Issue 5 2008

The ACCA Fire/Rescue Department

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Timothy P. Holmes, Deputy Fire Chief, Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire / Rescue

Pittsburgh International Airport’s 10,000 acre facility is protected by the Allegheny County Airport Authority Fire / Rescue Department, which currently operates with 50 personnel, one administrative assistant and 19 pieces of apparatus. The airport facility includes approximately 200 structures, two military installations and approximately 10 miles of a four lane divided highway. The Allegheny County Airport Authority (ACAA) Fire / Rescue Department is responsible for all aircraft emergencies, structural fire response for all constructions on airport property, Emergency Medical Service (EMS), and Hazardous Materials / Weapons of Mass Destruction (HazMat / WMD) incidents. ACAA is also responsible for any other fire or rescue situation including mutual aid.

Pittsburgh International Airport is home to one of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Regional ARFF Training Facilities, which is operated by the ACAA Fire/Rescue Department personnel. (more…)

Berlin Airports – The best connections

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Dr. Rainer Schwarz, CEO, Berlin Airports

Berlin Airports, the operator of the airports Schoenefeld, Tempelhof and Tegel, provides essential aviation infrastructure for the entire Berlin-Brandenburg region around Germany’s capital city. From 2011, all air traffic over the region will be focused on the new capital city airport Berlin Brandenburg International (BBI). The first step towards this transition will be the closure of Tempelhof Airport on 30 October 2008.

Berlin Airports continues to achieve record-breaking growth. In 2007, more than 20 million passengers flew to and from the city, putting Berlin in third position of all commercial airports in Germany in terms of passenger numbers. Notching up eight percent growth, Berlin’s airport locations are growing faster than average in comparison to Germany’s other commercial airports and it has never been better connected to the world than at present. In 2007, a total of 84 airlines flew to the three Berlin airports, with the inner-European service network especially well represented. (more…)

Airport pavement rehabilitation by rubblisation

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Dr. Navneet Garg, Project Manager, Airport Technology R&D Branch, William J. Hughes Technical Center, Federal Aviation Administration

Concrete pavements exhibiting distresses such as cracking, joint deterioration, spalling, and joint faulting can be rehabilitated by constructing a concrete or asphalt overlay. The ‘crack and seat’ technique is the most prevalent method for deteriorated concrete pavement rehabilitation. However, ‘rubblisation’ is fast becoming a popular method of concrete pavement rehabilitation.

Asphalt overlays placed over existing Portland cement concrete pavements reflect the joints and cracks present in the underlying concrete pavement. Once reflected into the asphalt overlay, these cracks represent a major maintenance concern and are a known source of foreign object damage. According to the National Asphalt Pavement Association, rubblisation is the most effective procedure for addressing reflective cracking in asphalt overlays.

Rubblisation could be a cost-effective means of converting an existing failed or failing concrete pavement into a superior base, thereby eliminating the expense of removal and replacement. (more…)

At the forefront with new wireless technology

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Henrik Bjørner Søe, Director, Marketing and Operations, Copenhagen Airport

Passengers are ready to use a new wireless technology that will make their travels easier and more fun. Copenhagen Airport is leading the way by being the first airport in Europe to be currently testing this technology, which is developed in collaboration with the IT University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark, Lyngsoe Systems and Blip Systems.

When should I go to the gate? Is it sunny where I am going? These are some of the questions passengers at Copenhagen Airport will be able to use their mobile phone to answer by signing up for a number of new and free services at www.cph.dk, in the near future. A new survey shows that 74 per cent of the airport’s passengers will make use of the new technology once development of the system is finished. Copenhagen Airport will also be testing the technology with the help of volunteers flying with SAS. (more…)

Light emitting diodes for airport applications – not just ‘plug and play’

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Donald W. Gallagher, Visual Guidance Program Manager, Airport Safety Technology R&D Section, FAA

When people think of a new technology to produce light, it is widely thought of as ‘just another light bulb’. This has been true, in a general sense, since the invention of the incandescent light over 100 years ago. This incandescent technology, while improved over the years, has not changed significantly from the basic design. A filament is placed in an oxygen-free ‘bulb’ and excited by electricity causing the filament to glow, thus producing light. Incandescent lights are not very efficient. Most of the energy needed to illuminate the bulb is lost in heat, with very little available to generate its main function of producing light.

There have been developments in recent years with other technologies that can produce light more efficiently and without the need for the ‘bulb’. One of the technologies being considered by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the Light Emitting Diode (LED). This technology produces less heat and more light per energy consumed. (more…)

Spearheading the country’s aviation growth

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Mr. B.S. Shantharaju, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi International Airport (P) Limited

Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) is undergoing a major transformation, under the stewardship of Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL). The airport is being modernised with the addition of new terminals, runways and other passenger convenience infrastructure.

DIAL is 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 for the modernisation and restructuring of IGI Airport into a world class facility, after an international competitive bid in January 2006.

The airport, with a traffic throughput of 24 million passengers (2007-08), is the second busiest airport in the country. Currently, the airport is served by nearly 70 domestic and international airlines, connecting more than 110 destinations across the country and the globe. (more…)

Poised to make Hyderabad a regional air hub

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Mr. P.S. Nair, CEO of GHIAL, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) is poised to make Hyderabad a truly global air travel hub in India. The new airport which commenced operations on 23 March 2008 has stabilised its operations and passengers are enjoying the new experience.

In terms of safety, security and passenger services, RGIA has been able to stabilise itself faster than similar Greenfield international airports across the globe. During the first 150 days of its hassle-free commercial operations, RGIA handled over 250 ATM per day, 2.5 million passengers and 22,500 metric tonnes of cargo. (more…)

A proud moment in history

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Mr. Albert Brunner, CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL)

The North of Bangalore witnessed an avalanche of activities during the second half of 2007. By then, Bangalore’s Greenfield International Airport was in its last stage of completion, in preparation for its launch in March 2008. An enthusiastic team of BIAL employees and staff from the service provider such as ground handling, food and beverage, flight catering, retail and cargo were all geared for the grand Airport Opening Day. Unfortunately, the Airport Opening Day (AOD) was delayed by almost two months, holding-up the commercial operations till 24 May 2008 (the original airport opening date was 2 April 2008).

The airport readiness plan was revisited time and again to ensure all primary and secondary core processes within the airport were foolproof and that all the agencies involved in the performance of these processes were established, trained and tested before the airport opening date. (more…)

IATA’s Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO)

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Mike O'Brien, Director Programme Implementation/Auditing, International Air Transport Association (IATA)

IATA’s Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) is now operational. The first 10 audits are now completed and 50 plus more are in the pipeline to end 2008. It is clear that IATA have created something that the industry needs and values. (more…)

Beyond the piano keys…

Issue 5 2008 / 30 September 2008 / Malcolm Brown, Chairman, IATA Aircraft Recovery Task Force and Manager, Base Operational Maintenance and Aircraft Recovery Emirates Airlines

Airports and airlines alike devote considerable resources into developing contingency plans that enable an effective response to an aircraft accident or incident. These plans differ considerably and vary to cope with the degree of seriousness of the event. However, both are designed to focus on the human welfare aspects of any event and also to cope with the intense media focus that arise as a result of any sizable event, even if there have been no injuries or loss of human life. Fortunately accidents involving loss of life are not common events, but there are non-fatal incidents that are still occurring in excess of one a week.

There were 68 non-fatal incidents recorded throughout 2007. Regardless of the type of event, when they happen the various emergency response plans are activated without hesitation. It is clearly understood that no one can change what has occurred, but how the situation is handled does affect the outcome. Whilst both the airline and airport operator are dealing with the real time events of the incident, the airport operator has the added problem of having its business and that of its customer airlines either suspended or seriously disrupted. (more…)