Issue 2 2006

From city airport to airport city

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Koen Roojimans, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Managing Director and CEO

With the population of south east Queensland on the rise and the region becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination – over 16 million people are travelling through Brisbane Airport every year – now is the time to lock in the benefits of growth by investing in the future, explains Koen Roojimans.

Forty-three per cent of the visitors to Australia come to Queensland, which is why it is essential that the State’s gateway airport has the capacity to handle the rapidly increasing number of airport users.

Brisbane Airport Corporation Pty Ltd (BAC) has committed more than $1.5 billion to upgrading Airport infrastructure over the next decade. Brisbane Airport has entered an extraordinary period of growth.We need to manage this growth through careful planning and investment, which will see Brisbane Airport evolve into a commercial hub while also sharpening the region’s focus on manufacturing, export industries, tourism, commerce, retail and education and training. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Australia, Brisbane Airport, Brisbane Airport Corporation, Koen Roojimans

Reliability and efficiency: setting the scene

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Dr Chris J. Smith, Managing Director, SH&E Limited

Question: How can an inherently simple activity of moving a suitcase from one place to another be so complex? Answer: When it takes place at an airport.

The task of taking a bag from a passenger at check-in and delivering it to the correct aircraft is not without its challenges and most air passengers will, at one time or another, have discovered that it does not always work properly. However, that is not the subject of this article, nor is it the source of the complexity asserted above. Rather, this article looks at the institutional and organisational complexity that arises in the provision of ground handling services at airports.

Ground handling covers far more, of course, than the handling of baggage; this is only one of many aspects of passenger handling, ramp handling, cargo handling, and fuel and oil handling. With such a diversity of operations, it is small wonder that at most airports there is a myriad of specialist suppliers of particular categories of services to airlines and other aircraft operators. Airport operators have a very significant interest in these activities because of their overall responsibility for safety and security, as well as their commercial interest in creating an environment in which airlines are able to offer efficient and low cost services that encourage growth. (more…)

Tagged with: Dr Chris J. Smith, Ground handling, SH&E Limited

Educating the interest

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Selina Johnson, Manager, Business Development & Training,American Association of Airport Executives

The American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) is the largest professional organisation for airport executives in the world, representing thousands of airport management personnel at public use airports.AAAE’s primary goal is to assist airport executives in fulfilling their responsibilities to the airports and communities they serve.

AAAE does this through its many training programmes, which include several focused Airport Certified Employee (ACE) programmes for the benefit of personnel at small, medium and large hub airports. These programmes include; The ACE Airfield Lighting and Maintenance Review Course, ACE Operations Review Course, IACE (International Association Of Airport Employees) Operations Course, ACE Security Review Course and ACE Communications.

The ACE programmes provide any AAAE members and non-members the opportunity to obtain a thorough and up to date education in the disciplines mentioned above. The ACE Airfield Lighting and Maintenance Review Course was started after AAAE met with and asked the Airport Training Committee, which comprises of Managers and Directors from member airports around the United States, what their airport needs were when it came to training. Their response was that they needed programmes that certified airport employees, which at the time were not available anywhere in the airport industry. AAAE concurred because we believe that certification not only creates industry recognition but also an industry standard, a tangible way of measuring and validating skills. (more…)

Tagged with: Airfield lighting, American Association of Airport Executives, Selina Johnson

Aircraft Interior Access Vehicles for ARFF

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Dan Pierce, Airport Safety Officer, Los Angeles World Airports

Today, there are more commercial passenger aircraft flying than ever. In 2005, there were more than 11 million departures for U.S. air carriers alone – this is equivalent to approximately 31 thousand daily departures.

In the event of emergencies, aircraft rescue firefighters (ARFF) must be prepared to respond quickly in order to save lives. If a fire should involve the interior of a modern-day airliner, new ARFF tools are in place to help those inside the aircraft that may have been incapacitated. New piercing nozzle technology enables airport firefighters to rapidly inject extinguishing agents into the interior of an airliner when open doors are not available. Although these agent application tools are useful in a limited capacity, they cannot physically remove endangered occupants from a toxic aircraft interior. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport Fire Services, ARFF, Dan Pierce, Los Angeles World Airports

A budget terminal for budget airlines

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Foo Sek Min, Director, Airport Management, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore

Low Cost Carriers may be a familiar sight at airports in the US and Europe but in Asia they are an emerging trend, with competition just starting to heat up. Airports that traditionally served hub-and-spoke carriers are now having to re-think how to cater to different needs.

In Singapore, Thai AirAsia was the first low cost carrier (LCC) to start operations into Singapore in February 2004. This was followed quickly by Singapore’s home-based budget carriers, Valuair, Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia. As of 1 May 2006, LCCs at Changi Airport operated 428 weekly flights to 25 cities. LCCs now account for about 11.3 per cent of Changi Airport’s total passenger flights. (more…)

Tagged with: Changi Airport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Foo Sek Min, Policy & strategy, Singapore

Profiling runways

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Marc Stet, member of the CROW Airport Study Group on PCN and the Study Group on Runway Roughness

Aircraft computer simulation is effective in identifying and assessing aircraft response to pavement roughness, as Marc Stet explains.

The responsibility for runway roughness lies with each individual airport operating authority. ICAO’s Annex 14 contains only very general information regarding airfield pavement roughness.

Runway roughness assessment is a discretionary activity that is often undertaken in response to known roughness problems or complaints received from pilots or airlines. Nowadays, aircraft ride simulation technology has become available and can assist airport authorities to make roughness managerial pavement parameters. Runway surface quality is of interest to the airport community. A runway pavement surface must not have any irregularities which create roughness that could adversely interfere with operation of the aircraft, result in loss of friction, or cause downloading or even structural damage to the aircraft itself. Surface roughness, the opposite of smoothness, is critical for the safe operation of aircraft during takeoff and landing runs. (more…)

Tagged with: CROW Airport Study Group, Marc Stet, Runway engineering

The changing face of travel documentation

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Joel F. Shaw, Convenor of the International Standards Organization (ISO) Working Group responsible for Machine Readable Travel Documents (MRTDs)

The introduction of the new biometrically enabled Passport, or ePassport as it has become known, is well under way across the world. Joel F. Shaw explains why Face Biometric was selected as the global standard.

Current undertakings suggest that by the end of 2006 more than 50 countries will be issuing biometrically enabled passports, a new, more secure form of travel document. Other types of travel document such as visas and official documents of identity, which can be presented in lieu of a passport or visa to enter a country, are equally being enhanced through the addition of the globally standardised face biometric details. Frontier (border clearance) controls are now being updated to take advantage of these new forms of travel and identification documents, as well as the machine-assisted identity confirmation feature that they offer. (more…)

Tagged with: Biometrics, ePassports, Joel F. Shaw

Moving towards sustainability

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Ian Jopson, NATS ATM Environment Manager and Chair, Sustainable Aviation Working Group

NATS is the driving force behind a worldwide initiative to explore the contribution made by the air traffic control industry to sustainable aviation.

At the AGM of industry trade organisation CANSO, air navigation service providers (ANSPs) from around the world reached an agreement to establish a new sustainability working group. NATS has helped CANSO to develop environmental policies and principles which will focus on various worldwide programmes to promote quieter and cleaner aircraft operations. Examples include continuous descent approaches into airports, opening up dedicated military airspace to civil traffic and developing flexible airway operations where airlines can exploit jet-streams to lower fuel consumption. (more…)

Tagged with: CANSO (Civil Air Navigation Service Organisation), Environment, Ian Jopson, NATS, Sustainable Aviation Working Group

Asia’s emerging airport cities

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Dr. John D. Kasarda, Director, Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, University of North Carolina

Demand, competition and opportunity in Asia are stimulating airport evolution and the emergence of the Aerotropolis. In this article, John Kasarda traces the development of the region’s airport cities.

Airports are no longer just airports. They have become multimodal, multifunctional enterprises, driving substantial commercial development within and well beyond their boundaries. Along with incorporating shopping mall concepts into passenger terminals, airport property is being developed with hotels, office and retail complexes, recreation facilities, conference and exhibition centres, logistics and free trade zones, and time-sensitive goods processing facilities. The evolution of these non-aeronautical functions and commercial land uses has transformed many city airports into airport cities. In the process, airports have become significant employment, shopping, trading, business meeting and leisure destinations in their own right.

It has also impacted their bottom line. Today, major airports receive greater percentages of their revenues from nonaeronautical sources than from aeronautical sources (e.g., landing fees, gate leases, passenger service charges). These nonaeronautical revenues have become critical to meeting airport facility modernisation and infrastructure expansion needs, as well as to cost-competitiveness in attracting and retaining airlines. (more…)

Tagged with: Beijing Capital International Airport, Dr. John D. Kasarda, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Incheon International Airport, University of North Carolina

Picking up the pace

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / Bryan Wilson, Project Director – Electronic Ticketing, IATA

With IATA’s e-ticketing initiative drawing to a close, Bryan Wilson discusses the savings for airlines that convert and the costs for those that fail to.

If 2005 was the year of mobilisation for IATA’s 100% electronic ticketing project, 2006 is the year of acceleration, and for good reason. Less than two years remain before IATA turns off the flow of paper tickets to its 60,000 accredited travel agents around the world. By the end of 2007, airlines that aren’t fully converted will have to distribute paper tickets on their own at a high cost. They will also risk losing interline revenues from carriers that have made the transition to ET.

‘Simplifying the Business’ was launched with the full support of IATA’s Board of Governors and AGM in May 2004. The genesis of the programme stems from the industry’s need to cut costs in a harsh and rapidly changing environment. It is also derived from Air Transport’s reliance on standards and complex procedures built up over the past 50 years. Many of these processes are costly and fail to take advantage of newer technologies. The five projects under the StB umbrella are designed to leverage technology to enhance service and contribute US$6.5 billion in annual industry savings through process change. Of that, US$3 billion is associated with the switch from paper to ET. (more…)

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

Towards a quieter future: The Christchurch example

Issue 2 2006 / 16 June 2006 / K McAnergney, Manager - Airport Planning, Christchurch International Airport

Summary of an address to the Aviation and Environment Summit 2006 by K McAnergney, Manager – Airport Planning, Christchurch International Airport.

Christchurch International Airport Ltd (CIAL) is the Airport that provides the main aviation gateway to the South Island of New Zealand. But where on earth is New Zealand? Comprising three principal islands – North, South and Stewart – it is situated in the temperate band of the South Pacific diametrically opposite Western Europe. It is approximately three hours flying time South East of the Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane.

The population of New Zealand is approximately 4.13 million and Christchurch is the main city in the South Island with a population catchment of approximately 345,000.

For the year ended December 2005, CIA handled more than 4 million domestic and 1.5 million international passengers; 102,000 tonnes of cargo spread across 87,000 scheduled aircraft movements. (more…)

Tagged with: Christchurch International Airport, Environment, K McAnergney, New Zealand