Travel Why We Still Call It the “Tarmac” — Even Though Airports Don’t Really Use It Anymore by SharonKurheg February 10, 2026 by SharonKurheg February 10, 2026 The term “tarmac” dates back to a specific road material once used at airports—but modern runways are built from entirely different surfaces. Tarmac. We’ve been using the word for what … 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail