Airway equipment is any equipment used to help keep a patient's airway open and to aid administration of oxygen/anaesthesia to the patient's airway. Examples of airway equipment are:

• A face mask
• An oropharyngeal airway
• A tracheal tube

A patient must always have a patent airway to keep them alive for their anaesthetic.

Airway equipment is not always used for an anaesthetic, but it may be required suddenly. So airway equipment should always be nearby, working and clean, to allow a patient to have a patent airway and therefore a safe anaesthetic.