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FUTURE OF AIRPORT MANAGEMENT

CHAPTER-12

• Though, we cannot predict precisely what airport management

be in next 100 years, but it will evolve with changes in

technologies, business policies, and governmental regulations

• A/P mgt will develop to address future operational issues,

ranging from capacity and delay to safety and security

FUTURE OF AIRPORT MANAGEMENT

• Recent history reveals the operational inefficiencies that resulted

in poor financial performance of air carriers during periods of a

slower economy

• As a result, air carrier ops have begun to restructure, resulting in

more direct, “point-to-point” service between markets, and the

formation of rolling hubs, indicated by flight ops that are

distributed more uniformly throughout the day

RESTRUCTURING OF COMMERCIAL AIR CARRIERS

• These operational strategies require less need for large-hub A/Ps and

need to operate smaller commercial service A/P facilities

• To accommodate this distribution of demand, future govt funding

programs may shift focus from the addition & expansion of relatively few

very large A/Ps to a wider array of capital improvement projects at

greater numbers of smaller A/Ps

• For A/P mgt, this may result in a larger number of A/Ps serving air

carriers as air carriers continue to seek reduced costs

• Desire to reduce costs offers the opportunity for A/P mgt to become

increasingly less dependent on aeronautical revenues, and more

dependent on other revenue sources, ranging from A/P concessions to

A/P property leases for non-aeronautical uses, such as light industrial or

commercial properties

RESTRUCTURING OF COMMERCIAL AIR CARRIERS

• Latest such effort is the A-380, being produced by Airbus Industries.

This “superjumbo” A/C has specifications in length, wingspan, weight,

and passenger-and cargo-carrying capabilities significantly greater

than that of the next-largest A/C in common existence, the Boeing 747

• Because of its sheer size, additional design accommodations such

as lengthening and widening of runways, the widening of taxiways

and parking spaces, and the thickening of any airfield pavements are

required

NEW LARGE AIRCRAFT

• Additionally, the mgt of A/P terminals, from A/C parking at gates to

the mgt of over 1,500 enplaning and deplaning passengers per A-380

operation, will require significant planning, and perhaps changes in

A/P terminal ops to ensure as efficient service as possible

• For passenger loading ops, design efforts are to create “double-

decker” boarding, which may require the creation of new loading

bridges, or perhaps multilevel boarding lounges at aircraft gate areas

NEW LARGE AIRCRAFT

• In contrast to the A-380, new technologies have encouraged the

development of smaller A/C, as well as advanced navigation and

communication technologies, to facilitate air travel between

thousands of general aviation A/Ps

• Small aircraft transportation system (SATS) is joint program of

NASA, FAA, US aviation industry, and universities

• They intend to relieve the current problems of traffic jam and delays

associated with the current airline hub-and-spoke system

SMALL A/C TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

• SATS program developed concept for operational capability to be demonstrated in four major areas:

  • Higher volumes of air traffic will be accommodated at non radar, non-towered small airports

• Lower landing minimums will be established at minimally equipped small airports.

• Flight systems for improved safety and efficiency will be established.

• Procedures for integration of SATS aircraft into existing air traffic management systems and the National Airspace System will be developed

SMALL A/C TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

Advantages

• Take advantage of underutilized A/Ps

• Increasing capacity at each A/P

Requirements

It involves the relaxation of many current regulations imposed on A/Ps

by advancements in automated A/C control, navigational capabilities,

and collision avoidance technologies that come along with SATS

SMALL A/C TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

• One of the advantages of SATS A/C will be the navigational

capability to fly “virtual VFR.”

• Virtual VFR relates to the concept that despite weather conditions

that would force IFR flight plans and approaches, SATS pilots will be

able to navigate similar to that during VFR conditions

• Flying virtual VFR may allow for increased capacity because of

• Reduced longitudinal separations for A/C ops on a single R/W

• Reduced required lateral separations between parallel R/Ws for

multiple R/W ops

• Availability of A/F under any weather conditions without the need

for traditional instrument NAVAIDs & procedures

VISUAL APPROACH PROCEDURE DURING IFR CONDITIONS

Possibilities that may contribute to increased capacity at A/Ps

• Because of the dynamic nature of SATS navigation technologies, SATS A/C approaching a given R/W may do so simultaneously from varying, and perhaps uniquely defined, approaches• Currently, every A/C approaching a R/W tends to fly the same published approach procedure, which limits the capacity of ops to A/P• With multiple instrument approaches, there is great potential for increasing capacity

MULTIPLE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES AT AIRPORTS

PERMISSIBLE LAND & HOLD SHORT OPS ON BROADER RANGE OFENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING UNDER IFR CONDITIONS• Increase in precision when it comes to tracking of A/C, along with more highly accurate collision avoidance systems, might allow for reduced restrictions on land and hold short procedures• Allowing multiple ops on converging R/Ws, especially during IFR conditions, would certainly have a positive effect on airfield capacity

• A/C with high navigation precision on A/Fs with sufficiently long

R/Ws may be able to regularly allow multiple takeoffs and/or landings

simultaneously on a single R/W ( e.g. air shows special landing

procedures )

SIMULTANEOUS OPERATIONS ON A SINGLE RUNWAY

• SATS will continue development through the next decade

• During that time, federal regulations, airspace procedures, and industry

products will be developed to accommodate SATS traffic

• System’s full-deployment phase is scheduled to occur in 2015

• SATS advocates forecast that a SATS system should be mature and

fully operational by 2020

CONCLUSION

Although much investigation and testing would be necessary to prove

that such ops would be safe on a regular basis, the technology

associated with SATS navigation may indeed make such ops

possible, thereby providing great increases in airfield capacity