Airport World, Issue 4, 2017

In the spotlight: Planning & Design Airport profile: Toronto Pearson Talking point: Cyber security Plus: Biometrics, People matters & WBP news

Planning & Design: Looking ahead August-September 2017 Volume 22 Issue 4 www.aci.aero

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Airport World Editor Joe Bates +44 (0)1276 476582 joe@airport-world.com Design, Layout & Production Mark Draper +44 (0)208 707 2743 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)208 384 0206 andrewh@airport-world.com Subscriptions subscriptions@aviationmedia.aero Managing Director Jonathan Lee +44 (0)208 707 2743 jonathan@aviationmedia.aero Published by Aviation Media Ltd PO BOX 448, Feltham, TW13 9EA, UK

Website www.airport-world.com

Airport World is published six times a year for the members of ACI. The opinions and views expressed in Airport World are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect an ACI policy or position.

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Catering for all Airport World editor, Joe Bates, reflects on the importance of providing facilities that are accessible and user-friendly for all passengers.

I

n this ‘Planning & Design’ themed issue of Airport World you will be able to read about some of the most ambitious and exciting airport development projects on the planet ranging from Toronto Pearson’s plans to become a ‘mega hub’ to the proposed creation of an ‘airport city’ around Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.

You will also learn more about how innovative airport design is helping enhance the passenger experience; we reflect on a new approach to planning and design; and turn the spotlight on a handful of impressive new retail and F&B projects.

We also briefly touch on the need for airports to consider the requirements of disabled passengers when designing new facilities or enhancing existing ones.

Indeed, in our round-up of the highlights of the recent SMART Airports and Regions Conference and Exhibition in Charlotte, NC, Metropolitan Airport Commission’s director of operations at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, Phil Burke, focused on the outstanding work the gateway has done, and continues to do, to enhance access for people with disabilities.

The topic of airports catering to passengers with disabilities actually made the headlines in the UK in early August when the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published a report that revealed that the nation’s top 30 gateways are essentially doing a good job when it comes to providing services and facilities for disabled travellers.

Specifically, it said that six of the airports reviewed were rated as ‘very good’, 20 rated as ‘good’, and only four rated as ‘poor’.

Unfortunately, the UK’s biggest airport, London Heathrow, is one of these along with Manchester, East Midlands and Exeter.

The CAA’s director of consumers and markets, Richard Moriarty, said: “Our surveys, along with the airports’ own studies, have shown high levels of satisfaction among disabled passengers and we have seen some examples of excellent service where assistance is well organised and delays are minimal.

“However, East Midlands, Exeter, Heathrow and Manchester have fallen short of our expectations and we have secured commitments from them to make improvements.

“We will monitor their implementation over the coming months to make sure that services for passengers with a disability or reduced mobility continue to improve.”

We will follow developments with interest and plan to write more about what the world’s airports are doing to ensure that they cater to the accessibility needs of all travellers in a future issue.

In addition to the features in the ‘Planning and Design’ section of the magazine, this issue of Airport World also contains articles about the use of biometrics at US airports and airport security, the latter including advice on how you can make your airport cyber resilient and a piece from ACI World’s head of security, Nina Brooks, about the importance of creating a strong security culture.

We also talk to Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s CEO, Howard Eng, about the opportunities and challenges facing Toronto Pearson International Airport; hear from ACI World director general, Angela Gittens, about the benefits of making the optimum use of emerging technologies, processes and design developments; and report on the latest news and views from ACI’s World Business Partners.

AW I hope you agree that it’s a great issue!

AIRPORT WORLD/AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2017

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CONTENTS

In this issue

In the spotlight: Planning & Design Airport profile: Toronto Pearson Talking point: Cyber security Plus: Biometrics, People matters & WBP news

Planning & Design: Looking ahead August-September 2017 Volume 22 Issue 4 www.aci.aero

Issue 4 Volume 22 3 Opinion Airport World editor, Joe Bates, reflects on the importance of providing facilities that are accessible and user-friendly for all passengers.

8 The next step CEO, Howard Eng, tells Joe Bates more about the Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s ambitious plans to create a ‘mega hub’ at Toronto Pearson.

14 ACI News Sabrina Guerrieri reports on the announcement of the 2017 inductees into the ACI Director General’s Roll of Excellence and the latest global traffic trends.

17 View from the top ACI World director general, Angela Gittens, reflects on the benefits of making the optimum use of emerging technologies, processes and design developments.

18 Creating experiences Embracing the experiential as well as the functional aspects of airport design can create truly memorable, enjoyable and efficient facilities, writes April Meyer, Alliiance principal and senior terminal designer for interiors.

22 Ready for take-off NACO’s René Marey takes a closer look at plans to create an airport city at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, located at the crossroads between the Middle East and Asia.

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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

25 Raising the bar Airport World reviews a handful of projects designed to boost the retail/F&B options at airports in Australia and North America.

27 What’s next for Wi-Fi? Boingo’s Danielle Aiello outlines the top wireless trends that airports should take note of as they plan the next phase of their development.

30 Watching brief Airport World turns the spotlight on some exciting airport development projects taking place in Asia-Pacific and Europe.

35 Doing things differently Landrum & Brown’s president, Brian Reed, reflects on a new approach to the design and development of airport infrastructure that should eliminate any disconnect between planners and architects.

36 Smart solutions Joe Bates reports on the highlights of the recent SMART Airports & Regions Conference and Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina.

41 Security through culture ACI World’s head of security, Nina Brooks, considers the importance of creating a strong security culture at airports across the globe.

45 Face time Is the use of biometric technology about to take off at US airports? Gemalto’s SVP of government programmes, Neville Pattinson, considers some options.

47 Combatting cyber crime Andy Wall, technical director of cyber security at Atkins, outlines five steps he believes airports can take to create cyber safe and secure environments.

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

50 People matters Dr Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey reflect on the importance of building a strong airport team.

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Africa (2) Saleh Dunoma (Lagos, Nigeria) Bongani Maseko (Johannesburg, South Africa) Asia-Pacific (9) Aimen Al-Hosni (Muscat, Oman) Kjeld Binger (Amman, Jordan) Datuk Badlisham Bin Ghazali (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Fred Lam (Hong Kong) Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore) Xue Song Liu, (Beijing, China) Kerrie Mather (Sydney, Australia) Emmanuel Menanteau (Osaka, Japan) PS Nair (Delhi, India) Europe (7) Daniel Burkard (Moscow, Russia) Declan Collier (London, UK) Elena Mayoral Corcuera (Madrid, Spain) Arnaud Feist (Brussels, Belgium) Michael Kerkloh (Munich, Germany) Jos Nijhuis (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Sani Şener (Istanbul, Turkey) Latin America & Caribbean (3) Ezequiel Barrenechea (Lima, Peru) Martin Eurnekian (Buenos Aires, Argentina) Andrew O’Brian (Quito, Ecuador) North America (7) Lew Bleiweis (Asheville, USA) Joyce Carter (Halifax, Canda) Howard Eng (Toronto, Canada) Deborah Flint (Los Angeles, USA) Joe Lopano (Tampa, USA) Tom Ruth (Edmonton, Canada) William Vanecek (Buffalo, USA) Regional Advisers to the World Governing Board (9) Zouhair Mohamed El Aoufir (Rabat, Morocco) Pascal Komla (Lomé, Togo) Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) Candace McGraw (Cincinnati, USA) Joseph Napoli (Miami, USA) Hector Navarrete Muñoz (Merida, Mexico) Augustin de Romanet (Paris, France) Brian Ryks (Minneapolis-St Paul, USA) Stefan Schulte (Frankfurt, Germany) World Business Partner Observer Babatunde Oyekola (El-Mansur Atelier Group) Correct as of August 2017

AIRPORT REPORT: TORONTO PEARSON

The next step CEO, Howard Eng, tells Joe Bates more about the Greater Toronto Airports Authority’s ambitious plans to create a ‘mega hub’ at Toronto Pearson.

T

oronto Pearson International Airport has been one of the fastest growing major airports in North America for the last three years with annual growth of around 8%.

The upward trajectory led to it becoming the first Canadian gateway to break the 40mppa milestone in 2015, and then register an all-time high of 44.3 million passengers (+8%) in 2016.

It attributes the impressive annual rises to a combination of the business and tourism appeal of Canada; a healthy airline mix of 70 airlines that includes four “strong Canadian carriers” (Air Canada, Westjet, Sunwing and Air Transat); lower fuel prices acting as the catalyst for route development and more competitive fares; the growing population of the Greater Toronto Area, which now stands at 6.4 million; and a catchment area of 150 million people living within a 90-minute flight of Pearson.

A similar rate of growth this year – passenger numbers were up by 7.4% in the first quarter of 2017 – will almost certainly elevate Toronto Pearson into the top 10 busiest airports in North America for the first time in its history.

Achieving such a lofty status would cap an amazing five years of traffic growth for Pearson, but shouldn’t exactly be a surprise to airport aficionados as operator, Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), recently stated that it can become a ‘mega hub’.

Bold ambitions The ambition is outlined in its Growing Canada with a Mega Hub Airport report, which claims that Toronto Pearson is poised to become one of the world’s next top tier international airports, providing air connectivity to up to 80% of the world’s economies.

The report states that existing mega hubs as Dubai International, Singapore Changi and New York-JFK have a large percentage of international passengers, significant connecting traffic, and are growing at faster rates than their local economies.

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And it argues that Toronto Pearson is close to joining them based on its passenger growth, traffic mix and the economic benefits it delivers to Toronto, the province of Ontario and the whole of Canada.

Indeed, it points out that 180 destinations across the globe are served non-stop from Pearson, which directly employs 49,000 staff.

Moreover, some 300,000 people work in the area surrounding the airport.

However, the GTAA claims that Pearson is not a mega hub yet and believes that six concrete steps need to be taken in conjunction with the Canadian government before it can realise its potential and deliver economic benefits from coast to coast.

These, it says, include improving transportation access to the airport, achieving the hassle-free flow of passengers through Pearson, and policy amendments to attract international passengers.

But, first things first, what does GTAA consider a mega hub to be and why has it stated this ambition now?

“We believe that mega hubs are global hubs that get to a certain size and then defy the conventional wisdom and still continue to grow by 4%, 5% and 6% per year,” says GTAA’s CEO, Howard Eng. “By our definition this size is around 55 million passengers per year or higher, and the traffic mix must include at least 30 million international passengers per annum. We also believe that connecting passengers must account for more that 35% of the traffic at a mega hub, which must have a route network that directly serves 80% of the global GDP. “Traditionally, airport growth rates have slowed as airports have become bigger and more mature. For example, traffic typically might grow by 3% to 4% annually until you get to 50 million passengers, then the growth slows to around 1% to 2%. However, we have noticed a change in this pattern across the globe in recent years with some airports continuing to show much higher growth rates.

AIRPORT REPORT: TORONTO PEARSON “If you are handling 50 to 60 million passengers yearly and growing by 5% to 6% annually every year, you are going to grow pretty big, pretty fast.”

Eng – who notes that Toronto Pearson is currently one of 35 to 40 global hubs around the world – continues: “There are only so many opportunities around the world for an airport to become a mega hub and one of them is here in Toronto.

“The time is right, and if we don’t act now, we may miss the opportunity to capitalise on the airport’s full potential. Market competition is increasingly global and the competitiveness of the Greater Toronto Area, and the entire country, depends on its access to international markets.

“For our region to be able to compete with other city-regions around the world and reap the economic benefits, it needs a globally competitive mega hub airport.

“We will make the necessary investments to enable this growth.

However, to achieve mega hub status and all the associated benefits for the region and the country, we will need support from government.”

Government support Enhancing transportation access to the airport; improving Customs, Immigration and Security staffing levels to reduce queue times; and policy amendments to attract more international passengers are just a few of the ways GTAA claims that the government can help the airport achieve mega hub status.

One of its key recommendations is for all levels of government to prioritise regional transit connections into Toronto Pearson to serve the airport area. The area around the airport has been identified as Canada’s second largest employment zone by the Neptis Foundation and is home to a significant concentration of manufacturing and transportation-related employment, as well as a growing number of finance and business services jobs.

Its importance means that over one million car trips a day are made into and out of the airport employment zone, due in part to a lack of public transport options, and GTAA knows that the sustainable

development of Toronto Pearson will be severely hampered without better ground transportation links.

Its vision is for an on-site multi-modal transportation centre capable of facilitating multiple transit connections such as local, regional commuter and light rail links as well as high-speed, inter-city services.

“We are lucky enough to have a direct ‘Heathrow Express’ type train link to Union Station today, but what we are saying is that this is not nearly enough for Pearson or the entire region,” says Eng. “Our ground connectivity must match the quality of our air connectivity, as people need to be able to get quickly and easily to Pearson or their final destination in Canada upon arrival at the airport.

“Simply put, to leverage the value that the air hub brings to this region we must work on improving the ground transportation options for both passengers and cargo.”

He says that GTAA is providing ‘thought leadership’ on the issue, and while it expects to fund the construction of the transit centre, the task of approving the projects and subsequently funding new roads and rail links ultimately falls to the provisional and federal governments.

“The airport’s location at the heart of the GTA’s three municipal areas means that we have the opportunity to create a regional transit centre like London’s Paddington Station at Toronto Pearson,” enthuses Eng. “Our vision will reduce congestion on our roads and take the airport to the next level in terms of passenger numbers, bringing even greater economic benefits to Southern Ontario.”

Eng cites Amsterdam Schiphol and Frankfurt Airport as gateways with excellent rail links and ground transportation facilities and is optimistic that Toronto Pearson could have something similar within a decade.

Airport infrastructure Eng admits that space limitations mean that the possibility of expanding Pearson’s airfield are limited, although he believes that the industry trend of upgauging aircraft will significantly expand the airport’s capacity without the need for new concrete.

GTAA recently released an RFP for design consulting services for the concept development of its proposed Regional Transit Centre.

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AIRPORT REPORT: TORONTO PEARSON

Indeed, he believes that wide-bodies will eventually account for 50% of all aircraft movements at Pearson, which he says would allow the airport to handle “significantly” more passengers than it does today.

As an example of the new trend, he notes that annual 2.1% and 2.8% increases in aircraft movements in 2015 and 2016 respectively resulted in passenger growth of 6.4% and 8% during the same years.

He also believes that the continued advancement in new passenger processing technologies means that there is still plenty of scope to more effectively and efficiently use the airport’s existing terminal facilities before more capacity-enhancing infrastructure is needed.

Having said that, Eng tells Airport World that GTAA has been in discussion with Pearson’s airlines over what comes next in terms of facilities, and a new pier is likely within the next five or six years.

“New technologies are changing the way we use airports and will play a big part in our future expansion plans in addition to new infrastructure, which will be built when demand dictates it,” reveals Eng. “We are actually working closely with the carriers to define our growth plan and will shortly be going out to the industry with some preliminary designs for a new pier.

“At the end of the day it is the runway capacity that ultimately decides the capacity of an airport, as although you can always use a terminal more efficiently, you can only have so many aircraft landing on a runway. Based on our airside capacity and current and planned air traffic control technologies, I would say the capacity of Toronto Pearson is around 80 to 85 million passengers per annum.”

Southern Ontario Airport Network With passenger numbers across southern Ontario expected to reach 110 million by the early 2040s, the region’s airports are aware that many of them will have a key role to play in ensuring that the province is equipped to meet future demand.

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Indeed, GTAA is already thinking about the niche types of traffic and aviation services that could be better served at the region’s airports as Pearson reaches capacity.

Its desire to work more closely with the region’s other airports to examine a number of potential future capacity and connectivity issues proved integral in the establishment of the Southern Ontario Airport Network (SOAN) association earlier this year.

Fellow SOAN members are Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Hamilton John C Munro International Airport, Kingston/Norman Rogers Airport, Lake Simcoe Regional Airport, London International Airport, Oshawa Executive Airport, Niagara District Airport, Peterborough Airport, Region of Waterloo International Airport and Windsor International Airport.

SOAN’s short, medium and long-term goals include understanding the ground transportation needs in Southern Ontario and “advocating for investment in ground transportation improvements that will reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions”.

It also states that it is committed to “developing best in class strategies for responsible and sustainable airport growth”, and in conjunction with its launch, released a statement of intent entitled, ‘Flying Together: The Southern Ontario Airport Network’.

The document emphasised that planning for growth in a responsible way is essential and that without it, the region could potentially “leave C$15 billion in GDP on the table and force more than 20 million passengers to look elsewhere for their air travel needs”.

“Thankfully, we have a network of great airports, who have come together to start brainstorming ways to capitalise on this incredible opportunity for growth,” says Eng. “We know that the efficient movement of people and goods to and from our region is an important part of Canada’s broader supply chain, and that we have a role in enabling economic prosperity through our actions and investments.

“As we look to the future of this growing region, we know that each of our airports can play a greater role in supporting our local and regional economies.”

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AIRPORT REPORT: TORONTO PEARSON

Airlines and traffic growth Not surprisingly national flag carrier, Air Canada, is the biggest operator at the airport, accounting for 58% of its 44.3 million passengers in 2016, operating over 350 daily departing flights to 165 destinations, the most recent of which are Delhi, Mumbai and Berlin.

WestJet, which last year launched international services to London Gatwick, is the next biggest airline in terms of market share followed

by Air Transat, Sunwing, American, Delta, United and British Airways.

A growing international route network saw Toronto Pearson handle 27.4 million international passengers in 2016, a new record for the airport and close to the 30 million target GTAA believes it needs to accommodate to become a mega hub.

In 2016, transfer traffic accounted for 31.5% of Toronto Pearson’s overall traffic, including cross border connections between Canada and the USA. In fact, the number of connecting passengers at Toronto Pearson is one of the gateway’s biggest success stories of recent times, the airport handling 5.5 million more transit passengers last year than it did in 2010 – an increase of 64%.

“Toronto Pearson’s strong performance in the first half of this year, particularly with regard to our significant increases in total and international passengers, is testament to our growing status as a vital connector of people and businesses,” says Eng.

Customer service Eng says that Pearson takes the provision of good customer service very seriously and believes that this philosophy is reflected in a number of ways, ranging from the opening of innovative new

retail/F&B outlets and other ambience enhancing facilities to the launch of an ‘I am Pearson’ programme designed to make all airport staff proud of the airport.

“You just need to look at our mission statement, which is ‘Passengers are our passion’, to realise how seriously we take customer service,” he says.

“We are part of ACI’s ASQ customer satisfaction programme and place great value on being assessed by our passengers on 34 different areas and learning what we can do to improve every year.”

As a direct result of ASQ feedback, the airport has scrapped a fee for baggage carts and made wayfinding easier by installing 6,000 new signs, reveals Eng, remarking that Pearson really does listen to its passengers.

He states that wait times at security and passport control are “adequate to good, but not exceptional”, quickly adding that there is always room for improvement.

“When I was in Hong Kong we succeeded in getting 95% of passengers through security in four-and-a-half minutes. Are we achieving that here? No, but we are upgrading our screening equipment and are funding the opening of additional security lanes as we aim to do better, and match or better, those times,” says Eng. Other examples of GTAA investing in new facilities include the purchase of the airport’s biometric passport reading machines in a bid to minimise queuing times.

Without doubt Toronto Pearson is already a success story and its ambitions to become a mega hub and provide an ever better service AW to passengers arguably ensure that the best is still to come!

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ACI WORLDHEAD NEWS RUNNING

World in motion Sabrina Guerrieri reports on the announcement of the 2017 inductees into the ACI Director General’s Roll of Excellence and the latest global traffic trends.

T

he number of airports recognised by ACI for their consistent delivery of top quality customer service is on the rise following the induction of Detroit Metropolitan Airport (USA), Munich Airport (Germany), Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (Kenya), Salt Lake City International Airport (USA), and Tianjin Binhai International Airport (China) into the ACI Director General’s Roll of Excellence.

The honour recognises those airports that, in the opinion of the passengers who participated in ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Surveys, have consistently delivered excellence in customer service.

Indeed, it acknowledges airports that have ranked in the top five airports by size or region for five of the last six years in the ASQ Survey.

The five new additions mean that 41 airports have been inducted into the ACI’s Director General’s Roll of Excellence since it was introduced in 2011.

Their induction ceremony will take place at the Gala Dinner of the 27th ACI Africa/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition in Port Louis, Mauritius, from October 16–18, 2017.

To further help airports measure, benchmark and promote customer service excellence, ACI has also launched the ASQ Arrivals Survey.

As an add-on to the existing ASQ programme that focuses on the experience of departing passengers, the ASQ Arrivals Survey provides participating airports with the full picture needed to enhance service levels everywhere in the airport.

The ASQ Arrivals Survey delivers valuable insights on disembarkation; immigration; baggage reclaim; customs; infrastructure and services; and, passenger profiles.

And, like the ASQ Departures Survey, the ASQ Arrivals Survey gives airports the tools they need to improve their passenger service initiatives and the flexibility to adapt the programme through optional services like additional sample plans, increased sample sizes, benchmarking and to adding questions.

The ACI ASQ Survey measures passengers’ appraisal of 34 key performance indicators on the day they travel, allowing airports to get an accurate picture of traveller sentiment.

ASQ has been designed for airports of all sizes seeking to measure their passenger service performance and to benchmark it against other similarly sized airports with the overarching objective of offering more effective, efficient and profitable ways to serve the flying public.

View the full list of Roll of Excellence including previous years at www.aci.aero/Customer-Experience-ASQ/ASQ-Awards/ACI-DirectorGenerals-Roll-of-Excellence.

Learn more about the ASQ Arrivals Survey at www.aci.aero/ Customer-Experience-ASQ/ASQ-Services/ASQ-Arrival-Survey.

Traffic trends A healthy 8.1% rise in international passenger numbers helped ensure that May was a good month for the world’s airports, which handled 6.2% more passengers during the month than a year ago.

At the regional level, Europe and Asia-Pacific posted the highest passenger traffic increases at 8.2% and 7.9% respectively. Europe’s

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The ASQ Forums are a popular part of the ASQ programme. Over 230 participants attended the most recent one in Haikou, China.

main growth driver, as with the global market, was the increase in international passengers at 9% year over year compared to its domestic component at 6.1%. The Russian Federation, Portugal and the Netherlands contributed significantly to this growth, posting rates of 21.3%, 16.8% and 9% respectively.

Asia-Pacific’s growth was distributed more evenly between international (7.7%) and domestic (7.9%) passenger traffic. Indian and Chinese airports continued to contribute to the region’s sustained expansion despite Beijing Capital (PEK), the largest airport in the region, experiencing slower growth.

The Middle East experienced a significant slowdown in May 2017 compared to the corresponding month a year ago, posting a 4.1% increase in May 2017 versus 11.4% in May 2016. The ban on personal electronic devices on flights from Middle Eastern and Northern countries, in place between March and July, may have hindered traffic gains in the affected States.

After a period of economic uncertainty regarding the United States trade policy and risks related to the United Kingdom’s vote to withdraw from the European Union, global commerce is no longer sidelined. The rise in business confidence translated into a robust recovery in air freight volumes in 2017, increasing by 11.1% year over year in May. All regions demonstrated high growth during that period, but Europe and North America presented the highest increases, with growth rates of 12% and 11.9% respectively.

Freight traffic numbers in North America were boosted by their largest freight hubs. Four of their top five airports in terms of cargo volume, representing 43.2% of total cargo in 2016, posted double digit growth. Anchorage (ANC), Louisville (SDF), Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX) all experienced increases between 11% and 13%. Memphis (MEM), the largest freight hub of the region, grew 1.3%.

ACI WORLD NEWS

ACI events

2017

2017

2017

2017

2017

September 17-20

November 7-9

October 3-4

October 16-18

November 1-3

ACI-NA Annual Conference & Exhibition Fort Worth, USA

ACI-LAC Annual Assembly, Conference & Exhibition San Jose, Costa Rica

Global Sustainable Aviation Summit Geneva, Switzerland

ACI Africa/ACI World Annual General Assembly, Conference & Exhibition Port Louis, Mauritius

Trinity Forum Bangkok, Thailand

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

Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable.

As of January 2017, ACI serves 623 members operating 1,940 airports in 176 countries.

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View from the top

ACI VIEWPOINT

ACI World director general, Angela Gittens, reflects on the benefits of making the optimum use of emerging technologies, processes and design developments.

P

assenger and cargo travel processes will need to change dramatically in the near and distant future in light of projected air traffic growth.

Indeed, ACI World forecasts that traffic volumes will exceed 40 billion passengers and 145 million tonnes of cargo by 2029, meaning that airports, airlines and their contractors and suppliers will increasingly be challenged to optimise the use of emerging technologies, processes and design developments.

ACI and its airport members work together with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and their airline members to deliver this future to the coming travellers and shippers.

We seek to provide a seamless journey by sharing data and capability among stakeholders; offering more off-site processing options; reducing or eliminating queues; and providing more efficient use of space and resources through enhanced deployments of artificial intelligence and robotics.

Making better use of data and communications is fundamental to optimising people’s journeys and improving the customer experience.

There is a growing requirement among the aviation community to share flight, baggage and passenger processing information.

Established by ACI, IATA and Eurocontrol in 2009, the Airport Community Recommended Information Services (ACRIS) provides a framework for the exchange of data between stakeholders. Real-time communications are increasing and we now have the opportunity to develop best practices for co-ordinated operations improvement.

Passenger expectations are also evolving. Travellers are becoming increasingly comfortable with digital services and, in fact, expect them to be tailored to their different travel experiences.

And this trend is increasing the possibilities of what can happen in places other than the airport, both from a physical and virtual perspective. For instance, passengers will have more choices and control of the location, timing and process of certain functions related to their journey or shipment, such as check-in or baggage drop-off.

The protection of the public areas of airports through the elimination or reduction of queues is a critical piece of the airport security regime.

A multi-layered, risk-based approach is needed to address this issue, but a fundamental element is airport design. ACI Europe

has provided valuable guidance material on this topic, and ACI World is taking this forward into a detailed handbook for publication at the end 2017.

Technologies also play an important role in the elimination or reduction of queues, and initiatives already underway include airport beacons to facilitate wayfinding; biometric smart identification, such as facial recognition, to improve throughput; and improved screening processes, facilitated through the ACI-IATA Smart Security programme.

Automated machines and artificial intelligence will offer more proactive abilities in mitigating accidents or operational flow disturbance.

In the case of a crisis, they have the potential to make better decisions, and are an opportunity for airports to reduce costs.

Through self-learning, new intelligent software will be able to predict certain problems and provide corrective measures before an event actually takes place, providing the opportunity to avoid it completely.

Helping our members optimise the use of emerging technologies, processes and design developments is a key priority among ACI and our industry partners.

The culmination of our efforts is to integrate systems and improve operations in the most secure, effective and sustainable manner for the benefit of passengers, shippers and providers alike.

Looking forward, those that are best able to do so will certainly have an advantage over their competitors.

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Creating experiences Embracing the experiential as well as the functional aspects of airport design can create truly memorable, enjoyable and efficient facilities, writes April Meyer, Alliiance principal and senior terminal designer for interiors.

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magine walking through your favourite airport. Whether you’ve done it once or hundreds of times, the experience of air travel and the airports you traverse create an indelible impression.

Perhaps this is because of what airports represent – travel, adventure, escape, or maybe it’s their size; they tend to be impressive structures, rife with activity both human and machine.

What may be more difficult to imagine is the underpinnings of such a place. What does it take to effectively design a space with so many moving parts and strong associations?

This question is at the centre of airport design and the corresponding answers evolve constantly. There is however, a crux, fixed and fundamental, which is how to deliver the best possible passenger experience.

This includes much more than simply ‘getting from point A to B’. The Alliiance aviation team has, for decades, focused on advancing design considerations that maximise passenger experience by integrating key concepts of sense of place, hospitality, and intuitive wayfinding.

Although industry changes and technological advances such as shifting security concerns and adaptation of mobile technologies necessarily push the evolution of airport design, there are several, perhaps more obscure, societal drivers that are changing the expectations of passengers as well.

For some years, I’ve been immersed in understanding the role of generationality in this process. As a Gen Xer, I understand well, the preferences of my fellow post-boomers. Pragmatic and self-reliant, we find comfort in division of work and play.

I personally thrive in quiet and like to stand at a desk while I work (verses, say, laying across a sofa). Millennials, on the other hand, work and play flexibly. They have an “any place, any time” mentality towards life.

These two groups, albeit adjacent in time, and not representative of the full spectrum of passenger types, illustrate some of the diversity in lifestyle preferences that are a major driving force in current design trends. From ‘Dilbert cubes’ to the mobile

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employee, a well-designed space can support the needs of many to work and be engaged in the world beyond the airport.

Parallel to generational considerations is a move towards creating more hospitality-oriented spaces in all areas of our daily life, including airports. This means creating a variety of environments for working, lounging, or being entertained within the airport.

This shift mirrors an increased move away from sterile brand continuity in the hospitality industry itself. Hotels, restaurants and retail space are becoming, by and large, more focused on creating a richer sense of brand recognition through quality experiences in regionally inspired spaces designed as a unique expression, something Alliiance has been promoting for years in airports.

Customisation, which is the common thread between these trends, is now a matter of course with design as the basis. Our current projects in diverse locations such as Louisville, Kentucky; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Memphis, Tennessee; and Réunion Island, located 900 kilometres east of Madagascar, unite many of these trends in new and unique ways.

The evolution of the experiential side of airport design since the early 1990s has followed an arc which, in loose chronological order, has included integrated regional sense of place, increased concession quality and variety, increased service-based amenities, streamlining of processes, and more recently, the introduction of more hospitality-related environments, equitable access design, and merging of airport brand with a more transcendental, holistic notion of ‘place’.

Although now the term is frequently overused and oversimplified in the industry, when Alliiance initially pioneered the notion of ‘sense of place’ in the early 90s, it was more a macro version of customisation, that authentically celebrated regional culture and environment in a sophisticated and integrated manner, not a theme park imitation of the locale.

If properly implemented, it sends a resounding, yet elegant message to passengers that they have indeed ‘arrived’ at their

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

All pictures courtesy of John Magnoski Photography.

destination. The airport is the gateway to its region and the first and last place travellers experience, and should be authentic and appropriate in its expression.

In both Grand Rapids and Louisville, this notion of appropriate ‘sense of place’ was adapted to meld with overall airport branding efforts. In both instances, the design work was co-ordinated with simultaneous branding efforts including new visual identities and logos.

In Louisville, the Alliiance team (including graphic/ environmental designers at Kolar Design) merged the research and design efforts of both architecture and graphic design into a seamless mutually informing process.

The process involved community and staff in a series of workshops that included not just imagery and discussion of the physical attributes of the region but, importantly, the cultural, social, historical, and emotional components of the city and region as well as the service and operational aspirations of the airport.

The exercises included semantic studies and ultimately the creation of narratives that co-ordinated and bound formal design, colour and function with ‘story-telling’.

As the design advanced, opportunities were developed for subtle, abstract, and integrated references to the resulting overarching sense of place message within the architecture.

This included new terrazzo floors and finishes, as well as feature areas, which more literally tell the Louisville story with written word and images.

Louisville artists Elizabeth Swanson and Mike McKay are contributing to the project with a soon to be installed public art sculpture that complements the overall project message of ‘Setting A Higher Standard – Distilling Great Experiences’.

This uniting theme is simultaneously a nod to the Bourbon industry of the region, as well as a tradition of craft and quality throughout Louisville’s culture including industry, community engagement, celebrations, food, and the arts.

The new logo, the architecture, and art, along with the airport’s mission, all resonate and reinforce each other as a result of the holistic process taken. It is personally exciting to have witnessed

and participated in the evolution of this approach to airport design with the resulting blend of meaning and beauty.

In conjunction with creating a ‘sense of place’, or rather on the other side of the same coin, airports have transformed in the age of customisation into an extension of the hospitality experience, the bespoke experience.

Fancy a taste of bourbon? Check out the Bourbon Academy Tasting Room where, in parallel to Alliiance’s terminal enhancement project, local flavour is featured in a distillery inspired space where visitors can sip and learn about bourbon and the heritage of Kentucky.

In Louisville, passengers will also find a Starbucks Evenings as well as namesake KFC, with revamped interiors that pay homage to the Colonel and are complete with a bucket themed chandelier and a Colonel statue perfect for photos and selfies.

These concepts, developed by HMSHost in conjunction with Tinsley Family Concessions, are elevated in both quality and sensitivity to the overall project message mentioned earlier.

They participate in and complete the cohesive brand Louisville now portrays. In addition to authentic restaurant and retail experience, passengers want flexible space to use as they please – to rest, work, visit and even meditate.

Not only is there an imperative to provide greater flexibility, but these variety of experiences are increasingly more intermingled to create a more flowing and dynamic experience.

For example, as part of the Memphis International Airport Concourse Modernization project, Alliiance, with Memphis-based UrbanARCH, designed a variety of lounge seating areas, flexible work and relaxation hubs, and feature areas dubbed ‘pocket parks’ amongst gate hold areas that also contain traditional beam-seating options.

‘Dignified waiting areas’ have been added at restrooms outside of the flow of circulation and enhanced with environmental art. Concessions are integrated into gate hold areas, and the entire experience occurs in an open airy and progressive environment rooted in the project vision, ‘Connect, Transform, and Inspire’.

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New graphic and visual identity developed in tandem with the architecture (top left); regionally enhanced concessions (lower left and right) and art (right) in Louisville.

Likewise, as part of the ‘global design vision’ Alliiance developed for Réunion’s Roland Garros Airport, passengers in future departures areas will flow through a fundamentally hospitality-oriented environment with a high percentage of lounge seating options, communal and work hubs intermingled with concessions and amenities.

The overall experience on this mezzanine level departures areas, overlooking more traditional existing waiting areas, will feel akin to a high-quality airline lounge flavoured by a sophisticated take on the essence of the island.

And while airy lounges and sophisticated concession offerings are all well and good, one must be able to find them first! Navigating an airport can be a source of frustration and anxiety. From seasoned travellers to those flying once or twice a year, a feeling of confidence in one’s ability to get around plays a significant role in the passenger experience.

While signage certainly has its place, intuitive wayfinding – moving from point to point, ideally towards a visible destination, with the help of visual and physical clues – helps draw people through a space without the need for intensive signage.

The means to accomplishing intuitive wayfinding starts with maintaining simple and clear circulation flows as well as high levels of visibility and orientation at all times.

This was a core goal of the Memphis Concourse Modernization project. The ‘Connect, Transform, and Inspire’ theme was partially reflected through the notion of ‘Memphis Walk’, which is an architectural idea more about a series of experiences connected by interior architecture elements than a literal path.

Despite the connotations of meandering that ‘Memphis Walk’ may imply, the circulation and sightlines are all very clear and open. This is important in reducing stress as passengers can see the gates and stay oriented at all times.

In the Réunion project, Alliiance effectively utilised a ‘visible destination’ in the form a waterfall, which anchors one end of the main ticket lobby.

Visible from the other end of the ticket lobby, it serves as a stylised wayfinding element to draw passengers up the vertical circulation to a landside concessions zone prior to security and the kiss-and-fly lounge. This transition happens naturally, fostering an engaging, enjoyable experience, while celebrating Réunion’s iconic waterfalls.

Most of what has been discussed here relates to the experiential aspects of terminal design, which is not to say that technological, programmatic and traditional ‘functional’ aspects of planning and design are not equally important to a properly functioning airport.

The takeaway, as I see it, should be that the approaches outlined above individually contribute to providing a more relaxed, enjoyable, and ultimately meaningful, experience. And if the ‘experiential’ and ‘functional’ are co-ordinated together they are dramatically more potent.

It is this more holistic approach merging customised, flexible hospitality environments, intuitive wayfinding, and ‘sense of place’ with the airport brand that we believe is one of the most powerful advances in airport design.

Indeed, we feel that it champions the best possible passenger experience – casting a positive light on the indelible impression made by the experience of airports and air travel.

AW

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Ready for take-off

NACO’s René Marey takes a closer look at plans to create an airport city at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, located at the crossroads between the Middle East and Asia.

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ran, one of the last untapped emerging markets, is beginning to open up to international trade and investment again after returning to the global economic stage following the lifting of sanctions.

The new dynamic has provided a catalyst for development projects across the country, nowhere more so than at Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA), where major expansion programmes are underway to upgrade the gateway and create Iran’s first airport city.

IKIA, and the new Imam Khomeini Airport City (IKAC), are located 45 kilometres southwest of Tehran.

Tehran’s main airport Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKIA) is a relatively new airport having only replaced Tehran’s old Mehrabad International Airport in 2004. It is Iran’s primary air gateway with international connections to Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The old airport, which is closer to the city centre, maintains a key position for domestic flights while Imam Khomeini exclusively operates as an international gateway, although it will introduce domestic services in the future.

Recognising the importance of IKIA to the local and national economy, the Iranian government has decided to modernise and expand the airport to ensure that it is equipped to meet anticipated traffic growth.

It also wants to introduce more retail and F&B outlets to boost the airport’s commercial revenues and improve IKIA’s freight facilities to allow it to fulfil its huge potential to develop as a cargo hub.

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With passenger traffic expected to soar to around 60mppa in the 2040s, there are plans to build a second runway, expand the existing terminal and add two additional terminals, one of which will be specifically designed to accommodate pilgrims on their journeys to Mecca and holy shrines in Iraq and Syria.

Market potential of Iran A successful air transport system in Iran will connect people, open global markets, facilitate trade with foreign companies, and enable Iranian companies to connect and do business with global supply chains.

It therefore goes without saying that enhancing Iran’s air connectivity will have considerable economic impact.

Iran, a country of 80 million people, boasts a large, young, urbanised and highly educated population that will potentially drive the pool of travellers and ensure that the propensity to fly quadruples over the next 30 years.

Tehran’s Airport City It is firmly believed that an airport city development at Imam Khomeini International Airport will capture and capitalise on the economic opportunities that the region offers.

The airport will offer the infrastructure, traffic and the business environment that is needed to set in motion the commercial, logistics, industrial and urban development of a 13,700-hectare site known as Imam Khomeini Airport City (IKAC).

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN It should also be noted that each of IKAC’s five sectors has benefits from, and dependencies upon, each other.

A study to quantify the contribution of IKIA and IKAC to the national economy shows that employment can grow from 18,400 jobs in 2015 to an estimated 112,900 jobs in 2046, and from a contribution of €315 million to GDP in 2015 to close to €2 billion in 2046.

Master plan

Those behind the project cite four key reasons why IKAC will have global appeal – its location on one of the world’s oldest trade routes; Iran’s huge hinterland and growing consumer market; its facilities that will include an International Free Zone; and the quality of services it will be able to provide.

In terms of its trade route location in the commercial centre of Iran, it is envisaged that IKAC can become an important hub for transport and commerce on the New Silk Route, running from Eastern China to the Mediterranean Sea.

Engines of development Given Iran’s predicted air traffic growth, geographic potential and the economics of its hinterland, arguably the biggest challenge faced

by IKAC’s developers was deciding on which sectors and clusters to focus on to maximise its socio-economic impact.

In order for it to be successful, it was important to remember to focus on sectors that have long and not only short-term potential, and to create true industry clusters. Similarly, translating supply chains into value chains is also key.

Integrated marketing analysis was used to help make the big decisions and, as a result, five major engines that will drive IKAC’s development were identified: • Aviation-oriented business activities • Logistics • Manufacturing industries • Research and development (R&D) • Modern business services Without doubt, education and R&D are of vital importance to the sustained success of any airport city and its inhabitants, and IKAC is no exception.

IKAC’s master plan provides a flexible framework for the long-term planning of the airport and airport city. It optimises the airport as a multi-modal hub where commercial activities support and complement its primary function.

Tehran’s location at the crossroads of many modes of connectivity means that the region generates high interest from (international) manufacturing companies.

About 2,700 hectares at IKAC are reserved for manufacturing industries that can greatly benefit from the high level of education among Iranian citizens to deliver about 150,000 jobs.

The airport city is well positioned to become the Iranian core of production. To create incentives for international manufacturing companies to locate in Iran, the government has assigned a Free Zone and Special Economic Zones in the IKAC development area.

A second major sector, logistics, is planned for a 1,800 hectare site and with 37,000 jobs related to it. Furthermore, 315 hectares are dedicated to an R&D campus and 287 hectares are reserved for mixed-use urban development and a Central Business District.

Landside connectivity is essential in IKAC to allow for its development into a national logistics hub. Indeed, great hinterland connections are essential for businesses to bring their products to markets in both Iran and abroad and vice versa.

A well-structured framework of roads will allow for easy access to all areas within the airport city. Two metro lines will give IKAC direct access to the capital.

The natural qualities of the airport city site have been embraced to maximise its potential to contribute to creating a high quality environment.

International standard residential areas are planned in the hills south of the airport city, with great views of IKAC and the airport, whilst leaving vast areas of flatlands dedicated to the logistics and manufacturing areas.

The arid, yet beautiful valley, which had been shaped by a river in the past, can aid in creating a sense of place through identifiable, high quality green areas.

Integrated approach A successful airport city development depends on a vision based on an integrated approach; one that focuses on creating economic value chains, whilst establishing a quality of life that has regional and international appeal.

Imam Khomeini International Airport and its airport city have the potential to become outstanding developments that showcase the best of Iran, boost economic growth and can compete against some of the region’s biggest cities.

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Raising the bar Airport World reviews a handful of projects designed to boost the retail/F&B options at airports in Australia and North America.

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elbourne Airport in Australia is to expand its retail offering with the addition of luxury brands Tiffany & Co, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Max Mara and Emporio Armani in Terminal 2 later this year.

The outlets will open in the airport’s new high-end fashion precinct as part of its continued effort to enhance the traveller experience.

The gateway claims that the new luxury brands have been purposefully chosen and carefully curated to meet the evolving needs and expectations of the airport’s passengers.

“The luxury precinct is really taking Melbourne Airport to the next level, with 11 of the world’s most prestigious brands set to enhance our international passenger experience,” says Andrew Gardiner, chief of retail at Melbourne Airport.

“Our domestic and international passengers have informed us of the stores they want to see, and we’re delivering on that with high end brands that we know our travellers love.”

The new high-end precinct will be located adjacent to the next generation duty free store and will also see brands including Australia’s leading official watch specialty store Watches of Switzerland, Swiss designer Bally, Michael Kors, HUGO BOSS and Furla, as well as upscale business and travel lifestyle brand Tumi.

All the stores are scheduled to be open between now and the end of November this year.

In the US, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has chosen a number of new concession offerings that it claims “reflect global tastes and feature several popular favourites”.

Their choice, following a competitive tender, will include báhn mi, burgers, a cocktail bar, ice cream, fresh juice, sushi and salads, with the locations opening in the coming years.

More opportunities for interested firms will still be available in the future, including approximately 20 units in the next lease group to be proposed for competitive bid starting this summer.

Currently, passengers have 86 dining and retail choices at the airport. That number is expected to grow to more than 135 dining and retail choices upon completion of the redevelopment effort.

“We’re particularly pleased that so many local minority and small businesses see the benefit of opportunities at Sea-Tac Airport, will create new jobs, and help us share a Pacific Northwest sense of place with our passengers. Remember to check in early and bring your appetite,” says Port of Seattle Commission president, Tom Albro.

Meanwhile, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) has completed an ambitious new restaurant and retail programme executed by the Houston Airport System, United Airlines, and dining and retail partners.

According to the Texas gateway, the multi-million dollar project — which began with construction in September 2015 — provides an elevated experience for airport customers, enhancing efforts to make Bush airport a five-star global air service gateway.

“The new programme dramatically improves the quality and variety of choices for our customers,” says Houston’s aviation director, Mario Diaz.

“We were looking for products and services that satisfied the needs, wants and desires of our passengers, and still create a sense of place that is uniquely Houston. This programme succeeds in reaching that vital goal.”

This long-term effort began with extensive planning, research and passenger surveys that provided the blueprint for the final result — a massive makeover that produced 43 new and diverse retail shopping options, 30 restaurants recognized for their variety, global flavours, and more healthful choices, and nine new coffee shops.

Global brands, local favourites, chef-inspired cuisine and fine dining have been added. The new programme includes global brands such as Hugo Boss, MAC, The Body Shop and the Hard Rock Café and a number of local concepts such as the Hubcap Grill & Beer Yard and AW Hugo’s Cocina.

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What’s next for Wi-Fi? Boingo’s Danielle Aiello outlines the top wireless trends that airports should take note of as they plan the next phase of their development.

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irports invested a record $9 billion on IT in 2016, according to SITA, with mobile solutions accounting for a big portion of the global spend as the industry continued to look for new ways of catering to the connected passenger.

From mobile ticketing to instant flight updates, there has been an explosion of technology everywhere we turn – and it’s only the beginning!

Airport wireless networks are at the heart of satisfying passengers’ voracious mobile appetites. Today, travellers primarily rely on wireless connections to check social channels like Facebook and Instagram; stream sports, TV and music apps such as Spotify and HBO; and download large files from the office.

But looking ahead, airports will turn to their wireless networks to more aggressively integrate m-commerce strategies that tap into mobile to recoup some of the cost of providing seamless connectivity.

By 2019, SITA estimates that 84% of airports will enable purchasing of airport services through their mobile app, and 29% plan to extend purchasing of airport services to passengers’ Smartwatches.

And it doesn’t stop there, as the dawn of the Internet of Things (IoT) will also impact on wireless network strategies.

In the future, ground operations, security checkpoints, runway monitoring, baggage handling and building management are all functions that will be transformed through a network of internetconnected objects that rely on embedded sensors to collect and exchange data. And it will all be tied back to the passenger experience.

For example, startups all the way up to major consumer brands like Samsonite are developing smart luggage with the IoT in mind.

Suitcases are now being equipped with features such as GPS tracking, fingerprint locks, weight notifications and proximity sensors.

Airlines are also starting to lead the charge by implementing connected beacons during the baggage handling process. This, in turn, gives airlines the ability to transmit baggage proximity information to customers at bag drop and baggage claim, improving confidence in an area that has traditionally lacked passenger-savvy tracking.

Wireless connectivity is central to the passenger journey and as technology continues to evolve, even the most advanced airports will be challenged to respond to digital shifts in the industry.

To stay ahead and not fall behind, here’s a summary of the top wireless trends every airport should take note of.

Wi-Fi reimagined: Hybrid networks and Virtualisation While major airports have embraced Wi-Fi to better serve travellers and their crave for connectivity, we are now entering a new era of airport wireless that merges both free and paid models – not one over the other.

The growing trend is to offer passengers more choice and control and move away from Wi-Fi networks that are a one size fits all approach. For example, the Wi-Fi requirements of an occasional leisure traveller who gets online to check email or update Facebook are vastly different from those of a business passenger who wants the network to function as an extension of the office. Networks should be flexible to meet each passenger’s individual needs.

Hybrid Wi-Fi networks can enable an experience that is fast, multi-platform, analytics-driven, responsive and tiered. Airports can secure these benefits by upgrading networks with the following features: WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) security encryption; tiered services with varying speed and bandwidth levels; actionable insights such as queue management, pathing and wayfinding; content management system (CMS) tools; and device flexibility across Smartphones, tablets and laptops.

As it relates to speed, remember that speed alone does not equal an optimal user experience. Networks need to be packed with features that provide a combination of speed, density and coverage for seamless connectivity.

Wireless infrastructures should also take Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) into consideration. NFV is a new technology that is

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receiving heightened attention for its ability to eliminate the need for expensive hardware and physical infrastructure, while reducing capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenses (OpEx).

Prioritising Passpoint To create a truly ubiquitous connectivity experience for travellers – one that removes the headaches of Wi-Fi log-ins and other frustrations – airports are adopting Passpoint.

Passpoint is a new set of wireless protocols that enable seamless, secure, automatic Wi-Fi access, with no user action needed. The technology has the power to fundamentally change the way consumers connect to Wi-Fi, doing away with public Wi-Fi network log-ins and browser redirects, dramatically improving the experience of connecting within an airport.

Travellers with a Passpoint profile installed on their device can enjoy an automatic connection with the fastest Wi-Fi speeds available at the venue from the moment they enter the airport.

Passpoint networks also provide a WPA2 encrypted connection automatically, ensuring enterprise-level security, with no additional software or Virtual Private Network (or VPNs) needed.

Airport IT teams should do a full survey of their current network to determine Passpoint readiness. Passpoint networks require hardware supporting the Hotspot 2.0 technical specification created by the Wi-Fi Alliance, which makes the seamless hand-off between networks possible.

Networks that have not been upgraded in the last three or more years might need updated access points installed. Networks that have been updated with new access points in the last 18-24 months may be able to support Hotspot 2.0 with a quick firmware upgrade.

Monetising Passpoint Passenger concerns tied to the cost of domestic and international mobile roaming fees is building. Airports can be the connectivity hero by alleviating these concerns with networks that enable Wi-Fi offload. This approach also opens monetisation opportunities through carrier agreements.

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The top priority of a carrier is to provide fast and uninterrupted connectivity that their customers come to expect, but in high-traffic venues like airports, this can be jeopardised due to high-volume usage that puts extraordinary pressure on existing cell towers and infrastructure.

To address the ongoing mobile data explosion, carriers are exploring converged networks that leverage Wi-Fi offload features via Passpoint.

With Passpoint, the infrastructure is in place to deploy transfer between cellular and Wi-Fi without sacrificing the user experience. As the automatic connect feature augments connectivity, it can be paid for by a primary service provider – like a wireless carrier or cable operator – as roaming onto Wi-Fi networks can be more cost effective then moving customers onto roaming cellular towers.

To offset network costs, airports can also turn to advertising solutions that offer sponsored Wi-Fi sessions. Brands are attracted to sponsorship campaigns as they offer several screens of exclusive, highimpact interactions with appealing demographics.

Going beyond Wi-Fi: Tapping cellular DAS networks Distributed Antenna Systems (DAS) are finding a home in major airports to boost mobile phone coverage and complement Wi-Fi networks.

DAS solutions solve capacity and coverage issues by deploying hundreds of small antennae throughout the airport and integrating them into a cohesive cellular network.

These individual antennae can be turned up or down, easily adjusting to provide additional capacity when it’s needed most, whether for holiday travel or summer vacation season.

A well-designed DAS set-up can also limit interference, ensuring that all sectors of an airport have equal access to cellular connectivity.

Further, cellular DAS networks can help offset costs by bringing in carrier participation.

Convergence is key When sorting through the wireless toolbox, airports will be hard pressed to opt for both Wi-Fi and cellular solutions. Wi-Fi and cellular working in tandem is called network convergence, which provides more throughput, reduced latency, better coverage and lower costs.

Network convergence is a win-win as the wireless platform lays the necessary foundation for airports to answer the demand for more mobile data and wireless connectivity.

The world of wireless comes with many promises, but to make it a reality, airports must lay the necessary network foundation to power seamless connectivity.

AW

About the author Danielle Aiello is vice president, account management at Boingo Wireless, where she oversees relationships with the company’s airport portfolio. She can be contacted at daiello@boingo.com.

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Watching brief Airport World turns the spotlight on some exciting airport development projects taking place in Asia-Pacific and Europe.

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ingapore Changi has provided passengers with a sneak preview of its new Terminal 4.

According to operator, Changi Airport Group (CAG), the terminal – pictured above – will “present a new travel experience with its boutique design and innovative use of technology”.

It will also be the first terminal at Changi Airport to offer end-to-end Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) for departing passengers.

With the extensive use of technology, including facial recognition software, CAG states that FAST will redefine the travel experience for passengers as well as enhance operational efficiency and raise productivity.

“Passengers will enjoy the flexibility of checking in at their own convenience, without having to wait for counters to open. FAST will also yield productivity gains with manpower savings of about 20% expected in the longer term, when operations have stabilised,” says CAG. Capable of handling up to 16 million passengers per annum, Terminal 4 has a total floor area of 225,000 square metres including the two-storey terminal, car parks and taxi deck.

According to CAG, T4’s design theme is fun, vibrant and positively surprising. There is a sense of space – a hallmark of Changi Airport – brought about by a high ceiling and height limits for equipment and machines.

It reveals that the terminal’s showpiece is a Central Galleria (300m long x 18m wide x 23m high), which separates the public zone from the transit area.

This visual-transparent concept provides a clear view from the check-in hall through the transit area and, at some locations, even right up to the boarding gates.

Due to its compact size, T4 will have centralised areas for departure and arrival immigration as well as pre-board security screening.

The terminal also promises to be light, airy and ‘green’ courtesy of skylights and glass walls allowing natural light and plenty of plants and trees.

Indeed, landscaping covers 2,000 square metres and Terminal 4 is home to 186 large trees.

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The art collection at T4 features an eclectic mix of contemporary works by local and foreign artists, with a diverse blend of mediums, sizes and imagery.

Poh Li San, CAG’s vice president, T4 programme management office, enthuses: “T4 was conceived with the vision to rethink travel, push boundaries and break new ground.

“Through innovative concepts of operation and terminal design, we sought to address our capacity needs as well as improve efficiency and manpower productivity.

“For the passenger, we wanted to delight them with ‘wow’ features and showcase our local culture and architectural history at the Heritage Zone. We look forward to welcoming the public to our Open House in August, and passengers when we open T4 for operations later this year.”

Costing around S$1.3 billion, the new 195,000sqm complex will raise Changi’s passenger handling capacity by around 25% from the current 66mppa to an impressive 85 million passengers per annum.

Expanding Schiphol Amsterdam Schiphol’s new pier and terminal are a step closer to reality after the appointment of a specialist team to manage their construction.

Operator, the Royal Schiphol Group, has engaged Mace, Arcadis, Royal HaskoningDHV and AECOM DVP to oversee the construction of the new facilities, which will raise the airport’s capacity by 14 million passengers a year.

Amsterdam Schiphol’s capital development programme outlines plans to open the new pier in 2019 and new terminal in 2023.

According to the airport, the expansion is required in order to strengthen its “competitive position”, allow the gateway to keep pace with the growth in aviation and cement its status as one of Europe’s ‘preferred airports’ for airlines and passengers.

“The Capital Programme is a complex and ambitious project,” says the Schiphol Group. Not least because of the spatial limitations at Amsterdam Schiphol, as well as the fact that the airport will remain in full use during construction.

SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN Istanbul New Airport.

“This is also the reason why Schiphol seeks to strengthen the current project team with the addition of Mace, Arcadis, Royal HaskoningDHV and AECOM DVP. “Mace and Arcadis will take on responsibility for project and construction management of the new pier and terminal, while Royal HaskoningDHV will be responsible for project management for all landside reconstruction work, and AECOM DVP will be project manager for all construction logistics.”

Sustainable growth The Istanbul New Airport infrastructure project in Turkey aims to become the first and largest infrastructure project outside North America to obtain Envision sustainability verification.

The Envision system rates sustainable infrastructure projects across the full range of environmental, social, and economic impacts.

With a vision of Istanbul New Airport as one of the world’s top aviation hubs, the airport project strives to set an example not only as an innovative infrastructure project, but also a driving force making significant contributions to Turkey’s sustainable development.

The airport will eventually boast two terminals, six runways and an annual passenger capacity of 200 million passengers, once all the phases are complete.

As part of the project, it will follow all internationally recognised sustainability practices, particularly related to the environment, biodiversity, ground improvement, local employment, supply chain and subcontracting network, human rights and stakeholder relations.

IGA, the company responsible for constructing and operating the project for 25 years, completed an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Study for the airport according to International Finance Corporation (IFC) Standards and the Equator Principles in 2015, and now the project is targeting verification in accordance with the Envision Rating System programme, offered by the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure.

Through this reporting process for Envision, IGA claims to have vastly improved its sustainability practices and achieved a sustainability culture within its organisation.

“With Envision we have the best possible partner on board,” says IGA’s environment and sustainability director, Ulku Ozeren.

“Sustainability is important to us. We constantly strive for the best.

The verification process will help us build an exemplary airport which will further enhance the development of Turkey.”

Big plans for Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport

Aeroporti di Roma’s ambitious €12 billion master plan for Fiumicino (FCO) is based on its commitment to raising service standards at the gateway, meeting rising traffic demand and making the airport more appealing and competitive on an international level.

ADR has already invested €1 billion on enhancing FCO’s infrastructure over the last four years, most significantly creating a new International Boarding Area E, new-look façade to Terminal 3, and installing one of Europe’s most complex baggage handling systems capable of handling 10,000 bags per hour through 12 security gates.

Inaugurated in December 2016, the 90,000sqm International Boarding Area E will allow FCO to handle an extra six million passengers per annum and has doubled its capacity for handling non-Schengen traffic.

The new complex is said to boast one of the largest airport shopping arcades in Europe with over 40 specialist outlets in the Piazza del Made in Italy.

ADR points out that the upgrade to date, which has also included revamping FCO’s road access and refurbishing two runways, has been carried out without expanding the airport’s footprint by a single metre.

It now intends investing around €2 billion in the next five years on key capacity and customer service enhancing projects that include the addition of a new front or ‘Forebuilding’ for Terminal 1 and a new Pier A. The modernisation of Terminal 5 and the renovation and refurbishment of Terminal 3 are also due to be completed by 2021.

“The new Forebuilding will measure approximately 35,000 square metres and increase the airport’s capacity by up to four million passengers per year,” says ADR. “It has been designed with a green perspective and is expected to achieve the LEED gold certification standard, one of the highest rankings in the world in terms of sustainability.

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Hong Kong International Airport continues to expand.

“The project includes the planned restoration and restyling of the current Terminal 1 mezzanine level, which offers a range of food and shops for departing passengers.”

FCO’s airside infrastructure will also be upgraded during the 2017-2021 time frame with improvements planned to existing aprons, runways and taxiways and the addition of a new runway.

“A new fourth runway will make Fiumicino more competitive when it comes to attracting international traffic,” says ADR. “It will also lead to an 80% reduction in noise levels in the vicinity of FCO, bringing us more inline with other major European airports.”

Looking even further ahead, ADR has plans to transform FCO into a 100mppa capacity mega hub by 2044.

Speaking earlier this year at ACI’s Airport Economics & Finance Conference in London, ADR’s chief strategy and financial officer, Marco Troncone, said: “Airlines want state-of-the-art infrastructure that allows for efficient and effective operations at the right price, and ADR is committed to providing this through one of the largest airport investment plans in Europe.”

A record 41.7 million passengers (+3.2%) passed through FCO in 2016 to cement its status among the top 10 busiest airports in Europe.

Major upgrade planned for Hong Kong’s Terminal 1 Hong Kong International Airport has unveiled a series of major enhancements to its existing airport facilities that it claims will increase its handling capacity and “provide a vibrant new experience for passengers”.

Airport Authority of Hong Kong (AAHK) CEO, Fred Lam, said: “The enhancement projects for Terminal 1, together with the Three-runway System in 2024, will increase the airport’s handling capacity, as well as bringing a fresh look and feel.

“Passengers from around the world will enjoy an experience tantamount to travelling through a new airport.”

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According to AAHK, passengers will enjoy a more spacious Terminal 1 following expansion works to the north of the existing building, facing Car Park 4.

Over 40 new check-in counters with self-bag drop facilities and two new additional baggage reclaim carousels will be installed and the project will also provide more seats, shops and catering outlets in the expanded Arrivals Hall on the landside.

The enhancement projects also include an extension building adjacent to the existing Car Park 4 to provide approximately 1,400 additional parking spaces, as well as premises for the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy and HKIA Preschool.

The new building will also house other staff-related facilities including a community centre, a multi-purpose sports hall and fitness centre, and staff canteens for the airport community.

In addition, AAHK is planning to build a weather proof footbridge connecting Terminal 1 and the North Satellite Concourse, known as ‘Sky Bridge’, which will reduce passengers’ travelling time and the need for using shuttle buses.

Rising 28 metres above ground, Sky Bridge will allow the largest A380 aircrafts to taxi underneath. The 200-metre long footbridge will be equipped with travelators and feature an observation deck and catering outlets in the towers at both sides, providing scenic spots and relaxation spaces for passengers.

Meanwhile, new features in the expanded East Hall of Terminal 1 will include a roof garden and a children’s play area that spans two levels in the restricted area. There will also be a dedicated recreational zone featuring new technologies for travellers.

On the other side of the expanded East Hall, passengers will be able to relax in green, open-air spaces in a new outdoor garden.

AAHK is also studying the look and feel of the boarding gate areas at Terminal 1 and considering introducing various themed areas to provide new experiences for passengers at the gates.

The HK$7 billion enhancement projects will be completed in phases over the next four years.

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SPECIAL REPORT: PLANNING & DESIGN

Doing things differently Landrum & Brown’s president, Brian Reed, reflects on a new approach to the design and development of airport infrastructure that should eliminate any disconnect between planners and architects.

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ave you ever gone through the process to expand or build a new airport terminal by first carefully planning everything, just to have the architect virtually start over? It’s all too common.

The planning team looks at future demand and develops a space programme. They turn that into a preliminary layout plan. They work with the airlines and other users to understand and address their needs to get everything going in the right direction.

They evaluate financial feasibility and a financing plan by estimating construction costs, potential revenue streams, and impacts to rates and charges. They should look at environmental factors to get the project started off right.

Then the architect enters the picture. Although they intend to be respectful of the planner’s efforts, they see it as ‘planning level’ work, and set out to determine “how it’s really going to be built”.

They might begin with the space programme, but often take a fresh look at the layout. They may even look at completely different concepts.

Make no mistake about it, the architect will certainly put their own mark on the layout. They will further develop function, flow, rhythm, symmetry, theme and look. After all, they, ultimately, turn the project into a real building that gets constructed.

However, the disconnect between planning and architecture doesn’t have to be this way. Indeed, there are examples of seamless flow between planner and architect.

In fact, in some areas of the world the process often works very well.

For example, in China, it is not uncommon to make all decisions at the beginning of the project, and then turn over technical production of construction drawing to technical experts who won’t start over.

In that case, the lead firm with both strong planning and architectural skills can work with the owner and all stakeholders to get all decisions made.

Everything gets set: size, layout, form, function, theme, look, cost, financing, environmental needs, decision maker consensus, tenant agreements etc. That firm then turns it over to local ‘design institutes’ to produce the technical plans and specifications.

These groups are essentially design firms that have evolved from former governmental agencies, and are exceptionally technically sound.

That work is then provided to a contractor for construction.

Everyone complies with the findings that were made during the first phase of comprehensive decision-making.

The $7 billion project to add a new 700,000sqm East Terminal, satellite concourses and 400,000sqm Ground Transportation Centre (GTC) at Xi’an Xianyang International Airport is the most recent example of this type of approach.

The project will add 241 new gates and two new parking structures – covering a total of 400,000sqm – and two hotels.

The West Airport Group selected Landrum & Brown as the project lead. The project has been completely thought out, sized, laid out, and co-ordinated in detail by the lead team.

China’s North West Design Institute and Chinese Architectural Design Institute have been on the team from the beginning, and are taking the project through construction documents and the construction phase.

A general contractor will be selected for the construction that follows the technical documents.

Doing it this way is currently not typical in the US and, while it’s not unusual to have planners and architects teamed during both phases, the fact that projects still get completed in these phases is the shortcoming.

Instead of separating between planning and architecture, or even planning and design/build, it simply works better when the phases are separated between decision-making and execution. There is a AW better way.

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EVENTS: SMART AIRPORTS & REGIONS

Smart solutions Joe Bates reports on the highlights of the recent SMART Airports & Regions Conference and Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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n airport leaders panel chaired by CNN correspondent, Nick Valencia, helped draw a bumper crowd of 400 delegates to the opening sessions of the SMART Airports & Regions Conference and Exhibition in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Valencia moderated the panel that included Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s aviation director, Brent Cagle; Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s general manager, Roosevelt Council, Jr; Port of Seattle’s managing director – aviation, Lance Lyttle; Oakland International Airport’s director of aviation, Bryant Francis; and Tallahassee International Airport’s director of aviation, Thomas Curry.

The session, listed as the ‘SMART 360 Debate – Strategic Partnerships in Aviation for Economic Development – covered a wide range of topics broadly centred around from the challenges and opportunities facing their respective airports now and in the future.

Roosevelt Council Jr, the man in charge at the world’s busiest passenger gateway, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), talked about the economic and social impact of his gateway, which in 2016 handled a record breaking 104 million passengers – three million more than the previous year.

And with growth showing no signs of slowing down, he noted that his airport had begun a $6 billion expansion programme to ensure that it remains equipped to meet demand for the next 20 years and beyond.

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He said: “We are adding gates, we’re adding new parking facilities and we’re adding a new runway to make us even more efficient and to maximise our capacity.”

Council also touched on plans to create an aerotropolis (Aerotropolis Atlanta) around the gateway to enhance ATL’s status as a key economic driver for the region, creating jobs and prosperity for the local population.

Charlotte Douglas’ Cagle revealed that unlike many gateways, CLT continued to do well during the recession, noting that “incredible growth in connecting traffic over the last 15 years” meant that his airport was now the largest connecting hub in the US with 75% of all passengers transiting in Charlotte.

Seattle-Tacoma’s Lyttle talked about his airport’s status as one of the fastest growing airports in North America and the need to upgrade the airport’s 1970s built facilities to keep pace with rising demand driven by the region’s booming economy.

Tallahassee’s Curry commented on the success of the airport’s intermodal links, ongoing development of new roadways and making use of its large land envelope.

“We are working under the concept of build it and they will come, because what we see is that most of Florida’s airports are landlocked, and we want to be in a position to receive a lot of the expected Latin American economic activity when it pushes north,” said Curry.

EVENTS: SMART AIRPORTS & REGIONS

Oakland’s Francis pointed out that his gateway has bounced back from a significant decline in traffic about a decade ago and is currently adding around a million new passengers per annum.

Asked what measures and processes they had in place to listen to the customer service needs of passengers at their airports, CLT’s Cagle said that his gateway’s initiatives included regularly carrying out its own customer surveys and organising panel discussions of leisure and business travellers and, if appropriate, acting upon on their comments.

Tallahassee’s Curry noted that apart from surveys and the typical ways that airports gain information about their passengers, his gateway’s advisory board was made up of 18 members from the local community who were “never short of opinions.”

And in response to what they hoped their local communities would say about their respective airports in five years’ time, Oakland’s Francis remarked: “I hope they say much of what they say today, that we are an easy and convenient airport to use, and maybe in ten years time will also add the word, modern, to describe our facilities.”

Seattle-Tacoma’s Lyttle said: “I would like them to say that this airport is our airport and that we are engaged with all the decisions that are made, that it takes our concerns into consideration and that it is part of the community.”

And, more briefly, CLT’s Cagle said that he hoped that his airport would be considered an economic engine and good neighbour.

Earlier in the day, the conference opened with welcome addresses by Cagle and CLT’s community affair manager, Stuart Hair, and conference chairman and president and CEO of MXD Development Strategists, Chris LeTourner, outlined a number of innovative, non-traditional commercial development projects at airports across North America.

While Mayor of Charlotte, Jennifer Roberts, emphasised the need for airports and cities to be smart and work together to provide the best possible service for their regions.

She told delegates and more than 50 exhibitors from 20 countries that Charlotte appreciated the “incredibly important role” CLT plays in the growth and development of one of the US’s most “dynamic” cities, going as far as to state that the gateway’s future success was vital towards to it fulfilling its vision of being a “winning city of tomorrow.”

Other highlights of Day 1 included panel discussions on ‘Preparing for 2030 And Beyond – Next Airports/Cities/Regions’ and ‘Regional Cooperation Strategies In Planning, Land Use and Ground Transportation’, which featured a host of North American airport CEOs and aviation experts that included Rhonda HammNiebruegge (St Louis Lambert); Candace McGraw (Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky); and Monica Lombraña (El Paso).

In the ‘Preparing for 2030 And Beyond – Next Airports/Cities/ Regions’ debate, St Louis Lambert’s Hamm-Niebruegge stated that she thought that community engagement was one of the most critical components in the day-to-day life of an airport.

However, she admitted that this was far from the case when she joined the gateway in 2010 as the airport, city and its population was still struggling to come to terms with the traffic decline and subsequent local job losses brought about by it no longer being a TWA or American Airlines hub.

The “disconnent”, as she put it, between the airport and the community, actually made people dislike St Louis Lambert, which is why she decided to introduce a new community engagement programme shortly after coming on board in early 2010.

“People didn’t understand what had happened and wanted someone to blame for St Louis no longer being a hub. They blamed the airport and the only thing they wanted to hear was when would we become a hub again,” she said.

“This made me realise that an education and engagement process was long overdue as expectations had to be more realistic.”

Fast forward seven years and she noted that the airport is now actively engaged with the local community – including when it comes to formulating its strategic plan – and on target to handle 15 million passengers this year – an impressive 10% rise on 2016.

An exciting and eventful first day ended with a Gala Evening at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, which pays homage to history and heritage of NASCAR through more than 50 interactive exhibits and miles of memorabilia.

Day 2 comprised three steams of conference sessions covering everything from master planning and design to IT innovation, land use and commercial development to customer service excellence.

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EVENTS: SMART AIRPORTS & REGIONS

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta’s deputy aviation manager, Balram Bheodari; Columbus Regional Airport Authority’s chief development officer, Shannetta Griffin; and Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority’s Department of Planning manager, Gregg Wollard, talked about their respective airport’s development plans during a session on ‘Redefining the Infrastructure Master Plan’.

Despite only being in the job two weeks, Griffin spoke about the New Terminal and Midfield Development Program at John Glen Columbus International Airport (formerly Port Columbus), which includes plans for a new parking garage and rental car facility, new hotel and possibly the future addition of a new light rail system.

She told delegates that the Ohio airport operator had considered a number of different scenarios, changing passenger demographics and airline trends when looking to the future, and in all of them a new terminal was needed because the existing facility, currently handling 7.3 million passengers yearly, is beginning to approach the end of its lifespan.

“The airport’s vision is to connect Ohio to the world and the key elements of our development programme will make sure that part of the vision comes to life,” enthused Griffin.

Wollard revealed more details about a number of innovative design features in MWAA’s $1.3 billion plan to transform the passenger experience at Washington’s Reagan National Airport by 2021.

The improvements include the addition of a new commuter concourse and the construction of two new security checkpoint buildings above the Terminal B/C arrivals roadway, each directly connected to National Hall and walkways from the Metrorail station and parking garages.

The new commuter concourse will replace 14 outdoor gates currently served by buses from gate 35X. The multi-year upgrade also includes improvements to roadways and new parking configurations.

The panel – moderated by IATA’s head of airport development, David Stewart – also included William Lebegern, HNTB’s associate vice president; aviation project director – Carolinas, who spoke about the potential benefits of the adoption of autonomous baggage systems.

Covering something a little different, Metropolitan Airports Commission’s director of MSP operations, Phil Burke, and Alliiance’s president, Eric Peterson, chose to focus on

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the work they have done, and continue to do, to enhance access for people with disabilities at Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport.

Burke revealed that MSP is currently in the process of “a very ambitious project to completely remodel and redesign the entire Arrivals and Departure levels” of its 1950s built main terminal building, and within the project is the aspirational goal to become “the most accessible airport in the world”.

As a result of its goal, MSP will ensure that every corner of the revamped terminal will be easily accessible and navigable to all, including its shops and F&B outlets, seating areas and restrooms.

Peterson said: “It is important to recognise what percentage of your travellers we are talking about, as according to the Open Doors organisation, 15% of the US population identifies with having some form of disability.

“To put that in perspective, that is some 36 million citizens, around a third of which have flown in the last two years, which equates to 11 million passengers and 23 million trips, which is a sizeable portion of the travelling public.”

Their joint presentation came during a conference session entitled ‘Design Intelligence – Smart Airport Design & Development’ and featured fellow panellists Ted Anasis, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s manager for airport planning; Jack Christine, deputy aviation director at Charlotte Douglas International Airport; and Stanis Smith, executive vice president at Stantec.

The event itself was preceded by organised airport tours of Charlotte Douglas and the pre-conference discovery workshop, ‘Where Innovation and Opportunity Connect’, facilitated by Chris LeTourneur and MXD Development Strategists.

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SECURITY

Security through culture ACI World’s head of security, Nina Brooks, considers the importance of creating a strong security culture at airports across the globe.

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eveloping a ‘security culture’ is about engaging all staff at all levels of an organisation to embrace common securitydriven values and consider security as a priority in all of their work.

The aviation community puts much emphasis on the importance of a layered approach when it comes to security. Various measures are put in place, from screening and information sharing, through to staff background checks and perimeter fences.

But are we underutilising one of the most valuable assets that an airport can have in terms of its security, namely its tight-knit community? Engendering a security culture within this community can effectively deliver hundreds of additional security resources, each of whom have a unique perspective on the operation.

This is not something theoretical or complex. There are straightforward steps that any airport, airline or organisation in the aviation supply chain can undertake that can deliver a new approach and a powerful security asset.

A new approach Perhaps the most emblematic layer of security is the checkpoint; much emphasis is placed on screening of passengers and baggage, staff and crew. However, with a new breed of threat from terrorists

looking to attack softer targets, and the spread of radicalised individuals throughout society, perhaps a new approach to security is needed.

In the public areas of airports, where we have little insight into who is in the terminal building, screening is impractical and we rely heavily on surveillance and patrols. In the secure area of airports, there is greater control, since we know that people are either passengers or are authorised to be present.

However, many different people and organisations have access to the airside, including maintenance organisations, ground handlers, retail staff, airport and airline staff, caterers, cleaners, building maintenance and baggage handlers.

And many of these people need to carry tools of the trade or goods for the airport or aircraft as they pass though checkpoints.

Do we really know who every single one of these people is, and their intent?

Screening is, of course, very effective as a method of detection and deterrence for both people and vehicles, but it cannot address all possible scenarios and threats. An additional challenge is constantly keeping background checks up to date, and having a reliable source of information. Even then, there is little to say that a person has not become radicalised or is being influenced by an outside factor.

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SECURITY

A comprehensive approach to security, therefore, relies heavily on people.

Fundamentals Fundamental to the successful implementation of such a culture is a genuine concern for security, and a desire to improve.

This has to come from the top-level management and permeate the entire organisation. A one-day security awareness training course will have no effect if staff see it simply as an additional task, or something that makes their job more difficult. Security, like safety, has to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.

Clarity on roles Secondly, there has to be a clear definition of everyone’s role in security, from the security manager, through screeners, to airport operational staff, retail staff and cleaners.

Security roles should be included in every job description, targets included in every set of annual objectives and part of every contract with external suppliers.

Empowering staff to act Thirdly, staff must be empowered to act. One of the key barriers to implementing a security culture is either an attitude of “not my job” or “nothing I can do about it.”

Staff must believe that they can make a difference, and that management will listen to them if they have something of concern to report or a suggestion for improvement.

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Making it interesting, rewarding and fun To raise the profile of security and ensure that all staff understand that it is of top priority to an organisation, internal ‘marketing’ or information campaigns can be run to keep security uppermost in people’s minds.

Training plays a key role. Employees need to be able to recognise suspicious behaviour by either passengers or other members of staff immediately, identify a suspicious object and pick up on a security task or procedure that is not being completed correctly.

This may be basic training for all staff on suspicious behaviours and possible threats, but might also include more specialised behaviour analysis training for security personnel.

The ability to report a suspicious incident without fear of reprisal is also a critical element. Recognition on consistent performance should also be encouraged.

Where to from here?

First and foremost, security needs to be recognised as important and rewarding. Time and effort need to be invested in staff, recognising the role that every person in the airport environment can play in security and capitalising on the incredible opportunity that such a diverse workforce can bring.

The reach of security culture can even stretch to the travelling public – vigilance and willingness to report suspicious behaviour, potentially adds billions of people a year to the security workforce.

It is a layer of security that could be used so much more.

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BIOMETRICS

Face time Is the use of biometric technology about to take off at US airports? Gemalto’s SVP of government programmes, Neville Pattinson, considers some options.

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he idea of using biometrics in airports certainly isn’t a new one, even in the US, which lags behind many of its international neighbours.

Indeed, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been incorporating biometrics in its US-VISIT program since it was introduced way back in 2006-07. So why haven’t more of the nation’s airports broadly adopted and benefitted from biometrics as a means of moving people along in their kerb-to-flight travel experience?

You’ve no doubt witnessed fingerprint scans used in various capacities by the federal government for nearly two decades now. Just to give you an idea of fingerprint scans’ pervasiveness, the FBI holds a database of roughly 88 million fingerprints and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has logged over 200 million.

Although they are considered biometrics and CBP has installed some kiosks that make fingerprints a valid form of ID for citizens coming back into the country, there are more comprehensive, infallible forms of biometric scans that have the added benefit of not slowing things down so drastically.

Facial biometric recognition, for example, can identify individuals of interest in a rapid and unobtrusive way. In essentially real time, a camera can take a photo or video of a face and an automated biometric facial matching identification system (ABIS) can compare and match the live image to a passport or driver’s license picture (captured at enrollment) to verify that person is the right one to be holding that exact document.

The entire process can be completed locally between the traveller standing in front of the camera at a kiosk or agent and the digital image contained by a passport or ID card.

That’s the level of biometric technology and efficiency that holds substantial promise in keeping airport travellers moving freely and securely.

There is clearly much to be gained from biometric technology, yet here in the US we cannot seem to decide whether the public or private sector should take the lead on committing the financial investment and upfront work necessary to bring adequate biometrics to US airports.

Things maybe about to change though as there’s finally significant government pressure from CBP to use facial recognition technology for crossing borders, and for the first time it has announced the intention to roll out implementations for foreign nationals departing the US. The move may create the opportunity for airlines to become early adopters of the technology, which would help increase the value of their respective loyalty programmes by linking biometrics to frequent flyer accounts.

Additional incentives come in the form of replacing error-prone human verification of IDs and boarding docs at the check-in counter or gate.

Instead of assuming airline and airport employees will be able to judge, recognise and verify the authenticity of any one of the more than 3,000 ID documents used in the US, airlines can be assured that the people (and luggage) travelling, exiting or entering the country are indeed the ones who should be doing so.

The ability to match a traveller’s face with their government-issued ID document’s photo could even give airlines and airports a mechanism to one day automate boarding at domestic departures gates, eradicating the need to check boarding passes.

Domestic travellers’ faces would simply become their ‘boarding passes’ as they pass through the airport.

No matter how obvious it seems for biometrics to be an integral part of every trip to a US airport, we should realistically expect to see biometrics playing a meaningful role in security and ID verification checks in three to five years’ time.

The technology is ready for primetime and the business case has been recently clarified, but there are manufacturing and supply chain considerations, partnerships to establish and technical integration requirements with back-end systems that all take substantial time to work out.

While there are several reasons behind the US lagging in the biometrics marathon, thank goodness that a more convenient, secure future airport experience isn’t far off.

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CYBER SECURITY

Combatting cyber crime Andy Wall, technical director of cyber security at Atkins, outlines five steps he believes airports can take to create cyber safe and secure environments.

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irports have a long history of dealing with ‘traditional’ threats – terrorism, physical attacks and security scares. But as the physical and digital worlds continue to converge, how do they manage the risk of a potential hack on the air-ground lighting or a terminal’s power facilities compared to a bomb threat or protesters?

The difficulty aviation organisations have is knowing where to start, what material is useful, how can it be applied, what do they need to do and what outcomes they should expect.

Having worked with a range of aviation and critical national infrastructure organisations, we’ve identified five key steps that will ensure any airport can become truly cyber resilient.

1. Measure yourself Start with measuring the maturity of cyber security across your organisation, and treat everything agnostically.

There are several different models that can be used, including the Information Security Forum (ISF) Maturity Model and the US Department of Energy Cybersecurity Capability Maturity Model (C2M2).

What is great about these models is that they allow you to measure strengths as well as weaknesses. This is a much better approach than a traditional risk assessment as it allows a broader picture of security risk to emerge that can be aligned to the wider business.

2. Decide what is important As airports are complex businesses, and budgets are finite, it is critical to get senior stakeholders to prioritise assets and invest in protecting them. A comparison of different business needs and technologies can then be used to drill down to the specific digital services that represent the airport’s ‘crown jewels’.

3. Identify the threat The most common motivations for cyber-attacks include the theft of intellectual property, operational information or commercial data, or disruption, whether deliberate or unintentional.

These days, the attackers can include organised crime syndicates, bored teenagers and even airport noise protesters. However, as airports are also part of a nation’s critical national infrastructure, they are increasingly being targeted by sophisticated nation state attackers who are determined to disrupt a region or a country.

The UK Government has acknowledged that there are hostile ‘foreign actors’ developing techniques that threaten the country’s electrical grid and airports. The threat is therefore very real.

4. Create your defensive approach Knowing more about the threat, understanding what you really want to protect, and measuring your cyber security strengths and weaknesses means that you can focus security investment in the right place.

Do you need to invest more in protecting baggage systems or terminal power systems from attack? Do communication services to the control tower need better protection than the departures and arrivals information boards? These are the everyday choices that you need to make.

Once the appropriate security control sets are identified, they need to be pulled together into a Board-level approved strategic approach.

5. Implement the programme Flowing out of a strategic approach will be a huge range of projects to address the business security needs. Our experience shows that these projects are best run as a single, integrated programme to drive through the changes across an airport, bringing together the whole supplier base and directing their activity to deliver the required outcomes.

Evolving your strategy But you can’t just stop there. Regular reassessment of the airport’s cyber security maturity enables measurement of the implemented security improvements and their contribution to your overall cyber security.

Reporting these measured improvements to the Board demonstrates that progress is being made and that value is being obtained from their investment.

By following these five steps and continuing to evolve your cyber strategy, your organisation can become truly resilient. And while you will still be subject to cyber-attacks, you will have confidence that your defences are responsive and elastic, stretching to contain any attack and dealing with it effectively.

• Free copies of Atkins’ Cyber Resilient Infrastructure Report can be downloaded at www.explore.atkinsglobal.com/cyber

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The latest news from ACI’s World Business Partners

Firehouse subs opens at Florida gateway Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) now boasts its own Firehouse Subs, one of the city’s favourite local restaurant brands and local leader in the fast casual sandwich industry.

The outlet, opened by HMSHost and partner Denard Enterprises, is the first expansion into airports for Firehouse Subs’ non-traditional growth strategy.

“With this opening, we are continuing to enhance the airport’s food options with the most desired dining choices in the industry,” said HMSHost’s vice president of business development, Stephen Douglas.

Before opening their first restaurant, Firehouse Subs founders Chris and Robin Sorensen served as firefighters with the Aircraft and Rescue Firefighting team at Jacksonville International Airport.

Second major Gatwick contract for Smiths Detection Smiths Detection, formerly Morpho Detection, is to supply London Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal with 11 CTX 9800 DSi explosives detection systems (EDS) machines.

The order – the first for the enhanced CTX 9800, which is capable of screening 1,800 bags per hour – follows the successful trial and order for nine CTX 9800 EDS announced earlier this year.

Scheduled for deployment by September 2018, Smiths Detection’s on-site network of expert engineers and technicians will help ensure peak performance and maximum uptime for a minimum of ten years.

Powered by leading edge computed tomography (CT) technology, the CTX 9800 is approved by the European Civil Aviation Conference as meeting Standard 3 requirements and certified by the TSA in the US and Civil Aviation Administration of China.

“Investing in localised service support allows Smiths Detection to facilitate an unmatched, end-to-end hold baggage screening solution that can help all airports ensure regulatory compliance and enhance detection capabilities,” said Martin Parker, UK EDS sales leader, Smiths Detection.

Vision of the future?

Vision-Box is to deliver the world’s first automated ‘contactless’ traveller clearance processes for airline passengers arriving in Australia.

The next generation of Automated Border Control passenger-processing technology will be introduced under the umbrella of Australia’s Seamless Traveller programme and be installed at all international airports.

According to Vision Box, the new system will assist the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection to collect and verify biometric data from all passengers arriving at Australia’s international airports.

It will also deliver a new capability that will enable known travellers to self-process through the border without the need to physically use a passport (contactless), entirely relying on facial recognition technology.

Miguel Leitmann, CEO and co-Founder of Vision-Box, says: “This contract represents an unparalleled milestone in the history of automation at the border, since it is the first time a government will implement biometric identification through contactless services.”

RUNNING WBP NEWS HEAD HILLTOP SECURITIES Location: Dallas, TX, USA Contact: Laura Alexander E: laura.alexander@ hilltopsecurities.com W: www.m2p.net Hilltop Securities delivers the forthright advice and tailored solutions necessary for municipal issuers, institutions, broker-dealers and individuals to thrive. Leveraging its bold, adaptive firm culture and deep municipal market experience, Hilltop Securities blends honesty with sound judgment, serving as its clients’ strongest ally and fiercest advocate.

Creating and sustaining relationship capital enables it to understand its clients’ definitions of success – from personal security and freedom to institutional growth and community expansion – in a way that is both meaningful and rewarding.

ONE.TRAY Location: Milan, Italy Contact: Federico Kluzer, managing director E: info@onetray.it W: www.onetray.it One.Tray is a new company exclusively focused on the engineering and production of custom-designed airport security trays aimed at making operations more efficient and improving the traveller experience. With respect to injection-molded trays, its tray is two times lighter, shock-proof, RFID-equipable, more transparent to X-rays and has a traction-enhanced bottom. As of March 2017, One.Tray had partnered with 17 airports.

ROSENBAUER Location: Leonding, Austria Contact: Klaus Hoerschlaeger, regional vice president E: klaus.hoerschlaeger@rosenbauer.com W: www.rosenbauer.com Rosenbauer is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of systems for firefighting and disaster protection. For 150 years, the name has stood for significant innovations and groundbreaking technology in the manufacture of firefighting vehicles and extinguishing systems. It offers firefighters a full range of municipal extinguishing vehicles, aerial ladders, hydraulic platforms, airport vehicles, industrial vehicles, specialty vehicles, extinguishing systems, firefighting equipment, stationary extinguishing systems and solutions for vehicle management and operations management in the area of telematics.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

PEOPLE

matters Building human capital Dr Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey reflect on the importance of building a strong airport team.

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Strategic people planning involves t’s quite a challenge to finance, analysis of the future needs for both design and build the physical ‘own employees’ and ‘contractors’ and infrastructure for a new airport succession planning for key positions. development. But once you’ve It is also likely to include plans for: built it, how can you ensure that it • Attracting people who aspire to works as well as you had hoped? senior leadership roles with the That’s not so much a question of ability to manage uncertainty and the physical assets themselves, complexity, as well as delivering important though they are. It’s more consistently on objectives. This to do with human capital – the people places strong demands on that lead, manage and operate the intellectual capacity, self-mastery airport. And fundamental to that is and relationship skills in addition to having people of the right quality. the more traditional leadership Yet, whilst the planning of airport qualities of drive, energy and physical infrastructure is rarely left to determination. chance, the approach taken to developing an airport’s human capital can be more • Recruiting and selecting people at all levels who not only have the right variable. With a few notable exceptions, technical skills, but the right there isn’t the same emphasis and attitudes and values. These are the intense focus on building people capacity kinds of people who are prepared to and capability in airports as you find in take personal accountability and companies like Google. ownership for their actions, are keen And could you imagine a world-class to develop and are open to learning. competitive sports team paying more • Developing people already in the attention to its stadium than the system to reach their full potential. A identification, recruitment and systematic approach to talent development of talented players? management is essential.

The key to building a strong and Substantial gains can be made by capable airport team is strategic identifying the hidden talent that people planning. When people join exists in most organisations, and an airport organisation, they can end giving such people the opportunities up staying with it for a very long time. for development and growth.

Indeed, twenty or thirty years of Remember that development takes service is not unusual. In that time, place not only through formal much will change. Airports are a training but through experience in growth sector, becoming more work assignments and on projects. complex and competitive, heavily influenced by technology, with Investing in people is as important sustainability and the passenger as investing in physical infrastructure. experience central to success.

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AIRPORT WORLD/AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2017

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has decided to reshuffle its management team with the current CEOs of London Stansted (Andrew Cowan) and Manchester Airport (Ken O’Toole) swapping jobs and Collette Roche taking up the new position of chief of staff. MAG CEO, Charlie Cornish, said: “Both airports are about to embark on significant periods of development and investment, and Ken and Andrew are the right people to lead them during this critical time.”

Andrea Pal is the new chief executive officer of Fraport Brasil, the subsidiary set up by Fraport AG to operate and develop Brazil’s Fortaleza and Porto Alegre airports. Pal has served as deputy general manager and chief financial officer of St Petersburg-Pulkovo operator, Northern Capital Gateway, for the last seven years. She said: “Moving from one BRIC country in the northern hemisphere to another in the southern hemisphere is an exciting new challenge. I look forward to leading the Fraport Brasil team in South America’s largest market.

Our commitment is to create two modern, efficient and customer-oriented gateways.”

Tim Clarke is the new chairman of Birmingham Airport in the UK, succeeding John Hudson OBE who is retiring after holding the position for the last 20 years.

Long-standing resident of the Birmingham area, Clarke has extensive experience of the leisure and retail sectors.

In the US, David Pekoske has been sworn in as the seventh administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). He is a former vice commandant of the US Coast Guard. ACI-NA president and CEO, Kevin Burke, says: “Assistant Secretary Pekoske’s proven track record of mission-focused strategic management is essential in reinforcing the importance of a riskbased approach to aviation security.”

About the authors Dr Richard Plenty is managing director of This Is… and runs the ACI World Airport Human Resources programme. The next one is in Abu Dhabi on November 5-8, 2017. 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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