In runway designations, what does the 'L' in 23L stand for?

In the context of runway designations, the 'L' in 23L stands for 'Left.' This designation is part of the naming convention used for parallel runways. When an airport has multiple runways aligned in the same direction, such as those oriented on a magnetic heading of 230 degrees, they will be differentiated by adding L for left and R for right. For example, if there are two runways both designated as 23, the one on the left side of the airport from the approach perspective will be labeled as 23L, while the one on the right will be labeled as 23R. This system helps pilots and air traffic controllers identify which runway they should use for take off or landing, thereby ensuring proper navigation and safety in operations at airports with parallel runways.