Issue 5 2007

A bright idea for training airport airfield lighting personnel

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Dorn R. Sanders, Manager of Business Development and Training, Association of Airport Executives (AAAE)

The Airport Certified Employee (ACE) – Airfield Lighting Maintenance programme was the second of four certification programmes introduced by the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) in 2004. This was the first comprehensive, professional certification programme concentrating on airfield lighting maintenance for airport personnel. The curriculum is based on standards and regulations set by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and the US military.

AAAE offers this course in three formats based on the needs of the airport client or individual member. For the individual, AAAE offers the option of self-study. This format is for the certification candidate who wishes to study at his or her own pace before taking the exam. The course material is sent from AAAE headquarters, after which the candidate has up to three years to study the content and complete the proctored certification exam. (more…)

Tagged with: Airfield lighting, American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), Dorn R. Sanders

“I Say GO!” – IATA’s Safety Audit for Ground Operations – ISAGO – set for launch in early 2008

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Mike O’Brien

Bringing all the various elements together for a successful launch of a ground-breaking, global safety audit programme is no easy task. But IATA’s Director of Programme Implementation/Auditing, Mike O’Brien, has a successful track record, having managed the launch of IATA’s Operational Safety Audit programme (IOSA) since 2003.

We have a small and highly dedicated team and just when we thought we were creating some breathing space with IOSA, along came another opportunity. This was too good an opportunity to pass up. IATA’s Ground Damage Prevention Programme had already highlighted the fact that ground accidents cause serious personal injuries and cost airlines billions of dollars in aircraft damage each year. Whilst it can be shown that many ground handling companies have exemplary track records, regrettably many others do not meet these standards. Development of a common set of globally applicable operating standards, coupled with an audit programme to assess conformity with those standards, seemed to be a logical solution to promote a more consistent safety performance level and to better promote a risk management approach. (more…)

Tagged with: Ground operations, International Air Transport Association (IATA), ISAGO, Mike O’Brien, Safety

Cargo Aircraft: Planning is Paramount

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Bob Lindstrom Jr., Chairman ARFF Working Group

In Aviation Fire Protection we arrive at work daily and think about all the possible scenarios we might be up against. There is a mindset we have to use to see how our training and planning can fit into any scenario. Each day I come to work and think about my role in any given incident. I look at the weather forecast, the other conditions such as runway and taxiway closures, vehicle status of our ARFF (Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting) vehicles and personnel status. Then throw in some problems with the roads connecting to our airport and we already have a list of things to think about before we even have a problem. In our industry I’d like to say that we plan for the worst and hope for the best. Sounds a bit cliché but if we did not look at things like this, then we stand the chance of coming up short.

I think back to all the aviation accidents since I’ve been involved in ARFF and the most memorable was the Sioux City, Iowa accident. Those fire fighters all went to work that morning thinking of those very same things I mentioned above, but did they really think they would have an accident of that magnitude drop into their airport? I don’t think they did in their wildest dreams. This incident had all of us associated with ARFF thinking about ‘The Big One’. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport Fire Services, ARFF, Bob Lindstrom Jr.

International airports look to the Segway PT for increased productivity

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Chip MacDonald Director, Global Police & Government Business Unit Segway Inc.

In January 2004 the Chicago Police Department became one of the first police agencies in the world to use Segway® Personal Transporters (PTs) when they placed a fleet of patrol units into service at O’Hare International Airport. The event was widely covered in national media and the Associated Press quoted Commander Steve Peterson about police use of the Segway PTs: “They’re the best of both worlds, with the mobility of a squad car but the personal contact with citizens of a foot patrol.”

As of August 2007 more than 500 police and security agencies worldwide now use Segway PTs, an increase of 140% since the beginning of the year. This rapid growth has extended to every police and security sector, and to both domestic and international markets. O’Hare and Midway airports still use Segway PTs for security and operations, but now so do 38 other airports around the world, including the major international airports in Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Orlando, and the world’s two largest airports in Chicago and Atlanta. (more…)

Tagged with: Chip MacDonald, Security, Segway Inc.

ProFAA – Software for Analysis of Airfield Pavement Roughness – and the Boeing Bump

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Gordon Hayhoe, General Engineer, Airport Technology R&D Branch, FAA

Until recently, the primary interest in measuring and evaluating the properties of airport pavement surface profiles has been, at least in the US, in characterising the vertical geometry and the smoothness of newly constructed pavements.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) acceptance criteria for these pavement properties are contained in Advisory Circular AC 150/5370-10B, ‘Standards for Specifying Construction of Airports.’ For grade control, the as-constructed grade must not deviate from the design grade by more than 12 mm (0.5 inches) at any point on the surface. For smoothness, the maximum deviation from a 4.9-m (16-foot) straightedge must not exceed 6.4 mm (0.25 inches) at any location on the pavement. Optionally, a California-type profilograph may be used with a sliding scale for payment, although the straightedge requirement is not waived in cases where there is a conflict between the two types of measurement. (Consult AC 150/5370-10B for the complete specifications and see AC 150/5300-13, ‘Airport Design,’ for the vertical geometry requirements.) Experience has shown that, when the pavement has been properly designed and construction meets the grade and smoothness tolerances stated above, the resulting pavements are safe for aircraft operations with regards to accelerated gear load damage, airframe fatigue damage, pitch and roll motions, and accelerations experienced in the cockpit. (more…)

Tagged with: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Gordon Hayhoe, Pavement structure

Indian airports ride the wave of infrastructure growth – CSIA all set to power this growth

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / G.V. Sanjay Reddy, Managing Director, Mumbai International Airport Private Limited and Vice Chairman, GVK

Noted Indian economist Dr. V.K.R.V. Rao, said more than two decades ago, “The link between infrastructure and economic development is not a once and for all affair. It is a continuous process; and progress in development has to be preceded, accompanied and followed by progress in infrastructure, if we are to fulfil our declared objectives of generating a self-accelerating process of economic development.”

Globally too, the critical role of infrastructure in facilitating growth is widely recognised and well borne out by cross-country experience. The transformation of countries such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Malaysia were preceded and reinforced by substantial investments in physical infrastructure.

As India moves towards becoming a mature and vibrant economy, the need for infrastructure to support broad based inclusive growth is ever more pressing. Infrastructure development will undoubtedly play a crucial role in helping India sustain high growth rates. India’s performance in recent years has been among the best in the world. The reforms initiated since the early 1990s have unshackled the economy. The long-term trend rate of growth has steadily increased from an average of 3.5% a year between the 1950s and 1970s, to around 7% to 8% in recent years. It goes without saying that a reliable infrastructure network will lay the foundation for a future of sustainable economic growth in the country. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, G.V. Sanjay Reddy, India, Mumbai International Airport

Indira Gandhi International Airport – spearheading the country’s aviation growth

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Unknown

India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the Indian aviation sector is moving even faster. The aviation sector has clocked a phenomenal growth rate of 20-25% over the last few years and it is projected that it will maintain a healthy growth rate in the coming decade.

At the epicentre of this unprecedented growth is the Indira Gandhi International Airport, serving the capital city – Delhi. The airport, with a traffic throughput of 20.44 million passengers (2006-07), is the second busiest airport in the country and is expected to assume the top position in the country by 2011. Currently, the airport is served by nearly 80 domestic and international airlines, connecting more than 120 destinations across the country and the rest of the world.

The airport is operated by Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL), a consortium led by GMR Group – one of India’s leading infrastructure developers. Other partners in the consortium include Fraport AG, Eraman Malaysia, India Development Fund and Airports Authority of India, under the Public Private Partnership Initiative of the Government of India. DIAL was awarded the mandate to modernise and restructure IGI Airport into a world class facility, after an international competitive bid in January 2006. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Airports Authority of India, India, Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA)

Hyderabad: Raring to go

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Mr T Srinagesh, Chief Operating Officer of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd.

A jewel in the crown of India’s rapidly expanding airport system is rising on a Greenfield site, approximately 30 kilometres south of downtown Hyderabad. The new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), scheduled for operation in March 2008, is being developed by the GMR Group in a public-private partnership that also includes the State Government of Andhra Pradesh, the Airports Authority of India and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. The shareholding pattern of this consortium (GHIAL) has 63% held by the GMR Group, 11% by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and the remaining 26% is held equally between the State Government and Airports Authority of India, a Government of India body.

One of the primary drivers of the growth in the Indian aviation industry stems from the buoyancy in passenger traffic, witnessed in the metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and also at Hyderabad. The existing airport, in the heart of the Hyderabad city, has witnessed a growth of over 40% in the last two years and 43% alone in 2006-07, as the graph below depicts, for both domestic and international passengers. A study, conducted by Lufthansa, on possible growth in passenger numbers over the next five years, also supports the optimism that the GMR group reflects in its pace to build this world-class international airport at Hyderabad. Presently over 20 airlines are connecting passengers to over 32 destinations, in India, the Middle East and the Far East. This number will keep increasing in the coming years. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd (GHIAL), India, Mr T Srinagesh

Realising the new Bangalore Airport

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Albert Brunner – Chief Operating Officer, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL)

In order to keep pace with the rapid development of Bangalore as India’s leader in information technology, biotechnology and the services industry, the Government of Karnataka and the Airport Authority of India decided, in 1999, to call for international consortia to build, own and operate a new Greenfield international airport in Bangalore through an open bid.

Construction of the airport began on 2 July 2005 and will last, including the testing phase, 33 months. The new Bangalore International Airport is estimated to open for commercial operations on 2 April 2008. The current progress is very good and the construction is on track (see Panel 1).

It took almost a decade from the stage of land allocation and acquisition, to the signing of the shareholder agreements in January 2002 and finally the start of construction. In the time BIAL had to negotiate the legal framework (see Panel 2), the Government of India had already planned to privatise other airports. BIAL, being the first private airport, had to set the right precedents for the other private airports and therefore all agreements, like the concession agreement and the CNS ATM agreement, had to be finalised carefully. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Albert Brunner, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), India

Protecting the borders

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Richard Piper

Richard Piper speaks to Mr. Brodie Clark, Strategic Director for Border Control at the UK Home Office, about what is being done to strengthen UK borders and how they are utilising the latest advances in technology. (more…)

Tagged with: Border, Brodie Clark, Richard Piper

Second Frankfurt airport continues on growth course

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Jörg Schumacher, Managing Director, Frankfurt-Hahn Airport

In the middle of the so-called ‘Blue Banana’ – Europe’s prime business region located between Marseille and London – Frankfurt-Hahn Airport is in the process of writing a real success story. Around 100 kilometres away from the metropolis of Frankfurt am Main, this second Frankfurt airport has grown into an important international commercial airport within just a few years. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, Germany, Jörg Schumacher

Frankfurt’s route advantages for airlines

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Roland Weil, Assistant VP Sales, Fraport (Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide)

The international aviation industry continues to develop robustly despite the negative effects and cost pressures of kerosene supply, security controls and other factors. Airports have responded by adapting capacity to the changing market conditions and growth. New international gateways have been emerging, as have new markets. In this ever changing competitive environment, even a top 10-ranked airport like Frankfurt Airport (FRA) cannot rest on its laurels. Fraport, the airport’s owner and manager, also depends on an active acquisition and sales team to tell airlines the advantages of the Frankfurt global hub and how they will be able to grow their business.

While passenger growth may not be as fast as at some other airports, FRA is growing from a much higher base of 50-plus million passengers. Despite existing capacity constraints, Germany’s largest airport welcomed 52,821,778 passengers last year, 1.1 percent more than in 2005. Airfreight grew at a significantly stronger 8.7 percent rate, hitting 2,057,175 metric tonnes. With 489,406 takeoffs and landings, FRA’s aircraft movements remained nearly unchanged (down 0.2 percent). FRA achieved several historic traffic records in 2006. In July, the monthly passenger volume reached 5,085,258 and aircraft movements climbed to 43,601; in November monthly airfreight traffic hit 187,307 metric tonnes. (more…)

Tagged with: Airport profiles, Frankfurt Airport (FRA), Fraport AG, Germany, Roland Weil

Omega: Opportunities for meeting the environmental challenge of growth in aviation

Issue 5 2007 / 28 September 2007 / Roger Gardner, Chief Executive Officer, OMEGA

The challenge of sustainable growth in aviation has brought significant benefits to world trade and development. This success, however, is not without environmental impacts on climate change, local air quality and noise. With global air transport predicted to more than double in the next 30 years, technologists, policymakers and regulators face considerable challenges in ensuring the future sustainability of civil aviation.

The environmental impacts of aviation are often felt hardest by airports. The local pressures of noise and air quality directly affect local community relations and are an issue related to growth. Climate change is a significant additional pressure as carbon reduction becomes a key business driver for airports from the perspective of energy saving, CSR and cost. Airports continue to take significant steps individually and through co-ordinated action to reduce impacts and ease pressures upon growth, but this is a tough challenge and innovative new responses are needed. (more…)

Tagged with: Chief Executive Officer, Environment, Fuel, OMEGA, Partnership for AiR Transportation Noise and Emission Reduction (PARTNER), Roger Gardner