Issue 2 2005

Talking TETRA for operational gains

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2006 / Ben Sampson

Instances of airports switching to the digital TETRA mobile radio systems are on the increase, but does this system offer a worthwhile improvement over existing technologies?

The current increase in demand at many airports makes now an appropriate time to examine improving the use of existing resources and systems. A good place to start efficiency improvements may well be the communications system. When looking at an existing system, your motives may either be to continually replace faulty parts, or to upgrade and utilise new technology for the potential operational benefit of the entire airport.

Communications are undoubtedly an important factor in running an efficient and effective business. However an airport can be considered unique in that it contains many different companies and teams, each with individual communication requirements. For example, air traffic control, airport management, security staff and catering businesses. Although working to the same goal; the smooth and timely departure and arrival of aircraft, these groups will often benefit from the increased sharing of knowledge and easier, faster and more reliable communications. (more…)

Tagged with: Ben Sampson, Operations, Oslo Airport, Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)

A decade’s worth of perspective

Issue 2 2005 / 16 June 2005 / Anthony T. (Buzz) Cerino, U.S. Dept of Homeland Security, TSA, Office of Security Technology - Transportation Security Laboratory, Communications Technology Lead

Use of Radio Frequency Identification technology in the aviation industry has been a long time coming, but, writes Anthony Cerino, the wait is over with – probably.

When considering RFID technology it is important at the outset to differentiate between active and passive RF tags. Oversimplified, active tags generally have an on-board power source (for transmission of embedded data back to the reader and/or data storage) and cost significantly more than passive tags. Passive tags derive the energy needed to communicate directly from the reader, and hence can be much lower in cost, since they require no on-board power source. Although passive tags have a significantly reduced read-range of up to 10 metres, compared to hundreds of meters for active tags, they are ideally suited to applications such as single use disposable aviation baggage tags. (more…)

Tagged with: Anthony T. (Buzz) Cerino, Baggage handling, Radio frequency indentification (RFID), U.S. Dept of Homeland Security

A European approach to security

Issue 2 2005 / 16 June 2005 / Robert Missen, Deputy Head of Unit Aviation and Maritime Security, European Commission (EC)

Several steps were taken by the EC in order to safeguard airports post 9/11, including an approach to security inspections different from existing ICAO checks.

The origin of European Commission competences in the field of civil aviation security can be traced directly back to the events of 11 September 2001. Prior to that date the Commission had not been granted powers by the Member States to make legislation in this field. Rather, the Member States felt that a combination of requirements at the world level through ICAO, national rules and the guidance of European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) were sufficient.

9/11 changed all that. Within days an emergency meeting of the EU Transport Council – comprising of the Transport Ministers of the (then 15) Member States – took place. One of the conclusions reached at that meeting was that harmonised European legislation on aviation security was necessary and desirable. (more…)

Tagged with: European Commission (EC), Robert Missen, Security

A new airport for Berlin and Brandenburg

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Thomas Weyer, Managing Director Engineering / BBI

Berlin’s Schönefeld Airport has been host of the ILA since 1992 and is currently Germany’s boom airport. As of 2006 it is being expanded to become the new capital city airport – Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI).

The stage has been set for the future – in the coming years Schönefeld Airport will be expanded to become the capital’s new Airport. The official construction permit and the financing concept are completed and detailed planning and preparations for construction are being made. The Bundesverwaltungsgericht (the German Administrative Court) has announced a final decision on the suit about the expansion of the airport for the first half of 2006. As of 2011, according to planning, the entire air traffic for the Berlin-Brandenburg region will be concentrated at the airport in the southeast of the city. The inner-city airports Tegel and Tempelhof will be closed as a result. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Berlin Airports, Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI), Germany, Thomas Weyer

Handling the A380

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Dr. Thilo Stilp, Manager Ground Operations & Environment, Airbus, A380 Program

Although in the past airlines have been more involved in the design an active dialogue with ground handlers and suppliers has ensured an easier entry into services, writes Dr. Thilo Stilp.

­­To the 15 customers that have already decided to add the A380-800 or its freighter version, the A380-800F, to their existing fleets and the 60-plus international airports that are going to welcome the A380 by 2010, the first flight of the A380 sets the date at which their preparation for the commercial entry into service of this aircraft enters the active phase.

Airlines are traditionally more closely involved in the design of a new airliner compared to airports and the ground handling community, who are usually confronted with the outcome of the airliner’s dialogue at a later stage of the process. The airport’s and ground handling community’s role of ensuring the highest level of operational reliability right from day one often goes forgotten. Not so with the A380. It was recognised from an early stage that input into the design from the airports and ground handlers, as well as the airlines, would be essential to ensure a seamless entry into service. (more…)

Tagged with: A380, Airbus, Dr. Thilo Stilp, Ground handling

Operations and fuel conference report

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / John Armbrust, President, Armbrust Aviation Group (AAG)

Highlights of the agenda at the most recent International Airport Operations/Jet Fuel Conference at Orlando, Florida included talks on fuel delivery infrastructure problems, ramp safety and Common Use Ramp Equipment.

Sponsored and organised by the Armbrust Aviation Group, the event was the seventh to have taken place. Held on three days, February 2-4th, it attracted attendees from all over the globe and did not disappoint those airport managers looking for intelligent industry debate and predictions. The conference ran concurrent to an exhibition that hosted many relevant exhibitors and provided networking opportunities and working sessions.

On the first day the show played host to the Airport Operations Safety Panel (AOSP). The AOSP is a group of industry figures who gather to discuss the current state of operational safety in airports. Through identifying areas of concern, seeking solutions and making recommendations, the panel raises awareness of important issues. The general session of the conference was then split into two sessions, the first of which saw the members of the AOSP report to the conference on the results of its industry survey and the second of which covered the issues associated with jet fuel prices. Both sessions saw debate crystallise into shared opinion and comments formulate into plans for future action. (more…)

Tagged with: Armbrust Aviation Group (AAG), Fuel, John Armbrust

Common use is common sense

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / IATA Corporate Communications, Geneva

The International Air Transport Association continues to spearhead the industry initiative to ‘simplify’ the business.

In an era of aviation that has seen the term ‘business as usual’ disappear, airlines around the globe are clamping down on complexity in order to ease travel and slash costs. Simplifying the Business, an aviation initiative being spearheaded by IATA, is geared to do just that … simplify. Launched a year ago, the programme features five key initiatives, namely: (more…)

Tagged with: International Air Transport Association (IATA), Ticketing

Infrastructure for future capacity

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Matt Palmer, T5 Airfield Project Leader, BAA Gerry Prickett, Major Projects Director, TPS Richard Moore, Aircraft Pavement Design Engineer, TPS

For an operator such as BAA, innovation in engineering and design starts from the ground up, with its runways future-proofed by TPS Consult.

The growth of air passenger traffic in the UK has been phenomenal and there are no signs that the rate of increase will abate. Far from it, projections show that expansion will continue apace. The main airports all have enlargement schemes at varying stages of planning, but even with those being implemented, there may still be capacity problems during the next two decades. With all this new development, the construction and aviation sectors are set to be very busy!

BAA owns and runs key airports in the UK including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen. It also has interests in a number of airports overseas (Indianapolis, Boston, Pittsburgh, Naples, Perth and five other airports in Australia) with more than 200 million passengers passing through its airports each year. BAA is pivotal to the aviation industry in the UK and is instrumental in a number of the expansion plans that are proposed around the country. (more…)

Tagged with: BAA, Gerry Prickett, Matt Palmer, Pavement structure, Richard Moore, Runway engineering, TPS Consult

Lighting the Way

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Paul Jones, Manager of Airport Safety Technology Section, Federal Aviation Administration

To help reach its 2015 prediction of a billion passengers travelling on commercial aircraft, part of the FAA’s Technology R&D program is concentrating on taxiway and obstruction lighting.

Many of today’s busiest airports cannot meet today’s peak arrival and departure demands and future traffic increases will only exacerbate capacity challenges. In many cases, construction of new runways will be feasible and helpful, but this approach alone is unlikely to resolve all future challenges. Expanded runway capacity must be accompanied by improvements in areas such as design standards, management strategies, decision support aids and procedures that will allow greater capacity.

Increases in airport operations also raise the risk of runway incursions. Other factors that may contribute to this safety problem include: when aircraft of different types and capabilities move in close proximity; weather changes that affect visibility and conceal normal visual cue; unclear signs and surface markings; pilots who are unfamiliar with an airport and complex and varied airport geometry. (more…)

Tagged with: Airfield lighting, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Paul Jones

An eye on the ground

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Chris Diggins, Head of Airports Systems Engineering, NATS (UK)

Comprehensive surveillance of the airfield surface is coming of age in Europe with the deployment of A-SMGCS (Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control Systems).

Many of Europe’s major airports are now deploying co-operative sensors to complement their Surface Movement Radars (SMRs). The catalyst for this has been the deployment of Mode-S transponders on commercial aircraft, together with the development of Multilateration systems, a series of receivers that can be used to determine an aircraft’s position to great accuracy by measuring the difference in the arrival time of a transmission from the aircraft’s Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) transponder.

These two developments have allowed for the comprehensive surveillance coverage of the airport surface and a degree of accuracy that would be impossible with a conventional SSR (the equipment that has provided for the cooperative surveillance of airborne aircraft over the last few decades). (more…)

Tagged with: Chris Diggins, NATS, Operations, Surface movement surveillance

Why UK airport capacity matters

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Keith Jowett, Chief Executive, Airport Operators Association

The impending threat of ‘capacity crunch’ has prompted the UK airport industry into action over its own future.

Much has been made during the past few years of the possibility for a ‘capacity crunch’ at major UK airports. The prospect of this and the consequent damage it would cause the UK economy was the driving force behind the December 2003 Government White Paper ‘The Future of Air Transport’ that called, inter alia, for new runways at Stansted, Birmingham and Edinburgh airports.

But how real is the possibility of ‘capacity crunch’ and what impact – if any – would this have on the wider European and World economy? Increasingly, the evidence is that aviation growth in the UK is being restricted by the lack of capacity in the south east of the country and that if this is not addressed the knock-on effect for the European economy will be significant.

In an article on European Airport Capacity in Aerlines Magazine 29, Eelman, Schumacher & Becker identified five main elements that restrict airport capacity: limited area, long project approval procedures, heated discussions with the community surrounding the airport, ongoing privatisation and lack of political backing. At many large UK airports, particularly those in the south east of England, several of these principles apply. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport Operators Association, Keith Jowett, Policy & strategy, United Kingdom

The jet fuel infrastructure crisis

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Robert M Sturtz, Managing Director Strategic Sourcing- Fuel, United Airlines

In this article Bob Sturtz explores the factors that are leaving jet fuel delivery infrastructure lagging behind air travel growth.

As demand for air travel in the U.S. has increased during the last few decades and airports have made major capital investments to handle more passengers and aircraft, it has been taken for granted that aviation jet fuel would be available to meet the demand. For the past couple of years numerous factors impacting various segments of the jet fuel supply chain have raised cause for concern.

To understand what is happening, it is useful to understand how jet fuel is produced, transported and priced. Jet fuel is produced from crude oil and is termed a distillate product with characteristics similar to kerosene, home heating oil and diesel fuel. In general most refiners convert less than 10 per cent of their crude oil into jet fuel. The amount of jet fuel that a refiner can produce will vary based on the technological complexity of the refinery and the profitability of jet fuel compared to all the other products produced by the refinery. (more…)

Tagged with: Fuel, Robert M Sturtz, United Airlines

Global ATC issues

Issue 2 2005 / 10 June 2005 / Marc Baumgartner, President and CEO, International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (IFATCA) and Nicos Lyrakides, EVP Europe

The President of IFATCA shares his views on where the value lies in the global ATM arena.

We all know that Air Traffic Control (ATC) is a global issue. In today’s world of politics and economics, the word ‘global’ has taken on a very strong meaning. It has become synonymous not only with economic successes but also with excesses. Until recently everyone looked at ATC as a state issue, but harmonisation programmes such as FANS and the EU Single Sky Initiative are slowly but surely placing ATC issues away from individual states and into the ‘global’ arena.

Interest is high because in order to sustain predicted traffic growth, whether Continental or Oceanic, we need to make sure that a sustainable airspace system is available at national, regional and global, levels. The air traffic management methods, air traffic services and airplane capabilities will have to further evolve in order to support this continued growth.

To accommodate growth, one has to invest in hardware and resources. Let us leave aside technical and hardware solutions, as there are plenty of those around. But for now let us consider the resources, particularly resources of the human kind, as it will be the people who form part of the solution to provide the additional capacity required in the next 10-15 years. By people we of course mean air traffic controllers. (more…)

Tagged with: Air traffic control (ATC), EVP Europe, International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Association (IFATCA), Marc Baumgartner, Nicos Lyrakides