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Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /
Recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina continues apace in New Orleans and nowhere more so than at the city’s airport, where commercial air service resumed only two weeks after the storm. Tourists are returning and Sean C. Hunter forecasts a continuing rise in passenger figures.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in the Gulf South, wreaking havoc and establishing itself as the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Surviving the initial fallout from the storm, the City of New Orleans fell victim to flooding due to the collapse of levees designed to retain the surrounding waters from lakes and canals. Until the resumption of commercial air service on September 13, 2005, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport was at the centre of the rescue and recovery effort for the survivors in the Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, and marked a place for itself in aviation history serving in a number of roles. (more…)
Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /
If the U.S. air traffic control (ATC) system is not fundamentally reformed to handle the projected rapid growth in the number of aircraft using the services of the system, the U.S. aviation industry and all of its stakeholders, including our nation’s airports, will face an unparalleled confluence of challenges with serious negative consequences. There is clearly a lot at stake.
The U.S. aviation industry is a vital piece of the American economy, driving $1.2 trillion dollars in domestic output and 11.4 million jobs. Reform must begin now.
Given the fact that hundreds of new Very Light Jets (VLJs) will soon be navigating our already constrained airspace, this dramatic increase in traffic could portend a calamitous gridlocked future. If we take smart steps, however, we can ensure that the air traffic control (ATC) system in the U.S. is prepared to handle the growth that keeps our planes, passengers and cargo moving smoothly around the world. (more…)
Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 11 September 2006 /
How does an airport that experiences Arctic type weather consistently remain open? Daniel Hartman discusses the demands of an Alaskan winter, when ambient temperatures can fall as low as -38 degrees, with wind chills down to -60, equipment oil and hydraulic fluids are like thick syrup and starter heads blow apart when started.
The location of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (IATA: ANC) less than 9 ½ hours by air from 90 per cent of the industrialised world, has enabled it to become the preeminent international cargo crossroad for transpacific freighter activity. It also demands faultless winter operations; average seasonal snowfall is 69 inches, with records as much as 132.8 inches. 24 hour snow accumulation has, in the past, reached 27.6 inches, other airports with more equipment and personnel have closed after receiving as little as two inches. (more…)
Issue 3 2006, Past issues / 11 September 2006 /
To counter an ever present, ever shifting threat, aviation security must be a constant work in progress. At San Francisco International Airport, that progress has recently leapt forward.
In August 2005, San Francisco International Airport launched a new Security Operations Center (SOC). With an initial staff of four security analysts, the SOC was established to monitor the Airport through its extensive CCTV network, collect and analyse security-related data and trends, and identify potential threats and vulnerabilities. Co-located with the Airport’s 911 Communications Center, the SOC conducts valuable proactive surveillance, while supporting Communications dispatchers by analysing and relaying essential information regarding specific incidents. The opening of the SOC represented a bold step forward for SFO by bringing together multiple types of security-related data, but it was a natural one for the Airport because of its unparalleled commitment in providing its passengers, tenants and employees with an unsurpassed level of safety and security. (more…)
Issue 1 2006, Past issues / 17 March 2006 /
William R. DeCota outlines how JFK airport has set about meeting the needs of an ever-increasing customer base…
When people ask which of the Port Authority’s airports I like best, I always respond, “That’s an unfair question. It’s like asking which one of your children you love the most.”
Each of the Port Authority’s three major airports – John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Newark Liberty International (EWR) and LaGuardia (LGA) – play an important part in forming the most heavily used airport system in the United States, serving the largest origin-and-destination market in the world. Without each of these world-class aviation facilities playing their part, we could not have served nearly 100 million passengers in 2005 – a record figure that’s expected to grow by nearly 25 per cent in the next decade. LGA, which handled about 26 million passengers last year, is our short-range domestic facility, serving all those passengers in an intimate setting – to say the least; the airport covers barely 660 acres, making it one of the busiest airports per acre in the world. EWR, with approximately 33 million passengers in 2005, serves a dual role, handling a great deal of intracontinental North American air traffic while maintaining a strong international profile, and it will continue to play a major role in air travel in the New York metropolitan region for decades to come. (more…)
Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 25 November 2005 /
The effective operation of any airport depends on the efficacy of its personnel and in this article Professor Quilty discusses the value of properly trained airport personnel.
When you get right down to it, the business of operating a safe and efficient airport is about people. It is about the people whose duties and responsibilities are to implement an overall Safety Management System (SMS) in accordance with the standards and recommended practices (SARP) of ICAO, the State, and other best practices. A question that arises from this basic premise is what qualifications should these individuals have in order to carry out those duties and responsibilities? What knowledge, what skills, what general abilities should they have?
The success of many organisations lies in the foundation of hiring the correct person for the assigned purpose, and the further provision of training and educational opportunities to develop and advance that employee’s skills and capabilities. While the task of hiring and training individuals often falls upon the human resource or personnel department, how well versed is this department in knowing what capabilities an airport operations individual must have? (more…)
Issue 4 2005, Past issues / 25 November 2005 /
In this article, John Heimlich presents his viewpoint on the economic pressures currently affecting the aviation industry in North America.
On August 17, 2005, with Hurricane Katrina approaching the Gulf Coast of the United States, the price of jet fuel stood at US$ 1.87 per gallon. At 42 gallons per barrel, that per-gallon price translated to US$ 78.69 per barrel – US$ 15.40 higher than the price of crude oil. Well before Katrina approached, U.S. airlines were battling high prices and fuel supply constraints across the system, as global departures surged and an outdated infrastructure limited the injection and movement of Jet A into U.S. airports.
Katrina landed ashore on August 29. By September 1, jet fuel prices (Average of New York Harbor, U.S. Gulf Coast, and Los Angeles jet fuel spot prices from the U.S. Energy Information Administration) had risen 49 cents per gallon to US$ 2.36, or US$ 99.13 per barrel – US$ 29.63 above the price of crude oil. That product-to-crude gap is known as the ‘crack spread’, essentially the refining profit margin. As of September 7, thanks to recovery efforts and some quick action by various federal agencies, the price of jet fuel had fallen to US$ 2.08 per gallon or US$ 87.51 per barrel. The crack spread had narrowed to a still-high US$ 23.13 per barrel. (more…)
Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 16 September 2005 /
After an exceptionally lengthy development phase, the controversial plans to expand Chicago O’Hare will finally become reality later this year.
The concept of modernising O’Hare International Airport has been debated in the Chicago region for more than three decades now. Currently, the City of Chicago is preparing to move forward with the O’Hare Modernization Programme. Mayor Richard M. Daley’s solution to the problem of delays and congestion at O’Hare can be described as the most anticipated airport improvement project in the world.
O’Hare is a vital hub in our nation’s transportation system. In 2004 O’Hare set an all-time record for flight operations with more than 992,000 flights and once again held the title of the world’s busiest airport. However, the world’s busiest airport is also known as the nation’s most delayed airport. (more…)
Issue 3 2005, Past issues / 16 September 2005 /
In this exclusive article Alvy Dodson relates his department’s strategic thinking behind managing the perimeter of an 18,000 acre site against terrorism.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is situated on more than 18,000 acres of land approximately twenty minutes drive from the city centers of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. A fifty-mile radius, referred to as the DFW Metroplex, is home to approximately five million people and DFW Airport is the major aviation facility for North Texas. Airports Council International (ACI) ranks DFW Airport as the world’s third busiest airport both in passenger traffic and aircraft operations. The 31 year old airport has just completed a new two million square foot; twenty-eight gate International Terminal with a new secure elevated passenger transportation system connecting all five terminals.
The opening of the new International Terminal D moves all of the international services into one facility, which is more than twice as large as any of the other terminals. The responsibility of providing public safety (police, fire/EMS) and security to such a large facility falls primarily to the men and women of the DFW Airport Department of Public Safety. We have had almost four years to assess and react to the tragic events of September 11, 2001 and our resolve to provide a safe and secure environment for the traveling public and our employees is unwavering. (more…)
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