Airport World, Issue 3, 2016

AIRPORT WORLD JUNE-JULY FEBRUARY-JANUARY 2016 2015 2011

In the spotlight: Planning & Design Airport report: Vancouver Special report: Iconic terminals Plus: Airport anniversaries and Canada’s big year

THE MAGAZINE THE MAGAZINE OF THE OF AIRPORTS COUNCIL INTERNATIONAL

Planninga& Design: Thinking ahead June-July 2016 Volume 21 Issue 3 www.aci.aero

OPINION ;OL THNHaPUL VM [OL (PYWVY[Z *V\UJPS 0U[LYUH[PVUHS

Airport World Editor Joe Bates +44 (0)1276 476582 joe@airport-world.com Design, Layout & Production Mark Draper +44 (0)208 230 7867 mark@airport-world.com Sales Director Jonathan Lee +44 (0)208 707 2743 jonathan@airport-world.com Sales Manager Ellis Owen +44 (0)208 274 1540 ellis@airport-world.com Advertising Manager Andrew Hazell +44 (0)20 8384 0206 andrewh@airport-world.com Subscriptions Beth Owen +44 (0)208 707 2743 subscriptions@airport-world.com Managing Director Jonathan Lee +44 (0)208 707 2743 jonathan@aviationmedia.aero Published by Aviation Media Ltd PO BOX 448, Feltham, TW13 9EA, UK

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Making an impression Airport World editor, Joe Bates, reflects on iconic terminals, the prospect of vertical airports in the future and the importance of sustainable development.

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ummer can only mean one thing for Airport World, it’s time for our annual ‘planning and design’ themed issue where we take a closer look at all things related to plotting the development and, hopefully long-term success, of the world’s airports.

In terms of making an impression, arguably the first thing that most passengers notice upon arrival at a new airport is the terminal building, and that doesn’t really change whether you are a once-a-year traveller or a road warrior clocking up air miles faster than a US presidential candidate!

Beauty, of course, is always in the eye of the beholder and what one person considers the most attractive terminal in the world, another might believe to be distinctly average.

However, having said that, there are a number of terminals in the world that undeniably have the X-factor, and some of these are mentioned in the ‘iconic terminals’ feature in this issue.

What makes the feature standout is that the people suggesting that the terminals are ‘iconic’ are some of the world’s leading airport architects and design teams responsible for building many of the best-known facilities on the planet.

And, no, they don’t all suggest the airports that they have designed themselves! Indeed, some suggest terminals built in the 1960s and, although it didn’t make the cut in our feature, we know that Berlin Tempelhof’s grandiose old terminal building is a personal favourite of Foster + Partners chairman and founder, Lord Norman Foster.

I, too, appreciated Berlin Tempelhof’s elegance and style, although not so much on the day I had lunch in the staff canteen and on my way out got lost in its seemingly endless corridors, and ended up having to phone the airport switchboard to ask them to send someone to come and rescue me!

Tempelhof, of course, closed its doors for the last time in 2008 as part of the plans to open a new gateway for the city on the site of Schönefeld Airport two years later. Things obviously haven’t gone quite to plan there as Berlin Brandenburg Airport still

hasn’t opened, but the good news is that its board recently announced that it is now expected to open for business in the second half of 2017.

Anyway, if you had to choose, what would be your favourite airport terminal in terms of its design? I’m sitting firmly on the fence on this one, but I am not afraid to admit that I do like Terminal 4 at Madrid-Barjas; Bangkok Suvarnabhumi in its entirety; Singapore Changi’s Terminal 3; Terminal 1 at Hong Kong; and London Heathrow’s Terminal 5.

In other planning and design news, we consider the possible future development of vertical airports – in essence skyscraper sized buildings with a landing pad on the roof – which could become a reality if vertical take-off and landing aircraft become the norm for short-haul travel 30 years from now.

And in terms of the bigger picture, we have features on regional airports as the catalysts for economic development; equipping airports for new aircraft; the balancing act between airfield enhancements and the need to protect the environment; and noise management.

The latter two issues are crucial, of course, because if airports cannot prove that they are environmentally friendly and committed to developing in a sustainable way, they will have no future.

We also learn more about the retail/F&B revolution at Washington DC’s gateways and turn the spotlight on airport development in South East and East Asia, focusing on some ambitious plans in Brunei, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Elsewhere in this edition we have a strong Canadian focus that includes a feature on Vancouver International Airport; an industry overview from Canadian Airports Council president, Daniel-Robert Gooch; and a Project Watch article on Calgary’s new International Terminal Building (ITB), which opens in October.

If that’s not enough, we also have articles on airports celebrating milestone anniversaries; the challenges facing Russia’s regional gateways and IATA/ACI’s new Levels of Service (LoS) passenger service guidelines for airports. Enjoy!

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CONTENTS

In this issue Issue 3 Volume 21

3 Opinion Airport World editor, Joe Bates, reflects on iconic terminals, the prospect of vertical airports in the future and the importance of sustainable development.

8 ACI news Dr Pierre Coutu, AMPAP’s programme executive provides his thoughts on management competency building: planning, design and development.

11 View from the top Director general, Angela Gittens, reflects on the fact that airports are capital intensive assets and the challenges they face in finding the funds to develop their key infrastructure.

12 Upward trajectory Joe Bates discovers more about what’s on the agenda at Vancouver International Airport.

17 Big year for Canada Canadian Airports Council president, Daniel-Robert Gooch, considers potential changes to the nation’s Air Transport Policy.

18 The special ones Some of the world’s leading airport architects talk about their favourite terminals from a design aspect and explain why they believe that they deserve to be labelled ‘iconic’.

24 Spotlight on Asia Joe Bates picks out some of the highlights of a new report that reviews the capital investment programmes at 105 airports in 14 countries across South East and East Asia.

28 Regional powerhouses Airports are catalysts for economic diversification and development, writes Chris LeTourneur, president and CEO of MXD Development Strategists.

33 Listen and learn Airports must address noise issues locally and win the trust of their surrounding communities in order to prosper and modernise airspace, writes Andy Knowles.

34 Talking shop Airport World discovers more about the project to revitalise the concessions programme at Washington’s airports by opening close to 120 new shops and F&B outlets.

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CONTENTS

Director General Angela Gittens Chair Declan Collier (London, UK) Vice Chair Bongani Maseko (Johannesburg, South Africa) Immediate Past Chair Fredrick J Piccolo (Sarasota, USA) Treasurer Arnaud Feist (Brussels, Belgium) ACI WORLD GOVERNING BOARD DIRECTORS Africa (2) Pascal Komla (Lomé, Togo) Bongani Maseko (Johannesburg, South Africa)

36 Vertical reality Ferrovial’s Gonzalo Velasco ponders whether vertical airports are the long-term future for commercial aviation.

39 Boarding time What next for airport gate design? JBT AeroTech’s director of marketing and business development, Todd Tanner, believes that the operational demands of new aircraft ensure that change is coming.

41 End zone Mariben Andersen reflects on the environmentally friendly expansion of the runway safety area at Florida’s Merritt Island Airport.

42 Happy Birthday!

Airport World pays tribute to some of the airports celebrating milestone birthdays this year.

46 One vision The newly revised and ACI-endorsed Level of Service (LoS) framework provides airports with a single set of globally accepted passenger service guidelines, writes IATA’s senior manager for airport consulting, Jurgen Renner.

49 Helping hand Lufthansa Consulting’s Anna Shachikova explains how subsidised transportation could help regional airports in Russia’s Far East survive and flourish.

51 Project watch: Calgary International Airport The gateway’s new International Terminal Building (ITB) is set to open later this year.

53 ACI’s World Business Partners The latest news from ACI’s World Business Partners.

54 People matters Dr Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey provide their thoughts on: Taking responsibility for your own development.

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Asia-Pacific (8) Kjeld Binger (Amman, Jordan) Kenichi Fukaya (Tokyo, Japan) Fred Lam (Hong Kong) Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore) Xue Song Liu, (Beijing, China) Kerrie Mather (Sydney, Australia) Emmanuel Menanteau (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) PS Nair (Delhi, India) Europe (6) Daniel Burkard (Moscow, Russia) Declan Collier (London, UK) Robert Deillon (Geneva, Switzerland) Arnaud Feist (Brussels, Belgium) Augustin de Romanet (Paris, France) Sani Şener (Istanbul, Turkey) Latin America & Caribbean (3) Fernando Bosque (Guadalajara, México) Martin Eurnekian (Buenos Aires, Argentina) Héctor Navarrete Muñoz (Merida, Mexico) North America (6) Thella Bowens (San Diego, USA) Howard Eng (Toronto, Canada) Deborah Flint (Los Angeles, USA) Maureen Riley (Salt Lake City, USA) Tom Ruth (Edmonton, Canada) William Vanecek (Buffalo, USA) Regional Advisers to the World Governing Board (8) Aaron Adderley (Hamilton, Bermuda) Lew Bleiweis (Ashville, NC, USA) Joyce Carter (Halifax, Canada) Zouhair Mohamed El Aoufir (Rabat, Morocco) Michael Kerkloh (Munich, Germany) Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Robinson Misitala (Livingstone, Zambia) Andrew O’Brian (Quito, Ecuador) Stefan Schulte (Frankfurt, Germany) Observer World Business Partner Observer Greg Fordham (Airbiz) Correct as of June 1, 2016

ACI WORLDHEAD NEWS RUNNING

World in motion Dr Pierre Coutu, AMPAP’s programme executive provides his thoughts on management competency building: planning, design and development.

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igh-performance airports invariably excel in three main areas: infrastructure, operations and human resources. All top ranking airports in the world have well designed facilities, are able to optimise the use of these facilities in real time, even in adverse conditions, and are reputed for the attitude and competence of their staff.

Historically, a substantial amount of energy and resources has been directed at airport infrastructure planning and development. Following major breakthroughs in technology, noteworthy service improvements have been brought about as a result of more efficiently co-ordinating airport logistics during normal and emergency conditions through sharing flight and passenger flow data in near real time. More recently, leading airports have started to invest systematically in the competency development of their staff.

Competency building master plans In terms of approach and methodology, investments in ‘human capital’ parallel the logical flow of airport infrastructure development associated with airport master plans.

They rest on a thorough analysis of existing conditions, and through a systematic assessment process when determining the future performance requirements, gaps can be identified. Not all performance deficits that surface through a methodical organisational X-ray result in recommendations for training; rather, systems, procedures and facilities often need some tweaking.

A gap analysis that is conducted on airport performance must be based against two types of criteria; the first criteria comprise strategic and tactical objectives that would be specific to the enterprise being assessed and the second more importantly comprise benchmarking various elements against relevant industry standards and best practices.

Nowadays, it is important to recognise the essential role that the Global ACI-ICAO Airport Management Professional Accreditation Programme (AMPAP), now in its 10th year of existence (www.iap.aero), has been playing by developing a body of knowledge that could facilitate comparisons and provide objective foundations for performance assessment.

It is not surprising to learn that a large proportion of the gaps identified through organisational x-rays point at human capital issues more often related to managerial competency considerations. One emerging industry best practice relates to the development of competency building master plans (CBMPs), which are specific to each enterprise and are, in fact, an evolution of traditional comprehensive training plans.

A primary difference is that CBMPs relate training activities directly to organisational performance targets which, by definition, require strong justifications for return on investments (ROIs). They constitute a fundamental element of an entrepreneurial culture that leading airports espouse.

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CBMP success criteria Successful CBMPs display the following characteristics: – They address all three levels of management—namely, front-line, middle, and executive management—in an interrelated manner.

– They incorporate a planned, structured use of external training activities that provide access to relevant managerial best practices, whether from the aviation sector or from pertinent areas of excellence in other industries, such as aviation management graduate academic programs, the ACI-Concordia Airport Executive Leadership Programme (AELP), the Global ACI-ICAO AMPAP, the ACI-ICAO Airport User Charges course or others.

– They are an internal, organisation-specific and fully customised advanced airport management programme that combines a focus on the achievement of organisational priorities, the reference to contextually meaningful, recognised best practices and the development and/or improvement of critical, ‘high-payoff’ management tools as part of the learning outcomes. They also feature a ”coaching” dimension in all major functional areas to ensure that concepts and tools really get implemented to the maximum extent possible.

– CBMP-listed activities related to programme design and delivery are resourced using senior managers from within the enterprise.

– One CBMP component targets high-potential supervisors who are likely to be promoted to a middle-management level to provide them with a conscious opportunity to offer their suggestions for the betterment of the organisation.

– CBMPs are tied formally and transparently to the succession planning programme of the enterprise.

– They clearly identify the anticipated returns on investment (ROIs) for each training activity to be included in the plan, together with a realistic and meaningful measure of their success.

– CBMPs feature a competency assessment centre (CAC) that integrates a battery of work-related situational simulations and psychometric tests which aim to determine the learning progression of airport management personnel, identify their development requirements and support the mapping of their individual career paths within the enterprise.

Breaking down functional professional silos From the AMPAP experience over of the years, interface with the community of participants and their nominating executives (for instance, airport CEOs) have revealed functional silos (such as airport divisions in safety and security, operations, commercial and financial management) as a central impediment to the development of the competency of airport professionals. This is therefore a serious factor to bear in mind when elaborating a Managerial Competency Building Plan for airport enterprises.

ACI WORLD NEWS

ACI events

2016

2016

2016

2016

2016

September 25-28

November 8-10

June 20-22

October 19-21

September 12-14

ACI-NA Annual Conference & Exhibition

ACI Latin-America & Caribbean Conference & Exhibition Brasilia, Brazil

ACI Europe General Assembly, Congress & Exhibition Athens, Greece

ACI Africa General Assembly, Conference & Exhibition Maputo, Mozambique

The Trinity Forum, Mumbai, India

ACI World Annual General Assembly Montréal, Canada

ACI offices ACI World Angela Gittens Director General PO Box 302 800 Rue du Square Victoria Montréal, Quebec H4Z 1G8 Canada Tel: +1 514 373 1200 Fax: +1 514 373 1201 aci@aci.aero www.aci.aero

ACI Fund for Developing Nations’ Airports Angela Gittens Managing Director Tel: + 1 514 373 1200 Fax: +1 514 373 1201 acifund@aci.aero

ACI Africa Ali Tounsi Secretary General Casablanca, Morocco Tel: +212 660 156 916 atounsi@aci-africa.aero www.aci-africa.aero

ACI Latin America & Caribbean Javier Martinez Botacio Director General Panama City, Panama Tel: +507 830 5657/58 jmartinez@aci-lac.aero www.aci-lac.aero

ACI Asia-Pacific Patti Chau Regional Director Hong Kong SAR, China Tel: +852 2180 9449 Fax: +852 2180 9462 info@aci-asiapac.aero www.aci-asiapac.aero

ACI Europe Olivier Jankovec Director General Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 (2) 552 0978 Fax: +32 (2) 502 5637 danielle.michel@aci-europe.org www.aci-europe.org

ACI North America Kevin Burke President & CEO Washington DC, USA Tel: +1 202 293 8500 Fax: +1 202 331 1362 postmaster@aci-na.org www.aci-na.org

As of January 2016, ACI accounts for 592 regular members operating 1,853 airports in 173 countries. In 2015, airports worldwide welcomed 7.1 billion passengers and handled 105 million metric tonnes of cargo and 86 million aircraft movements. ACI is a non-profit organisation whose prime purpose is to advance the interests of airports and to promote professional excellence in airport management and operations.

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View from the top

ACI VIEWPOINT

Director general, Angela Gittens, reflects on the fact that airports are capital intensive assets and the challenges they face in finding the funds to develop their key infrastructure.

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his issue of Airport World is organised around the theme of ‘planning and design’ and in the pages that follow you’ll find features on innovative terminal design, some of the latest and greatest retail and F&B offerings, and factoring in environmental stewardship when designing terminals and much more.

Airports the world over are raising the bar when it comes to modern designs that seamlessly blend form and function, and many can rightfully be called architectural marvels of the modern world.

But what does it take for an airport to build a new terminal or renovate an existing one? I think it’s important to introduce this issue with a look at the numbers behind the airports that are wowing the world’s travellers, as well as discuss the significant challenges associated with the upkeep of airport infrastructure.

Airport cost structures are characterised by predominantly high fixed costs in the operation and maintenance of major infrastructure components, such as runways and terminal buildings. As airports in many regions of the world reach full capacity due to growth in throughput, the expansion of such facilities inevitably increases the personnel expenses, maintenance costs, utilities and capital costs related to operating these fixed assets.

As underscored in the 2015 ACI Airport Economics Report, airports saw their operating expenses, capital costs and total costs increase year-over-year by 7.3%, 7.2% and 7.3% respectively in 2014.

Capital costs, which represent 38% of airports’ total costs, are made up of depreciation on infrastructure and interest expenses. Depreciation, which is the cost of a fixed asset allocated over time, makes up as much as 60% of capital costs and more than one fifth of all costs and expenses incurred by a typical airport.

And smaller airports are particularly challenged when it comes to costs. Airports that serve smaller markets tend to have higher overall costs on a per-passenger basis. This brings us to the challenge of attracting investment, the topic of our upcoming conference in Goa, India, taking place on December 6-8 in co-operation with ICAO and the International Transport Forum at the OECD. The challenge of attracting and funding investment is pervasive throughout the industry. Even major airports continue to face the challenge of meeting demand and maximising the catalytic effects that they and the larger industry offer national economies.

In order for that to occur, one of ACI’s principal tasks is to ensure that the regulatory and oversight models of governing authorities facilitate, and not impede, the necessary investments into airport infrastructure.

To do so, old views of the airport industry should be re-examined and new, tailored regulatory models need to be put in place.

In today’s industry, the reality is that airport market power is often fleeting and limited and, even where it remains to some degree, it is practically limited by several countervailing realities.

First, competition is omni-present with today’s gateway hubs competing vigorously for connecting and origin and destination (O&D) traffic. Second, airports sharing a metropolitan region compete for O&D traffic, often exacerbated by the presence of low-cost carriers encouraging vibrant point-to-point competition.

Third, the growing commercialisation of airports and their focus on the generation of non-aeronautical revenues not only keeps aeronautical charges to a minimum but also typically provides the difference between profitability and loss. Fourth, let’s not forget that airline consolidation in mature markets such as Europe and North America, and the ubiquity of the three airline alliances, is making competition among airports for air service more intense than ever, encouraging airports to provide incentives and often rebate or waive aeronautical charges – hardly the behaviour of a monopolist exercising abusive market power.

So, in reality, today’s global aviation industry has only a few airports that possess a significant degree of market power. Even for those that do, the reliance on non-aeronautical revenues incentivises airports to expand and make use of all available capacity.

These reasons are why ACI strongly shares ICAO’s views that light-handed oversight is preferable and the best place to start airport-airline negotiations is with airports and their users sitting down to collaboratively address service standards, airport charges and the best way to pay for services the airport renders to its users and passengers.

The public interest is in the safety, security and environmental and economic sustainability of the aviation industry. Airports, airlines and air traffic managers are all suppliers to destinations, passengers and shippers.

The industry is vital to the global economy and it is incumbent upon government to make rules that are fit for purpose and that foster investment in airports so that they can meet current and future demand.

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AIRPORT REPORT: VANCOUVER

Upward trajectory

Joe Bates discovers more about what’s on the agenda at Vancouver International Airport.

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n many ways Vancouver International Airport’s reputation as one of the world’s most innovative and pioneering hubs goes before it and it epitomises all that is good about a major connecting hub.

After all, the distinctive sense of place décor and design of its terminal instantly make it one of the world’s most recognisable, photographed and talked about airports in the world.

The latest addition to its unique sense of place artwork being three cedar carvings – Raven Stealing the Beaver Lake, The Blind Halibut Fisherman, and Raven with a Broken Beak – by renowned artist Reg Davidson, which recount local ‘Haida’ myths.

It has an enviable reputation for being environmentally friendly and regularly wins accolades for its outstanding customer service levels – the string of honours including winning Skytrax’s Best Airport in North America award for seven successive years.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR) also has a rapidly expanding route network and list of airline customers, which in the last year alone has grown by seven new destinations and two new carriers – Air France and Aeromexico, which launched seasonal services to Paris and daily operations to Mexico City respectively.

New routes so this far year include San Jose, California, (Air Canada Express), Brisbane (Air Canada), Orlando and London Gatwick (WestJet) meaning that a total of 118 destinations in 20 countries across the globe are served by 56 airlines from the Canadian gateway.

And there’s more to come on the international front in 2016 as Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, WestJet and Air Transat are adding new services and Xiamen Airlines is launching flights operations to Xiamen in China.

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But YVR’s success doesn’t end there, as the BorderXpress Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosk developed by its Innovative Travel Solutions team is now an international best seller, counting the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, and most recently Pittsburgh International Airport, as customers (see box story).

So, all in all, the gateway is sitting pretty and president and CEO of Vancouver Airport Authority, Craig Richmond, can sit back and take it easy knowing that his airport is one of the best and most successful in the world, right?

Richmond knows that the reality is almost exactly the opposite as the gateway’s success up until now means that he and his team cannot afford to rest on their laurels as expectation levels are now so high that everyone has to be on their game to ensure that YVR continues to deliver.

He tells Airport World: “YVR is a successful airport because we are constantly striving to do more for our customers, partners and communities. And it’s this willingness to push ourselves that sets us apart – through innovative technology, a customer-friendly approach and an award-winning terminal. Complacency? That’s not an option in the highly competitive airport industry.”

Traffic growth On December 22 last year, YVR broke the 20 million passengers per annum barrier for the first time in a calendar year to cement its status as one of Canada’s fastest growing airports.

Richmond says that the landmark was significant as it represented a “critical milestone” in YVR’s ambitious goal of serving 25mppa by 2020.

AIRPORT REPORT: VANCOUVER

To get there requires a combination of new routes, increased frequencies, larger planes and new airlines.

He is quick to point out that every new daily international flight to YVR creates between 150 and 200 jobs at the airport and in British Columbia’s hotels, tourism attractions and businesses.

“Our mission remains clear: to connect British Columbians proudly to the world while establishing YVR as a world-class, sustainable, connecting hub between Asia and the Americas,” says Richmond.

“We are committed to creating new jobs, increasing access to global destinations and opening new markets for BC goods through innovative strategies that continue to drive growth.”

One such strategy is ConnectYVR, a new rates and charges programme for airlines that came into effect on January 1 this year.

Made possible by YVR’s commitment to develop innovative sources of non-aviation related revenue, ConnectYVR offers a rate structure for landing and terminal fees that incentivise airlines for growth and efficiency.

“By providing a highly competitive and equitable rate structure we can continue to attract new airlines to YVR and position ourselves as a major international hub in the increasingly competitive aviation industry,” he enthuses.

“Reaching the goal of 25 million passengers by 2020 would add 5,000 to 7,000 more direct jobs, generate C$2.7 billion in gross domestic product and more than C$800 million in tax revenues to local, provincial and federal governments.”

Ongoing operations at YVR today support more than 24,000 direct jobs at the airport alone and generate C$5.3 billion in total gross domestic product and C$11.7 billion in economic output into the Canadian economy.

Reaching the goal of 25 million passengers by 2020 would add 5,000 to 7,000 jobs, generate C$2.7 billion in gross domestic product and more than C$800 million in tax revenues Sale of shares in Vantage Group One asset YVR doesn’t have any more is international investment arm, Vantage Airport Group, following the decision to sell its 50% stake in the company earlier this year to Gateway Airports LP. Set up 21 years ago, Vantage Airport Group currently operates eight airports in five countries that include Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Lynden Pindling International Airport in the Bahamas; and Santiago–Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Chile.

It is part of the LaGuardia Gateway Partners consortium recently awarded the concession to build and operate the new Central Terminal Building at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, but the sale means that YVR will no longer have any equity investment in the project or any of its airports overseas.

YVR will, however, continue to provide services and operational expertise to the Vantage Airport Group through a long-term strategic partnership agreement.

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AIRPORT REPORT: VANCOUVER

Canadian carriers Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat are all expected to launch new services this year to extend YVR’s fast growing route network, which currently stands at 118 destinations in 20 countries.

It claims that the sale allows it to focus increased financial and human resources on YVR initiatives aimed at providing economic and social benefits to British Columbians and helping YVR compete effectively in today’s environment.

“After a successful partnership of more than 21 years, the Vancouver Airport Authority decided to sell its remaining equity interest in Vantage Airport Group, nearly doubling its initial investment,” explains Richmond.

“YVR will focus its resources on the aggressive targets established in our strategic plan. We are proud and remain committed to our ongoing relationship with Vantage and will continue to share our leading edge innovations, approach to world class operations, ideas and people.”

Since its inception in 1994, YVR invested C$52.6 million into Vantage Airport Group. Over the same period, YVR received dividends and sale proceeds of $105 million, and earned close to a 9% return.

Richmond adds: “We formed Vantage Airport Group in 1994 as a way to export great Canadian talent and YVR’s unique approach to exceptional airport experiences. Today, Vantage continues to grow in the world of international airport management and is a true YVR innovation success story.”

What’s next for YVR? Does YVR have any plans to invest in any new infrastructure or upgrade or enhance its existing terminals or airfield or are you happy with what you’ve got?

“We are constantly upgrading the airport to meet the needs of our growing industry,” says Richmond. “The design limit of the airport is 25 million passengers per annum and we are planning to reach this target by 2020. So, for the past year,

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we have been planning the next terminal expansion, looking at various options and running them through tests. We recently settled on a winning option, which we will announce soon.”

What this space for more details. So, is there anything that keeps him awake at night worrying about what the future might bring for YVR? “I rest well at night, knowing that YVR operates 24/7 under a very capable and motivated team,” he says. “This team dreams big and approaches every day and night with a fresh, can-do attitude. We don’t worry about the future – we plan for it.”

YVR’s queue busting technology Pittsburgh has become the latest gateway to install Vancouver International Airport’s automated passport kiosk solution for its international passengers.

The US gateway has unveiled four new BorderXpress Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks, which at some airports have helped speed up US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) processing times by close to 90%.

Such improved efficiencies are expected to lead to shorter waits for travellers, fewer missed connections and cost and space savings.

Innovative Travel Solutions, an independent business unit within Vancouver International Airport (YVR), developed the technology.

They are currently available at over 20 international airports, including the world’s top two busiest airports, Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

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SPOTLIGHT ON CANADA

Big year for Canada Canadian Airports Council president, Daniel-Robert Gooch, considers potential changes to the nation’s Air Transport Policy.

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his year could be a pivotal one for Canada’s air transport sector in terms of the federal government’s policy approach to the industry, much of which hasn’t changed in 25 years.

At least, this is if competing priorities and a fiscal crunch don’t distract government too heavily from the once-in-a-decade opportunity to reshape the industry to better serve Canadian travellers and communities.

The sense of opportunity comes from the publication of a government-mandated, but independently prepared review of the legislative, regulatory and policy framework around transport, conducted by a former cabinet minister.

The report aligns with industry concerns about the screening function, for example, where growing wait times have made screening the biggest operational challenge at several airports.

It also proposes solutions to another CAC priority – access to government funding for capital projects at smaller airports. However, the report is just advice to government, not government policy.

User pay policies and the cost of air transport The panel recommends a less rigid adherence to user pay, in line with jurisdictions in Europe and Australia. This includes increasing capital funding for small airports, the phase out of airport rent, and the reduction of the Air Travellers Security Charge.

It also recommends more work with the provinces on their role in cost competitiveness, including payments to municipal governments and the introduction of duty free for arriving passengers.

National Airports Policy: Ownership and governance Under the current model, Canada’s major airports operate as non-share capital corporations, which means they operate essentially as not for profits, with any operating surpluses poured back into the airport.

This would change under recommendations from the review, which includes the controversial suggestion that the federal government divest of smaller federally owned airports and move larger airports to a share capital structure. There are also recommendations to legislate changes to airport governance.

Domestic air carrier competition and foreign ownership limits Recommendations include increasing foreign ownership limits on Canadian airlines to 49% (from 25% today) and 100% for all-cargo and speciality carriers. This is supported by airports as the current limits are seen as a barrier to entry to new competitors.

International air carrier competition and international air policy The report proposes a minimum of daily frequencies for each side in bilateral air agreements, and scheduled capacity increases in increments of seven weekly flights. This would be a measured improvement over the federal government’s current approach in many markets.

Global hub strategy This includes improved border facilitation through harmonisation of trusted traveller programmes and Transit without Visa for citizens of all but ‘high risk’ countries. Canada’s airports called for recommendations in this area to be included and are pleased to see the section in the report.

Airport security screening and governance The review recommends an overhaul of the regulatory, financing and delivery models for airport security, including a fix to the funding model, a legislated customer service mandate and regulated performance standards benchmarked internationally. As the biggest operational concern of many of Canada’s airports, airports have urged the federal government to make this area a priority.

Consumer protection of airline passengers The review recommends a regime “as harmonised as possible” with that of Europe and the United States. It seems that this is an area in which the federal government may act and while air carriers would be most directly affected, airports will monitor the proposals to ensure they adequately account for circumstances outside of the control of industry – such as the weather.

Notwithstanding some concerns with the recommendations on airport ownership and governance, airports are supportive of most of the recommendations in the CTA Review report as they would address many of their biggest concerns.

The federal government is now busy consulting with industry on the report, with an eye to proposing changes to the legislative, regulatory and policy framework as early as the fall.

Not having commissioned the Emerson report, Canada’s Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau, will seek to imprint his own vision in these changes. But while it is still very early to project what his agenda will look like, he has signalled an increased focus on the needs of the traveller – an approach that airports certainly can endorse.

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The special ones

The iconic former TWA Flight Center at New York-JFK.

Some of the world’s leading airport architects talk about their favourite terminals from a design aspect and explain why they believe that they deserve to be labelled ‘iconic’.

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e all have our favourites, and whether for personal reasons, pride at your airport’s achievements or simply the ‘wow factor’ of the unique architecture, there is no doubt that we are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to impressive airport terminals.

In many cases the favourite terminals of travellers are often cited as being ‘beautiful’ or even ‘serene’ and there is no getting away from the fact that the peaked roof design of Denver International Airport or the honeycomb design of Shenzhen Bao’an’s new Terminal 3 are beautiful.

But what about ‘iconic terminals’? The ones that perhaps set new design trends when they were built or arguably still have the wow factor and look good today despite the passing decades?

Well, who better to ask than some of the world’s top airport architectural firms and, in some cases, the designers that actually worked on some of the world’s most high-profile airport terminals.

Taking up the challenge for this article are Stanis Smith (Stantec); Jonathan Massey (Corgan); Grant Brooker (Foster + Partners); Darryn Holder, (HOK); John Pehling (RS&H); and Ben Lao (BenL Design International Inc).

The original TWA Flight Center Location: New York, USA Designed by: Eero Saarinen Opened: 1962 The choice of: Stanis Smith and Ben Lao Why? “The dictionary describes iconic (ī-ˈkä-nik) as “widely recognised, well-established, acknowledged for distinctive excellence and this terminal certainly is that,” says Stanis Smith, Stantec’s senior vice president.

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“Some airports achieve iconic status through their exterior form.

The TWA Terminal at JFK, completed in 1962, is arguably the most famous and well-recognised in this category,” adds Smith.

“Its sleek, aerodynamic form evokes flight in a manner that has often been copied but seldom equalled. That being said, it is more of a sculptural statement than a practical one, and has always been poorly-suited to its function as a terminal. It is currently in the process of being converted into a hotel.”

Ben Lao says: “Eero Saarinen’s original sculptural design for TWA’s Flight Center at Idlewilde Airport (now JFK) completed and dedicated on May 28, 1962, is a testament to the architect’s ingenuity as an innovator, a futurist, a modernist, a visionary and a creative interpreter of the client’s desire to create a symbolic building to celebrate the advent of the jet age.

“Commissioned in 1955, three years before the introduction of the first jet propelled aircraft – the B707 – into commercial service, Saarinen conceived of a powerful curvilinear form shaped out of thin concrete shells and designed the entire building inside and out, from fixtures to furniture, in a harmonious fashion at a time when other architects were designing airport terminals around the world along more rigid lines based on utilitarian building principles.

He was clearly ahead of his time with this architectural masterpiece.

The prominence of the wing-shaped soaring structure, which symbolises a bird in flight, captured the imagination of the public from its inception. Consistent with the expressive exterior is the dramatic openness of the interior with floor to ceiling panoramic sloping windows, sunken seating area, curving staircases and walkways detailed out by the architect himself.

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal 1 Location: Hong Kong Designed by: Foster + Partners Opened: 1998 Chosen by: Grant Brooker, senior executive partner, Foster + Partners Why? Grant Brooker, Foster + Partner’s head of studio, says: “Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong is all about the journey and the absolute joy of travel – the brief for the project focused on the importance of passenger experience at the airport, and the architecture emerged from that. While designing the building, we were trying to

rediscover the excitement at the grand civic spaces that defined the great railway buildings of the preceding century – such as the Grand Central Terminal in New York, with its monumental concourse and iconic façade that has become synonymous with the city itself.

“In Hong Kong, the scale and rhythm of the vaults, the way the interior space shifts and flows all come together to form a unified, intuitive terminal building that became a new gateway to the city.

Natural light gives life and movement inside the terminal spaces with generous, direct views of the aircraft and the runways. The entire project was a celebration of the excitement of travel, and the joy of arrival, combined with the spirit and romance of flight.”

International Terminal at Vancouver International Airport Location: Vancouver, Canada Designed by: Architectura (now Stantec Architecture) with HNTB Corporation Opened: 1996 Chosen by: Stanis Smith, Stantec Why? He says: “Other airports achieve iconic status through their

interior experience. The International Terminal at Vancouver, completed in 1996, is widely recognised and admired for the way in which it features the art of the Pacific Northwest and evokes the natural beauty of the British Columbian landscape.

“Architecture, interior design, art and exhibits all combine to create a serene and memorable passenger experience that has propelled the terminal to the top ranks of international airports in worldwide surveys.”

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Washington Dulles terminal building Location: Washington DC, USA Designed by: Eero Saarinen Opened: 1962 The choice of: Jonathan Massey (Corgan) and Darryn Holder (HOK) Why? Corgan’s aviation sector leader, Jonathan Massey, says: “Eero Saarinen’s 1958 design for Washington Dulles International Airport is a wonderful example of an iconic terminal. Its simple form, evocative of flight, is the benchmark for aviation architecture. The Saarinen terminal is a classic example of how enveloping complex functions within a strong urban-scale form can result a timeless design.

“The planning restraints put in place limiting surrounding structures has maintained the views of the terminal and its intended prominence on the landscape, contributing greatly to its continued position as an icon. Other features such as the mobile lounges also give the terminal a distinct sense of place and identity.”

HOK’s regional aviation and transportation leader, Darryn Holder, says: “I was captured by the architectural design of this building long

before deciding to pursue a career as an architect. Growing up in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, Dulles was our local airport.

I had an early appreciation for its dynamic structural forms that stood elegantly as functional sculptures.

“The soaring free span at Dulles furthered the pioneering use of concrete on the airport buildings at Lambert-St Louis International Airport, designed by Gyo Obata and the firm of Hellmuth, Yamasaki and Leinweber, the predecessor firm of HOK. Dulles became the benchmark for single-roof terminal buildings where flexibility of accommodation and passenger flows were allowed to play out within the generous free volume.

“Along the horizontal facades, the modulation of concaved curtain wall bays ripple as if they are liquid glass. Although repetitive, each has the appearance of discrete and complete units. At Dulles, the big box architecture would be incomplete without the joint composition of the control tower, an equally elegant structure exerting authority over the terminal complex. The mobile lounges are another fascination, serving as a journey in themselves before connecting to a greater journey beyond.”

Hamad International Airport Location: Doha, Qatar Designed by: HOK Opened: 2014 Chosen by: Darryn Holder, HOK Why? “Lasting impressions are formed both by perception of the built environment and personal experiences. In my travels, I have encountered no greater benchmark for an aviation hub terminal than Doha’s Hamad International Airport.

“From day one, the goal of the terminal’s design was to redefine the passenger experience with a hospitality mindset for a superior level of service and unrivalled amenities. Whether it is the seamless landside intermodal interchange or the choreography of the processes for connecting the transferring passengers, the vision was to transcend functionality to shape memorable experiences.

“Central to this goal was the notion of how to impart the reality of being in Doha, experiencing its people and culture, and sampling its pride of place without leaving the terminal’s airside boundary.

“With some 80% of its traffic transferring, the gateway is the destination. The terminal embodies a snapshot of Qatar.”

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Tampa International Airport Location: Tampa, Florida Designed by: RS&H Opened: 1971 Chosen by: John Pehling, RS&H Why? Tampa International Airport’s Landside/Airside terminal design was the first of its type in the world. A pioneering concept, it has been lauded for its architecture and Landside/Airside design of a central terminal connected by people movers to satellite gates,” says RS&H’s vice president, John Pehling.

“TIA is full of many design elements that made the airport revolutionary at its time. These included design driving criteria to limit

the walking distances between the automobile and planes to 700 feet; a people mover system, which was the first of its kind in the world, as was the automated baggage system. It was also the first airport to use a colour-coded wayfinding signage system.

“TIA continues to be voted best airport in America and among the top three in the world on numerous occasions and consistently receives high customer satisfaction ratings year-over-year.

“Currently, a billion-dollar expansion is underway and at the core is the airport’s continued desire to build on the legacy of outstanding customer experiences by expanding and modernising its space to meet the future of modern air travel. Tampa International Airport was, and still is, an iconic design clearly ahead of its time, and it all started with a napkin sketch.”

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport’s Terminal D Opened: 2005 Designed by: Corgan Chosen by: Jonathan Massey, Corgan Why? “This is the flagship international facility for the airport,” says Corgan’s aviation sector leader, Jonathan Massey. “DFW is primarily a hub with 60% of its passengers connecting to another flight, so what they experience of Texas is through the terminal itself. Similar to Dulles, this design uses a simple and elegant roof form to respond to the urban scale, while creating tailored, human-scale experiences inside.

The interior design, concessions programme and other amenities are good examples of elements of air travel that have evolved greatly since the opening of Dulles.”

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Spotlight on Asia Joe Bates picks out some of the highlights of a new report that reviews the capital investment programmes at 105 airports in 14 countries across South East and East Asia.

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ith traffic across Asia-Pacific rising by 8% to 2.67 billion passengers in 2015, there is little doubt that the region remains one of global hotspots for growth and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.

The total cemented Asia-Pacific’s status as the world’s biggest aviation market and arguably acted as another timely reminder that the region has to continue to develop its airports to ensure that it has the capacity to avoid becoming a victim of its own success.

Many countries are already doing this, of course, as the huge number of ongoing or recently finished airport projects in Australia, Bahrain, China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia and the UAE testify, but what about elsewhere in the region and in particular some of the fast developing countries?

Well, as you would expect, it is very much a mixed bag with many projects planned, underway or in the pipeline, although finding the funds to carry out the work, like elsewhere in the world, remains the biggest obstacle to their development.

And this is a slight worry as according to a new report looking specifically at airport development in South East and East Asia, capacity constraints at many major airports are slowing growth.

In terms of what is being planned today, the Brooks Market Intelligence report, Airports in South-East and East Asia, Capital Investment Programmes – 2016, notes that the general upward trend in passenger traffic, fuelled by the liberalisation of air travel and trade and increased economic activity across the region, has led to a number of ASEAN countries taking steps to increase their airport capacity.

The report covers developments in ASEAN’s ten member countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) as well as Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Timor-Leste.

This article provides a snapshot of what is going on in Brunei, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam based on Airport World’s own research and the report’s findings.

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Brunei As the report reveals, Brunei International Airport in the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, is the only gateway in the tiny state of Brunei Darussalam, which is located on the north coast of Borneo.

Operated by the government, work on the first $100 million phase of the airport’s master plan began in October 2012 and includes upgrades to the passenger terminal, cargo facilities, airfield and general operating systems as well as a new 660-vehicle capacity car park.

To date the terminal development part of the project – scheduled for completion this year – has created a new-look Arrivals Hall, more than doubled the number of check-in desks and added new security areas and state of the art baggage handling system.

Phase 2 of the master plan, which will be built subject to demand, includes proposals for the construction of a new passenger terminal, new cargo complex and a Royal Pavilion to ultimately equip the airport to handle up to 6mppa.

A consortium comprising Changi Airports International (CAI) – the international investment and operations arm of the Changi Airport Group – and AECOM Asia Co Ltd is advising the Brunei Economic Development Board, the government agency responsible for the upgrade.

Laos There are 11 commercial gateways in the country officially known as the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the best known of which are Wattay International Airport in capital Vientiane, and the international airports of Luang Prabang and Pakse.

All three along with the smaller Luang Namtha are operated by the Lao Airport Authority (LAA), with the rest of the nation’s airports either managed by provincial governments and/or the military authorities.

Under the umbrella of the government’s seventh National SocioEconomic Development Plan 2011-2015, which includes a $50 million budget for new airport infrastructure, feasibility studies are being

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN conducted for a new airport for Vientiane while further upgrades are planned for Luang Prabang International Airport.

The latest news on the planned new airport for Vientiane is that it is expected to be built by a joint Lao-Chinese company on a yet to be identified site on the outskirts of the capital and replace Wattay International sometime after 2028.

The government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese company to prepare a new feasibility study to decide on the exact location – a process that is expected to take another year – after it was decided that the original site in the Xaythany district, some 18 kilometres from the capital, was no longer suitable.

The Vientiane Times has previously quoted Yakua Lopangkao, Director General of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s Department of Civil Aviation, as saying: “The project will have to stay away from densely populated areas and impose minimal impact on the community. Once the construction of the project starts it will take at least five years to complete.”

Meanwhile, Vientiane’s existing airport is to get a near $100 million facelift courtesy of a two-storey 2,100sqm extension to the recently built International Terminal, construction of a new two-storey Domestic Terminal and the opening of an aircraft maintenance hangar, additional car parks and new approach roads.

The projects, which will be funded by the Japanese government through an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan, are expected to be completed

by May 2018 to ensure that the airport is equipped to handle the 2.8 million passengers that are expected to pass through it annually by 2028.

Around 1.1 million passengers used the airport in 2014, which is more than double the 500,000 that it welcomed as recently as 2011.

Myanmar Times are certainly changing for The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, formerly Burma, which has plans to build new airports and upgrade others in a bid to enhance the country’s aviation infrastructure.

The country’s principal airports today are Mandalay International Airport, which serves the main tourist centre, and capital city gateway Yangon International Airport. However, with tourism expected to soar from 4.2 million visitors in 2013 to 30 million by 2030, Myanmar’s government is acutely aware of the need for more airport capacity.

Indeed, a third international airport capable of handling up to 3.5mppa was opened in Naypyidaw in 2011, and contracts have been awarded for the expansion of Yangon and Mandalay airports and the construction of a new hub to the northeast of Yangon.

And the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) is expected to seek local and foreign finance for the upgrade of 39 underdeveloped domestic airports.

Things, however, certainly haven’t gone smoothly for the government in terms of the construction of the planned new $1.5 billion Hanthawaddy International Airport after the preferred bidder back in 2013, a South Korean consortium led by Incheon Airport, decided not to take up the option of building, operating and maintaining the gateway.

Now the contract has been awarded to a consortium comprising Singapore’s Changi Airport Planners and Engineers (CAPE), Yongnam Holdings of South Korea and Japan’s JGC Corporation, and construction of the 12mppa capacity gateway is finally expected to begin in 2016 paving the way for a 2020 opening.

Set to be located in Bagu 50 kilometres north east of Yangon, the initial cost of Hanthawaddy will be equally split between the consortium and the Myanmar government, which has secured an ODA loan from the Japanese government for 40% of the $750 million it needs to find to help fund its development.

When completed, the new airport will be the country’s largest and will replace Yangon Mingaladon Airport as the main gateway into Myanmar. A second development phase could raise its passenger capacity to 30 million per annum.

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The new Terminal 2 at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport has doubled the gateway’s capacity.

Elsewhere in Myanmar, a consortium comprising Jalux, Mitsubishi Corporation and local company SPA Project Management Ltd has signed a concession agreement to operate Mandalay International Airport for 30 years and begun work on a $135 million project to raise the gateway’s capacity to 3mppa last year.

While Yangon International Airport is to set to get a near $200 million facelift in an expansion programme financed by an international consortium led by Pioneer Aerodrome Services Co, an affiliate of Asia World, a major Myanmar conglomerate.

The upgrade will result in a new domestic terminal and additional apron that will allow the airport to handle up to 6mppa. It welcomed 4.3 million in 2014.

Vietnam These are heady days for Vietnam, which has a rapidly growing aviation market and, according to a prediction from Goldman Sachs, will become the world’s 21st largest economy by 2025.

To meet the growing needs of the country, the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) has developed a draft plan for air transport that estimates the cost of developing an air transport system of six international and 18 domestic airports at in excess of $10 billion.

The lion’s share of the investment is expected to come from ODA loans from foreign governments and the private sector. It is believed that foreign investors will be allowed to develop some airports under the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Transfer (BT) or Build-OperateOwn (BOO) concepts.

The Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) is now responsible for all 22 commercial airports, including the nine international and 13 domestic facilities.

It recently raised close to $50 million from an IPO for 25% of its shares and recent media reports in Vietnam suggest that the government is seeking private investors to buy another 20% stake, which would help fund its ambitious airport development plans.

One of the country’s newest high-profile developments is the new $900 million Terminal 2 at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport,

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which nearly doubled the capacity of the gateway when it opened just over a year ago.

The new 10mppa capacity terminal boasts 140,000sqm of floor space across a main terminal building and two piers that between them feature 96 check-in counters, 17 boarding gates and 283 flight information display system (FIDS) screens.

Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport opened the first phase of its newly expanded Terminal 2 last year and will complete the job this year. However, with little land left for further development, the government has decided to build a replacement hub for international services 50 kilometres north of the city.

If all goes to plan Vietnam’s new $5.5 billion super hub could ultimately have three terminals and four runways between them capable of handling up to 100 million passengers annually, although it is likely to have just a single passenger complex and two runways designed to accommodate 20mppa when it opens in 2025.

It is not yet clear what role Tan Son Nhat is likely to perform after the opening of Long Thanh International Airport.

Elsewhere in Vietnam there are plans for a new international terminal for Danang International Airport, which would raise its capacity to 10mppa, while a terminal revamp and two new runways are on the cards for Chu Lai International Airport in a $520 million project.

The government is also seeking foreign investors to develop Hue’s Phu Bai International Airport into a gateway capable of handling 5mppa and wants to build new airports for Ha Long City in the eastern province of Quang Ninh and Lao Cai in its northern border province with China by 2025.

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Want to know more?

Copies of the Brooks Market Intelligence report, Airports in South-East and East Asia, Capital Investment Programmes – 2016 can be purchased at www.brooksreports.com

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Alberta Aerotropolis. The shape of things to come at Edmonton International Airport?

Regional powerhouses

Airports are catalysts for economic diversification and development, writes Chris LeTourneur, president and CEO of MXD Development Strategists.

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ake no mistake about it, airports are catalysts for stimulating regional economic diversification and development, particularly within a 15 minute drive time of an airport runway system.

With shifts in the manufacturing and movement of goods, there are a series of ‘airport connected’ sectors that rely on situating in proximity to airports and their multi-modal ground transportation networks.

This prosperous area both on and off of airports lands has become the driver for enabling and accelerating the diversification of value-added economic sectors involving: • Logistics and distribution • Aerospace and defence • High performance vehicles and parts • Specialised materials • Advanced manufacturing • ICT, research and development and skills training • Bio-life sciences and medical devices • Perishables, agri-business and food products

These sectors rely on the multi-modal interface found at and around airports not only to move goods, but also to host up and downstream industry clusters involving research and development, education/skills training, manufacturing and specialised distribution that add value to the supply chain.

Progressive airports are realising the power of embracing ‘catalyst projects’ that stimulate these sectors and complementary clusters to enable and accelerate regional economies.

Global airport economic and commercial development company, MXD Development Strategists, has created the diagram on page 29, which

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illustrates the time-distance continuum of ‘Airport Connected Development’ for various economic sectors, as observed at airport regions around the world.

The following airport economic diversification profiles illustrate this ‘Airport Connected Development’ trend.

Case study: Edmonton International Airport Edmonton International Airport (EIA), located in Northern Alberta, Canada, is a major economic driver, generating over 12,000 jobs, C$1.2 billion in GDP and C$2.2 billion in economic impact annually.

Over the past 10 years, EIA has been Canada’s fastest-growing major airport as reflected by its recent domestic, USA transborder and international terminal expansions.

The airport’s cargo volumes increased by 5% in 2015 and have soared by 32% over the past six years, demonstrating resilience against the region’s challenges relating to the oil and gas energy sector due to low oil prices.

Indeed, EIA has been at the forefront of diversifying Northern Alberta’s economy through the strategic development of its international cargo and logistics business, as well as its airport real estate, attracting some of the strongest international developers and operators.

Working in conjunction with Canadian company Rosenau Transport, North American development company, Panatonni, is developing a 210,000sqft warehouse, due to open in July 2016. The facility includes state-of-the-art temperature controlled and cold chain handling facilities to accommodate ground and ground-to-air logistics for the agri-business and other sectors.

EIA’s vice president of commercial development, Myron Keehn, reports that “strong initial interest in this catalyst project is already

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

suggesting the opportunity for growth of this facility as the focal point of the EIA Logistics Hub”.

To support this growing logistics sector, a 20-acre truck driver training facility with driving simulators and a test track are planned in close proximity at EIA. Driven by its mission to spearhead economic prosperity for the region, EIA has secured an Air China Cargo (ACC) route connecting Shanghai and Tianjin (Beijing) with Edmonton and on to Dallas Fort Worth, and back three times per week, currently providing Canada’s only air cargo freighter service directly into mainland China.

This cargo air route development has expanded export markets from the region for Alberta’s and Canada’s manufactured goods, agricultural, agri-food and other products through increased market access to Asia, diversifying the economy while creating high value job opportunities. It is estimated that the new service will initially contribute up to C$35 million in GDP annually.

The Alberta Aerospace Technology Centre (AATC) is an additional skills training facility located at EIA. Established in partnership with Canadian North Airlines, Canadian Helicopters, the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) and the Alberta government, the facility forms part of the region’s wider plans to create an aerospace and technology cluster around the airport.

In June 2015, Canadian North Airlines launched a new flight simulator for the B737 series of aircraft at the AATC, providing training to regional and international pilots for flight operations of the world’s most popular airliner.

The strong demand for this first simulator has prompted Canadian North Airlines to consider adding a second B737 simulator. This success has been followed by the 2016 announcement of Canadian Helicopter’s helicopter simulator installation, which will be housed in EIA’s main Passenger Terminal Building.

To leverage its local, regional and international destination at the convergence of the QE2 Highway (also known as the CanaMex Corridor) and the airport, EIA has master planned a 300-acre Highway Commercial Area for various forms of commercial development.

The first phase of this site is triggered by the Premium Outlet Collection, a 585,000 square foot destination shopping centre being developed by Canadian-based retail stronghold Ivanhoé Cambridge in partnership with the largest global retail developer/operator, Simon Property Group and EIA. In fact, this catalyst project is under construction and targeted to open in the third quarter of 2017. It has already stimulated adjacent economic opportunities for tourism, hotels, restaurants and large format retail, as well as an initial 180,000 square foot office campus.

Over the past year, EIA has been co-operating with its neighbouring communities including Leduc County, the City of Leduc and the LeducNisku Economic Development Association to leverage the connectivity of EIA for enabling and diversifying economic activities in the greater region surrounding the airport to establish the ‘Alberta Aerotropolis’.

This opportunity has been crystalised through the evolution of a land use framework prepared by MXD Development Strategists and Stantec that embraces the Airport Connected Development approach.

Barbara Engelbart McKenzie, executive director of the Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association notes: “The Leduc-Nisku region is working with partners including EIA to enhance investment and diversification opportunities in the region, particularly around agri-business.

“Developing a food-processing cluster is a primary area of interest for us as we can leverage the supply chain infrastructure such as the Food Development Processing Centre/Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator (APBI), located just minutes from the airport.

“By enhancing value-added opportunities, connected mobility and technical innovation in agriculture, food and bio-industrial products, we will grow and diversify our agri-business industry.”

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Facilities such as the Food Development Processing Centre/Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator pictured above are already located within a few minutes’ drive of Edmonton International Airport.

Case study: Charlotte Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina is the second largest American Airlines hub, handling over 44 million passengers per year.

Over the next ten years, a $2.5 billion investment is being made in terminal, runway and parking facility improvements to prepare the gateway for future growth.

Additionally, CLT has embarked on the creation of an Airport Area Strategic Development Plan to leverage its intermodal connectivity and embrace the airport as a catalyst for regional economic diversification.

This strategy is looking closely at identifying enabling infrastructure and road improvements that will establish a platform for recruiting target business sectors, as well as facilitating private-public partnerships between the city, the airport and private sector developers.

This strategic economic development initiative is being led by CLT’s economic affairs manager, Stuart Hair, and interim aviation director, Brent Cagle, in partnership with the City of Charlotte’s Community and Capital Planning Department and City Manager’s Office.

MXD Development Strategists is leading a multi-disciplinary team to prepare this economic-driven Airport Area Strategic Development Plan.

A decade ago, CLT exhibited strong foresight by incorporating the Norfolk Southern Intermodal (Rail/Truck) facility in between the runway system, in a secured area with direct ground transportation connections to Interstates 485 and 85. This intermodal complex currently handles over two trains and 1,200 trucks per day and has the capacity for up to 200,000 container lifts per year.

Provisions are being made in the Airport Area Strategic Development Plan to provide for future growth and flexibility of this facility, while at the same time leveraging this incredible enabler to stimulate and accommodate state-of-the-art logistics and distribution facilities.

The plan will provide a strong framework to take advantage of the established Foreign Trade Zone #57, which provides various advantages for attracting international companies to Charlotte.

In conjunction with CLT’s direct route connections with American Airlines and Lufthansa to Germany, there are already strategic business partnerships with German companies including BMW, Würth and Siemens, which have a strong presence in the region.

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The goal is to embellish the abilities of Foreign Trade Zone #57 in conjunction with CLT’s international connectivity, to further attract and cultivate business relationships with European, South American, Caribbean and Asian companies.

A specific ‘value-added’ economic diversification sector that the CLT Airport Area Strategic Development Plan will foster for the greater region involves the next generation of advanced manufacturing and handling of specialised materials. Recognising the ‘just-in-time’ nature of such materials and components, CLT will seek opportunities for supporting the diversification of the region’s manufacturing sector beyond traditional textiles and towards advanced specialised materials.

These materials include composites, plastics and metals that are used in industries ranging from aerospace and defence to automotive components, high performance vehicles (such as NASCAR and military vehicles), medical devices and agri-business/food-processing and packaging.

With the growing trend and demand for three-dimensional printing/ additive manufacturing of these specialised materials, CLT has adopted a slogan that this advanced manufacturing renaissance involves “making the machines that make machines and materials”.

Outlook All around the world, airports and their regions are embracing the Airport Connected Development approach to grow and diversify their economies.

A direct correlation is being evidenced between air route connectivity and the economic clusters that evolve at and around airports.

The most progressive airports and their regional partners have realised the greatest opportunities lie in their ability to leverage their regional niche business activities by optimising the multi-modal ground transportation and air route connectivity of products, people and information.

As a result, the strategic lands at and around airports are quickly becoming highly desirable regional and international economic interchanges.

About the author Chris LeTourneur is the president and CEO of global consulting company MXD Development Strategists, who are leading experts in planning, developing and implementing Airport Connected Development and growing regional economies.

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SPECIAL SPECIAL REPORT: REPORT: PLANNING PLANNING & DESIGN & DESIGN

Listen and learn

Airports must address noise issues locally and win the trust of their surrounding communities in order to prosper and modernise airspace, writes Andy Knowles.

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oise management has become an essential part of airport management. Over the last few decades the aviation industry has evolved from ignoring the issue to working together to reduce and mitigate noise levels.

However, despite a reduction in the overall noise levels associated with aviation annoyance, challenge and opposition have increased.

Research indicates that noise levels (and factors that affect it) account for, at best, only 30% of annoyance.

So what can airports do in terms of turning this around? Well, in terms of addressing annoyance, airports need to address what are becoming known as “non-acoustic factors”, in particular social aspects such as perceived fairness, trust and satisfaction.

• Effective noise insulation schemes are required that reduce noise levels inside the home and address the key concerns of the communities. They must be fair.

• Effective noise complaint management needs to identify the key priorities for the local community and should be used to help drive the development of strategy. Making a complaint should be a valuable exercise.

• Independent audit and verification – transparency. Information must be trusted. Independent verification of reliability and accuracy enables the conversation to move forward from questioning whether an assessment was done correctly to being about what the results mean, what was learnt and listening to concerns.

Collaborate and build trust to build a better airspace

Where a focus on noise reduction and mitigation delivers tangible results, addressing non-acoustics factors does not. You will not see a reduction in people exposed. This may create difficulty evaluating ‘return on investment’ using standard financial models. The benefits are intangible and are revealed in the long-term development of airports based on collaboration with local communities.

A complete noise management strategy must address not only noise reduction but also non-acoustic factors such as trust through effective collaboration with the local community.

We have developed a framework to help understand how to incorporate non-acoustic factors into the traditional noise management strategy. The following elements are critical: • Noise management must consider noise reduction at its core.

However, every airport is different and the priorities for local communities will be different. A strategy for noise level reduction will need to demonstrate shared benefit and address community priorities. In particular priorities for airspace design related to issues of concentration vs dispersion of flights and consideration of respite.

• Effective communication: Consultation, community forums, consistent dialogue, being interactive and engaging are key to understanding priorities. They require strong leadership with respect, empathy and awareness as clear behaviours.

• Enhance the conversation with common language. The range of metrics available for describing noise exposure are confusing and complex and have helped to reduce trust - the local community thinks that outcomes are being hidden. Some metrics are better than others in terms of reflecting the community experience and for generating common understanding.

A social and political risk requiring a social licence to operate Airport noise is a social and political risk for airport development, while airport noise management is about striking a balance between the clear benefits to our society with the associated impacts.

This requires a renewed focus towards a ‘social licence to operate’ – an organisation’s legitimacy in the eyes of society and the trust stakeholders have in it and implies joint responsibility in the achievement of shared benefits.

It is time for airports and communities to collaborate and enable prioritised management of noise to help share the benefits of the airport. AW

About the author Andy Knowles is managing director of the UK based airport noise management consultancy Anderson Acoustics.

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Talking shop Airport World discovers more about the project to revitalise the concessions programme at Washington’s airports by opening close to 120 new shops and F&B outlets.

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hen the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) decided to significantly enhance the customer experience at Washington’s Dulles and Ronald Reagan National airports by enhancing their retail and F&B offering, it was no surprise that they chose current concessionaire, MarketPlace Development, to do it.

After all, it is one of the largest airport concessions development and management companies in the US, and it has been responsible for marketing, leasing and management services for the concession programmes at both airports since 2012.

This translates to 119,000 square foot of shops and restaurants at Washington Dulles and an 85,000 square foot concessions programme at Reagan National operated on behalf of MWAA. However, this was no run of the mill upgrade as MWAA wanted a complete makeover of the concessions programmes and they wanted it quickly. The transformation, ultimately, involving the opening of a total of 119 new concession outlets at the airports within a 26-month time period.

To make it happen, MarketPlace is working closely with MWAA to execute the airports’ vision to “provide a truly exceptional passenger experience by improving the existing concessions programme through merchandising and improved product choice, customer service and operations”.

And all has gone to plan so far, for as of June, 2016, 85% of all of the concessions at Dulles and Reagan National have been converted or reconstructed.

Master Plan MarketPlace’s experience in establishing innovative plans for other airports – it manages the concessions programmes at Philadelphia International Airport and New York–LaGuardia Airport’s Terminal B – and history of capitalising on distinct passenger behaviours informed the execution of the redevelopment at Washington’s airports.

Key services provided for MWAA throughout this project include: master planning, sizing analysis, detailed merchandising and space planning, market research, tenant outreach, leasing and construction management, financial projections, budgeting and transition planning.

Separated into five development phases, the purpose of the master plan for Reagan National and Dulles International was to ensure that passengers would enjoy immediate improvements, that their experience was not compromised during the transition period and that the final transformation would provide them with world-class brands and iconic, local restaurants.

In stage one of each phase, MarketPlace implemented an extensive outreach programme in tandem with MWAA that included a public meeting. And, over the course of all five phases, more than 1,000 local, regional and national businesses attended to learn about the concessions opportunities at each airport.

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All images courtesy of J David Buerk Photography.

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN Additional outreach was implemented via direct contact, press releases, social media posts and the MarketPlace website.

In stage two of each phase, MarketPlace identified and selected prospective tenants through a competitive process with particular emphasis on local, minority and small business participation.

It then worked with MWAA to ensure that the store designs met the aesthetic, operational and code requirements to provide the optimal passenger experience.

For the final stage in each phase, they worked closely with the tenants’ contractors to manage the construction of new concessions, with the expectation that it be done in a timely manner to minimise impact on the travelling community.

Their collaborative approach to delivering on all the design and construction management requirements has involved close co-ordination with many parties, including: MWAA’s architectural and engineering teams, base building contractors and building inspectors and tenants (along with their respective designers and contractors).

Retail selection MarketPlace’s thorough and transparent tenant outreach and leasing initiatives result in concessions programmes that offer the travelling public national brands and local favourites, while also creating opportunities for many local and ACDBE businesses to expand into the airport industry.

In 2015, their tenant outreach was recognised with a MAXI Gold Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers in the ‘NOI Enhancement’ category. This year, they were honoured with ACI-NA’s Associate Member ‘Inclusion Champion Award’ for promoting business diversity, in part due to their outreach activities at Dulles International and Reagan National.

As a result of this outreach, MarketPlace was able to select an exemplary mix of ‘better brands’ representing local, regional and national businesses.

Each brand was initially selected to align with the merchandising plan. Next, they conducted a competitive assessment based on brand quality, revenue generation, small business participation and design.

Another defining factor was the brand’s ability to fit the needs of the travelling demographic within a given airport.

“We’re very conscious of curating the right selection of shops and restaurants and therefore the profile of the passenger is essential in determining where the best fit lies,” says MarketPlace Development’s co-founder and president, Paul McGinn.

In the case of Washington’s airports, the hope was to appeal to the full spectrum of passengers,

from international luxury seekers at Dulles International to weekly road warriors at Reagan National.

Dulles International Airport is the international airport linking the nation’s capital to the world. The mission of MWAA is to create an exceptional shopping experience for international, domestic, business and leisure travellers, blending spacious restaurants from revered chef personalities with distinguished international brands.

Reagan National passengers benefit from the ease and convenience of domestic flights. Here, the mission of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is to focus on a blend of local, regional and national concepts and to create a comfortable environment for passengers to enjoy a quick bite or fulfil a shopping need from a familiar merchant.

Sense of Place Although passenger demographics may differ by location, the needs for an elevated experience and a distinct sense of place have remained top priorities.

One of the challenges for Reagan National and Dulles has been the duality of being both local and national gateways.

“Taking on the redevelopment of Reagan National and Dulles International Airport’s food and shop programme has been particularly rewarding as it has been an opportunity to introduce the travelling public to Washington, DC, and to showcase the unique offerings of our nation’s capital,” enthuses McGinn.

As of April 2016, local businesses operate or own 57% of the new concessions at Reagan National and Dulles. At Reagan National, these include Kapnos Taverna, Cava Mezze Grill, Ben’s Chili Bowl, &Pizza, Taylor Gourmet and Lebanese Taverna.

At Dulles International, travellers will find local spots Chef Geoff’s, Bracket Room and &pizza.

Customer reaction and ROI MarketPlace Development and MWAA are in the final phases of selection and design. So far, the results of this redevelopment process have proven to be well worth the investment.

A total of $85 million has been raised in tenant capital investment since the beginning of the project, which has helped to increase sales by over $24 million at both airports in just over two years. In addition, associated annual rental revenue between both airports increased by $7.5 million between 2013 and 2015.

“Working with Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, we have helped create world-class airport retail environments at both airports, increased passenger satisfaction, contributed to the airports’ revenue streams and more than delivered on retailers’ expectations,” says McGinn.

And if the ultra positive customer reaction to the changes to date are anything to go by, the airport must be getting something right.

On Yelp, one fan commenting on their experience in Bar Symon at Dulles, wrote: “Wow, super impressed! One of the best meals I have ever had in an airport. Ordered the Lola with a side of Rosemary fries for lunch which was such a great choice”.

While another, excited to get a taste of DC at Ben’s Chili Bowl while at Reagan National, commented: “I never made it to the original location...but when I saw this at Reagan National I just had to try their famous half smoke with chili... it lives up to the hype!”

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Vertical reality Ferrovial’s Gonzalo Velasco ponders whether vertical airports are the long-term future for commercial aviation.

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hat next for the world’s airports in terms of design?

When most people ponder this question they naturally think of how today’s existing infrastructure can be adapted for tomorrow.

Building bigger, better and more flexible terminals and multiple runways might seem obvious, but this is based on the assumption that the aircraft of tomorrow will be similar to those used today in terms of the way they operate and fly.

What if they are not? What if the ‘planes of 2050 are the next generation of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft that don’t require long runways or huge expansive airfields?

Such a development would mean that airports not longer need large sites to accommodate multiple runway systems and could, actually, be dramatically reduced in size in terms of their physical footprint.

In such a scenario is it then time to start thinking about building upwards instead of outwards and the birth of the new vertical airport?

If VTOL aircraft is the future, could the airports of tomorrow become a bit like the heliports of today meaning that remote, out-of-town locations are no longer a necessity and they could be purpose built in downtown areas for maximum convenience for passengers?

Step back in time When you think abut it, airport infrastructure has always followed aircraft developments. When the first airplanes started to fly at the beginning of the 20th century, they required a minimum infrastructure that mainly consisted of a circular and relativity flat airfield and a few maintenance facilities.

During the second half of the century, aircraft evolved and were able to land and take off as they could absorb most of the crosswinds. This enabled the world’s airports to reduce the number of runways that needed to be operational and, therefore, the land occupied by the airport itself.

The third generation of airports will almost certainly arrive in the 21st century and I believe be as a direct result of the commercialisation of the tiltrotor, a VTOL aircraft which generates lift and propulsion by way of one or more powered rotors (sometimes called proprotors) mounted on rotating engine pods or nacelles usually at the ends of a fixed wing or an engine mounted in the fuselage.

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Tiltrotors You maybe surprised to learn that tiltrotors – which combine the vertical lift capability of a helicopter with the speed and range of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft – are not new.

Indeed, the patent for them goes back to 1930, although it was not until 1954 that the tiltrotor flew for the first time and their development since has been largely down to the interest of the military.

In the last few decades in particular, the military has been developing aircraft that can take off and land vertically as a helicopter does and, at the same time, fly like an airplane in order to achieve higher cruising speeds and ranges.

And as a result of recent developments, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the US will most likely certify the first civil tiltrotor in 2016.

This shouldn’t be a surprise as today’s technology makes it possible for a tiltrotor to cover ranges up to 1,000 nautical miles, equivalent to flying across all of western Europe.

Although the existing tiltrotors’ seating capacity is still somewhat distant from the one that the widebody airplanes provide nowadays, many believe that it has the greatest potential to optimise operations for short-haul destinations.

New airport concept The way a tiltrotor aircraft operates could completely change the game for airports in terms of the development of new infrastructure and the challenges they need to overcome to make them new facilities a reality.

Imagine, for example, that there is no need for a three-kilometre long runway and that the flight paths coming in or out of the airport are reduced to a vertical cylinder of just one hundred metres in diameter.

In addition, imagine that the airport is right in the city centre meaning that you no longer have to travel long and sometimes costly distances to reach it.

The coming generation of tiltrotors will bring aircraft that could transport up to 150 passengers and boast cruising speeds that are twice as fast as today’s helicopters, with the added advantage of requiring just a small landing platform.

The first stage would be to operate them from today’s existing airports. This would increase air traffic movements’ capacity due to the ability to avoid wake vortexes as there would be no need to follow the airplanes’ take-off paths, alleviating today’s airport congestion.

The next stage would be to build skyscrapers in city centres that will accommodate the entire airport infrastructure, including the ‘airfield’, within the same building.

The vertical airport concept takes the traditional airport layout and turns it 90 degrees. The lower levels could be integrated into a ground transportation hub, which would include taxi, bus, subway, train and car parking facilities.

As passengers go up the building, there would be check-in areas, security search areas, departure lounges, amenities and, finally, the airfield located on the highest part of the building.

Concept design For illustrative purposes, the concept design of the Vertical Airport has been developed. It is been based on the specifications provided by the promoters of the next generation of tiltrotors (Augusta, NASA, for example) and it has the objective of incorporating all the functional areas of an airport in the most compact design.

In order to assess the benefits of the new concept, a team of engineering students at Madrid’s Rafael del Pino Foundation decided to see what kind of infrastructure would be needed to emulate the performance of London City Airport (LCY), which in 2015 handled around four million passengers and 35,000 aircraft movements.

It was estimated that in order to replicate LCY the vertical airport would need to have around 1,200 car parking spaces, 39,000sqm of terminal space and eight aircraft stands.

Under the new model, these stands would be connected to a take-off platform by an aircraft lift. This would enable the passengers to board the aircraft in a weather-controlled environment inside the building.

The building itself would occupy less than one hectare (compared with the 40 hectares used by LCY), have 17 levels and be 135 metres high from top to bottom – similar in height to London’s CityPoint building.

The shape of things to come? Only time will tell, but as we have done for the last 100 years and more when thinking of aviation, and now airport infrastructure, we shall look to the skies and not the ground!

AW

About the author Gonzalo Velasco is project director for portfolio management at Ferrovial Airports. The vertical airport concepts used for this article were developed by his students at Madrid’s Rafael del Pino Foundation, Francisco Díaz, Víctor García, Isabel Ronda and Luis Sánchez.

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Boarding time What next for airport gate design? JBT AeroTech’s director of marketing and business development, Todd Tanner, believes that the operational demands of new aircraft ensure that change is coming.

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perational demands such as the need for faster turnaround times, reduced aircraft emissions and evolving gate practices create new design considerations for today’s airports – especially for that corridor of activity between the terminal building and the tail limit line of parked aircraft.

The complexity of these demands is exacerbated by new aircraft designs, higher load factors and the expansion of personal electronics into the flying experience.

I believe that these factors force a careful evaluation, or perhaps more accurately, re-evalutation, of gate-related services and utilities.

Cooling parked aircraft Aircraft at the gate need conditioned air to keep them comfortable for the flying public. And, saving fuel is a key objective. The solution has been to shut down the APU and rely on point-of-use or central system pre-conditioned air products.

Designing for these systems requires the careful evaluation of available gate power or chiller capacity in the central plant. In some cases, the best solution may be combing a point-of-use vapour expansion pcair unit with an existing, but somewhat undersized, central chiller plant. A variety of options are available.

Design evaluations should also take into account changing power demands and heat generation issues within the aircraft. Galley activity, entertainment systems and higher load factors, for example, can impact the conditioned air requirements of the aircraft as can the aircraft model itself. These characteristics should be considered in the design of the cooling capabilities available at the gate.

Powering parked aircraft The requirements for electrical power too, are changing. Electrical loads and the nature of them have been impacted by ‘next generation’ commercial aircraft, sophisticated shipboard entertainment systems and changes in gate practices, such as cooking at the gate.

Typical 90kVA aircraft draw with power factors of 0.8 are giving way to demands for equipment capable of supplying 90kW, 180kW or more.

These changes, in particular the need for kW (rather than kVA) with ground power units supplying 400Hz AC at unity power factors, can have a significant impact on the design of the terminal supply grid and its components – such as breakers and switches.

Increasingly, more 400Hz ground power is required at the gates, sometimes with a heavier-duty support grid, supplied by equipment capable of responding to demand at unity power factors for the duration of the aircraft turn.

Diversity factors Power and conditioned air systems are often designed using a ‘diversity factor’ – an estimate of the average demand that might be placed on the systems.

In a home, for instance, the sum of all the receptacles (each typically rated at 15 amps) will add up to more than the incoming power available to the home itself. This makes sense because it is so improbable that every receptacle will be supplying its rated power simultaneously. A worse case scenario might be that 70% of the receptacles are so employed.

Similar calculations are done when sizing equipment at airports.

However, these assumptions must be carefully reviewed against current operational realities.

Higher load factors, compressed turnaround times and larger aircraft all put greater demands on all systems inside the terminal and at the gate interface. Loads are also increased by the influx of banks of aircraft.

At major hub airports, every gate may be occupied by larger, fuller, electronically sophisticated aircraft eight to ten times each day. During these peaks of demand, traditional diversity calculations may prove inadequate.

Gate equipment ‘up time’ and availability Facilitating the aircraft turn and maximising the customer experience are of paramount importance. Systems like the iOPS apron management capability from JBT are available that connect gate and other equipment, monitor status, detect faults, verify use, and record operations.

This information is invaluable to operations and asset managers within the airport, airline, and service supplier constituencies in providing efficient, cost effective, environmentally friendly aviation services.

Summary Aircraft are changing, aviation practices evolve, and the demands from all aviation sectors continue to increase. These trends mandate that airport planning and design efforts carefully evaluate their impact on the broad AW family of gate equipment and the infrastructure to support them.

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

End zone Mariben Andersen reflects on the environmentally friendly expansion of the runway safety area at Florida’s Merritt Island Airport.

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ver the last half-century, airports around the world have undertaken massive expansion projects to better accommodate the travelling civilian population and an evolving aircraft fleet mix.

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the runway safety areas at a number of these airports have not kept pace and, as a result, a number of gateways in the US face a battle to enhance their airfields as they bid to find a balancing act between their operational requirements and protecting the environment.

For coastal airports that do not have the land available to extend their runway safety areas, the only option is to build land in water.

This means filling portions of rivers, bays or estuaries, which result in unavoidable impacts to wetlands, marshes, aquatic preserves, seagrasses, oyster beds and habitats for fish, manatees and other protected species.

State and federal laws protect these waters, and advocacy from public and private interest groups help limit human intrusion, but the challenge arises for airport planners who must weigh natural resource conservancy against safe and sustainable airport growth.

One such airport that faced this challenge was Merritt Island Airport in Brevard County, Florida, which had to ensure that both safety and environmental protection was a top priority during a recent runway safety area improvements project.

The airport runway sits on a peninsula surrounded by the Banana River Aquatic Preserve and there clearly was a safety issue there as between 1988 and 2014, the FAA recorded 34 incidents involving airplanes rolling off the runway – and some into the river – resulting in aircraft damage and minor injuries.

To help reduce these incidents, the proposed project called for stabilising the eroding shoreline and filling in part of the river as a means to extend the runway safety area to comply with appropriate FAA design guidelines and safety requirements.

As Michael Powell, chief executive officer of Titusville Cocoa Airport Authority, explained: “Airports – especially those embedded into a natural environment or shoreline – must be cognisant of the negative impact that improvements can have on the natural surroundings.

“Due to the unique positioning of our runway, as we embarked on this project, we were dually aware that it must not only aid in passenger safety, but also have limited negative impact on the environment.”

As an airport environmental steward that also actively promotes safety, Michael Baker International’s goal was to design a project that

would not only mitigate the unavoidable environmental impacts but also help improve the ailing river.

The project included a shoreline stabilisation design to stop erosion and sediment deposition into the river – effectively improving water quality.

To further help with natural resource conservation, a seagrass platform was built by filling a hole in the river near the airport, and a 25-acre mosquito impoundment wetland mitigation island was purchased and enhanced by connecting it to the river and installing native plant life.

Construction of the runway safety area also minimised the likelihood of an airplane crash and potential fuel spills into the river.

Overall, this type of project is a testament to how airports are working to be good environmental stewards, balancing sustainable growth while protecting the environment.

Striking this balance often poses challenges for airport planners as the factors beyond one’s control can impede the process, including general public scrutiny, regulatory processing that may extend project schedules beyond federal grant allocation and costly complex mitigation.

However, in some instances, based on the surrounding area, environmental protection is weighted significantly higher than airport growth unless technological solutions can be implemented.

Specifically in these cases, conducting a feasibility study is essential to determine if the airport expansion project is feasible, permittable, constructible and socially acceptable. In doing so, airports can more effectively manage and communicate social and fiscal expectations.

When developing an airport expansion plan, failure to achieve harmony between passenger safety and natural resource conservancy can have detrimental effects ranging from inflated costs to litigation to negative public perception.

At airports in need of these types of improvements, it is essential that planners wisely proceed with a well-informed plan that equally considers safety and environmental resources to ensure land is properly preserved and both lives and property are protected.

About the author Mariben Andersen is an environmental manager in Michael Baker International’s aviation practice and a fully qualified airport wildlife hazard biologist.

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AIRPORT ANNIVERSARIES

Happy

Birthday!

Airport World pays tribute to some of the airports celebrating milestone birthdays this year.

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CI isn’t the only one celebrating reaching a major milestone this year as a number of airports across the globe are notching up significant anniversaries of their own.

They include Auckland in New Zealand, Montréal-Trudeau in Canada, and Gatwick, Heathrow and Edinburgh in the UK, which turn 50, 75, 80, 70 and 100 years old respectively in 2016.

Heathrow Airport Heathrow has pledged to celebrate its 70th birthday as a commercial airport throughout 2016. Built for the military during WWII, the site became London Airport on January 1, 1946, when it was handed over to the UK’s Minister of Civil Aviation by the Air Ministry.

The first commercial flight to depart that day was a British South American Airlines service to Buenos Aires operated by an Avro Lancastrian ‘Star Light’.

Since its opening, the UK’s only hub airport has grown significantly to handle over 73 million passengers annually and is now one of the best known airports in the world.

Back in 1946 its passenger terminals were made from ex-military marquees that formed a ‘tented village’ along the Bath Road. Each was equipped with floral-patterned armchairs, settees and small tables containing vases of fresh flowers.

To reach aircraft parked on the apron, passengers walked over wooden duckboards to protect their footwear from the muddy airfield.

A total of 63,000 passengers used London’s new gateway in its first full year of operations and the numbers continued to grow annually, although it wasn’t until 1951 when it handled close to 800,000 passengers that British architect, Frederick Gibberd, was appointed to design permanent buildings for the airport.

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Since 2003, Heathrow has invested over £12 billion in transforming its facilities. As a result, the gateway says that over 60% of its passengers now experience “modern, world class facilities in Terminal 5 and Terminal 2.”

Heathrow CEO, John Holland Kaye, said: “This is a significant milestone which marks the incredible transformation of Heathrow.

“Heathrow has come a long way from being a military airfield to a national asset which is now a globally recognised brand. I am very proud to be a part of ‘Team Heathrow’ and the 75,000 colleagues helping to make every passenger’s journey better.”

Montréal Trudeau International Airport What would the odds have been on Montréal–Trudeau becoming the gateway it is today back in 1941 when it was built on the site of Dorval Race Track?

Initially serving as a base to ferry US-made aircraft to Britain during WW2, it quickly switched to commercial operations at the end of hostilities and by 1945 was served by four airlines operating 22 daily flights and handling around 500 passengers per day.

A year later, BOAC (now British Airways) established the first transatlantic passenger service between Montréal and the UK and passenger numbers jumped to 250,000 a year.

Air France started services in 1950 and was joined a year later by Trans-Canada Airlines, which will later become Air Canada, when it launched flights to Paris. By 1952 Dorval was serving 590,000 passengers per annum. Its increasing popularity meant that two of its three runways were lengthened to meet demand and, in 1955, it became Canada’s biggest airport welcoming with one million passengers annually.

AIRPORT ANNIVERSARIES

Picture perfect: Modern day Edinburgh Airport (top left) and a blast from the past from Heathrow, Auckland, Montréal-Trudeau and Gatwick airports.

The airport’s official opening marked the start of the international jet age for New Zealanders – with new destinations and faster and bigger aircraft Construction of Canada’s first cargo terminal began two years later, allowing it to become the main Canadian entry point for cargo from Europe. In 1960 the airport was renamed Montréal-Dorval International Airport and Canada’s Minister of Transport inaugurated a new $30 million terminal. At the time it was the largest terminal in Canada and one of the biggest in the world.

In 1987 the Canadian government decided to divest itself of the country’s major airports and this led to the formation of Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), which on August 1, 1992, signed a 60-year lease with Transport Canada to manage, operate and develop the airport.

Dorval was officially renamed Montréal–Trudeau in 2004 in honour of former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

ADM’s president and CEO, James Cherry, enthuses: “I am proud of the airport’s many accomplishments, which would not have been possible without the contributions of our dedicated employees, our airlines and our numerous public and private sector partners. I’d like to thank each one of them for their continued support and wish Montréal-Trudeau a very happy birthday!”

Auckland International Airport New Zealand’s gateway to the world is celebrating its half century this year after officially turning 50 in January.

The airport’s chief executive, Adrian Littlewood, enthuses: “Fifty years is a long time and an important milestone worthy of celebration.

“New Zealand was very different back in 1966. It was a country still finding its own independence, shifting its primary focus away from Europe. Keith Holyoake was Prime Minister; we still had pounds, shillings and pence; we had visits by both the United States’ Vice-President and President in the same year and for followers of popular culture, the very first episode of Country Calendar screened.

“On the 29th January 1966, there was a three day air pageant to commemorate the official opening of Auckland Airport, attended by more than 100,000 Aucklanders or 20% of our city’s residents.

“The airport’s official opening marked the start of the international jet age for New Zealanders – with new destinations and faster and bigger aircraft.”

Looking to the future, he notes: “Our 30-year vision for the airport of the future, announced in 2014, suggests we have the capacity to process 40 million passengers in 2044 with room to continue growing.

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AIRPORT ANNIVERSARIES

How time flies. Clockwise from left to right: A young Queen Elizabeth II at Gatwick in 1958; Wartime at Montréal-Trudeau; US President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, at Gatwick in June 1963; and Auckland International Airport under construction in February 1965.

Edinburgh Airport “Whatever our future holds, we will be guided by our past experience and the importance of remaining flexible to meet the ever changing needs of our city, our customers and the aviation industry.”

London Gatwick May 17 was a very special day for London Gatwick as it marked the 80th anniversary of its very first commercial flight.

The flight was to Paris with the single fare costing £4 pounds and five shillings (the equivalent today is approximately £160), including the first class train fare from London Victoria.

Paris was one of just five scheduled routes served from the airport in its first year of operation, the others being Malmö, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Copenhagen.

Today it serves 200 destinations in 90 countries and handles around 41 million passengers per annum.

Over the course of the last 80 years, Gatwick has played host to many prominent figures including Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana and John F Kennedy plus key aviation milestones including the first ever Virgin Atlantic flight taking off from the airport on June 22, 1984.

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The grandaddy of them all in terms of age anyway, is Scotland’s capital city gateway, which turned 100 years old on March 2 and celebrated the occasion with limited edition giveaways and competitions for local school children.

On Thursday, March 2, 1916, Edinburgh Airport began life as a Royal Flying Corps aerodrome named Turnhouse and was a key military base for the remainder of World War One. The British Airports Authority (BAA) took over ownership of the airport on April 1, 1971. Initial stages of the redevelopment began two years later and the terminal building, designed by Sir Robert Matthew, was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen on 27 May 1977.

BAA sold Edinburgh Airport to Global Infrastructure Partners in April 2012 and the airport has since experienced significant growth, with passenger traffic at the gateway hitting an all-time high of 11.1 million in 2015.

Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport’s chief executive, said: “How time flies when you’re having fun! Although clearly focused on delivering future growth at Edinburgh Airport we have a rich and long history here, and we aim to involve as many people as possible in celebrating this great centenary story.”

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CUSTOMER SERVICE

One vision The newly revised and ACI-endorsed Level of Service (LoS) framework provides airports with a single set of globally accepted passenger service guidelines, writes IATA’s senior manager for airport consulting, Jurgen Renner.

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s global air travel continues its steady growth, so too does the competition among airports to capture more of this potentially lucrative business.

In an ideal world, airports should, of course, have the facilities in place that will allow them to expand their market share and handle increased demand, although as we know only too well, many do not have this luxury.

How would your airport fare? Would more passengers cause congestion, long lines and overall poor service levels? If so, this could not only result in traffic leakage to alternate airports and subsequent revenue loss, but also damage to the local economy.

So, how do you make your facility an airport of choice for travellers while remaining cost efficient, now and in the future?

The answer is in finding a delicate balance of size, efficiency and cost – and definitely not in creating a mega airport ‘trophy-project’ with disproportionately oversized facilities and related excessive operating costs or inaction.

Just like passengers, airport operators want speed, quality and efficiency. The shorter the waiting time for customers, the longer they have in commercial areas, potentially generating revenue for the airports.

In addition, if passengers don’t get stuck in long queues, they normally don’t miss their flights, which is not only good for them but also essential for an efficient boarding process and the airlines’ on-time departure performance.

Many airport operators struggle to determine the right metrics and model to accurately assess their overall performance. Today’s airport operators need to know how they compare to their peers on the world stage. This is where the Level of Service (LoS) concept comes into play.

How can the new LoS concept help?

Developed by IATA in partnership with ACI World, the LoS concept is the answer to measuring an airport’s passenger terminal against optimal industry performance and cost efficiency.

Whether gauging current service levels or planning for future infrastructure development, LoS is vital for airports to maximise returns

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on their capital and operating expenditures, while keeping a great passenger experience at the centre of their operations.

Stripped to its basic function, LoS is an aggregated guidance framework for the planning of new terminal facilities, as well as for monitoring the operational service performance of existing facilities.

The LoS concept builds upon the guidance material in IATA’s Airport Development Reference Manual (ADRM) pertaining to airport planning, capacity definition and design that has helped shape airport development for decades.

The 10th edition of the ADRM in 2014 saw a complete revision of the LoS concept in collaboration with ACI World. In comparison to the six letter grades (A to F) in the previous version, the new framework comes with only four categories – Under-Provided; Sub-Optimum; Optimum; and Over-Design.

For terminal processing facilities and corresponding waiting areas, the new LoS framework can be reflected in a space-time matrix, which can be used for defining the resulting service level (see space graphic above).

The new LoS Concept also comes with clearly defined LoS guidelines, which can be used for either assessing the existing service level or for planning and constructing new Optimum terminal facilities.

For each terminal facility, quantitative LoS parameters for space provision and maximum waiting time are provided, clearly specifying what is considered Over-Design, Optimum and Sub-Optimum.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The graphic shows the situation of the initial expansion design for Flamingo International Airport in comparison to the improved layout proposed by IATA, which utilises more self-service kiosks and additional mobile check-in counters.

Optimum terminal sub-systems Terminal facilities that operate at an Optimum service level provide adequate space and resources to accommodate all necessary functions in a comfortable environment.

They allow fluid passenger flows with acceptable waiting times as well as overall satisfactory service to passengers, while keeping capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX) at reasonable levels.

Ultimately, Optimum facilities balance economic terminal dimensions with passenger expectations, based on global industry benchmarks.

Proof of its success Our confidence in the merits of LoS as a critical benchmark for airport operators was clearly demonstrated during IATA’s recent work at Flamingo International Airport (BIA) in Bonaire in the Dutch Antilles.

Bonaire is a small Dutch island nestled in the sunny southern Caribbean. In recent years, its tourism economy and air traffic demand have developed faster than its airport infrastructure. As a result, long winding lines and space constraints were commonplace at this seaside airport during peak periods.

With further growth on the horizon, BIA contracted IATA Consulting to perform a comprehensive LoS Assessment Study of a planned terminal expansion.

In order to provide the most accurate assessment, IATA strengthened its team with experts from ACI World (processes review) and German-based international engineering and consulting firm Airport Research Center (terminal simulation).

The general objective of BIA’s terminal development plan is to handle future peak demand, providing an Optimum service level, until 2020.

By systematically analysing all terminal sub-systems on departures and arrivals, IATA performed a professional capacity and service level analysis of the planned terminal expansion layouts, taking into account future peak traffic demand and its assumed structure (passenger profiles and operational requirements).

This study was supported by the application of an advanced terminal simulation tool – CAST Terminal.

Armed with extensive insight into worldwide airport best practices, IATA’s team of experts also provided BIA with recommendations for operational improvements. This was done by conducting a detailed review of current passenger handling processes during peak demand and comparing them to international standards.

By simulating future operations in the expanded terminal, certain capacity bottlenecks and service level shortcomings were identified.

Proposed alterations to the planned check-in facility, for instance, resulted in a significant improvement of passenger flow and capacity provision.

With IATA’s new LoS concept as an evaluating framework, the team were able to identify certain design weaknesses and propose an improved layout, significantly shortening waiting times and reducing line lengths, optimising space utilisation.

The design change came with minimal additional costs, but considerably enhances the passenger experience and the operational efficiency of the process. And this is just one example of many improvements the LoS Assessment Study brought.

The beauty of using a simulation tool is that we can actually visualise passenger flows in videos that show the current and future operations. Therefore, where problems arise, you can simulate and even visualize any proposed recommendations for improvements.

This is very powerful and convincing, especially for non-technical clients and decision makers.

The graphic above shows the situation of the initial expansion design for BIA in comparison to the improved layout proposed by IATA, which utilises more self-service kiosks and additional mobile check-in counters.

IATA’s overall LoS assessment results and related recommendations allowed BIA’s architects to modify the initial expansion design before carrying out the actual construction work.

The revised expansion design ensures that the future facilities will be capable of handling expected peak demand at an optimum service level. This will provide sufficient space to accommodate all necessary functions in a comfortable environment and, at the same time, keep processing and waiting times at acceptable levels.

In addition to providing an Optimum LoS to BIA’s passengers, the recommendations will allow the airport operator to balance economic terminal dimensions and resources with passenger expectations.

“The IATA team were very committed to delivering a high quality product,” says Michael Nicolaas, CEO of BIA. “They carried out extensive research to understand the needs of Bonaire Flamingo International Airport and this allowed them to develop a revised terminal expansion plan that balanced infrastructure design and costs.

“In my opinion, IATA’s work in terms of service quality, timely delivery and value for money exceeds the competition – I definitely highly recommend IATA Consulting for all airport development projects.”

Without doubt superb collaboration with the BIA team resulted in the efficient delivery of a challenging study and the excellent and detailed findings allowed us to derive valuable recommendations for improvements that are very beneficial for BIA.

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REGIONAL AIRPORTS

Helping hand Lufthansa Consulting’s Anna Shachikova explains how subsidised transportation could help regional airports in Russia’s Far East survive and flourish.

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ublic Service Obligations (PSOs) – invariably the subsidising of air services – remains a highly relevant topic for the development of small, regional airports in remote regions across the world, and Russia is no exception.

For although small, regional gateways are essentially built to provide cities and regions with connections to the rest of the country and beyond, they often lack the appeal to independently build up their route networks and operate successfully.

Indeed, as ACI World points out in its annual Airport Economics Survey, it is almost impossible for small airports handling less than one million passengers per annum to be profitable.

The challenges of the Russian Federation’s smaller regional airports are arguably magnified by the country’s size, which ensures that many of the most remote gateways are long distances and many hours’ flying time from Moscow and each other. As a result, Russia faces huge challenges in terms of arranging frequent local air transportation services.

In many countries, of course, governments financially support the operations of these airports in order to provide a minimum level of transport accessibility and connectivity and, again, Russia is no different.

However, in most cases the level of support doesn’t meet the airport’s actual needs. And there are other problems, too, such as the fact that subsidised services are often served by outdated fleets. The unprofitability of the route and the lack of opportunities for modernisation also means that the cost of operating it constantly increases.

This leads to another issue as low service levels and low frequencies inevitably have a negative impact on demand and increase customer uncertainty. In other words, people are not satisfied with the quality or with the volume of the transportation provided.

Lufthansa Consulting conducted research into the effectiveness and commercial efficiency of the current subsidy programmes in Russia’s Far East region, which is one-and-a-half times larger than the size of the European Union, yet has a population density 100 times lower than it.

Today the Russian state is developing three separate schemes in the region to subsidise: • Direct connections between regional airports and the rest of Russia’s biggest cities (funded by the state); • Inter-regional links between gateways in different districts in the Far East region (funded by the state and local authorities); • Intra-regional connections between airports in each district in the region (funded by the local authority).

These programmes are intended to run entirely independently from one another, but there are financial and social potential benefits to be gained from the synergy effect if all three schemes can be co-ordinated with each other or even combined effectively.

Lufthansa Consulting’s analysis identified opportunities to optimise current subsidy schemes and make them more efficient, as well as to increase passenger traffic and population mobility.

What we do know is that an increase in supply often stimulates demand when alternative modes of transport are not available or when air transport generates significant time-savings that deliver economic value to passengers.

In order to increase air traffic, improve connectivity and broaden the scope of the network significantly, a number of changes will be necessary.

In the main, these involve building up an optimal route network in the Russian Far East and redirecting passenger flows from point-to-point to feeder routes via regional hubs.

The feeder subsidy scheme will enable regional hubs to grow and provide the possibility for small regional airports to survive and generate sustainable passenger traffic volumes.

We calculated that rather than developing direct links between each regional city in the Far East region with major Russian large cities, it would make more sense from an economic point of view to develop a regional network around two or three regional hubs.

Our research also estimates that rearranging subsidy programmes would boost total passenger traffic in this region by 8% and increase the volume of subsidised passengers by 17% over the next 10 years.

At the same time, traffic at one of the potential regional hubs could be almost doubled during this period!

The feeder connections would add some time to the journey, but it would also enable costs to be cut, which in turn would make air transportation available to more people of this region and help to increase mobility.

In most cases, business travellers, which constitute the most timesensitive market segment, will still have the option of direct flights at a fair market price or a wider choice of flights as a result of increased frequencies. AW

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PROJECT WATCH

Calgary International Airport The gateway’s new International Terminal Building (ITB) is set to open later this year. project details Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Important developments: New International Terminal Building and Connections Corridor Scheduled completion: October 2016

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algary International Airport’s planned new international and transborder terminal and connectivity component, part of the biggest expansion project in the gateway’s history, is on target to open in October.

The 185,000sqm complex will more than double the size of the existing terminal building and is the key project of the gateway’s ten-year C$2.6 billion Airport Development Program, which included a new 14,000ft parallel runway that opened in June, 2014.

Its highly sustainable design will reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions making it one the world’s most environmentally friendly terminals.

Sustainable features include geothermal heating via in-floor radiant heat tubing; rainwater collection for use within the terminal; and high-efficiency building envelope.

The facility will also include a sophisticated energy-efficient baggage handling system for both inbound and outbound flights.

The system, manufactured by Crisplant, will have an initial capacity of 4,000 items per hour on both in and outbound lines, and relies on sensor-controlled modules to power up the system only when the baggage totes are in operation.

In terms of facilities, the terminal will boast 24 aircraft gates, its own US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility and two post security retail plazas – one for transborder US

traffic and the other for all other international destinations – which between will have more than 50 shops and F&B outlets.

The new terminal will also have two common-use passenger lounges; North America’s first call-to-gate gate assignment programme; and a new Connections Corridor providing a link to the existing terminal.

According to the airport, a key element of the Connections Corridor is the YYC LINK, a custom-designed, Canadian built passenger transit system. The system is equipped with electric-powered, 10-passenger YYC LINK vehicles that will run on a scheduled service transporting passengers between the concourses.

Another new facility for the terminal is a Connections Centre that is designed to ensure quick and hassle free transfers for passengers travelling between domestic, transborder and international flights.

As part of the streamlined service, most passengers travelling between the different sectors will no longer have to pick up or re-screen their luggage before boarding their onward connections.

Served by its own multi-level roadway system, the new terminal will feature tri-sector gates with stacked holdrooms – a concept developed by DIALOG along with the airport – that are designed to allow greater flexibility for inbound and outbound aircraft movements.

Principal companies involved: DIALOG (architect and prime consultant); AECOM (mechanical and electrical engineering); RJC (structural engineering); EllisDon (overall construction manager); Trotter and Morton (mechanical and electrical construction managers); Crisplant/BEUMER Group (baggage handling systems) Total investment: C$2.6 billion (including new runway) Architect, DIALOG, is also quick to point out that is has captured the spirit of the prairies and the natural beauty of the Rockies and foothills in every aspect of the design of the complex.

Garth Atkinson, president and CEO of Calgary Airport Authority, says: “We’ve worked very closely with the airlines and our other partners from the outset on this project to ensure the new terminal facilities will meet both current and future needs, and that we are ready for opening day later this year.

“With the inclusion of new technologies and processes, this will be a terminal that provides an efficient and engaging experience for arriving, departing and connecting passengers.”

On the topic of sustainability, Atkinsion notes: “Our basic approach to sustainability is that we are going to do things that make economic sense, and when you’re building a new facility, that’s the time to seize your opportunity and make it state-of-the-art.”

Calgary International Airport is a major economic generator for the city and the Canadian province of Alberta, contributing an estimated C$8.28 billion per annum to the AW region and supporting 48,000 jobs.

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RUNNING WBP NEWS HEAD

The latest news from ACI’s World Business Partners

Following a successful trial period, Vanderlande has received an order to supply 160 innovative STACK@EASE manual loading aids to Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).

Operator, Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), believes that they provide the best solution to enhance the automation of its baggage handling system as well as ensure the health and safety of handling staff. HKIA is one of the busiest international passenger airports in the world, handling more than 80,000 pieces of baggage a day.

“Although we have a state-of-the-art computerised BHS, much physical effort is required to load and unload bags to the aircraft containers,” says Steven Yiu, general manager airfield, AAHK. “To maintain a reliable and efficient system that meets passenger expectations, we have to safeguard the wellbeing of the ground staff who handle our ever increasing volumes of baggage.”

As a highly flexible and ergonomic solution, STACK@EASE takes the heavy lifting out of baggage handling by helping staff load containers and carts to actively reduce their physical workload. According to Vanderlande, it can also be integrated with a radio frequency identification (RFID) device that provides a faster, more accurate read rate of RFID bag tags, which ultimately enhances the effectiveness of the automatic baggage reconciliation system. The airport will install around 160 units across its facilities over the next two years.

SSP has announced details of the three outlets it is scheduled to open at Bergen Airport following the company’s first contract win at the airport since it opened in 1955.

The featured brands are O’Learys, Upper Crust and Point, all three of which are already popular F&B outlets at Oslo, Trondheim and Tromsø airports in Norway.

The new additions are part of a project to double the size of the airport’s commercial area to provide improved and more diverse options for travellers.

The new outlets are due to open in 2017.

Commenting on the deal, Morten Solberg Nilsen, managing director of SSP Norway and Denmark, says: “We are delighted that SSP is now a part of the offering at Bergen Airport and are pleased to introduce some of our most successful brands to its customers.

“At Bergen Airport travellers tend to spend a larger than average percentage of their time at the terminal, and we know that our offerings will cater to their needs and allow them to make the most of their time in the terminal.”

Location: Atlanta, GA, USA Contact: Sean Warren, director, new restaurant growth – licensing E: sean.warren@cfacorp.com W: www.chick-fil-a.com/licensing Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc is a family owned and privately held restaurant company known for its original chicken sandwich, best in class customer service and freshly prepared food in more than 1,900 restaurants. The chain will have 24 restaurants in 22 airports by the end of 2016.

EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc

Loads better!

Back in Bergen

Chick-fil-A

Certificate of success

Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL) has been awarded a Certificate of Appreciation for its “decisive contribution” towards the success of the US pre-clearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Over 600,000 passengers used the SPPAL technologyequipped US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility in Terminal 3 in 2015, which is the first of its kind in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

The airport recently won an ‘Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance’, due in part to the success of the new facility, and the certificate from operator, Abu Dhabi Airports, recognises the role SPPAL played in the achievement.

By using the facility, passengers on US-bound flights clear immigration and customs at Abu Dhabi International Airport allowing them to be treated as ‘domestic’ passengers upon arrival.

Under United States law all US pre-clearance facilities must have state-of-the-art equipment such as a modern baggage handling system with advanced screening technology before they can be approved.

Location: Hunt Valley, MD, USA Contact: Becky Morris, project manager E: rmorris@eaest.com W: www.eaest.com In business for more than 42 years, EA is a 100% Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) owned public benefit corporation that provides environmental, compliance, natural resources as well as infrastructure engineering and management solutions to a wide range of government and industrial clients.

South Pole Carbon Asset Management Location: Zurich, Switzerland Contact: Chris Perceval, director sustainable services E: marketing@ thesouthpolegroup.com W: www.thesouthpolegroup.com South Pole Group is a provider of sustainability solutions.

Pioneering emission reduction and renewable energy projects, the firm’s portfolio is now the largest available on the market.

Areas of expertise cover the climate change-related areas of forests and land use, water, sustainable cities and buildings, and renewable energy and energy efficiency.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

PEOPLE

matters Complacency – the enemy of growth Dr Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey provide their thoughts on: Taking responsibility for your own development.

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ast performance is no guarantee of future success in a fast changing world. Yet many of us are reluctant to invest time and effort in our own development unless we are compelled to do so.

Why risk change if what you have done already has been successful and taken you to your current level? How much time and effort would it take to learn any new skills required? Would a new way of doing things work as well in practice?

These are all legitimate questions.

Yet we know that top performers in any field constantly learn, adjust and refine their approach to make sure they stay on top of their game. The world of competitive sport, for example, provides many excellent examples of the benefits of adopting a ‘continuous improvement’ mindset.

The same principles are relevant in the workplace. ‘Learning as you go’ provides competitive advantages.

If you stand still and take little interest in your self-development, you run the risk of being left behind as technology and the world move on. By the time you are forced to make changes, you may be left playing ‘catch up’ with too much to learn in too short a time. Skills, which were once relevant, become obsolete, and performance deteriorates.

Age should not be a barrier to learning.

Research shows that whilst some people are naturally more open to learning and

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new experiences than others, we all have the capacity to learn new things throughout our lives.

The human brain retains its ability to form new neural connections and learn at any age, so-called neuro plasticity. A lifetime of experience provides a rich database for reference. The key is to treat personal development as an ongoing priority on a par with operational delivery.

This is easier said than done. To carve out the time for personal development in a busy working environment requires considerable determination and mental toughness. Psychologist professor, Peter Clough, calls this the ‘penicillin of personal development’.

We see the following as critical: • Take control of your time to make space for learning and don’t get bogged down in trivia. Opportunities for learning are not confined to training courses.

Spend a few minutes at the end of each day systematically reflecting on lessons learned from work experiences • Develop the confidence to seek out feedback, listen to what others have to say and try out new ways of working.

People who are embarrassed by being wrong or making mistakes don’t learn • Be persistent – stick at something and keep practising it until you get it right!

Don’t rest on your laurels or you run the risk of getting left behind!

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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has named Diane Papaianni as its new general manager of New Jersey Airports, which includes Newark Liberty International Airport. Papaianni, Newark Liberty’s deputy general manager since 2014, replaces Richard Heslin, who is retiring from the agency after a 45-year career. In her new role, Papaianni will be responsible for both Newark Liberty and Teterboro airports and will oversee plans for a new $2.3 billion Terminal A at Newark Liberty. She joined the agency in 1979 and has held a number of senior management positions at Newark Liberty since then.

Two other PANYNJ veterans also are moving into new roles. Doug Stearns, deputy general manager of LaGuardia Airport for the last two years, is succeeding Papaianni as deputy general manager of New Jersey Airports. Anthony Vero, LaGuardia’s manager of physical plant and redevelopment, has been appointed the new deputy general manager at LaGuardia.

New Heathrow hire, Ali Jafarey, is believed to be the world’s first airport cycle officer and is tasked with persuading more of the 16,500 staff that live within a five-kilometre distance of the gateway to ride bikes to work.

Sydney Airport CEO, Kerrie Mather, is the new president of ACI Asia-Pacific, succeeding the retiring Dennis Chant. “As president of ACI Asia-Pacific, I will continue to work closely with the Regional Board and the Regional Office in promoting professional excellence in airport management and operations,” she promised.

About the authors Dr Richard Plenty is managing director of This Is… and delivers ACI’s ‘Airport Human Resources’ training. Terri Morrissey is chairperson of This Is… and CEO of the Psychological Society of Ireland. Contact them through info@thisis.eu

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