Page 16 - AAA MAY-JUNE 2012 Online Magazine

FEATURE INFRASTRUCTURE

Demand for more
aircraft capacity has
made airports like
land scarce Hong
Kong to consider
adding more runways
by reclaming land
from the sea

passenger numbers from 2010 to 2011, “A consequence of the increasing there are also likely to be more
but a 15% increase in aircraft movements number of runways and of the changes specialised terminals and spaces with an
over the same period. in the nature of the passengers is that increased differential between classes
With Lccs now constituting some airport designs (airfield, terminals, of travel – budget and first class will not
20% of all traffic worldwide, serving ground access) will become more use the same areas, as is often the case
point-to-point travellers, the airport complex and will have to cater to the needs now. And there will be more and more
function has changed. these passengers of a broader spectrum of passengers and specialised people-movers to make sure
are not often making connections – they level-of-service expectations,” pointed passengers get where they need to be.
are destination arrivals, and their needs out Prof. odoni. Multi-airport systems will become
are more variable and more complex. the more common, with second-tier hubs
providers, the Lccs, don’t want or need Where to now? helping traffic to bypass the more
sophisticated terminal and connection Apart from the need for more runway congested airports. increased use of
services; they want rock bottom airport capacity, and smarter use of existing aircraft like the A350 will help this trend.
fees, they want fewer and more basic capacity, analysts see other significant And lastly, there will be a much more
facilities, and they want fast turnaround. developments impacting good airport distinct division between commercial
And they have much less loyalty to any design to overcome these capacity airports, and those used for general
particular airport, unlike major flag challenges. Biometrics will play an aviation. All of which, with luck, will see
carriers. if airport prices go up, they are increasing role in both identification of airports becoming more efficient, more
quite likely to move. passengers as well as security. this will friendly, and better places to be for both
this sharp increase in aircraft help speed up boarding and decrease operators and passengers alike, be they
movements and passenger profile is inconvenience for passengers. on premium or Lcc flights.
straining existing infrastructure. Many
airports are today running at their
maximum airside capacity, said Prof.
odoni. “As a result, several major Asian
airports are now scrambling to add Professor Amedeo R. Odoni is Professor in the Department of
runways to increase their airside capacity.” Aeronautics and Astronautics, and the Department of Civil and
the situation is set to be compounded: Environmental Engineering, at the Massachusetts Institute of
although the number of passengers per Technology (MIT), US. Since the early 1970s, he has served as
consultant to many of the busiest airports in the world on projects
aircraft movement in Asia is 153 and in related to practically every aspect of airport planning and design,
the Us it is only about 83, Asia is catching and of air traffic management. He also authored, co-authored, or
up fast as the numbers per movement edited nine books and more than 100 professional publications. He
drop. Airports (like hong Kong, and has received numerous awards for his teaching over three decades,
maybe changi) are adding runways to and is a recognised expert on the topic of airport design.
cope with the extra load.
16 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS MAY / JUNE 2012 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM