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Latest issue / 8 December 2011 /
To set the context for this article I would like to state something that is evident to all, that causes huge problems for everyone, and which, for a long time there was no effective remedy. Flights are delayed (for perfectly legitimate reasons) and cannot be ready to depart at their scheduled times, but this information is not relayed to many of the people who should know.
It is likely that you are already aware of Airport CDM and have an idea of what it is about. For those of you who don’t know what it is, let me put it simply; A-CDM makes the turnaround process of a flight at an airport as efficient and as predictable as possible. The core of A-CDM is information sharing between airport partners. Surely information is shared at every airport every day you may ask? No, it is not. I am certain that many of you will have experienced the effect of not sharing information. Here are a few examples: your flight pushed back from the gate before scheduled departure time, there was no long delay waiting at the runway for take off, and, at the destination airport you did not go around in a holding pattern. You land 15 minutes early and arrive close to the parking position. Great! Then comes the dreaded announcement from the flight deck; there is another aircraft parked in the stand and it is not ready to leave. In fact, the other aircraft cannot depart the stand for at least another 20 minutes. By the time you finally disembark, your ‘15 minutes early’ arrival time has been swallowed up and you are late. Or, you land on time, arrive at the stand but this time there is no one to operate the air-bridge, or, you arrive on time at a remote stand but there is no bus to get you to the terminal. Conversely, you look out the window and see empty aircraft stands surrounded by perplexed looking ground services staff. I could go on, but I’m sure you get the idea and have your own experiences. (more…)
Latest issue / 8 December 2011 /
The handling of baggage is a very important activity within an airport. One of the main concerns of passengers (and carriers) is to be able to find their baggage on arrival. For this reason the mishandled baggage rate (that is baggage not loaded into the correct plane and shipped afterwards to the passenger) is one of the key performance indicators of the service provided to travellers. Since 2003, the introduction of X-ray screening within all baggage procedures has become even more complex.
It is useful to differentiate between the different types of baggage. They are:
- ‘Local baggage’ that is checked in at the airport
- ‘Transfer baggage’ arrives at an airport on one flight and leaves on another. This is divided into two sub-categories; ‘short connecting baggage’, defined by less than 45 minutes of transfer time, and ‘early baggage’ which incorporates more than three hours of transfer time
- ‘Bulky baggage’, OOG (Out Of Gauge), that exceeds normal dimensions that are not suitable to be sorted with normal conveyor belts
- ‘Special’ items that arrive at the plane with the passenger such as wheelchairs.
There are also implicating costs to consider. The re-routing and shipping of mishandled baggage to its final destination has an average cost of $100. In 2010, 2.44 billion passengers travelled around the world via international airports. In all, there were 29 million cases of mishandled baggage (12 per cent) at a related cost of $3 billion. Europe accounts for approximately 50 per cent of mishandled baggage worldwide and the United States, another 25 per cent (SITA Baggage Report 2011). (more…)
Latest issue / 8 December 2011 /
It is inevitable that adverse weather conditions at airports will lead to operational restrictions on airfields and will often lead to disruption to aircraft operations. This was witnessed during December 2011 when the world looked on as UK aviation was severely affected by freezing conditions and heavy snowfall. However, at Birmingham Airport this operational impact was not as bad as some other major UK airports. This was mainly due to our investment in new equipment and our ongoing commitment to plan and exercise for adverse weather events. Nevertheless, the bad weather did force us to close the runway on four occasions, totalling slightly less than 16 hours with less than eight hours occurring during our core operational hours (06:00 and 22:00).
Winters in the UK are variable so all airports can do is prepare, train and test. Until snow falls it is difficult to know what the full extent of the impact will be. Conditions can vary so any disruption will depend on the amount of snow, duration of snowfall and the temperature and conditions on the ground before it starts to fall. Whilst we make every reasonable effort to clear snow and ice from airside areas, it is a lengthy process, especially when there is a persistent snowfall – as soon as you have completed a sweep of the runway it is covered again and the process has to be repeated. Unlike landside areas, rock salt cannot be used on the runway or taxiways to treat areas in advance of forecast ice or snowfall, and if there is just four inches of snowfall at Birmingham Airport, some 20,000 tonnes of snow will need to be cleared. (more…)
Latest issue / 8 December 2011 /
This is the second part of Jack Kreckie’s article that highlights the challenges associated with effective ARFF within the current economic climate. The first part of this paper was published in issue five of International Airport Review, 2011.
NFPA Guidelines
In addition to the two primary regulators of ARFF e.g. ICAO and the FAA, there are consensus standards that are provided to indicate a ‘best practice’ in any number of categories. Many of the consensus standards developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have been adopted or used as guidelines at various locations around the world. These standards are not binding unless the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) has adopted them and committed to the particular standard.
The NFPA standard for ARFF protection levels is detailed in NFPA 403, Standard for Aircraft Rescue and Fire-Fighting Services at Airports. This third reference, if adopted, requires greater quantities of firefighting agent, ARFF vehicles and addresses manpower levels. Neither ICAO nor the FAA provide specific requirements for staffing levels, but rather indicate that the personnel on hand should be adequate to deploy all of the required resources as shown in Table 1. (more…)
Latest issue / 8 December 2011 /
Despite some initial setbacks for delivery, the Boeing 747-8 freighter orders are being completed and flights have begun. The new aircraft is a clear demonstration of today’s demands and needs of cargo carriers to cut costs and maximise efficiencies. The larger, more fuel efficient Dash 8 presents several new advantages and solutions to meet those needs of cargo airlines. Cargolux, the first carrier to receive and utilise the Dash 8 said it expects the new aircraft will deliver profitable growth for their business.
While the Dash 8 offers significant benefits to carriers, its operational requirements can also present some logistical challenges to airports. In the United States, there are only a handful of airports that are authorised to handle the aircraft.
This is an ideal time and opportunity for alternative airports to grow their cargo traffic by highlighting and promoting benefits and incentives that save carriers even more money and time as a result of less congested airspace and runway traffic congestion, as well as the ability to offer cheaper fees and fewer delays. For example, at Chicago Rockford International Airport (RFD), we promote these benefits amongst other advantages such as no parking fees for aircraft and ‘direct in’ approaches. After receiving the Modification of Standards from the FAA for the Dash 8, RFD used this as additional leverage to market the airport’s cargo services. (more…)
Issue 5 2011 / 5 October 2011 /
Aviation is perhaps one of the most difficult businesses to maintain profitability in today’s struggling economy. The industry has seen dozens of carriers come and go. In recent years, even the legacy carriers have found themselves trying to recover from bankruptcy, sometimes merging with their competition as a means of survival. Fare wars, competition for routes and negotiating for preferred gate/space at lower costs are all part of the daily struggles required of an airline survival plan. Even the very foundation upon which certain airlines were established has evolved in this difficult market.
This is the first of two articles looking into the challenges currently facing the ARFF sector. Jack Kreckie’s second part of this piece will be published in the next issue of International Airport Review due out in November 2011. (more…)
Issue 5 2011 / 5 October 2011 /
Many aspects of the air cargo industry have changed beyond recognition in recent years. But one area which has stubbornly resisted change is the continuing reliance on paper processes. Airfreight is not the small and highly specialised industry it once was. Popular estimates state that around 10 per cent of all global trade (by volume) is now carried by air. But, when you look at the total value of all this airfreight traffic, it is actually closer to 40 per cent of all world trade.
Airfreight is vitally important to global trade. Yet many of its processes are still paper-based, creating unnecessary delays, and increases the chances of errors when transferring data from one piece of paper to another. (more…)
Issue 5 2011 / 5 October 2011 /
Today there are a number of diverse technologies available to aid operational staff in their work to prevent runway incursions and excursions and assure runway safety. The kinds of technologies we refer to include systems for air traffic controllers, pilots and manoeuvring area vehicle drivers and provide an alert that a runway is in use or situational guidance to those operating on the manoeuvring area.
Runway alerting systems for pilots and vehicle drivers can be extremely effective but one significant drawback is that for many runway incursions the prime causal factor is a breakdown in communication between the controller and the vehicle driver or pilot – in short they believe they have received a valid clearance to enter a runway. Likewise for controllers, their surveillance based alerting systems have, and will continue to, save many serious incidents – however the alerting time on occasions can be very brief – almost too brief for any effective action to be taken. Consider the situation where a pilot, for whatever reason, crosses a runway holding point and starts moving towards the runway, he will get to the edge of the runway in seconds. In that time the system will need to detect the situation – alert the controller. The controller needs to work out from the display where the incident is and what the best course or recovery action is – and remember he may well be very busy. The situation and avoiding action needs to be conveyed to a pilot who needs to understand what is being said and react accordingly – clearly this could be very difficult in just a few seconds. (more…)
Issue 4 2011 / 8 August 2011 /
More than 100 million passengers and billions of pounds worth of freight enter the UK through airports each year. Airports are the largest entry point for traffic into the UK and the UK Border Agency is the first point of contact through the border force.
Formed in 2008, the UK Border Agency is responsible for securing the UK border and controlling migration, with the border force being the law enforcement arm responsible for enforcing customs and immigration law at the border. The Agency uses innovative technology and robust controls to help protect the country from illegal immigration, smugglers, organised crime and terrorism. (more…)
Issue 4 2011 / 8 August 2011 /
Copenhagen Airport was opened on 20 April 1925 as one of the world’s first airports exclusively for civil traffic. Today the airport is one of the most modern in the world and has been awarded numerous awards for efficiency and customer satisfaction. Copenhagen is Scandinavia’s largest airport and is also one of the major hubs in Northern Europe.
ARFF (Aviation Rescue and Fire Fighting) is a highly specialised component of the fire fighting service. An aircraft accident presents itself with various hazards that can threaten aircraft occupants, the environment, local community and emergency responders. ARFF crews must respond quickly and with precision to minimise loss of life and injuries. Fortunately, serious accidents are rare but that means that skills can only be built through training and learning from others rather than from actual accident experience. (more…)
Issue 4 2011 / 8 August 2011 /
Our goal is to establish Bangalore International Airport as India’s leading airport in terms of quality and efficiency as well as setting a benchmark for other airports in India. The facility has been built and is being operated to international standards and is now a pioneer in the country due to the passenger experience that takes place on the ground.
Situated on a 4,000 acre plot of land, the airport currently has a 4,000 metre runway and a terminal building of around 70,000 square metres, the capacity of which is soon to be doubled. The airport handles nearly 12 million passengers annually and is growing at a rate of 18 per cent higher than the national average of 16 per cent. This makes Bangalore one of the busiest greenfield airports in the country. With a passenger profile of over 50 per cent that comprises business travellers, the airport has prided itself on efficiency and processes that make air travel a pleasant and hassle free experience. This customer orientated organisation is dedicated to meeting the needs of its passengers. Being a greenfield airport allows the ability and freedom to deploy state of the art, industry leading solutions. Given the airport’s location in the home of India’s formidable IT industry, it is entirely appropriate that this world-class airport remains at the forefront of cutting edge technology while ensuring efficiency and security. (more…)
Issue 3 2011 / 10 June 2011 /
If you’re anything like me, you’ll love the feeling of sitting back in your seat as the plane engines roar to life beneath you and you feel the thrill of acceleration for take-off. Last year alone, 66 million passengers experienced that feeling at Heathrow.
With over 180 destinations worldwide, it would be easy to let the glamour of flying detract our attention from the fundamental parts of the passenger’s journey. BAA is investing in redeveloping Heathrow’s infrastructure to create lighter and more spacious facilities, and in improving our services and offerings. In recent years, this has included the opening of Terminal 5 at a cost of £4.2bn, the £200m redevelopment of Terminal 4 and the on-going redevelopment of the eastern part of the airport at a cost of £2.2bn, which will include a brand new Terminal 2. (more…)
Issue 2 2011 / 11 April 2011 /
When planning for a new BHS (Baggage Handling System) I recommend looking at your bags as if they were customers. Similar to a study on passenger profiles for a new terminal, an analysis of bags should be done. The dimensions, typical shapes, materials, per Pax ratio, even content will get you important results that have to be taken into consideration for planning a new BHS.
80% of the typical Middle East checked baggage would be out-of-gauge in Europe, so it is important to get the average profile and per route specifics of your baggage to cater for sufficient baggage handling facilities. (more…)
Issue 5 2010 / 1 October 2010 /
Much has changed at Manchester over the last two years with 2009 seeing over £80m of improvements unveiled across the three terminals with retail areas in particular seeing a massive overhaul and improvement. While this has involved massive changes to security and the internal infrastructure of the terminal, it has also provided the airport with a chance to revamp how it communicates with its passengers and staff, who work on site everyday, giving all users of the airport site a better understanding of information and opportunities. (more…)
Issue 5 2010 / 1 October 2010 /
From January 2012, aircraft operators whose flights arrive in and depart from EU27 (plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein airports) will have to comply with a CO2 emissions cap, as part of an expanded EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). While IATA recognises that some economic measures can help to mitigate emissions, IATA remains opposed to national and regional cap-and-trade schemes for international civil aviation. This article presents the airline industry objectives and targets for addressing its emissions, the challenges faced in complying with the EU ETS requirements, and measures to be taken to find suitable outcomes. (more…)
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