Airport World, Issue 4, 2021

Theme: Passenger facilitation Airport reports: GAP & San Diego Interviewed: ACI-NA’s Kevin Burke Plus: Investing in Lima & Vienna’s airport city

In the spotlight: Passenger facilitation Volume 26 – Issue 4, 2021 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 Directors Jonathan Lee +44 (0)208 707 2743 jonathan@airport-world.com Gary Allman +44 (0) 7854 239 426 gary@aviationmedia.aero 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

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Time to Fly? Editor, Joe Bates, reflects on the continued struggles of international traffic and some of the operational challenges facing airports in this ‘passenger facilitation’ themed issue.

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he Olympics without crowds, still significantly fewer international flights globally than two years ago and staycation holidays probably tells you all you need to know about the state of international travel in early August 2021, although the overall picture is better than a few months ago and is expected to further improve during the rest of the year.

In case anyone is unfamiliar with the phrase ‘staycation’, I refer to the new media buzzword to describe the record number of people choosing to holiday in their own country this year because of the risks and hassles involved in travelling internationally.

While so many people staying at home may be positive for domestic travel and national economies, it does little to help those airports and airlines dependent on international travel, and only serves to prolong the time it will take aviation to recover from the global pandemic.

The good news, though, is that international travel is at last beginning to open up again for many countries. The UK, for example, on August 2 scrapped its quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated people from the US and the EU when arriving from ‘amber’ list countries.

Naturally, all returning international services are most welcome and provide further evidence that the world’s airports should start to begin gearing up for the gradual increase in passenger traffic in what is left of 2021.

For some this will mean taking furloughed staff back on to cope with the anticipated rise in demand. While others may reopen facilities that haven’t been used for some time, such as international gates, terminals and retail/F&B facilities in international terminals and concourses.

All, of course, will remain highly focused on ensuring that they provide COVID safe and secure environments for both passengers and staff.

The ever-increasing number of COVID testing clinics and laboratories being set up at airports is one of the issues we cover in this ‘passenger facilitation’ themed edition of Airport World.

The section also contains a special report on airport lounges; the creation of ‘walkthrough airports’; the passenger friendly features in Orlando International Airport’s planned new South Terminal C; and plans to transform the passenger experience at Kansai International Airport.

Elsewhere in the issue, ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, considers some of the economic, sustainability and capacity challenges that will face airports long after COVID has gone.

In the second of a series of articles looking at the pandemic’s impact on different regions, ACI-NA’s president and CEO, Kevin Burke, updates us on how the US and Canada’s airports are faring.

Our main airport interviews are with Raúl Revuelta Musalem, CEO of Mexico’s Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), and Kimberly Becker, the president and CEO of San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, operator of San Diego International Airport.

Both have interesting stories of growth and development to tell despite today’s difficult times, and in San Diego’s case some capacity constraining challenges to overcome such as a single runway, night curfew and little room to expand on its compact 660-acre site.

We also turn the spotlight on Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport and discover that operator, Lima Airport Partners (LAP), has high hopes for the Peruvian gateway.

Another gateway with big plans is Vienna International Airport, which has quietly gone about building its very own airport city over the last few years.

We round out the August/September edition with an extended four-page World Business Partner (WBP) section and our AW regular People matters column.

AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 4, 2021

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CONTENTS

Theme: Passenger facilitation Airport reports: GAP & San Diego Interviewed: ACI-NA’s Kevin Burke Plus: Investing in Lima & Vienna’s airport city

In the spotlight: Passenger facilitation

ISSUE 4 Volume 26

In this issue 3

Volume 26 – Issue 4, 2021 www.aci.aero

Cover image: Picture courtesy of Prague Airport.

Opinion

Editor, Joe Bates, reflects on the continued struggles of international traffic and some of the operational challenges facing airports in this ‘passenger facilitation’ themed issue.

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View from the top ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, considers some of the immediate and longer-term challenges facing airports.

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Viva México!

CEO, Raúl Revuelta Musalem, tells Joe Bates more about Mexico’s Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) and the ambitious development plans for its airports.

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Bouncing back President and CEO, Kimberly Becker, updates Joe Bates on San Diego International Airport’s recovery from COVID and its $3 billion New T1 programme.

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The global network Collins Aerospace’s Tony Chapman considers how the mobile phone will help make the touchless airport a reality within the next few years.

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Always welcome The leaders of some of the world’s biggest airport lounge operators tell us a little more about their businesses, how they are coping with the traffic downturn and the potential impact COVID might have on the airport hospitality industry.

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Transforming KIX Kansai Airports is renovating Kansai International Airport’s existing facilities and introducing new technology to enhance the passenger experience.

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Being clinical Airports continue to innovate when it comes to finding new ways of operating safely during the global pandemic, and for some this has meant opening on-site COVID testing facilities, writes Joe Bates.

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CONTENTS

Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira (Montréal, Canada) Chair Martin Eurnekián (Buenos Aires, Argentina) Vice Chair Aimen Al-Hosni (Muscat, Oman) Immediate Past Chair Fredrick J Piccolo (Sarasota, USA) Treasurer Candace McGraw (Cincinnati, USA) ACI WORLD GOVERNING BOARD DIRECTORS Africa (3) Emanuel Chaves (Maputo, Mozambique) Dewananda Chellen (Plaine Magnien, Mauritius) Capt Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu (Lagos, Nigeria) Asia-Pacific (9) Aimen Al-Hosni (Muscat, Oman) Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah (Bahrain) Geoff Culbert (Sydney, Australia) SGK Kishore (Hyderabad, India) Fred Lam (Hong Kong) Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore) Xue Song Liu, (Beijing, China) Nitinai Sirismatthakarn (Bangkok, Thailand) Akihiko Tamura (Tokyo, Japan)

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The touchless advantage Orlando International Airport’s new user-friendly South Terminal C will showcase an array of touchless technologies, writes Curtis Fentress, principal in charge of design at Fentress Architects.

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Bluer skies ahead ACI-North America’s president and CEO, Kevin Burke, talks to Joe Bates about the challenges and opportunities ahead for US and Canadian airports as aviation starts to show signs of recovery from the global pandemic.

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Innovate and grow Airport World finds out more about Vienna AirportCity, which continues to evolve around Austria’s capital city gateway.

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Investing in Lima We report on the ongoing upgrade and development of Peru’s gateway to the world, Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport.

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

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People matters Terri Morrissey and Dr Richard Plenty provide their thoughts on some of the staffing challenges airports are likely to face as passenger numbers begin to rise in the second half of the year.

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Europe (7) Daniel Burkard (Moscow, Russia) David Ciceo (Cluj-Napoca, Romania) Elena Mayoral Corcuera (Madrid, Spain) Jost Lammers (Munich, Germany) Yiannis Paraschis (Athens, Greece) Stefan Schulte (Frankfurt, Germany) Nazareno Ventola (Bologna, Italy) Latin America & Caribbean (3) Ezequiel Barrenechea (Guayaquil, Ecuador) Martin Eurnekián (Buenos Aires, Argentina) North America (6) Lew Bleiweis (Asheville, USA) Joyce Carter (Halifax, Canda) Deborah Flint (Toronto, Canada) Joseph Lopano (Tampa, USA) Candace McGraw (Cincinnati, USA) Sam Samaddar (Kelowna, Canada) Regional Advisers to the World Governing Board (10) Diego Arrosa (Montevideo, Uruguay) Chellie Cameron (Philadelphia, USA) Arnaud Feist (Brussels, Belgium) Pascal Komla (Lomé, Togo) Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid (Delhi, India) Hector Navarrete Muñoz (Merida, Mexico) Augustin de Romanet (Paris, France) Brian Ryks (Minneapolis-St Paul, USA) 2 Vacancies WBP Advisory Board Thomas Duffy (ADB SAFEGATE) Tunde Oyekola (El-Mansur Atelier Group) Correct as of August 2021

ACI VIEWPOINT

View from the top ACI World director general, Luis Felipe de Oliveira, considers some of the immediate and longer-term challenges facing airports.

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he arrival of the Northern Hemisphere summer has marked a new chapter in the pandemic as we continue to make positive incremental steps towards rebuilding global connectivity and returning aviation to the pathway of growth that we were collectively building before.

As vaccinations continue, travel restrictions are being slowly eased, and more passengers are expected to continue return to travel in the second half of the year. We are particularly pleased to hear that Canada will re-open the international border in September and we look forward to welcoming aviation leaders to Montréal for the ACI Customer Experience Global Summit, one of the most important events to return to the industry calendar in 2021.

Aviation is crucial for the global economy and the communities that we serve, as the air transport industry is responsible for around 9% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with the catalytic effect that airlines, airports, the tourism sector, and other players of the industry produce.

The pandemic, however, is far from over. According to the latest Advisory Bulletin, the lasting adverse impact of the COVID-19 crisis is forecast to remove an additional five billion passengers by the end of this year compared to the pre-COVID-19 forecast.

Domestic traffic will continue the recovery started in 2020 to reach close to 3.3 billion passengers by the end of 2021 (61.4% of 2019 levels).

Furthermore, ACI World estimates that, globally, airports will suffer the reduction of more than $108 billion (figures in US dollars) in revenue by the end of the year, down by more than half of expectations (-54.6%).

Despite the slower than expected first half of 2021, the recovery of the sector to pre-COVID-19 levels is expected by 2023 for domestic travel and by 2024 for international travel, before resuming long-run passenger growth trends. Projections indicate that close to 19.7 billion passengers will traverse the world’s airports by 2040 – more than double the 2019 air passenger levels.

Airport infrastructure is key to the continued development of air transport which supports millions of jobs and provides social and economic development for the global communities we serve. In normal times, addressing the growth of passenger demand in the face of global airport capacity constraints already poses a significant challenge, but the pandemic has dramatically reduced airport revenues, adding even greater challenges to meeting long-term capacity needs.

ACI World’s recently published study, Global Outlook of Airport Capital Expenditure – Meeting Sustainable Development Goals and Future Air Travel Demand shows the airport industry’s current financial shortfall poses notable challenges to the modernising of infrastructure to improve sustainability and resilience, which will be required if future passenger demand is to be met.

Supported by Hamad International Airport and developed in collaboration with Oxford Economics, the study shows that investment in new greenfield airports, as well as significant investment to expand and maintain existing airport infrastructure will be required.

If longer-term capacity constraints are not addressed through capital investment, ACI World estimates a reduction of up to 5.1 billion passengers globally by 2040. For every million passengers that airports are unable to accommodate due to capacity constraints in 2040, 10,500 fewer jobs and $346 million less in Gross Domestic Product would be the result.

As we continue to navigate the pandemic, our quest to return the industry to its pathway of growth, and reconnect the world, must be done with sustainability and targeting net zero carbon emissions.

In June, we published our long-term carbon goal whereby the world’s airports are committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

To realise this, additional green capital financing will be needed, and to fully realise positive economic, social, and environmental outcomes, innovative approaches, appropriate incentives, and flexibility in organising and securing financing – such as green bonds or publicprivate partnerships – are required.

Governments will play an important role in supporting and incentivising the recovery and to mitigate the risks of falling short on Sustainable Development Goals linked to airports.

The next five years will be crucial. As the industry recovers, our attention needs to be focused on infrastructure and sustainability to cope with our positive view that the industry will double in size by 2040.

I believe that ACI’s role is as a key influencer and driver of change in our industry. We are stronger together and global collaboration between us and the other representatives of the aviation ecosystem – especially with ICAO, IATA, and our other valued global partners – will be essential for the industry to successfully sustain a balanced recovery from COVID and beyond.

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AIRPORT REPORT: GRUPO AEROPORTUARIO DEL PACIFICO (GAP)

Viva México!

CEO, Raúl Revuelta Musalem, tells Joe Bates more about Mexico’s Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) and the ambitious development plans for its airports.

Can you tell us a little more about your airport network?

We operate 12 airports in the Pacific region of Mexico and two in Jamaica – Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport.

Our airports in Mexico include Tijuana, Guadalajara, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. Guadalajara is Mexico’s dynamic second city. Tijuana is a vibrant city and the airport is located on the US border with San Diego. Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta are world-class vacation destinations in Mexico. La Paz and Manzanillo are smaller vacation destinations in Mexico. Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Morelia, Hermosillo and Mexicali are medium size cities with traditionally strong business, VFR and leisure traffic.

Between them our domestic airports account for 32% of all airport passengers handled in Mexico, and that figure will rise this year as our group has led the country’s recovery from COVID. In Jamaica, GAP has a controlling 74.5% interest in MBJ Airports Limited, which operates Sangster International Airport, and since October 2019, we have been responsible for the operation and development of Norman Manley International Airport. When GAP signed the 25-year concession agreement for the airport with the Jamaican government it pledged to invest $100 million on modernising and expanding the airport terminal over the next five years.

So, looking at our airport portfolio, I think it is safe to say that we primarily serve growing cities and resorts and that we host airlines of all business models from many countries.

What airport is the jewel in the crown of GAP’s airport system and why?

Stakeholders at several of our airports would make a case that they are the crown jewel, but if I have to name only one, it would be Guadalajara’s Miguel Hidalgo International Airport (GDL).

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The airport serves Mexico’s second largest metropolitan area and has a catchment area of 16 million people, all within a two-hour drive of GDL. Unknown to many people outside of Mexico, this great region is home to a growing IT industry, and a leading centre for high tech manufacturing, medical equipment and supplies, conventions and expositions and tourism.

The town of Tequila is close to Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta is less than three hours away by car. Investment in the electronics manufacturing industry across the region has totalled more than $14 billion over the last 15 years.

GDL is a gateway to nearby states in Mexico that host automotive, aerospace, agribusiness and other global industries. This diversified, international economy supports a large middle class that generates significant outbound travel, as well as inbound business, leisure and VFR travel.

Growth in Guadalajara has been robust due to organic demand and the stimulation caused by Mexican and foreign low-cost carriers. Due to the international profile of the regional economy, GDL is also Mexico’s second largest cargo airport, hosting 17 dedicated freighter airlines.

Can you tell us more about the development plans for Guadalajara?

We are investing close to $750 million on upgrading the existing terminal and the addition of a new terminal and second runway to ensure that the airport is equipped to meet future demand as passenger numbers at GDL have more than doubled since 2009, reaching an all-time high of 14.8 million in 2019.

When the new, second terminal opens by 2026, the airport will have 125,700sqm of terminal space – a 140% increase vs today. The new runway will be 3,500-metres long and capable of handling long-range aircraft such as the Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A350-900. We are also constructing a multi-purpose building that will house the 12,000sqm Hilton Garden Inn Hotel.

AIRPORT REPORT: GRUPO AEROPORTUARIO DEL PACIFICO (GAP)

What is the overall development strategy for your airports?

Increasing the capacity of our airports is the main driving force behind all of our investments. During 2020, we successfully revised the Master Development Program (MDP) for our Mexican airports, which will now involve an investment of 15.8 billion Mexican Pesos for the period 2020-2024.

All the projects that were previously agreed upon with the authorities in the old MDP remain, however, the initiation and termination timeframes will change. The main projects planned between now and 2024 are: • A second runway and terminal expansion at Guadalajara Airport • A new terminal processor building at Tijuana Airport to complement the existing Cross Border Xpress (CBX) handling passengers transferring between Mexico and the US • A new terminal building in Puerto Vallarta Airport • Expansion of the existing terminal at Los Cabos Airport • Investment in new equipment and technology, including new touch-free systems, across the entire network • Airside maintenance across the network.

The new terminal processor building at Tijuana will enable transit passengers to pass through it without being processed by the Mexican authorities, making the whole procedure faster and more efficient. We hope that this development will help make Tijuana a hub, attracting more flights from Asia and Latin America for US bound passengers.

What impact has COVID-19 had on traffic levels at your airports and where is Mexico today in terms of its recovery from the pandemic?

If you look at IATA’s June 2021 data for our biggest airports, compared to June 2019, traffic levels at Los Cabos are up by 15% in total and by 21% for international traffic. And it is not alone as Tijuana was also up 10% in total. The picture wasn’t quite so bright for Guadalajara, which

saw its overall traffic total fall by 14%, but this can be explained by the grounding of Interjet, which had a significant presence at the airport.

Elsewhere, Puerto Vallarta’s traffic total grew by 3%, boosted by a 11% upturn in the international arena. On the whole, GAP’s Mexican operation was just 2% below 2019, with international traffic up 8%, a significant rise on two years ago.

In terms of Mexico’s recovery from COVID, our country’s borders remained open to international visitors throughout the pandemic, and many Americans took advantage of that for an escape to their favourite beaches. In the reverse direction, many Mexicans have been flying to the United States to get their COVID vaccinations as for some it is easier to get it there than at home.

How has COVID impacted on your plans to expand the international route networks from your Mexican airports?

What we see is that airlines are exploring new opportunities more seriously than before COVID, and this can only have a positive impact on our efforts to attract new air services to our focus areas of China, South Korea, Japan, Europe and Latin America.

The Guadalajara region has been ready for services by a European hub carrier since before the pandemic, and we are now in active discussions about this opportunity. The region’s economy is very international in its make-up and is already home to an impressive number of European companies, which help generate the business traffic that full-service network carriers are looking for. Indeed, the GDL region generates significant outbound travel for both business and leisure and the state of Jalisco and others nearby offer a variety of destinations for inbound vacationers who want to experience Mexico’s history, culture, food and scenery.

From our perspective, we know that several European hub carriers serve destinations in Latin America with smaller populations and GDPs than Guadalajara’s, so our challenge is getting the airlines to understand this opportunity.

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AIRPORT REPORT: GRUPO AEROPORTUARIO DEL PACIFICO (GAP)

We are particularly interested in China, Japan and South Korea as trade and travel between Mexico and Asia have been growing rapidly in recent years, fuelled by a number of new scheduled passenger and cargo services.

GAP is actively discussing potential new air service opportunities in Tijuana with a number of Asian carriers. Tijuana hosts a vibrant manufacturing industry comprised primarily of Asian companies, a situation that creates business traffic to/from Asia.

When it comes to Latin America, Copa Airlines currently serves both Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, ensuring passengers rapid onward connections to destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean via its vast network. However, we believe that there is potential for services to the region from other GAP airports and continue to target new opportunities. Tijuana and Los Cabos, for example, are prime examples of airports that would benefit from services by a Central American hub carrier.

TIJ has always served as a gateway between Southern California and Mexico, but the experience was flawed by the long lines at the ground crossings between the two countries. The CBX was built as an additional airport ‘lobby’ on the US side of the border, connecting to the TIJ terminal by a pedestrian walkway over the border. Ticketed passengers pay a modest fee to cross the border using CBX and avoid the border lines. This makes travelling predictable and quick. The US side offers parking and transport and will soon offer other amenities. Passengers to the States pass through US Immigration and Customs on the US side of the walkway and vice versa for Mexico.

The CBX has been a huge success story for TIJ. Prior to its 2015 opening, the airport handled just over four million passengers per year.

This had more than doubled to 8.9 million in 2019, during which time customer satisfaction levels have soared and Aeromexico as well as Mexican ULCCs Volaris and VivaAerobus have commenced operations to Tijuana. Sometimes it is easy to forget that passengers flying to TIJ can be in downtown San Diego within 25 minutes of passing through the CBX.

Can you tell our readers a little more about how the cross-border terminal in Tijuana works and how the airport benefits from its existance?

What do you consider to be GAP’s greatest challenges and opportunities today?

The Cross Border Xpress (CBX) is a visionary project that takes advantage of the proximity of the Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) to the US-Mexico border. It’s only a few feet away.

As with any business, the challenge is to anticipate changes in the business and be prepared for them. Airports require large capital investments and long lead times for expansion and modification, so it’s important to get things right.

Image courtesy of Harrison Photo.

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AIRPORT REPORT: SAN DIEGO

Bouncing back President and CEO, Kimberly Becker, updates Joe Bates on San Diego International Airport’s recovery from COVID and its $3 billion New T1 programme.

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ith traffic on the rise and a host of new domestic routes launched in the last few months, San Diego International Airport’s bounce back from COVID is beginning to gather pace.

Sixteen new domestic services this year and steadily increasing frequencies on a number of existing destinations means that the Californian gateway currently has one more non-stop route than it did before the pandemic.

Smaller, secondary cities have accounted for the bulk of the growth, and rising interest in San Diego itself both as a beach destination and as a place to do business – it is home to the third biggest biotech and biomedical science cluster in the US – is driving the recovery, with San Diego International Airport (SAN) now handling around 75% of the daily traffic it welcomed pre-COVID. The upturn, boosted by the June 15 lifting of most of California’s COVID restrictions, has led to cautious optimism that more passengers will pass through SAN this year than the 9.2 million that used the gateway in 2020. The airport authority doesn’t do calendar year predictions, but forecasts that 6.2 million passengers will use SAN in its FY2022, although there is a good chance that the figure will be higher if the airport enjoys a strong end to 2021.

Whatever passenger total the airport ends up handling in 2021, it will still be way down on the record 25.2 million that passed through SAN in 2019 to cement its status as the third biggest airport in

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California after Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO) and busiest single runway airport in the United States.

The recent upward trajectory in traffic is most welcome for San Diego County Regional Airport Authority’s president and CEO, Kimberly Becker, who has no hesitation in admitting that the last 18 months have been difficult ones for everyone associated with SAN. Indeed, statistics reveal that like most US airports, SAN was hit hardest in April and May 2020, when at the lowest point its passenger numbers dropped by 95% to just a few thousand travellers a day, and year-on-year monthly traffic figures remained down until March this year.

The airport authority responded to the traffic downturn and subsequent loss of revenues by cutting costs, introducing a hiring freeze and avoiding all unnecessary expenditure. The strategy is still in place today, and the need to be prudent while traffic levels remain down has led to questions being asked about whether SAN should modify, phase, hold off or even go ahead with its $3 billion New T1 development programme.

The plan, one of the most ambitious in the US, includes proposals for a new 1.2 million square foot terminal to replace the airport’s existing Terminal 1; new roadways to make it easier to access SAN; and airfield enhancements to improve the efficiency of airside operations.

The airport authority has also “preserved the opportunity for a connection to a potential future transit system”, which is most likely to be an Automated People Mover (APM).

AIRPORT REPORT: SAN DIEGO

A final decision on the New T1 programme will be made at the airport authority’s monthly Board meeting in October. Becker, for one, believes that the new 30-gate terminal is desperately needed to boost SAN’s operational efficiency and make it a more appealing and user-friendly gateway for passengers.

“Whatever path we go down, our goal of providing the best possible facilities, services and connectivity for our passengers remains the same,” notes Becker.

“The new terminal won’t raise our maximum capacity of around 40 million passengers and 285,000 aircraft movements per year as that is ultimately determined by our single runway and the airspace constraints we operate under. We have one runway and will always have one runway.

“But the new terminal would transform the airport and the airport experience for passengers by providing new state-of-the-art facilities that will take us to the next level in terms of efficiency and customer service and, most importantly, avoid the need for users to go from airside to landside and back when travelling through our terminals.”

The experience enhancing improvements Becker refers to will include more gate-area seating, restaurants and shops, a single central security checkpoint instead of the confusing two in Terminal 1 today, and a host of new self service and touchless technologies.

The new roadways outlined in the New T1 programme will separate airport traffic from commuter and passing traffic to make it quicker and easier to get to and from the SAN, and the APM, when it happens, will operate between the airport and a planned new ground transportation centre around two miles away.

SAN is working in partnership with the area’s transportation body, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) on the APM project.

Pre-COVID, the goal was to break ground on the new terminal in late 2021 and open an initial 19 gates in the first quarter of 2025,

before completing construction of the entire 30-gate facility in 2027.

A joint venture of New York city based Turner Construction and Colorado based Flatiron Construction has been awarded the contract to build the terminal.

Final piece in the jigsaw It is generally accepted that the terminal will be the last major piece of new infrastructure added at SAN due its relatively small 661-acre footprint and the fact that the airport is surrounded by neighbouring communities leaving it no room for future expansion.

SAN is already considered a capacity constrained airport by the FAA, and prior to COVID it was estimated that it would reach its maximum capacity of around 40mppa by 2040, after which time a number of procedures would have to be put in place to allow the airport to continue to successfully serve San Diego.

Becker believes that COVID’s impact on the world and new technology might have added a few more years to the date.

“It is amazing what we can do on such a small footprint,” says Becker, noting that SAN is half the size of her previous airport, Mineta San Jose, which she also thought was small for a major airport.

“The volumes of traffic we are able to handle on a single runway and the ability to act so efficiently with such limited space is incredible. It’s just like a well-oiled wheel. The airlines are more than aware of the space limitations and work well together, and together with our operations team, we make maximum use of our facility.”

She admits that the predicted $3 billion cost of the New T1 programme may increase because of rising construction costs in the US as a result of the COVID pandemic.

However, she notes that the airlines continue to support the New T1 programme as the existing Terminal 1 is no longer fit for purpose.

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AIRPORT REPORT: SAN DIEGO

“Anyone familiar with San Diego International Airport will know that Terminal 2 is a beautiful, modern, user friendly building with state-ofthe art technologies and an International Arrivals Facility – added in a West Wing extension in 2018 – that any airport would be proud to have.

“Sadly, the same cannot be said for Terminal 1, where possibly the kindest thing I can say is that it is 53 years old and beginning to show its age!

When it opened in 1967 it was a modern, 19-gate facility and handled 2.5 million passengers in its first year. Fast forward to 2019, the same terminal in the same condition served more than 12 million people, and the congestion and facilities it offers are absolutely not what we want for our airport.”

Becker adds that going ahead with the new terminal will also provide a huge economic boost for the local community, with the airport authority estimating that its construction alone will create 15,000 to 20,000 new jobs.

Location and market served She notes that SAN is located in one of the most competitive regions in the US for commercial aviation and within an incredibly complex airspace corridor that covers 16 airports, including a number of military airfields, within a 150-mile radius of San Diego.

Most notably these include Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Tijuana International Airport (TIJ), LA/Ontario International Airport (ONT), John Wayne Airport (SNA) and Palm Springs International Airport (PSP).

Having such tough competition on its doorstep ensures that expanding its international route network is not easy. Pre-COVID, SAN’s international services comprised non-stop flights to Frankfurt (Lufthansa), London (British Airways), Tokyo (Japan Airlines) and Zurich (Edelweiss) and regional services to Canada and Mexico courtesy of Alaska Airlines, Air Canada and WestJet. The cross border services to Canada are set to be joined by a seasonal non-stop service to Edmonton, Alberta, operated by ultra-low-cost-carrier, Swoop, later this year.

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Referring to SAN’s international route development challenges, Becker states that gaining an international service is a marathon and not a sprint, pointing out that it might take years for a new carrier to enter the market.

“Don’t forget, we are competing with every airport across the world for that one aircraft,” she comments.

It is a totally different story domestically, however, where Becker notes that “with the odd exception”, most major US cities are served non-stop from San Diego. This ensures that SAN primarily serves as a domestic gateway for the 3.3 million people that live in San Diego County.

Southwest (32%), Alaska (21%), American (14%), Delta (13%) and United (11%) are biggest of the 16 airlines currently serving San Diego in terms of market seat share with Seattle, Denver and Phoenix being the most served routes.

The fact that domestic services traditionally account for around 95% of its annual passenger throughput will almost certainly work to SAN’s advantage in the coming months and even years ahead as domestic travel drives aviation’s recovery from the global pandemic.

The airport’s heavy reliance on domestic travel doesn’t, however, reflect a lack of ambition in the international arena, with Becker admitting that expanding SAN’s international network remains a personal goal of hers and has been since the day she arrived in San Diego four years ago.

“San Diego is the second biggest city in California with significant appeal to both leisure and business travellers,” says Becker. “In fact, our traffic is about 50/50 between leisure and business, so I know we have the potential to develop our international route network, and will continue to work on it.

“Pre-COVID we had a couple of flights to Europe and one to Japan but we didn’t, and still don’t have anything to South America or Latin America, so that is where our focus needs to be when the market picks up and our region can support the new services.”

AIRPORT REPORT: SAN DIEGO

Talking about SAN’s overall mix of airlines and route network, she adds: “I am pretty happy with things. We are very strong domestically and continue to look to grow to our international route network.

“I also think that not having a hub carrier works to our advantage, and certainly has done for the last 18 months as we have not been overly dependent on one airline.”

Like most airport bosses, Becker is hesitant to put a timescale on when traffic at SAN might return to pre-COVID levels, but reveals that the airport authority’s latest, “arguably over cautious projections”, predict that it could be 2023/2024 before 25 million passengers per annum pass through the airport again.

Airport Health Accreditation Preventing the spread of COVID on its facilities and restoring the public’s faith in air travel have been high on the agenda for SAN since the outbreak of the pandemic and continues to this day. Indeed, the airport’s efforts through its ‘Let’s Go Safely’ programme led to it becoming one of the first eight US gateways to gain Airport Health Accreditation (AHA) from ACI World last October.

The AHA programme, of course, provides airports with an assessment of how aligned their health measures are with ACI’s Aviation Business Restart and Recovery guidelines and ICAO’s Council Aviation Recovery Taskforce (CART) recommendations, along with industry best practices.

Speaking at the time, Becker said: “This accreditation provides SAN with third-party verification and recognition of professional excellence in maintaining safe, hygienic facilities and promoting best practices that align with efforts across the aviation industry.”

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Artwork and sense of place Having facilities that display a sense of place is important to the airport authority, which has made sure that a selection of popular San Diego restaurants and stores are among the F&B and retails outlets in its terminals, while its Arts Program regularly showcases the work of local as well as international artists.

The décor of the Internaional Arrivals Facility, for example, is designed to take visitors on a San Diego journey, starting with a top level that reflects the blue San Diego sky and descends down to lower levels that are modelled on the local canyons and then beaches.

“Art is an integral part of our terminals and the artist James Carpenter is part of our actual design team for the New T1, so it’s not just about bringing art into the facility, it’s about creating a facility that has an artistic feature about the structure itself,” says Becker.

She is particularly proud of SAN’s long-standing Arts Program, which in addition to artworks also includes performing arts and temporary exhibitions which are aimed at engaging travellers and creating an ambiance unique to the culture of San Diego.

Its offerings are so well received in fact that during the COVID pandemic SAN transitioned some of them to the virtual environment so that it could “continue to bring the local community in through the arts programme”.

“The Arts Program is a way for us to infuse light, levity, comfort, and life- enriching experiences for passengers and our community,” enthuses Becker.

Sustainable development SAN recently enrolled into San Diego Community Power’s (SDCP) – the not-for-profit community choice energy programme – service and has decided to opt-up to the Power100 service level.

AIRPORT REPORT: SAN DIEGO

This is worthy of note as it means that SDCP will provide 100% renewable and 100% carbon-free energy to SAN, which continues to be a leader in environmental stewardship for the region.

“Having the opportunity to work with San Diego Community Power enables us to reach our goal of 100% renewable electricity well before our planned timing of 2035,” says Becker.

“SDCP’s ability to provide reliable, zero-carbon energy at competitive costs is a game-changer for us and everyone in the region.”

Becker is keen to stress that “good environmental stewardship” is a hallmark of operations at SAN. Indeed, the airport has one of the most comprehensive sustainability management programmes (SMPs) in the business, which she says guides its actions every day.

Water Stewardship; Sustainable Energy; Biodiversity; Zero Waste; Climate Resilience; Clean Transportation; and Carbon Neutrality are the seven key issues tackled by the airport’s SMP, and you don’t have to look very hard to find evidence of its successes in each topic.

SAN, for example, is currently developing a stormwater capture and reuse system that will eventually be able to collect and reuse more than 16 million gallons of rainwater annually. San Diego International Airport is also one of only two airports in North America to achieve carbon neutrality under ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.

Other ongoing sustainability initiatives include providing noise insulation for up to 400 homes around SAN this year; bicycle lanes; expanding the gateway’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure; and protecting an endangdered species of bird that nests on the airport site.

And it seems that no job is too small when it comes to sustainability as Becker tells me that some of the inspiration for its stormwater capture and reuse initiative came from the dedication of airport staff

that used to collect and recycle the condensation from jetbridges, even using it to make a locally sold beer!

Airport Innovation Lab Another way that San Diego International Airport has been truly innovative, and successful, has been in setting up its own innovation lab to test and support the development of new solutions that could be used now and in the future at SAN and at other airports and industries across the world.

Located in a 3,500 square foot space in the old Commuter Terminal, SAN’s Airport Innovation Lab is essentially a safe place for companies to use to test new ideas and technology in a real airport ennvironment.

Ultimately, they are hoping to get a contract with SAN at the end of the programme either by introducing their solution at the airport or at other gateways and venues such as train stations, shopping malls, hotels, theme parks and sports stadiums.

Although Becker says that the motivation behind SAN’s Airport Innovation Lab wasn’t 100% financial, there’s no doubting that a five year revenue share of the most successful concepts is a good way to diversify the airport’s revenue streams.

“The motivation behind the decision to set up the Airport Innovation Lab was the desire to develop new services and amenities that can truly enhance the airport experience for everyone, as there is always a need to do things better, faster and smarter,” says Becker.

More than 25 companies have used the lab since it opened in the summer of 2018, with the most successful concept to emerge to date being the AtYourGate app, which passengers at SAN and 10 other airports across the US can use to receive food deliveries and other retail items at their gates.

Innovation, it seems, is everywhere at SAN and will continue to play a major role in its success story for many years to come.

AW

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The global network

Collins Aerospace’s Tony Chapman considers how the mobile phone will help make the touchless airport a reality within the next few years.

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he novel coronavirus pandemic brought with it a new set of challenges for commercial aviation that will likely take years to overcome. Worldwide, air passenger volumes are not expected to fully recover to 2019 levels until at least 2024, according to a recent report by IATA. With this downturn, came a spotlight on seamless, touchless technology.

A survey commissioned by Collins Aerospace found that passengers have three primary requests of airports and airlines in the age of COVID – to feel safe, stay informed and minimise interactions.

To meet these expectations, airports and airlines must give passengers more control over their travel experience from the moment they book a flight to the moment they arrive at their destination.

The key to this control is not a new invention – but rather a cell phone. By taking full advantage of mobile phone technology, airports

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and airlines can literally put the power of tailored travel into the hands of each passenger.

While some airlines already provide apps for booking, flight notifications, check-in and boarding, apps could be expanded to assist with just about every action a passenger might take before, during and after the flight.

How it could work?

Let’s walk through how this process could work in the future. Passenger X decides to travel from New York City to Paris. As she books her flight, she confirms her identity with the airline by uploading a photo of herself along with her passport. Through a biometric identity management system such as Collins’ SelfPass, for example, this imagery is compared to existing images in secure government databases and verified.

SPECIAL REPORT: PASSENGER FACILITATION

Verification enables airlines to know exactly who she is throughout her journey. When Passenger X arrives at the airport, she walks to a SelfPass check-in kiosk where she is immediately identified through a biometric facial scan, something that’s not currently possible.

The kiosk has the option of a touch-screen interface, but Passenger X opts to use her mobile device instead. A simple scan of a bar code on the self-service kiosk with her mobile phone camera gives her a Wi-Fi connection to the device and she is able to complete the check in process without touching anything but her own phone.

Her check in process may include a rapid health screening of her temperature and other key physiological biomarkers, such as respiratory rate, from sensors built into the biometric camera.

She screens as ‘normal’, so she is cleared to proceed. She then moves to the self-service baggage station to drop her bags, again using her biometric identity that allows her to drop her luggage on the belt and move ahead.

With bags checked, she proceeds to security. She receives a text notification indicating the time she will go through the security process.

There are no lines, just an area where people are seated – socially distanced – as they wait for their appointments.

When her phone notifies her that her appointment time has arrived, she moves quickly through security. By looping the TSA into future developments, there could be no need to pull out her passport or other documents – her SelfPass ID is the only identification she needs.

Next stop, the duty free shop. Passenger X wants to pick up some gifts for her friends in Paris. After collecting several items, she simply walks up to a SelfPass camera linked to a point-of-sale device and exits the shop. No need to stop at a cashier station or dig through her purse for a credit card or cash. The credit card tied to her biometric ID automatically covers her purchases.

After that, she moves on to the airline lounge. Again, using her biometric single token identification, she gains access and orders a pre-flight snack. As she waits inside the lounge, the app tracks her flight and reminds her through text notifications when it’s time to go to the gate.

As a SelfPass flyer, Passenger X is able to use the special self-service boarding gate. There is no need to show documents, interact with an attendant or even pull out her phone. A quick facial scan confirms her identity and allows her to pass through the gate.

Once onboard, she uses her phone to connect to the aircraft’s Wi-Fi and chooses from a menu of apps that allow her to control her in-flight experience.

She can select her meal, snacks and beverages, access entertainment, arrange for ground transportation to her hotel, participate in a work-related online meeting, do some onboard shopping, make adjustments to her seat, and control the seat lighting and air vent – all with strong, clear, uninterrupted communications from her phone.

The possibilities are endless. Consider in the future apps that enable even more capabilities like Passenger X receiving a text letting her know her arrival gate and providing a map to baggage claim.

That same app tells her which airport restrooms are immediately available and how busy they are. Thanks to sensors that count the number of people that enter and exit the various restrooms, she can choose one along her route that is the least crowded.

Or, as she heads toward baggage claim, she receives another text alerting her that her bags will be on the carousel in two minutes.

She picks up her bags – which have been tracked and tied to her through her SelfPass enrollment – and exits the airport to her waiting car service.

Today and looking forward, Passenger X will be able to manage every touchpoint of her journey through her mobile device and a secure single-token biometric identification, making the entire experience more seamless more personalised and virtually contact-free.

The world is transformed in the wake of the pandemic. For the air travel industry, that transformation is profound and ongoing.

The innovations described here, along with many other new ideas spawned by the pandemic, will be refined, developed and incorporated into the commercial aviation ecosystem, bringing huge improvements to the way the world travels.

AW

About the author Tony Chapmman is Collins Aerospace Information Management Services’ director for industry affairs, alliances and strategic initiatives.

AIRPORT WORLD/ISSUE 4, 2021

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Always welcome The leaders of some of the world’s biggest airport lounge operators tell us a little more about their businesses, how they are coping with the traffic downturn and the potential impact COVID might have on the airport hospitality industry.

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viation and hospitality are arguably two of the industries to be hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, so when both are key to your business model, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that the last 18 months have been particularly difficult for the world’s airport lounge operators.

However, if you were expecting to find lounge operators such as the Plaza Premium Group, Airport Dimensions and MAG USA on their knees and struggling to survive, think again, as instead of doom and gloom all are looking forward to the future with renewed optimism.

We gauge the thoughts of Plaza Premium Group’s founder and CEO, Song Hoi-see; Airport Dimensions CEO, Mignon Buckingham; and MAG USA CEO, Martin Jones, in this Q&A style article and discover that all have been busily expanding their businesses over the last year.

PLAZA PREMIUM GROUP Founder and CEO: Song Hoi-see Airport lounge offering: Plaza Premium Lounges Number of airport lounges: 180 Key focus areas: The Americas and China. Significant presence in Europe, India, Middle East and Southeast Asia.

What is your biggest airport location either in terms of the size or number of lounges you operate there?

We operate four lounges at our home airport in Hong Kong, which include our first Plaza Premium First first class lounge, but our biggest lounge in terms of size is at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport where we have a 1,344 square foot facility and three other lounges.

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What impact do you believe COVID-19 will have on the future demand for airport lounges?

We foresee a growing demand for airport lounges, meet and greet services and airport hotels post-pandemic as travellers seek even more seamless, comforting and worry-free airport experiences. In the past, airport lounges were arguably seen as a bit of a luxury. Going forward, I think they will be seen more of a necessity for travellers by providing an oasis that help ease the tension of travel. As a result, we are 100% committed to expansion and offering an end-to-end airport hospitality experience.

Is it time to redevelop or redefine the airport lounge concept in the wake of COVID? Yes, definitely, but I expect it to be more of an evolution than a revolution in terms of offerings and services to take onboard changing traveller behaviours and expectations. The industry will need to prioritise hygiene and safety more than ever before. From our perspecrive, we are implementing protocols by offering touchless experiences that miminise human contact, such as implementing Smart Order, our food ordering system via the scan of a QR code for guests to enjoy fresh made-to-order meals. In some locations we also offer pre-portioned or pre-packed options. We’ve also launched Lounge-to-Go, where travellers can take their lounge experience to enjoy at the gate or inflight. We’ve also reconfigured our spaces to encourage social distancing, privacy and personal space and digitised physical reading materials.

We also believe that meet and greet services will become more and more important in the future as people look for a safe, customised and seamless journey through airports. For this reason, we continue to

SPECIAL REPORT: PASSENGER FACILITATION

expand our ALLWAYS meet and greet offering, recently launching services at Rome Fiumicino and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen airports.

Will new technology play an ever-increasing role in your lounge offering?

We have invested over $5 million on technology and enhancing our data management capability in the last two years alone and expect to invest double that in the coming two years to further improve the customer experience of our guests, product creation, operational efficiency and commercialisation.

As part of our mission and strategy to deliver seamless, optimal and data-driven operation excellence, we are going to team up with a global IT services operator to develop an end-to-end passenger services technology platform to connect the complexity of reservation, sales and marketing, customer engagement, back-of-house command and control, manpower management, training centre and the entire operation information management. Ultimately, the goal is to further optimise and commercialise customer experiences and achieve the vision of providing an unmatched, memorable, world-class passenger journey.

We believe that the need to continue to engage with and provide a more personalised service to customers will lead to more airport loyalty programmes appearing in the market. We launched Smart Traveller – our airport membership programme – in Q1 2020 to do just this, and it has allowed us to introduce the concept of ‘reward now, travel later’ offerings while the travel industry is effectively on pause.

How has COVID-19 impacted on your business development philosophy/strategy?

We have embarked on a business transformation strategy based on the evolving needs and behaviours of the travel market. In terms of opening new lounges, we are targetting expansion in the Americas, Australia, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Greater China, India and Southeast Asia in the next 12 months and aim to expand

from 180 lounges today to over 500 by 2024/25 through growing both the Plaza Premium Lounge venues and through affiliate lounge networks.

The plan is to expand our footprint to create a bigger, global network that is built through strategic consolidation and alliances with industry players, and that will see us in the top 100 busiest airports worldwide.

It is worth mentioning that despite the pandemic, in the past 12 months we have expanded our airport lounge offerings at Sydney, Dallas/Fort Worth, Istanbul Sabiha Goken and Changsha and launched operations at Guangzhou high-speed railway stations.

What three things has COVID-19 taught you about aviation and the hospitality business?

That both industries are resilient and will continue to grow by continuing to remain agile and meeting the needs and expectations of customers. I have also learnt that overcoming COVID will require the effort and collaboration of governments and all industry stakeholders, and that digitalisation has been accelerating at full speed from new perspectives beyond providing convenience and security.

Are you seeing any green shoots of recovery in terms of the number of customers returning to your lounges?

Yes, for sure. Domestic travel is reviving in China, for example, and cross-border and international travel is gradually resuming between the US and Canada as well as in Europe and Asia. In the next 12 months, we foresee professionals who live and work abroad, affluent leisure travellers and international students will be the key segments that are going to travel. We recently launched our ‘We’re Ready Whenever You Are’ campaign to echo our desire to welcome back global travellers and restore excitement in air travel once again.

Our guests can be assured of safe and comfortable facilities and seamless services from Plaza Premium Lounge, no matter where they are in the world.

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SPECIAL REPORT: PASSENGER FACILITATION

AIRPORT DIMENSIONS CEO: Mignon Buckingham Airport lounge offering: The Club, Club Aspire, No1 Lounges and sleep ’n fly Number of airport lounges: 37 Key focus areas: Currently has lounges in the UK, US and the Middle East and about to expand to Asia and South America with new lounges set to open in Hong Kong and Brazil in the coming months.

What is your biggest airport location either in terms of the size or number of lounges you operate there?

Following the acquisition of the iconic No1 Lounges portfolio with joint venture partner Swissport, we now run multiple lounges in London Gatwick Airport under the No1, Clubrooms, My Lounge and Club Aspire brands.

What impact do you believe COVID-19 will have on the future demand for airport lounges?

Now, more than ever, travellers seek a quiet and safe space away from the hustle and bustle of the airport terminals. Prior to and during the peak of the pandemic, our sleep lounges, sleep ‘n fly at DXB and DOH, saw a huge spike in demand with guests appreciating the choice of personal space. Overall, as we see people wanting to get away more than ever, we have seen a shift in the type of customers visiting our lounges, from predominantly business passengers to more leisure travellers who want a space to relax before their flight.

Is it time to redevelop or redefine the airport lounge concept in the wake of COVID-19?

COVID-19 has undoubtedly accelerated the trends we had been seeing across the airport for a while. Increasingly, travellers have been looking for a better, more personal and digitally-enabled experience at the airport. COVID-19 has turned this from a ‘nice to have’, to a ‘must have’.

Over time this will manifest itself in the lounge by offering guests greater choice and control over their experience, and the ability to access and customise greater and better experiences directly from their phones.

Will new technology play an ever-increasing role in your lounge offering?

Absolutely, we see demand increasing for a contactless and digitallyconnected experience. Airport Dimensions recently launched its

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e-commerce and relationship platform Connecta, which helps airports link the physical and digital traveller experience to rebuild revenue.

There is a spectrum of new ways to offer more control and more experiences for the traveller. Our digital journey stretches beyond the lounge itself, providing access to additional services across the airport, such as ordering food to go with our F&B marketplace partner Servy, and duty free ordering in-lounge with retail aggregator Inflyter. With more commercial services accessible digitally within the lounge, this helps to drive the revenue recovery that airports urgently need.

How has COVID-19 impacted on your business development philosophy/strategy?

Airport Dimensions’ strategy has always been to invest strategically to strengthen our position as an innovative force, improving the airport experience and driving non-aeronautical revenues, and this didn’t stop because of COVID. At the peak of the pandemic, our entire network was closed, which of course, did affect us. However, during this time we continued to expand our offering through the acquisition of sleep ’n fly (the pioneers in sleep lounges in the Middle East), and the prestigious No1 Lounges portfolio, providing greater variety and a differentiated proposition.

We now focus strongly on both the physical and the digital environment by investing in driving revenue growth for airports and increasing traveller satisfaction powered by our e-commerce loyalty platform, Connecta.

What three things has COVID-19 taught you about aviation and the hospitality business?

Firstly, be flexible and agile as every day is different. From staffing to safety to menu options, our people have done an amazing job of adapting to the pandemic. Secondly, work closely with airports. We are all in this together and we need to work collaboratively to find commercial, service and operational solutions to current challenges. And finally, look after your guests; delivering a great experience and going above and beyond during these difficult times will win you fans and advocates for life.

Are you seeing any green shoots of recovery in terms of the number of customers returning to your lounges?

As travel restrictions are relaxed at different speeds across our global network, we’re starting to see passenger numbers slowly climb. Globally, visitor numbers have increased by 45% in the past two months, and in the US our visitor numbers are at just over 75% of pre-COVID levels.

SPECIAL REPORT: PASSENGER FACILITATION

MAG USA CEO: Martin Jones Airport lounge offering: Escape Lounges – The Centurion® Studio and Escape Lounges Number of airport lounges: 16 Key focus areas: The UK and US.

across the US. This improves the customer experience enabling passengers to pre-book services via a single transaction and helps airports increase their ancillary revenue, especially when coupled with our commercial services. This has helped airports increase revenue from existing sources but also access new revenue streams from hotels, transfers and other ancillary products.

What is your biggest airport location either in terms of the size or number of lounges you operate there?

Is it time to redevelop or redefine the airport lounge concept in the wake of COVID?

Phoenix Sky Harbor in the US is a dual lounge concept and our biggest airport location in terms of size. It’s also unique in that we launched the first lounge concept of its type in the world. Part of the space is built out as an AMEX Centurion Lounge, and the other part is built out as an Escape Lounge, but we operate them both with the same team utilising a single reception and kitchen area. It’s been hugely successful, and it’s really solving a traveller pain point judging by the demand we’ve seen for it.

Customer feedback suggests the core lounge concept is as relevant today as it was before COVID, but we have clearly evolved our processes to ensure the ongoing safety and enjoyment of our colleagues and guests. We recently launched a new concept in partnership with Jabbrrbox, called Escape Pods. These are addressing a similar passenger pain point to lounges by providing a quiet, digitally enabled space for people to Escape but designed specifically for guests who don’t want or need a full food and beverage offer.

What impact do you believe COVID will have on the future demand for airport lounges?

I think that the demand for airport lounges will increase as people look for a spacious and quiet place to relax. Airports have never been a calming environment, but now more than ever people need an ‘Escape’ from the hustle and bustle of the terminal. Although we are seeing fewer business travellers at the moment, we expect that to recover to pre-COVID levels soon and we are also seeing a greater penetration of leisure travellers, so surprisingly guest numbers are at an all-time high.

Will new technology play an ever-increasing role in your lounge offering?

Definitely. As a digital-led company with a team of over 50 developers, you can expect to see us lead in airport lounge and customer service innovation. Technology has become an essential part of the traveller’s journey and we’re developing new technology in step to meet their needs.

A few offerings we’ve rolled out because of COVID are our PressReader which allows guests to download the digital versions of their favourite magazines, Touchless Check-In, and online pre-book.

Time will tell which elements will become the new normal and which will go back to the pre-COVID experience, but we let the guest experience lead. We also enable the pre-booking of airport ancillary products such as parking, hotels, transfers, lounges etc through our booking engine which is deployed on multiple airports websites

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How has COVID impacted on your business development philosophy/strategy?

COVID hasn’t really had a negative impact on our strategy – if anything it has highlighted the necessity of lounges as passengers want to escape the hustle and bustle of the airport. We want to keep up with the location requests of our clientele, so we’re expanding faster than ever before. Our new partnership with American Express is a huge step in that direction.

What three things has COVID taught you about aviation and the hospitality business?

COVID has taught me that it’s crucial to be agile. Agility is really everything.

You need to be able to adapt to succeed as a business. It’s also taught me the importance of listening to guests and employees regularly as shaping the direction of the business based on their feedback creates a positive, long-term experience for everyone. COVID also showed me the resilience of the travel industry. The people who power this industry are so incredibly resilient, and travel will come back. So many of us have that built-in desire to explore, and we will be travelling again.

Are you seeing any green shoots of recovery in terms of the number of customers returning to your lounges?

Yes, we’re seeing even greater numbers of guests than pre-COVID. Once passenger numbers fully recover, I expect we’ll be doing even better. AW

SPECIAL REPORT: PASSENGER FACILITATION

Transforming KIX Kansai Airports is renovating Kansai International Airport’s existing facilities and introducing new technology to enhance the passenger experience.

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ansai Airports has launched the largest airport renovation project in the region for 50 years to boost the appeal of Kansai International Airport (KIX) and support Japan’s post-pandemic recovery.

The move is in line with VINCI Airports’ commitment to bringing the highest quality standards to its network of 45 airports across the globe.

Instead of building a new terminal, Kansai Airports is improving the existing terminal and KIX’s operational efficiency by proactively introducing cutting-edge technologies in a bid to ensure a comfortable, stress-free travel experience for all passengers.

Kansai Airports – a consortium created by VINCI Airports and ORIX in 2015 – is implementing its own Fast Travel initiative to streamline departure procedures and increase KIX’s processing capacity, ultimately allowing passengers more time to enjoy the terminal’s facilities before boarding.

On the fourth floor of Terminal 1, it has introduced self-check-in kiosks and self-service bag drop units alongside check-in counters to shorten passengers’ check-in time.

Furthermore, with the aim of directing passengers to less crowded security areas to improve KIX’s security processing capacity, the airport has enabled passengers to see the congestion level and estimated waiting time of each international security checkpoint on KIX’s website as well as on the departures floor.

This has been made possible courtesty of a Passenger Flow Management (PFM) system that uses sensors to recognise and count passengers in a queue and predicts the time required for security and passport clearance, factoring in the number of lanes used for security check and other elements.

At the entrance of each security checkpoint, KIX has installed e-gates to automate the verification of boarding passes, which makes departure procedures even smoother. Previously, security personnel collected boarding passes from passengers and scanned them at the entrance of the international security area to ensure all passengers had valid tickets.

With the new gates, passengers can now self-scan their boarding pass to enter the security area. The introduction of the automated gates has expedited passenger processing and enabled smoother security screening.

At security checkpoints, Smart Lanes, the latest security screening machines, have been installed. They can check baggage of multiple passengers at the same time, which allows passengers to go through the security screening more quickly than before.

The automated movement of trays has also eliminated the need for security personnel to move the trays, freeing up their time to guide and assist passengers. In addition to reducing screening times, Kansai Airports notes that the Smart Lanes have helped improve KIX’s on-time departure record.

T1 renovation started in May 2021 In May 2021, Kansai Airports started renovation works on Terminal 1 at KIX, 27 years after its opening in 1994. The main purposes of this renovation is to increase the airport’s international capacity and enhance the passenger experience through Fast Travel solutions.

By installing more Smart Lanes and e-gates and consolidating separately located security checkpoints, KIX will reduce the time required for departure procedures and give passengers more time to enjoy terminal facilities before boarding.

They will also change the layout of the international and domestic areas to integrate international operations that are currently divided into north and south. The new layout will increase the international departure area by 60% allowing for the introduction of a walk-through duty free area, more shops and restaurants. It will also increase the number of international boarding gates from the current 34 to 39, and greatly simplify wayfinding, making the terminal more convenient and intuitive to navigate.

Kansai Airports will also enhance KIX’s operational efficiency with the October 2021 implementation of an Airport Operational Data Base (AODB), which will centralise the management of all airport resources and further optimise airport operations in partnership with its stakeholders.

The main airport functions of the terminal will be ready for use by the time of the Osaka-Kansai Expo in 2025. Once the renovation works are completed, the international capacity of the airport will increase to 40 million passengers per annum.

AW

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Being clinical Airports continue to innovate when it comes to finding new ways of operating safely during the global pandemic, and for some this has meant opening on-site COVID testing facilities, writes Joe Bates.

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viation’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is beginning to gain momentum with domestic travel booming in some parts of the world and hopes growing that quarantine-free international travel will become a possibility for most of us before the end of the year.

In order to facilitate this happening, it is imperative that airports show that they are safe places for both passengers and staff and that they are doing all that they can to prevent the spread of COVID. As a result, over the last year, thermal imaging cameras, new self-service technology, hygiene technicians and cleaners busily disinfecting everything from seating, elevator buttons and handrails to check-in kiosks have become common sights at airports. And in recent months they have been joined by the opening of a number of on-site COVID testing laboratories and clinics.

We provide a quick global snapshot of a handful of these openings and discover how some are capable of providing COVID test results within 30 minutes.

Going large in Dubai Dubai International Airport (DXB) boasts one of the world’s largest and most modern airport labs for the on-site processing of COVID-19 RT PCR tests.

Located close to Terminal 2, the 20,000 square-foot laboratory is a dedicated facility for round-the-clock processing of RT-PCR test samples collected from passengers at DXB. And according to DXB operator, Dubai Airports, using latest WHO-standard COVID-19 RT-PCR testing equipment, the lab can process up to 100,000 samples per day and provide reliable results within a few hours.

Opened in conjunction with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and Pure Health, the state-of-the-art laboratory is equipped with negative and positive pressure rooms and is linked to government reporting platforms to ensure the secure and easy sharing of information between health and regulatory authorities and the airlines.

Chairman of Dubai Airports, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: “The lab is a fine demonstration of Dubai’s collaborative approach to tackling complex challenges and achieving great results.

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“As the world’s busiest international hub preparing for a surge in passenger traffic over the summer holidays and beyond, we were keen to make sure that the airport journey is safer, smoother and faster while fulfilling the required health protocols.

“The lab’s quick turnaround for processing test results will go a long way in helping us deliver a service experience the world expects from Dubai.”

Results within 60 minutes at LAX Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) now offers COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests with results guaranteed in less than an hour with the addition of a new testing option at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

The new tests are in addition to PCR tests being offered for sale at several locations throughout the airport (with results in either 3-5 hours or within 24 hours, depending on location) and rapid antigen tests at the airport’s innovative on-site laboratory.

“We continue to see a strong demand for fast and accurate COVID-19 testing at LAX, which is helping passengers travel safely and opening up more destinations to them,” said Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) CEO, Justin Erbacci.

“By adding a one-hour rapid PCR test, LAX once again is leading the way in airport innovation and guest service and providing travellers with access to dependable and accurate rapid testing solutions that meet their timing needs.”

XpresSpa leading the way San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has become the latest US gateway to open a COVID-19 testing facility operated by the XpresSpa Group.

The XpresCheck at SFO is a pop-up facility located pre-security, near the baggage claim area on the Arrivals level at Terminal 3 and boasts nine separate testing rooms that between them are capable of conducting 500 tests per day.

COVID-19 testing options include a Rapid Molecular COVID-19 Test, the standard Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Test, and a new Rapid PCR test in the near future, with results available in as little as half-an-hour.

SPECIAL REPORT: PASSENGER FACILITATION

Doug Satzman, XpresSpa CEO, stated: “We are delighted to launch XpresCheck at San Francisco International Airport. Through our trusted relationship with United Airlines, we can now offer travellers and airline employees convenient COVID-19 testing options at our on-site testing facility.

“Additionally, several direct flights to Hawaii originate at SFO and we are proud to be a trusted partner of Hawaiian Airlines and the state of Hawaii. As airport traffic continues to increase, we are pleased to be doing our part to make everyone feel more comfortable through this additional layer of safety.”

Lori Augustine, United Airlines’ vice president of airport operations at SFO, said: “We’re thrilled to offer United customers travelling through San Francisco yet another testing option – this time, conveniently located before security inside our terminal – to help them meet the entry requirements at their final destination.

“United customers will be able to easily upload their test results into our Travel-Ready Center and start their travel with peace of mind.”

COVID lab pioneer Back in March 2021, Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH) opened a rapid testing lab for COVID-19 in a bid to facilitate the resumption of air travel and assist with quarantine tracking procedures.

The facility, opened by Abu Dhabi Airports in partnership with Pure Health and Tamouh Healthcare, was one of the region’s first PCR testing laboratories within an airport and is capable of testing 20,000 travellers and staff daily.

Designed to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of travellers and staff at Abu Dhabi International Airport, the new Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing process is free for arriving passengers and is one of the fastest in the world, with results available in approximately 90 minutes.

Abu Dhabi Airports CEO, Shareef Hashim Al Hashmi, said: “The introduction of the RT-PCR COVID-19 testing is a milestone achievement in our ongoing efforts to facilitate the safe resumption of international air travel and support the recovery of the aviation industry.”

Malmö and John Wayne airports And opening COVID testing centres isn’t just the preserve of the hubs and the bigger gateways as Malmö in Sweden and John Wayne Airport in the US have proved in recent months.

Malmö Airport says that it has opened its new facility in response to “strong demand from passengers and airlines for the chance to take PCR and Antigen tests and to have travel certificates issued at the airport”.

Scantest carries out PCR and Antigen tests at the airport, and if the test result is negative a travel certificate signed by a specialist doctor is issued. The response time is two to four hours for PCR tests and 30-60 minutes for Antigen tests.

“Naturally, we think it is very positive that we can now offer a service for which there is strong demand and that is absolutely crucial to our passengers and airlines at Malmö Airport. The tests are important with the restart of air travel and in many cases are a necessary complement to the EU Covid certificate,” says Karin Öhrström, airport director at Malmö Airport.

Swedavia notes that there is already a test centre for PCR and Antigen tests under the management of EspressCare at Stockholm Arlanda and Göteborg Landvetter airports.

Meanwhile in the US, California’s John Wayne Airport has opened a Hoag Rapid COVID-19 Testing Clinic and a Fly Well Clinic, which at the time of their unveiling made it one of just a few airports in the US to offer travellers on-site COVID-19 vaccinations, urgent care, telehealth consultations and vital screenings.

The Hoag Rapid COVID-19 Testing Clinic is located pre-security in Terminal B on the Departure Level before the TSA Security Checkpoint.

“As we begin to see an increase in air travel once again, we want to ensure that our guests feel safe and healthy,” notes John Wayne Airport director, Barry Rondinella.

“As the highest-ranked health care provider in Orange County, Hoag is uniquely positioned to address our guests’ specific health care needs, as well as the needs of the nearly 900 people who work at the airport.” AW

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SPECIAL REPORT: PASSENGER FACILITATION

The touchless advantage Orlando International Airport’s new user-friendly South Terminal C will showcase an array of touchless technologies, writes Curtis Fentress, principal in charge of design at Fentress Architects.

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rlando International Airport (MCO), which started 2021 as the busiest gateway in the US for passenger departures, is about a year away from opening its new South Terminal C. Designed by Fentress Architects in association with HNTB, it is part of the largest expansion project in the Florida airport’s history.

While recovery from COVID-19 is still underway, there are many reasons to be optimistic about Central Florida’s investment in the South Terminal C complex. For one, MCO went from the tenth busiest airport in the United States (as ranked by passenger volume) in 2019 to the ninth in 2020.

During that same period, the airport also moved up five spots on the list of busiest airports worldwide. And even though monthly passenger loads across the US remain lower than they were in 2019, they are also steadily rising.

This rise is largely being driven by a surge in domestic tourism, which has long been a dominant segment of the Orlando market. South Terminal C’s opening in 2022 is sure to further support passenger growth with a near touchless experience.

Reducing the time spent at check-in, security and at other key touchpoints at airports has long been the goal of airport planners and designers, and this desire to make passenger processing smoother, more efficient, and indeed pleasant, has been accelerated during the COVID pandemic due to new global health and wellness concerns.

And with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting that 80% of all infectious diseases can be transmitted through touch, arguably the industry goal should be to strive for a completely touchless experience for passengers.

Numerous technologies such as automatic lavatory fixtures and mobile boarding passes have long been the industry standard as a means to reducing touchpoints at airports and enhancing the passenger experience.

Now, with current demand propelling the industry forward, incremental advancements in touchless technology are being introduced en masse. One such advancement is gesture-based

self-serve kiosks, which transform the traditional self-serve kiosk into a completely touchless device. Likewise, foot-pull openers for lavatory stalls and foot-activated buttons for elevators are also turning touchpoints touchless.

Along with these developments, there have been a vast array of solutions introduced for holdrooms. This is an area that has traditionally provided passengers little to no opportunity for social distancing.

Basic reconfiguration of seating rows into a honeycomb shape is one solution to allow for more social distancing. Additional solutions include cluster configurations and highly flexible seating like Arconas’ Place Chair. Designed by Michael McCoy in collaboration with Fentress Architects, Place Chair can be assembled in a variety of configurations to achieve multiple objectives. Each seat is also outfitted with extra-large arm rests and electrical outlets.

While incremental solutions are important, a truly touchless airport experience requires the addition of more comprehensive solutions such as contactless concessions and biometrics.

Earlier this year, Los Angeles International Airport piloted an on-demand food service programme in Terminal 2 that prepares pre-orders from existing kitchens, otherwise known as a ‘ghost kitchen’. While that solution is perfect for existing facilities, new construction projects present the opportunity to radically reinvent the means and methods of presenting and delivering all types of food, beverage, and retail products.

New construction also allows for the seamless integration of biometrics, an artificial intelligence technology capable of providing touchless check-in, security, boarding and international arrivals processes for passengers.

At South Terminal C, passengers will be able to engage a variety of biometric devices. Moreover, all 15-gates will be outfitted with technology to provide 100% facial recognition for international arrivals and departures. In this example alone, it is easy to see the advantages of a touchless experience: passenger safety, health, comfort and convenience.

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LEADERSHIP

Bluer skies ahead ACI-North America’s president and CEO, Kevin Burke, talks to Joe Bates about the challenges and opportunities ahead for US and Canadian airports as aviation starts to show signs of recovery from the global pandemic.

How tough have the last 18 months been for North America’s airports and do you think you have fared better or worse than other parts of the world?

The ongoing global pandemic has severely impacted airport finances over the past 18 months and continues to do so. We estimate that the steep, prolonged downturn in passenger traffic due to the pandemic will cost US airports more than $40 billion and Canadian airports more than C$5.5 billion in lost revenues by the end of 2021 –numbers that will only grow if travel restrictions continue.

In relation to the rest of the world, North American airports have experienced many of the same challenges as airports in other regions.

The key difference for North America is the phenomenal level of relief for airports from the US government; but the slow trickle of governmental relief to airports in Canada and ongoing international travel restrictions are putting North American airports behind the rest of the world.

ACI-NA successfully led the charge that helped secure $20 billion in immediate financial relief for the US airport industry. How important was this?

The $20 billion in emergency relief funding was a dire need. These funds have helped keep the lights on for airports across the United States, saved thousands of jobs, and ensured that essential airport operations could continue in a safe and secure manner. While this immediate financial relief is greatly appreciated, US airports are facing at least $40 billion in revenue losses through March 2022, as well as

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increased operational costs to respond to ongoing pandemic-related challenges. Airports quickly implemented short-term solutions like plexiglass barriers and sanitising stations, but they will also need to make long-term changes to the structure of and technology throughout their terminals and security checkpoints.

Thriving airports are critical to our national economy, and each one is an engine of economic activity for its local community. ACI-NA stands ready to continue working with the administration, Congress, and industry stakeholders to ensure that airports have the resources needed to weather this storm and make a full recovery. This is especially important now as the US Congress is working on an infrastructure investment package that would provide $25 billion in new funding to airports and the FAA to make much needed improvements to the nation’s runways, terminals and air traffic control towers.

Do you think the crisis will lead to a revaluation of airport business models with potentially more private investment in US airports in the future?

This has always been a challenge because US airports are so different from other airports around the world. Public-private partnerships have found a foothold at US airports in the last several years and can be attractive options for specific projects where the deals bring operational expertise, enhanced project financial feasibility, new sources of capital investment, or help address challenging project delivery/implementation scenarios. We see these P3 options as another tool in an airport’s capital development toolbox. However, they aren’t right for every project or every

LEADERSHIP pandemic has been the rapid innovation and deployment of new technologies that will be here to stay.

For instance, many airports have introduced contactless payment options for concessions and virtual boarding passes to reduce the need for passengers to come into contact with airport workers. US agencies like Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have also launched pilot programmes to streamline the security process and are testing implementation at airports across the country.

We look forward to continued collaboration as the industry works to introduce innovative new solutions that make for a better passenger experience.

Do you think that many of the new health measures and technologies introduced over the last 18 months are here to stay?

airport. Going forward, we see both P3 and more conventional publicdevelopment approaches coexisting in the US airport sector.

Is raising the Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) in the US now potentially more important than ever to help fund vital capital projects that might otherwise have to be put on hold?

Absolutely. America’s airports are important economic drivers for their communities and ensuring they are adequately funded is essential to securing our nation’s economic recovery to guarantee continuity in funding airport infrastructure projects once the additional federal funding is exhausted. Airports urge Congress to adjust the outdated federal cap on local PFCs. The PFC is one of the most important sources of airport funding, but its federal cap has not been adjusted in the past 20 years. The PFC’s purchasing power has been seriously blunted since then, and lifting the outdated cap would directly benefit local economies and jumpstart our recovery in a way that does not cost taxpayers a dime.

Even outside of the economic impact COVID-19 has had across the aviation industry, airports face a backlog of at least $115 billion in infrastructure projects over the next five years. These are projects that would help address critical needs while improving the passenger experience, fostering airline competition, lowering ticket prices, and fortifying our health infrastructure to prepare for future health and safety challenges.

Has the pandemic given the industry the kick-start it needed in terms of the introduction of touchless selfservice technology and any other innovations at airports?

Airports have long aspired to implement new technologies that allow for a seamless and contactless passenger experience. While most of this progress had seemed years away, a silver lining coming out of the

Many of the practices established to enhance airport health and sanitation protocols will remain in place for the foreseeable future. North American airports introduced more frequent cleaning, upgraded cleaning supplies, additional hand sanitiser dispensers for passengers and employees, increased education and training for airport employees and contractors, and many other initiatives to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Part of our industry’s recovery is ensuring that passengers are confident in the measures airports are taking to ensure the health and safety of travellers and employees alike. It’s clear that the passenger experience will look different than it did before. It’s going to be safer, easier, and will only continue to improve with the innovation happening across the industry.

What is the forecast for the recovery of passenger traffic in North America this year and in terms of getting back to and surpassing 2019 levels?

In short, the recovery has been quite uneven across North America.

We are forecasting that 2021 traffic in North America will only reach 60% of 2019 levels. Domestic passenger traffic is expected to reach 2019 levels in 2023, while the recovery of international passenger traffic will require one more year, getting back to 2019 levels only in 2024.

Finally, do you have any uplifting anecdotes that highlight the resiliency and the best of the airport industry as we recovery from the darkest days of COVID-19?

Even as the industry actively responds to infrastructure, health, and safety needs brought on by the pandemic, airports remain focused on creating a more sustainable, inclusive, and diverse future for air travel.

For instance, we recently announced the winners of the 2021 ACI-NA Inclusion Champion Awards, who are exemplary of the strong work happening to empower minority and women-owned businesses and build a workforce that is representative of the people we serve.

ACI-NA also recently welcomed the airport industry’s global commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To get there, it will take strong support from our governments, airlines, and other industry partners – but much progress has already been made, and we’re proud of the work our member airports are undertaking to reduce their environmental footprint.

We are confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel and much to be done once we emerge from it.

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NEW REVENUE STREAMS

Innovate and grow

Airport World finds out more about Vienna AirportCity, which continues to evolve around Austria’s capital city gateway.

I

t may not be as well known a some of the world’s more high profile projects, but Vienna International Airport’s own airport city has been around for years and is quietly growing into quite a success story.

Vienna AirportCity is actually located entirely on the site of Vienna International Airport (VIE) and its combination of transport links, local supplies, health services, childcare and a huge range of office and logistics space ensure that it has been a small ‘cosmopolitan city’ for some time.

Its growing appeal to companies has also been enhanced by the fact that it was recently awarded the first Austria-wide district certificate for sustainable development from the Austrian Society for Sustainable Real Estate Management.

Building such a multi-functional and sustainable AirportCity is a key business strategy of VIE, which is actively seeking to diversify its commercial activities to make it less dependent on aeronautical related revenues.

And as VIE will be CO2 neutral by 2030, so will Vienna AirportCity, according to Wolfgang Scheibenpflug, senior vice president for real estate and landside management at operator, Flughafen Wien AG. “To achieve our CO2 goal, the focus of the AirportCity is heavily on sustainability. We are proud to provide a sustainable environment and are constantly expanding it,” he says.

Wide range of locations next to a mobility hub Vienna AirportCity offers a wide range of possible uses. With a logistic area of around 45,000sqm and an office and event space of more than 116,000sqm, it has already established itself as an important business and office location in a region where such facilities are highly prized.

Firms looking to locate to the region are generally seeking growth opportunities, 24/7 accessibility and international transport connections, all of which can be found at Vienna AirportCity.

Tenants to date include logistic companies, firms doing business in the aviation sector or highly innovative companies that need access to the international markets.

AirportCity as an innovation hub Vienna AirportCity has also gained a reputation for being an innovation hub since Plug and Play, which spawned the likes of Google, PayPal and Dropbox, established a ‘start-up hub’ for innovative business ideas at the airport in 2019.

They were joined this year by PRESTO Tech Hub, an Austrian-Israeli innovation hub and investment management comapany, which will act as an investment partner for start-ups and young creative entrepreneurs.

Scheibenpflug notes: “As companies from Japan, Korea and Israel and elsewhere around the world are discovering, Vienna AirportCity is a popular hub for innovation growth and expansion.”

Office revolution at Office Park 4 The newest addition to the skyline at Vienna AirportCity is Office Park 4, one of the most sustainable office buildings in Austria and winner of numerous awards due to some pioneering energy efficiency initiatives.

Its glass façade and futuristic aerospace-inspired design also make it one of Vienna AirportCity’s most striking builidngs, while people focused features such as co-working areas, a kindergarten and catering facilities aim to enhance the work experience and the feel-good factor of employees.

And it is not alone in being an eye-catcher as the pedestrian bridge next to Office Park 4 doubles as Austria’s largest and most spectacular LED wall.

Without doubt there is great interest in Vienna AirportCity, and as a result of this growing interest, further projects are already being discussed, particularly those relating to the expansion of the ‘airport region’, conference space and hotel capacities. Visit www.airport-city.at for more information about the project.

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DESIGN & BUILD

Investing in Lima

We report on the ongoing upgrade and development of Peru’s gateway to the world, Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport.

O

n February 14 this year, Lima Airport Partners (LAP) marked the 20th anniversary of its concession for managing, operating and developing Lima’s Jorge Chávez International Airport (LIM).

Fraport AG, the Frankfurt-based global airport operator, owns 80.1% of LAP, with the remaining 19.99% stake held by International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank.

Recognising the potential of LIM and its geographic location from the start, Fraport and LAP wasted no time in setting about modernising the gateway’s infrastructure and fine-tuning operations after taking over responsibility for operating it early in the new millennium.

Indeed, LAP invested some $4 million on the airport in the first six months of the concession, focusing on improving passenger services and upgrading the visual appearance of the aging terminal.

That figure had grown to $10 million by the end of 2001, the investment including the start of a number of projects outlined in LAP’s first expansion programme for Lima Airport.

These efforts meant that by February 2005 passengers effectively found themselves entering a new airport that was comfortable and functional, where technology went hand-in-hand with good design, effectively ensuring a better user experience.

The expansion programme included a complete renovation of the existing infrastructure, the installation of LIM’s first boarding bridges, and construction of the new Peru Plaza, a shopping and gastronomy mall that has become a popular attraction for Peruvians and international visitors alike.

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In the process, Jorge Chávez International Airport’s key infrastructure was transformed from less than 40,000sqm in 2001 to some 65,000sqm in 2005, then up to more than 89,000sqm in 2018. Outside on the ramp, aircraft parking positions increased from 18 in 2001 to 52 by 2018, by which time LAP had invested more than $455 million on Peru’s gateway to the world.

LAP’s investment in new infrastructure has enhanced LIM’s operational efficiency and customer service standards, and these efforts certainly haven’t gone unnoticed by the Skytrax World Airport Awards, which has recognised Peru’s capital city gateway as the ‘Best Airport in South America’ ten times, most recently in 2020 when aviation was first impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Route network and traffic growth Thanks to active route development and strong airline relations synergies, LAP has also attracted a growing number of airlines and international destinations.

Prior to COVID-19, Lima Airport’s route network comprised 24 passenger airlines and 10 all-cargo carriers, which between them served more than 60 international and domestic markets.

The combination of airlines and an expanding route network meant that LIM’s passenger numbers reached an all-time high of 23.6 million in 2019, a huge increase on the 4.1 million that passed through its facilities in 2001.

It was a different story last year, of course, with Peru being especially hard hit by the pandemic. Indeed, Lima Airport was

DESIGN & BUILD

forced to close in mid-March 2020, and remained shut to all but emergency medical flights for months. Not surprisingly the enforced closure and new global COVID related travel restrictions led to just seven million passengers passing through the airport in 2020 – 70.2% down on 2019.

The continued impact of COVID on global travel means that 2021 is likely to end up being another tough one for the airport.

The latest figures show that around 3.7 million passengers flew via LIM in the first half of 2021 and traffic is not expected to be back to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, followed by renewed growth.

“Looking confidently into the future, LAP is positioning Lima Airport for the future challenges and opportunities in the Latin American aviation industry,” enthuses Juan José Salmon, CEO of Lima Airport Partners.

“With Lima Airport’s multi-faceted expansion programme, we are currently developing one of Peru’s most significant mega projects – to create an agile, high-performance and modular hub for the 21st century.”

The current LIM expansion programme includes extensive airside and landside development phases for the decades to come.

Furthermore, LAP has developed the first Latin American Airport City initiative to attract international investors and tenants to the global airport hub.

According to LAP, the expansion programme is strategically important not only for Lima Airport, but also for Peru and South America as a whole, as LIM serves as a major and popular hub to the Latin American market.

Airside development programme In September 2020, LAP signed a $450 million financing agreement with leading international banks for the airside portion of the expansion programme at Jorge Chávez International Airport.

“Secured in a very challenging environment, this financing agreement sends out a strong and positive message about Lima Airport Partners and the Fraport Group,” states Fraport’s chief finanical offcer, Dr Matthias Zieschang.

“The transaction underscores the interest and demand from capital markets for financing well-managed airports that have a long-term and positive perspective, such as the Lima Airport hub.”

Despite the pandemic, the airside expansion programme has been progressing well under the country’s strict new health measures. The airside programme includes a new 65-metre-high air traffic control (ATC) tower to provide a commanding view of the expanded airport site and new 3,480 metre second runway.

Other airside projects include 10 kilometres of taxiways, beacons and navigation aids, surveillance systems, plus new operational buildings near the ATC tower for fire and rescue services, fauna management and utilities.

Construction of the ATC tower and airfield buildings will be completed before the second quarter of 2022. Both the new runway and the fully equipped ATC tower are expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The construction of the new tower is the first milestone project of LAP’s airport expansion. “This will lay the groundwork for operating a second runway and for further optimising air traffic control in Peru,” states Salmon.

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DESIGN & BUILD

Landside development phase The landside phase of LIM’s ongoing development programme began in February 2021 with the launch of a competitive bidding process for the engineering, procurement and construction(EPC) activities required for a new passenger terminal.

In addition, this phase includes access roads, apron areas and utilities.

Salmon believes that LAP is maintaining its commitment to the expansion project and Lima Airport concession by initiating the EPC tender.

“We will announce the tender winner in the comings months, with the new terminal expected to be completed by early 2025,” he comments.

LAP insists that the design of the new terminal is based on maximising the efficient use of existing infrastructure to respond to the “new needs of passengers, airlines and the aviation industry”.

The terminal design concept is based on six key principles or objectives – expandability, efficiency, security, sustainability, user-friendliness, and ‘sense of place’.

The airport operator tells Airport World that creating modular and expandable infrastructure is important in the post-pandemic period and beyond to allow for flexible growth as demand changes.

Expanding on the terminal’s design objectives, LAP explains that efficiency refers to maximising LIM’s existing capacities, as well as reducing processes and minimising connection times in the terminal.

Security and control processes require biometric solutions and reliable authentication systems.

Sustainability focuses on reducing the energy consumption of the terminal, but also the services that support terminal operations.

According to LAP, an intuitive and simplified terminal concept will optimise user-friendliness and enhance the passenger experience.

While sense of place utilises architecture and other characteristics to create something uniquely Peruvian, reflecting the country’s roots, rich cultural heritage and products.

A tangible example of innovative forward planning for the new terminal is the recent collaboration with Lagardère Travel Retail for a pioneering new profit-share agreement for duty free operations at LIM. Salmon says: “In the context of LAP’s airport expansion programme, we have signed a new duty free concession agreement with Lagardère Travel Retail. We believe that it sends a strong signal to the global aviation and travel retail industries. Our agreement will take us well into the next decade together. We are dedicated to delivering new and unique airport retail experiences in Lima and South America.”

The 13-year duty free concession with Lagardère Travel Retail comes into effect in January 2022 and will begin in the existing terminal and extend to the new one. It is anticipated that the profit-sharing agreement will open up significant revenue potential for both Lagardère

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and Lima Airport Partners, ultimately benefitting travellers and enhancing the airport experience at the gateway.

LIMFuel The Lima Airport expansion programme also includes the construction of a new fuel farm and hydrant system to serve the new terminal.

The hydrant system of the current terminal and the new one will be connected to the Fuel Farm. The expansion plan foresees that it will receive the fuel by a dedicated pipeline.

Lima Airport City LAP’s vision for the Lima Airport gateway includes creating one of South America’s first Airport City initiatives for developing cargo and logistics facilities, hotels and offices as well as other aviation and non-aviation related businesses on airport land.

Clustered in various areas around the airport property, the total development potential is large and long-term in nature. Over the next three decades, an area up to the size of one million square metres could potentially be developed on 110 hectares of land.

The first Lima Airport City project was initiated in 2020 when LAP secured a long-term ground lease agreement for developing a world-class logistics centre in the northeast corner of the airport. The developers are LatAm Logistic Properties of Costa Rica and the Peruvian investment firm CAPIA. The new Parque Logístico Callao will cover approximately 21 hectares and will involve a total investment of about $54 million spread over five development phases. Construction of the first phase is expected to start in early 2022. In keeping with market demand, each phase will take approximately one year to 18 months to be realised.

These logistics facilities will serve the export and import clients of both the airport and the neighbouring Callao ocean cargo terminal, Peru’s national seaport.

Jorge Chávez International Airport is strategically located in the Callao municipality about 10km north of downtown Lima. Indeed, Lima is the only capital city in South America whose airport is located so closely to the country’s main seaport – a compelling logistical advantage with synergies for cargo operators in the future.

Cargo companies will be able to lease warehouse space in a secured environment with eco-friendly EDGE certification from the World Bank’s IFC. Sustainable practices friendly to the environment and local communities are key elements of Parque Logístico Callao.

Other features include uninterrupted 24/7 operations, e-commerce, central monitoring and CCTV, a perimeter and access control, advanced fire protection and waste-water treatment.

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WBP NEWS

Open for business The latest news from ACI’s World Business Partners.

Modalis launches talent solutions provider

Strategic investment advisory and professional services company, Modalis, has added another string to its bow with the launch of airport talent solutions (airportsTS), a specialist recruitment operation designed to find airport operators and project managers the experts they need for one-off projects or on a short-term or permanent basis.

Modalis boasts around 100 specialists in international transport infrastructure privatisation, investment, development and operations that can call on the expertise of a further 400 airport experts across the globe.

Indeed, it notes that on average its members have more than 20 years of real-world, hands-on management experience at airports with skillsets covering every aspect of the airport business.

Curtis Grad, Modalis’ founder, president and CEO, says: “The difference between airportTS and other recruitment agencies is that we have someone onboard who has done the job and knows exactly what is required from a particular role, so we know what is needed and how best to meet the talent needs of our clients.”

In short, airportTS offers airport operators and project teams highly experienced on-demand strategic and technical advisors, site management professionals and subject matter specialists, who can be deployed on-site and remotely (or both) as part of short, medium and long-term talent solutions/resources.

And Grad is quick to point out that airportsTS offers clients the opportunity to employ recruits by contract, secondment or direct employment (i.e. specialist and executive search).

He adds: “We also provide mentorship and capacity building to facilitate the transfer of knowledge to local management teams and staff during the course of our engagements.

“Ultimately, our aim is to support airport operators, owners and project sponsors in achieving higher operational standards and efficiency along with increased long-term commercial revenues and profitability.”

For information on open searches, check out the ‘Opportunities’ portal – https://talent.modalis.ca/careers – on the airportTS website.

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Siemens continues to innovate

Siemens Logistics has launched VarioBelt TilterPlus, a new belt conveyor which it claims has an “unparalleled tilting device for efficient transport of baggage at airports”.

It notes that its latest innovation has a highly functional mechanism capable of conveying baggage straight ahead as well as to the left and the right. And since three directions are served with just one sorting device, it effectively means that less machines are required for a baggage handling system – and that in turn means a smaller footprint.

“We support our customers with the most modern solutions for smooth business processes,” says Michael Reichle, CEO of Siemens Logistics. “VarioBelt TilterPlus is a ground-breaking product that makes baggage handling with belt conveyors even more flexible – for both regional airports and international hubs.”

MAI enhances global ORAT offering

Munich Airport subsidiary, Munich Airport International (MAI), is to partner with Atlanta-based Citiri to offer digital operational readiness and airport transfer (ORAT) services to airport operators and infrastructure developers across the globe.

MAI claims that by combining its know-how and experience of helping airports open new facilities with Citiri’s ORAT management platform software, the partners will be able to offer an advanced ORAT solution including remote services to clients worldwide.

It believes that their new partnership can serve any airport operator, authority or investor that are planning and implementing an airport development project, be it an extension of existing infrastructure or construction of a new airport with landside and airfield facilities and systems.

“ORAT was effectively born in Munich in 1992, when Munich Airport relocated to its current site in an unprecedented overnight operation,” enthuses MAI managing director, Dr Ralf Gaffal. “Over the past 30 years we have successfully delivered more than 40 ORAT programmes worldwide.”

RUNNING WBP NEWS HEAD Cirium

Gebr Heinemann unveils new Ljubljana offering Gebr Heinemann and casualfood – a company specialising in high-quality food-to-go outlets – have opened their first integrative retail space combining duty free, F&B and convenience at Ljubljana Airport in Slovenia.

The walk-through area is located in the airport’s new terminal and extends over a span of 1,000 square metres, of which the majority opened its doors on July 1, 2021. The remaining space is scheduled to open in April 2022.

While ‘smartseller’ is the name of the operating joint venture, the in-store presence has the customised brand name ‘all yours’ at Ljubljana Airport.

“The concept evolves retail spaces from formerly rigid, category-centred assortments into four needs-oriented zones, creating smooth and intuitive transitions between themes, products and services,” explains Karl Niendorf, managing director of smartseller.

While Fraport Slovenia’s chief commercial, finance and administrative officer, Babett Stapel, notes: “The fresh and innovative concept of the duty free area, where retail and F&B offerings are intertwined, is one of the highlights of the new terminal at Ljubljana Airport.

“We believe that the perfectly designed shop and product offer, combined with an attractive food corner will win over even the most demanding travellers.”

Digitalisation drive at King Khaled International Airport Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) has begun utilising a new integrated airport management platform that it expects to help it optimise operational efficiency and enhance passenger satisfaction levels.

The Saudi Arabian gateway worked with ADB SAFEGATE on the project, and states that the new platform will enable it to take full control of airport operations by “facilitating proactive and data-driven decision-making, improving planning, disruption management and the utilisation of airport assets and resources”.

The platform acts as the central database for all operational information generated manually or automatically from different airport data sources. It provides all flight-related data accurately and efficiently in a real-time environment, for example.

Riyadh Airport Company’s general manager for ICT, Mohammed Alshammari, said: “Our goal is to enhance the overall experience of our passengers by adopting advanced solutions and digitally transforming the airport. This partnership will enable us to capitalise on the potential represented by the future passenger demand.”

ADB SAFEGATE’s vice president of airport systems and tower, Sébastien Jodeau, noted: “KKIA’s digital transformation is to utilise technology to better use of data, to improve processes, and bring stakeholders closer for a better outcome. We aim to help KKIA elevate its offerings and experience through our partnership.”

Membership Region: Latin America & Caribbean Contact: Juan Carlos Gonzalez E: juan.gonzalez@cirium.com W: www.cirium.com Cirium is part of RELX PLC, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. The company brings together powerful data and analytics to keep the world in motion. Delivering insight built from decades of experience in the sector, it enables travel companies, aircraft manufacturers, airports, airlines and financial institutions, among others, to make logical and informed decisions which shape the future of travel, growing revenues and enhancing customer experiences.

Arthur D Little Membership Region: Europe Contact: Mathieu Blondel E: blondel.mathieu@adlittle.com W: www.adlittle.us Arthur D Little has been at the forefront of innovation since 1886. We are an acknowledged thought leader in linking strategy, innovation and transformation in technology-intensive and converging industries. We navigate our clients through changing business ecosystems to uncover new growth opportunities and enable them to build innovation capabilities and transform their organisations. Our consultants have strong practical industry experience combined with excellent knowledge of key trends and dynamics. ADL is present in the most important business centres around the world and is proud to serve most of the Fortune 1000 companies.

C&S Companies Membership Region: North America Type of business: Planning & Construction W: www.cscos.com C&S Engineers, Inc is the largest and longest running enterprise in the C&S Companies family, which also includes C&S Design-Build, Technical Resources (industrial contracting), and Operations. These four companies, individually and in combination, are at the forefront of developing the solutions that help airport owners and authorities, government and military clients, and public and private sector organisations of all sizes maximise their operations and efficiently achieve their service/business objectives.

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WBP NEWS

WBP extra

Buy now, pay later

Elenium Automation has launched a $200 million COVID recovery programme that it hopes will convince airports to invest in its passenger processing and security solutions as the unique thing about it is that airports will only pay for the technology when they use it.

The company believes that its VYGR initiative will help airports and airlines upgrade their technology to make travel seamless, touchless, and ready for a post-COVID recovery.

It states: “The purpose of the $200 million programme is to eliminate the financial risk of deploying such technology during an uncertain time with a consumption-based model, paying only on a per use basis.

“The aviation industry has a unique opportunity to modernise its infrastructure and make the passenger experience seamless and safe, bringing back confidence to the travelling public impacted by the global pandemic.

Elenium specialises in using biometrics, telepresence and touchless technologies that effectively allow passenger to walk into the terminal, drop off their bag, and continue to the lounge or boarding gate without having to touch a boarding pass, bag tag or screen.

Elenium Automtion’s CEO, Aaron Hornlimann, says: “The aviation industry can use VYGR to implement new technologies without worrying about the upfront cost and managing the risk of operational

disruptions from pandemics to bad weather. They only pay for it when they use it.

“In my opinion, we need to upgrade our airports now so the industry recovery can be supported with efficient, touchless and confidence-building automation. VYGR removes a hurdle by dealing with capital constraints.”

Elenium’s products can be found today at across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East ranging from Avalon (Australia) and Queenstown (New Zealand) to the international hubs of Abu Dhabi, Bengaluru Kempegowda and Hong Kong in the UAE, India and HKSAR respectively.

SSP expands business in Asia-Pacific region SSP Group is to grow its footprint in Asia-Pacific with the addition of three new F&B outlets at Gold Coast Airport (OOL) in Australia and more airport lounge openings in Malaysia.

The new F&B outlets at OOL will include Liv-Eat, a quick service concept focused on healthy eating; Roll’d, offering authentic Vietnamese dishes including bánh mi and pho; and Red Rooster, Australia’s second largest chicken quick service restaurant.

About 6.4 million passengers annually used the airport prior to COVID-19, and each brand has been carefully selected to appeal to OOL’s demographic of primarily domestic visitors.

OOL is the gateway to the Gold Coast – Australia’s sixth largest city – and the popular northern NSW region.

The airport’s chief operating officer, Marion Charlton, said the new offerings would give passengers greater choice and additional healthy food options.

“The opening of these news stores signal a return to full capacity across our commercial tenancies after a number closed due to COVID-19 impacts,” notes Charlton.

Meanwhile in Malaysia, SSP now operates a total of six airport lounges across Kuching and Kuala Lumpur international airports after signing a contract with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

The new business will be operated by SSP Malaysia, a joint venture between SSP Group and Travel Food Services (TFS), which also partners with SSP in India where it operates 20 lounges in major travel

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hubs throughout India, including the award winning GVK lounge at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.

According to SSP, the lounges offer a new range of quality local and international food and beverage offerings.

Mark Angela, CEO of SSP Asia Pacific, said: “This business win marks the beginning of an exciting expansion programme in Malaysia.

Our detailed knowledge of this market and strong track record as operators, plus a phased investment plan aligned to the return of travellers, mean that our lounge offerings will be perfectly aligned to the needs of our guests in each of these locations.

“We’re looking forward to working with MAHB on these exciting plans to provide a quality airport experience for travellers, while also increasing our presence in this important market.”

RUNNING WBP NEWS HEAD

Onmevo’s ground-breaking new digital collaboration

Frankfurt Airport and Omnevo have extended their long-term partnership for another five years to “further develop the digitalisation of the airport’s range of products and services” for passengers passing through Germany’s biggest gateway.

The news coincided with the launch of the latest advanced version of Omnevo’s award-winning omnichannel e-commerce solution, which parent company AOE originally developed for Fraport.

Through its original partnership with AOE, Fraport utilised the OM³ digital platform (now known as Omnevo) to become the world’s first omnichannel airport focused entirely on omnichannel both before and, especially, during the pandemic.

The newly enhanced Omnevo cloud solution is said to enable the operation of a complete airport marketplace solution for all travel retail sales at a fraction of the costs previously required for such a leading ecosystem, creating new revenue opportunities for crisis-hit airports of any size.

Kian Gould, CEO of AOE and founder and chairman of Omnevo, boldly states the highly flexible software as a solution (SaaS)

ensures that Fraport has effectively future-proofed its digital strategy by integrating directly in the Omnevo product roadmap, enabling it to benefit from Omnevo’s strategy of continuous improvements to the solution.

“Frankfurt Airport has maintained a clear focus on the vision that originally motivated Fraport to digitalise its business model, namely, to transform stationary trade into an omnichannel travel retail and shopping hub, with the ultimate goal of serving passengers with relevant information, shopping options and services – all instantly available, in the right place, at the right time.”

He notes that Frankfurt Airport’s digitial solutions allowed its retail and F&B outlets to contiunue generating sales throughout the COVID pandemic – despite the lack of passengers – while many other airports’ shops remained closed, incurring huge losses in revenue.

Fraport’s head of retail & digital, Jens Paul, says: “By continuing on our digital path, we are able to react much faster and more flexibly to unpredictable situations and dynamic market developments, and to implement new digital business models.”

Airbiz to work on Western Sydney project Multiplex Constructions has won the contract to design and build the passenger terminal at Australia’s planned new Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport.

The A$5.3 billion airport is slated to open in late 2026 and will initially be equipped to handle around 10 million passengers per annum.

Airbiz is the designated specialist airport planner on the project, led by Multiplex and supported by Woods Bagot and Arup.

Australia’s Minister for Communications, Urban infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Paul Fletcher, believes that the contract award is an important step in the development of Sydney’s new airport.

“The unveiling of the final designs of the new Western Sydney Airport is a major milestone towards the delivery of one of the most significant infrastructure projects in Australia,” said Fletcher.

“After several years of preparing the airport site, including moving 18 million cubic metres of earth to date, construction is on track to commence on the integrated passenger terminal at the end of the year.

“This project is a unique opportunity to build an airport from the ground up – allowing us to deploy the latest technology to ensure the passenger experience is smoother and easier than today’s airports, and the security systems more effective but less intrusive.

“The new terminal will not only be a state-of-the art piece of infrastructure but a driver of jobs and economic growth for the region, and form an integral element of the surrounding aerotropolis and the broader Western Parkland city.”

Airbiz describes the new airport as an exciting project, which it states will be a “world-class, full-service airport” designed to cater for both domestic and international traffic.

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HUMAN RESOURCES

PEOPLE

matters Action stations Terri Morrissey and Dr Richard Plenty provide their thoughts on some of the staffing challenges airports are likely to face as passenger numbers begin to rise in the second half of the year.

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e are writing this column in London on Monday, August 2, 2021. From today, double vaccinated passengers from the EU and USA no longer have to quarantine on arrival in the UK. So, for the first time for over a year, there is an opportunity for friends and families separated by COVID-19 to be reunited without having to isolate.

A cause for celebration? Yes, but unfortunately just as UK airports are gearing up for this increase in passengers, Border Force staff in Heathrow and Gatwick have been hit by an outbreak of COVID. Today’s The Times newspaper reports that this has seen more than one in four of them off work over the weekend. The requirement to introduce spot checks on passengers – as well as issues with technology at e-passport gates – have exacerbated these problems.

The immediate consequences have been ‘quarter mile queues at Heathrow’ and long waits for those impacted. The joy of reconnecting with people and places has been tempered by the practical difficulties of checking, verifying, and dealing with all the requirements of international travel. We hope that these particular problems will be resolved by the time this article goes to print.

Still, this specific example demonstrates the kinds of issues airports will have to face as international air travel starts to open up again – resourcing of staff; matching supply with demand; ensuring new procedures and technology work efficiently; working collaboratively with others who work under different governance and rules; and supporting passengers who find themselves caught up in all of this.

What a challenge this is for those who work in airports! Recent changes pave the way

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for a real recovery in passenger numbers and provide hope for the future, but planning ahead remains difficult due to the uncertainties associated with the pandemic.

Flexibility has become the name of the game.

Employers want the freedom to move people around to respond to differing levels of demand without too many constraints. They have expectations around employee mobility, adaptability, and multi-skilling. At the same time, employees are increasingly assertive about their rights to work in ways which suit them, their working conditions and working hours.

These differing expectations can be hard to reconcile. To take a simple example, how should airports manage employees demanding a continuation of working from home for at least some of their time?

Changing times mean changing mindsets. We are looking at an environment where the ‘psychological contract’ between employees and employers may need to be renegotiated.

How can this best be done? These points were discussed at the ‘High Level Political Forum at the United Nations’ on ‘Decent Work’ on July 12, 2021. The American psychologist, Jeffery Saltzman, argued that the underlying psychology which motivates people has not changed over the years.

People expect to be rewarded fairly and reasonably, to be treated with respect and dignity, to work in an environment where they are able to do a good job, and to have a sense of personal future.

Airports whose leaders bear these principles in mind, have clear open communication channels, listen to their people, and involve them in jointly solving problems are more likely to be successful in recovering from the pandemic than those who stay stuck in the ‘old ways’.

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Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) in New Zealand has appointed Glen Sowry as its new CEO. Sowry was most recently CEO of Metlifecare and has extensive aviation experience having spent a decade in a range of senior management roles at Air New Zealand.

Louisville Regional Airport Authority (LRR) recently announced a comprehensive streamlining of the organisation to “further prioritise the experience of users and partners at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) and Bowman Field (LOU)”.

As a result, Brenda Allen now serves as its senior vice president and chief legal and administrative officer and will oversee LOU’s the Finance, Legal, Properties, Public Safety and Purchasing and Procurement departments; Brian Sinnwell has been appointed senior vice president and chief operating officer and will oversee Bowman Field, Engineering, Information Technology, Maintenance, Noise Abatement and Operations; and Darrell Watson will serve as its senior vice president and CEO with oversight of the Human Resources, Marketing and Air Service Development and Public Relations Departments.

Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, has appointed Belinda Kirkegard to the Board of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA). Kirkegard is the economic development director for the city of Kissimmee.

Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) is on the lookout for a new vice president and manager for Dulles International Airport after Mike Stewart announced that he is leaving after 14 years to become the executive director of Virginia’s Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport.

About the authors Terri Morrissey and Dr Richard Plenty are directors of This Is…, authors of the book Uncertainty Rules? Making Uncertainty Work for You, and deliver ACI World’s Airport Human Resources training. You can contact them at info@thisis.eu

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