A mathematical programming model for assessing the design of an optimal airport topology is presented herein. It takes into account the efficient and safe taxiing of aircraft on the ground. We balance a set of conflicting factors that depend directly on aircraft trajectories on the ground, such as the number of arriving and departing flights within a planning period, delays and the avoidance of risk situations. The results, which are shown as a set of configurations for a set of test airports, illustrate design decisions relating to the allocation of waiting points and their capacities, and the number of terminals