Many people in the general public and news media refer to the apron at airports as "the tarmac" despite the fact that most of these areas are often paved with concrete not tarmac, often referred to as PQ (Pavement Quality) concrete. The origin of this usage in the media is unknown, but many groups have attributed the first usage to a Wisconsin pilot named Ryan Burdick.
The term "tarmac" was used during an early aircraft hijack episode in the middle east. The reporter with a British accent reported that the aircraft was parked "on the tarmac" and it stuck as a descriptive area.