way to turn, or how much runway is left, without any instructional prohibition.
Q2What are the different types of information sign?
Location signs (black background, yellow text, confirm current position), direction signs (yellow background, black text, arrow, point to the next taxiway), destination signs (same scheme as direction signs but point to an area), and, in FAA practice, runway distance-remaining signs (black background, white numerals, no border, about every 1,000 ft). ICAO also lists runway-exit, runway-vacated and intersection take-off signs as information signs.
Q3How is an information sign different from a mandatory sign?
An information sign is advisory — it carries no clearance requirement of its own, though the pilot still follows ATC taxi instructions. A mandatory sign is a red instructional sign: an aircraft must not pass it without ATC authorisation.
Q4Why are location and direction sign colours deliberately inverted?
So a pilot can never confuse 'where am I' with 'where do I turn' — location signs are yellow on black with no arrow, direction signs are black on yellow with an arrow.
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