FUTURE OF AIRPORT MANAGEMENT 1

Though, we cannot predict precisely what airport management be in next 100 years, but it will evolve with changes in technologies, business policies, and governmental regulations A/P mgt will develop to address future operational issues, ranging from capacity and delay to safety and security FUTURE OF AIRPORT MANAGEMENT

Recent history reveals the operational inefficiencies that resulted in poor financial performance of air carriers during periods of a slower economy As a result, air carrier ops have begun to restructure, resulting in more direct, “point-to-point” service between markets, and the formation of rolling hubs, indicated by flight ops that are distributed more uniformly throughout the day RESTRUCTURING OF COMMERCIAL AIR CARRIERS

These operational strategies require less need for large-hub A/Ps and need to operate smaller commercial service A/P facilities To accommodate this distribution of demand, future govt funding programs may shift focus from the addition & expansion of relatively few very large A/Ps to a wider array of capital improvement projects at greater numbers of smaller A/Ps For A/P mgt, this may result in a larger number of A/Ps serving air carriers as air carriers continue to seek reduced costs Desire to reduce costs offers the opportunity for A/P mgt to become increasingly less dependent on aeronautical revenues, and more dependent on other revenue sources, ranging from A/P concessions to A/P property leases for non-aeronautical uses, such as light industrial or commercial properties RESTRUCTURING OF COMMERCIAL AIR CARRIERS

Latest such effort is the A-380, being produced by Airbus Industries. This “superjumbo” A/C has specifications in length, wingspan, weight, and passenger-and cargo-carrying capabilities significantly greater than that of the next-largest A/C in common existence, the Boeing 747 Because of its sheer size, additional design accommodations such as lengthening and widening of runways, the widening of taxiways and parking spaces, and the thickening of any airfield pavements are required NEW LARGE AIRCRAFT

Additionally, the mgt of A/P terminals, from A/C parking at gates to the mgt of over 1,500 enplaning and deplaning passengers per A-380 operation, will require significant planning, and perhaps changes in A/P terminal ops to ensure as efficient service as possible For passenger loading ops, design efforts are to create “double- decker” boarding, which may require the creation of new loading bridges, or perhaps multilevel boarding lounges at aircraft gate areas NEW LARGE AIRCRAFT

In contrast to the A-380, new technologies have encouraged the development of smaller A/C, as well as advanced navigation and communication technologies, to facilitate air travel between thousands of general aviation A/Ps Small aircraft transportation system (SATS) is joint program of NASA, FAA, US aviation industry, and universities They intend to relieve the current problems of traffic jam and delays associated with the current airline hub-and-spoke system SMALL A/C TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

SATS program developed concept for operational capability to be demonstrated in four major areas: Higher volumes of air traffic will be accommodated at non radar, non-towered small airports Lower landing minimums will be established at minimally equipped small airports. Flight systems for improved safety and efficiency will be established. Procedures for integration of SATS aircraft into existing air traffic management systems and the National Airspace System will be developed SMALL A/C TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

Advantages Take advantage of underutilized A/Ps Increasing capacity at each A/P Requirements It involves the relaxation of many current regulations imposed on A/Ps by advancements in automated A/C control, navigational capabilities, and collision avoidance technologies that come along with SATS SMALL A/C TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS

One of the advantages of SATS A/C will be the navigational capability to fly “virtual VFR.” Virtual VFR relates to the concept that despite weather conditions that would force IFR flight plans and approaches, SATS pilots will be able to navigate similar to that during VFR conditions Flying virtual VFR may allow for increased capacity because of Reduced longitudinal separations for A/C ops on a single R/W Reduced required lateral separations between parallel R/Ws for multiple R/W ops Availability of A/F under any weather conditions without the need for traditional instrument NAVAIDs & procedures Possibilities that may contribute to increased capacity at A/Ps

Because of the dynamic nature of SATS navigation technologies, SATS A/C approaching a given R/W may do so simultaneously from varying, and perhaps uniquely defined, approaches Currently, every A/C approaching a R/W tends to fly the same published approach procedure, which limits the capacity of ops to A/P With multiple instrument approaches, there is great potential for increasing capacity Increase in precision when it comes to tracking of A/C, along with more highly accurate collision avoidance systems, might allow for reduced restrictions on land and hold short procedures Allowing multiple ops on converging R/Ws, especially during IFR conditions, would certainly have a positive effect on airfield capacity

A/C with high navigation precision on A/Fs with sufficiently long R/Ws may be able to regularly allow multiple takeoffs and/or landings simultaneously on a single R/W ( e.g. air shows special landing procedures )

SATS will continue development through the next decade During that time, federal regulations, airspace procedures, and industry products will be developed to accommodate SATS traffic System’s full-deployment phase is scheduled to occur in 2015 SATS advocates forecast that a SATS system should be mature and fully operational by 2020 Although much investigation and testing would be necessary to prove that such ops would be safe on a regular basis, the technology associated with SATS navigation may indeed make such ops possible, thereby providing great increases in airfield capacity