Page 15 - AAA MAY-JUNE 2012 Online Magazine

FEATURE INFRASTRUCTURE

that Airbus received in 2011, 89% were for number of seats per aircraft has risen 1% The world’s most modern
the A320neo, a narrow-body aircraft with averaged over the last 10 years. industry airport will be Berlin’s
around 150 seats. Less than 4% of future analysts see the same trend, and project Bandenburg Airport due to
Airbus deliveries are 500+ seat A380s. that small (50-70 seat regional jets) and open in June 2012. To expedite
so for the same number of passengers, super-jumbos are not the key drivers of departure, the airport has
eight check-in clusters with
that means at least three times as many current rapid expansion in travel. it is 94 check-in desks as well as
aircraft movements. narrow body jets, run in many cases by 108 self-service machines.
“Asian airports have been placing the by low-cost carriers (Lccs) that are The aiport layout has 25 piers
most of their emphasis on building driving up numbers. as well as space for up to 85
large terminals to accommodate the aircraft to park on its apron. To
fast-growing number of passengers,” LCC’s shrinking aircraft cater for LCC carriers it has 15
observed Prof. Amadeo odoni, t.Wilson this rapid growth in Lccs has seen a walk-in gates on the north pier
Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics dramatic increase in the number of
at the prestigious Massachusetts institute smaller aircraft – resulting in more
of technology in the Us aircraft movements for the same
Prof. odoni, a recognised expert on number of passengers. so if passenger
airport design, notes that many airports movements go up too, as they are, then
have been operating with few runways the limits of airside capacity are being
(the typical number is two) under the reached more quickly than the planners
assumption that aircraft will get larger projected. for example, singapore’s
and larger over the years. “this, however, changi airport has seen an 11% rise in
has not been the case, due to the rapid
growth of domestic traffic, regional
short-haul traffic and Lccs – all of
which rely primarily on smaller, narrow-
body aircraft,” he said. this brings the Averages for 15 busiest airports (2007)
secondary effect that though the number Busiest airports in Millions of Annual Thousands of Passengers
of passengers is growing steadily, the Passengers Annual Aircraft Per Movement
number of aircraft landing and taking (average) Movements
off is growing even more rapidly. Aircraft (average)
movement numbers are exploding, North America 53.1 642 83
and many airports are creaking at the Europe 37.2 (-30%) 348 (-46%) 107 (+29%)
infrastructure seams as a result.
the planners were wrong – aircraft Asia 35.8 (-33%) 234 (-64%) 153 (+84%)
in general are not getting larger. the Data: Airports council international (2008)
WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM MAY / JUNE 2012 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS 15