Issue 3 2007

Premier aviation hub of the region

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Mr Goh Yong Long, Director of Marketing and Communications, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS)

The rapid growth in the air transport industry has been a driving force towards the development of civil aviation and airport operations in Singapore since the early 1900s. Over the years, Singapore has seen the development of three airports, namely Seletar Airport, Kallang Airport and Paya Lebar Airport, to cater to the unprecedented demand for air transport / travel.

However, the strain of handling four million passengers per year prompted the Singapore government to make a decision, in 1975, to build a brand new airport at Changi to replace Paya Lebar Airport. Construction of Changi Airport took about six years before it commenced operations in Terminal 1, with one runway, in 1981. Since then, the airport has been continually expanded, upgraded and refreshed. The second runway was completed and opened in 1984 and in 1990 Terminal 2 was opened.

Since Changi Airport began operations, its performance continues to improve year on year. The successful formula of providing clockwork efficiency, quality service and world-class facilities, coupled with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore’s (CAAS) efforts to secure new airlines and routes, are reasons why the airport has one of the most extensive air links in the Asia-Pacific region. Every week, Changi Airport is served by over 80 airlines with approximately 4,200 scheduled flights, linking Singapore to 187 cities in 59 countries. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Changi Airport Group, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Goh Yong Long, Singapore

Air rail intermodality – an overview

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Andrew Sharp, Director General, International Air-Rail Organisation

A rail connection is a real bonus to an airport. About 120 of the world’s airports have one or more rail links today: a further 300 are building them, planning them or considering them. While there are no clear definitions or boundaries, five different types of passenger rail connections to airports can be distinguished. Rail connections handling cargo are dealt with under a separate sub heading.

Light rail is an efficient means of airport access. It can be seen on the east and west coasts of the USA (in Portland, Oregon, and at Baltimore Washington International Airport on Maryland) and in Europe (in Porto and Bremen).

It is not usually of the highest quality, but the new Leslys high speed tram between Lyon and Lyon St-Exupéry airport will be worth watching. It will only stop at two key interchanges between city and airport, and will use special tracks to overtake the all-stations trams with which it will share part of the route. (more…)

Tagged with: Andrew Sharp, Freight, International Air-Rail Organisation, Railways

The Takeoff Hold Light

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Jim Patterson, Jr. Airport Safety Specialist, FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is developing a system called the Runway Status Light (RSL) System that is designed to automatically warn pilots of the ‘status’ of the runway on which they are about to land, depart, or cross. The system accomplishes this task by illuminating a series of red, in-pavement warning lights that are placed at strategic locations on the runway itself, at runway intersections and also at entrance taxiways. It is expected that the implementation of this system will greatly enhance operational safety at many large airports in the United States.

The system, which uses a surveillance data source such as an Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model X (ASDE-X) or Airport Movement Area Safety System/Airport Surface Detection Equipment Model 3 (AMASS/ASDE-3), conveys the runway occupancy status to the user (pilots, ground vehicle operators etc.), indicating when a runway is unsafe to takeoff or to enter through the use of red, in-pavement warning lights. The two major visual guidance components of the RSL system, which are controlled by the RSL control system, are the Runway Entrance Lights (REL) and the Takeoff Hold Lights (THL). The REL is a series of in-pavement lights that are positioned on the centreline of taxiways that enter the runway. The THL is a series of in-pavement lights that are positioned along the centreline of the runway, near the departure threshold. The RELs illuminate to warn aircraft that are entering the runway that the runway is already occupied and that it is not safe to enter. Conversely, the THLs illuminate to warn pilots preparing for departure that the runway is unsafe for takeoff. (more…)

Tagged with: Airfield lighting, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Jim Patterson Jr, Runway Status Light (RSL) System

Mitigating aviation’s impact on the environment

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Victor Aguado, Director General, Eurocontrol

Aviation faces a truly major challenge: growth. In the past 50 years, it has grown by a factor of 20 and annual growth of around 3-7% is expected in the next 20 years – which means that 1995 traffic will have doubled by 2020. The question is: how can this growth be made sustainable?

It is undeniable that people want to travel more and more. It has never been so easy or so cheap to fly. But concerned air travellers do not want their flights to have a negative effect. (more…)

Tagged with: Environment, EUROCONTROL, Victor Aguado

‘Well Handled’ – An interview with Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO, Munich Airport

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO, Munich Airport

We spoke with Dr. Michael Kerkloh, CEO, Munich Airport about the ground handling operation at Munich International Airport. (more…)

Tagged with: A380, Dr. Michael Kerkloh, Germany, Munich Airport

KL International Airport

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Dato’ Seri Bashir Ahmad, MD & CEO, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad

KL International Airport (KLIA), the international gateway to Malaysia is located in Sepang, 50 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. Built on 10,000 hectares of land; it was officially launched on June 27th, 1998. This environmentally friendly airport, the first in the Asia Pacific region, was completed in four and a half years, making it the fastest airport ever built. Designed by renowned Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, KLIA is a spectacular feat of construction, combining futuristic technology, Malaysian culture and the rich, tropical splendor of its natural resources.

KLIA, the pride of all Malaysians is one of the most modern, sophisticated and preferred airports in the Asia Pacific region. The airport is a regional aviation hub capable of handling 25 million passengers per annum and 1.2 million tonnes of cargo. There are 47 airlines operating at KLIA and currently 23 million passengers have passed through. The opening of the first phase of KLIA comprised a main terminal building, a contact pier, a satellite building, two parallel runways of 4 km each, a control tower and a cargo warehouse. It was also made up of aircraft maintenance and flight catering facilities, car parks and other ancillary facilities. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Dato’ Seri Bashir Ahmad, KL International Airport (KLIA), Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad

Canada’s Restricted Area Identification Card Program

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Rob Durward, Director, Technical Programs. Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)

On April 11, 2002, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) was created as a Crown Corporation to assume a more direct role in Canada’s aviation security. One aspect of this new security role was to develop a secure biometric enrolment and identity verification program to prevent unauthorised individuals from gaining access to restricted areas of airports, such as maintenance hangers, refueling stations and baggage ramps.

Prior to CATSA’s formation, all non-passengers requiring access to restricted airport areas were required to present a Restricted Area Pass (RAP). To better fulfill its security mandate, CATSA began working with Transport Canada to replace RAP with a Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC) in 2004. This program was designed to enhance security at Canada’s airports with the use of individual biometrics (fingerprints and iris) stored on a secure credential for individuals (non-passengers) accessing restricted airport areas. Under this new program, biometric technology is being incorporated into identification cards to validate the identity of the cardholder attempting to access a restricted area. In addition, a centralised database is used for identity access management to track in real-time the issuance, verification and cancellation of any and all RAIC cards. (more…)

Tagged with: Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA), Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC), Rob Durward, Security

Setting the standard

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Marcello Pagnozzi, ETSI Technical Officer for TETRA

ETSI is an independent, non-profit organisation whose mission is to produce telecommunications standards for today and the future. This article looks at ETSI’s work and interviews Marcello Pagnozzi, ETSI Technical Officer for TETRA, to find out more about ETSI’s work in developing TETRA standards.

Based in Sophia Antipolis, France, ETSI, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, has official recognition for the standardisation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) within Europe.

These technologies include telecommunications, broadcasting and related areas such as intelligent transportation and medical electronics.

ETSI unites 655 members from 59 countries inside and outside Europe, including manufacturers, network operators, administrations, service providers, research bodies and users – in fact, all the key players in the ICT arena. (more…)

Tagged with: European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), Marcello Pagnozzi, Telecommunications, Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)

Hong Kong International Airport continues to grow

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 /

Determined to maintain its position as the world’s premier hub for international aviation, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is committed to providing safe, secure, efficient and reliable service to all of its customers. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, China, Hong Kong, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)

Runway Friction Measurement Activities in the US

Issue 3 2007 / 7 June 2007 / Thomas J Yager, Senoir Research Engineer, NASA

During the past year, several new runway friction measurement activities have been initiated and progress has been made to improve measurement equipment, techniques and recommended procedures. The purpose of this article is to acquaint you, the reader, with recent developments including: (more…)

Tagged with: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), NASA, Runway friction, Thomas J. Yager

New FAA pavement design software

Issue 3 2007 / 3 April 2007 / Dr. David R. Brill, Program Manager, Airport Pavement Technology and William J. Hughes, Technical Center, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

After a 10-year research and development effort, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is set to debut a new software package for airport pavement thickness design. The new program is called FAA Rigid and Flexible Iterative Elastic Layered Design, but is known by its acronym, FAArfield. In addition to putting the finishing touches on the FAArfield software, the FAA is also substantially rewriting the Advisory Circular (AC) covering Airport Pavement Design and Evaluation (AC 150/5320-6D). The revised AC will make FAArfield the FAA’s standard thickness design procedure for both rigid and flexible pavements, including overlays, and will retire the FAA nomograph-based design procedures. (more…)

Tagged with: Dr. David R. Brill, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Pavement structure, William J. Hughes