Airports of the World November December 2014

www.airportsworld.com Nov/Dec 2014 | Issue 56

CHESTER HAWARDEN

Airport in Waiting

ON THE SPOTVancouver’s Craig Richmond

CLARK EVOLUTIONPhilippines Expansion

CAPE TOWNCAPE TOWNCAPE TOWNGrowing Ambitions

AFTER THE VOTE

WORL

D

ROUTE

S

FULL

REP

ORT

AEROTROPOLISA Brave New World

4 NIGHTS HOTEL STAY in Cape Town

WIN

Closing Date December 31, 2014 CLARK EVOLUTIONPhilippines Expansion

in Cape TownClosing Date December 31, 2014

5 GLOBAL AIRPORTSINCLUDING:

SANTA CRUZBolivian Jewel

CORNWALL AEROHUBNewquay Shines

LAGUARDIAWelcome to New York

5 SPECIALFEATURES

£4.60

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Regulars

4 NewsDetailed news coverage from the global airport scene.

36 Snapshot – Anchorage AlaskaIn May 1980 Ron Mak travelled to Anchorage International Airport and photographed an impressive selection of classic aircraft.

50 Airport Analysis – Aerotropolis – A Brave New WorldDr Nicola Davies talks to some key figures involved in developing the aerotropolis, and looks at current and future concepts.

56 Industry Column – Scotland’s Devolved AirportsFollowing the ‘no’ vote for Scottish Independence, we find out how airports in the country have managed since it gained powers under devolution in 1999.

58 Airport Infrastructure – Cornwall AerohubA business and jobs revolution is taking place at Newquay Airport in the South West region of England. Editor Mark Nicholls profiles the Aerohub project and was impressed by the commitment made by all involved.

63 ProductsSome of the latest innovations to benefit airports.

66 On The Spot – Craig Richmond – VancouverDavid Arminas speaks to Vancouver International Airport’s President and CEO, Craig Richmond, about this thriving gateway to one of Canada’s most exciting cities.

70 UK Airport VisitorsOur readers’ gallery – featuring a selection of the more interesting aircraft that have recently visited UK airports.

74 Flying Visits – Kuala LumpurSpencer Bennett flies from Singapore to experience a day in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

82 GlossaryWe explain some of the abbreviations and acronyms that regularly appear in the pages of Airports of the World.

38 Cape Town 50 Aerotropolis

22 LaGuardia

Contents

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WIN WIN Four Night’s

Hotel Stay in Cape Town – see page 45

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Cover shotA Kulula Boeing 737 at Cape Town Airport. (Sebastian Schmitz)

78 Santa Cruz

Features

16 World Routes 2014The host city for this year’s World Route Development Forum was Chicago which, as Editor Mark Nicholls reports, put on an outstanding show for the event’s 20th anniversary.

20 Welcome to New York – The Downtown WayLaGuardia Airport has been a popular gateway to the New York City area since the 1930s – so much so that capacity issues have been a problem for decades. Luigi Vallero looks at its history and its plans for further development.

30 Wales’ Multipurpose GemMartyn Cartledge recounts the history of Hawarden Airport and details how it has evolved to serve one of the world’s largest plane makers and host a range of smaller businesses, among them the Aviation Park Group.

38 Cape Town’s GatewayFollowing substantial investment in terminal facilities, Cape Town International Airport is about to embark on a major runway project. Sebastian Schmitz travelled to South Africa to find out more.

46 Clark EvolutionClark International Airport in the Philippines continues to expand, and as Ron Mak and Arnel P San Pedro report, there is a lot more to come.

78 Santa Cruz – Little JewelSebastian Schmitz visits El Trompillo, the smaller of two airports serving the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz

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4 airports of the world

EDITORIALThe announcement by the UK Airports Commission that it was not recommending proposals for a major air hub in or around the Thames Estuary comes as little surprise (see adjacent story). Despite fervent support from London Mayor Boris Johnson there were simply too many issues that would have required extensive negotiations, deals and work to overcome – not to mention the huge cost. These considerable uncertainties and the resultant risks could have left the London area short of capacity for decades had there been significant delays to the project. It is going to be tough enough to get permission for new runways at either London/Heathrow or Gatwick, but chances are that one of these could be operational within ten years – hopefully. Every year the World Route Development Forum (see pages 16-21) gets bigger and better. This year’s host city, Chicago, did a fine job and the event saw a record number of meetings between airlines and airports – more than 16,000. The positive atmosphere was reflected during conversations with many delegates – confidence has certainly returned to the sector, despite the Malaysia Airlines tragedies, tensions over Ukraine and the ISIL problem in Iraq and Syria. Almost everyone I spoke to had a ‘good news’ story to tell – new carriers, new routes, new infrastructure projects. So the comment made by IATA’s Thomas Windmuller that governments need to decide whether they treat airports “either as cash cows or economic drivers” was all the more pertinent. Commercial aviation is a major contributor to most nations’ GDP; it encourages inward investment, creates jobs and sustains every type of business, leisure and manufacturing industry. Taxing it heavily – as happens in the UK – is completely counterproductive. Where the industry is viewed as an economic driver it is entirely different, one only has to look at Dubai and Abu Dhabi to understand that.

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THE UK Airports Commission has announced it will not be including the inner Thames Estuary airport proposal in its shortlist of options to provide new airport capacity in the southeast of England. The idea had been dubbed ‘Boris Island’ by the UK media because it had been heavily supported by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

The commission concluded from further detailed study that the option presented substantial disadvantages that collectively outweighed its potential benefits. Airports Commission Chair Sir Howard Davies said: “We are not persuaded that a very large airport in the Thames Estuary is the right answer to London’s and the UK’s connectivity needs. While we recognise the need for a hub airport, we believe this should be a part of

an effective system of competing airports to meet the needs of a widely spread and diverse market such as London’s.”

He added: “There are serious doubts about the delivery and operation of a very large hub airport in the estuary. The economic disruption would be huge and there are environmental hurdles which it may prove impossible, or very time-consuming to surmount. Even the least ambitious version of the scheme would cost £70bn to £90bn with much greater public

expenditure involved than in other options – probably some £30bn to £60bn in total. There will be those who argue that the commission lacks ambition and imagination. We are ambitious for the right solution. The need for additional capacity is urgent. We need to focus on solutions which are deliverable, affordable, and set the right balance for the future of aviation in the UK.”

The remaining options being considered are adding a third runway at Heathrow, lengthening the airport’s existing northern runway (which would operate as two separate runways) and a new runway at Gatwick.

The Commission is continuing its appraisal of the three shortlisted proposals for additional capacity and this is due to be published by the end of the year.

˛

‘Boris Island’ Dropped

Architects Foster + Partners proposal for a new London hub to be sited in the Thames Estuary was one of several ideas suggested to meet the UK capital’s airport capacity requirements. The UK Airports Commission has now shortlisted its preferred options, namely new runways at either London/Heathrow or Gatwick. (Foster + Partners)

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A FIRE, reported by the FAA to have been caused by a contractor attempting to commit suicide, resulted in major damage at Chicago’s en route ATC centre in Aurora, Illinois early on September 27. The incident severely disrupted flights in and out of Chicago’s two major airports – O’Hare and Midway – with the former only receiving 40% of its average daily traffic and the latter 30%. More than 140 air traffic controllers who usually worked at Chicago Center were

moved to assist at the Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) in Elgin and other air traffic facilities to help manage the disruption. The FAA regulated the traffic flows in and out of Chicago through other large TRACON facilities in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin with additional help from high-altitude centres in Minnesota, Kansas, Indiana and Ohio.

This paid off over the weekend as the number of flights was gradually increased. After inspecting the

damaged equipment, the FAA decided to completely replace the central communications network and move it to a different part of the same building to restore the system as quickly as possible. The FAA assembled the replacement components at a remote site, and technicians brought in from around the US worked around the clock to set up the new equipment, 10 miles (16km) of cable, connect it to several undamaged systems, and complete testing. Meanwhile cleaning crews worked to restore lightly damaged equipment and also clean the ventilation system which was contaminated by smoke.

On October 3 air traffic controllers managed more flights in and out of O'Hare than at any other airport in the country – the number of arrivals and departures at O'Hare and Midway being 93% of the two-month average for a Friday. By October 5 the O’Hare figure had improved to 99% and Midway’s to 95%. The FAA set a target to return Chicago Center to full service on October 13.

GROUNDWORK HAS begun to prepare the land for the new Ajman International Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Speaking to Airports of the World at World Routes in Chicago, the airport’s Director General Malcolm Campbell said several hills had to be removed and the land at one end of the runway raised by up to 85ft (26m). The preparation work is due to be completed next spring allowing construction of the airport’s infrastructure to start. The runway will be CAT III and 13,123ft (4,000m) long.

The facility is part of a major

airport city development that will include 20,000 homes, eight hotels, two shopping centres, a hospital, schools and a mosque. A leisure park is also planned and, if this

element goes ahead, the airport’s capacity could eventually reach 10mppa. The possibility of a high-speed rail link to other parts of the UAE is also being considered.

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NEWSLATEST UPDATES

ATC Disruption in Illinois Shannon Success

IRELAND’S SHANNON Airport has celebrated winning two prestigious awards in ten days. On October 2 it scooped the overall Airport Achievement Award for 2014/2015 from the European Regions Airline Association (ERA) and on September 22 it received the Airport Marketing Award in the ‘less than four million passengers’ category at World Routes in Chicago (see pages 16-21). These follow on from the facility’s inaugural Airport Achievement Award at the Irish Aviation Industry Awards in June.

This was the first time an Irish airport has been presented with the ‘ERA Airport of the Year Award’ since the accolade was introduced in 2002. Shannon stood out from its contenders for ending five years of, what the judges called: “seemingly interminable decline” by attracting new airline customers and making a profit in its first year as an independent entity. The judges were also impressed by how independence from the national airport authority was used by management to concentrate on the needs of the local community and stakeholders.

In its first year as an independent entity in 2013, the management succeeded in halting five successive years of declining passenger numbers and significant losses by breaking even and marginally growing passenger numbers. This year the airport hopes to achieve double-digit growth on the back of securing a range of new routes, particularly across its European network.

Shannon Group plc CEO Neil Pakey said that the Airport Achievement Award validated the efforts of all at Shannon, as well as the region. “It is always great news when your customers acclaim you as the best, and for our airlines to vote for us for this prestigious award is fantastic. Credit to the dedicated team at Shannon who help make us who we are.”

An air traffic controller at work in the Chicago/Midway Airport tower. The facility, along with the larger O’Hare International Airport suffered considerable disruption in late September following an incident at the Chicago En Route Center in Aurora, Illinois. (FAA)

An artist’s impression of Ajman International Airport, work on which has begun in the United Arab Emirates. (Ajman International Airport)

Work Begins at Ajman

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Ekaterinburg GrowthRUSSIA’S KOLTSOVO Airport in Ekaterinburg has enjoyed considerable passenger growth this year. During the summer months (June – August) domestic passenger numbers were 775,757, a 16% rise compared with the previous year. International travellers totalled 760,286, an increase of 3% on the same period in 2013. Holiday traffic to Phuket and Sharm el-Sheikh registered rises of 3.7 and 2.8% respectively, while the Turkish city of Antalya remained the most popular summer destination.

Hainan Airlines planned to begin twice-weekly Airbus A330-200

flights to the city from Beijing on October 10 in conjunction with a tour operator. This took the number of international carriers serving Koltsovo on a regular basis to 23. Vladimir Kamynin, Deputy Director-General-Aviation for operator Airports of Regions said: “The development of the route network and attracting new carriers has always been a priority of Koltsovo Airport. The result of this work is the well-deserved leadership among the country’s regional airports in terms of passenger traffic and the number of flights.”

AMSTERDAM/SCHIPHOL Airport is having a buoyant year as passenger numbers continue to rise. Home carrier KLM is adding new routes next year to Bogota and Cali in Columbia, Delta Air Lines is to serve Salt Lake City, Utah, and easyJet is to base three aircraft at the Dutch facility to enable earlier departures, although the LCC carrier has not said on which routes.

A centralised security screening area for the non-Schengen part of the terminal, affecting piers D, E, F and G, will put an end to the security screening that currently takes place at each gate. To keep arriving passengers separate, sterile corridors are to be built on top of

piers E, F and G. Similar work was done several years ago on Pier D to segregate Schengen passengers.

Work started on a complete renovation of Departure Lounge 2 in September. It will have a new layout and give about 20% more retail and food and beverage space by next summer. The lounge will be sub-divided into seven themed sections, each offering passengers a specific experience: luxury, family, travel and culture, modern Dutch, See Buy Fly, fashion and lifestyle, and care and wellness. Furnishings will focus on the use of sustainable materials such as Field Studies Council-certified wood and LED lighting activated by motion sensors.

Europe’s first Johnnie Walker House luxury retail concept store is among the signature outlets. Other new arrivals are M&Ms Amsterdam, a shop with a unique range of toys, clothing and exclusive products; and a Gucci store. Bulgari, Hermès, Bottega Veneta, Omega, Mont Blanc and Rolex are among the other brands to be featured. Refreshment outlets will include the Amsterdam Bread Co, the Asian restaurant Kebaya, Café Cocó, Starbucks and the Heineken Bar. There will also be an XpresSpa.

Existing retailers will remain open

during the refurbishment, although some will have to use smaller, temporary outlets. The work will be carried out in phases, with as much as possible being done at night.

The redevelopment is part of the Schiphol Group’s master plan to strengthen capacity and improve levels of comfort and efficiency for passengers – including the building of a Hilton hotel, the renovation of the security filter in Departure Hall 1 and a new pier – A – which is to be added to the east of Pier B to provide more Schengen capacity. It should be completed in 2018.


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

The renovated of Amsterdam/Schiphol’s Departure lounge 2 will provide more retail and refreshment space and is due to be completed by next summer. (Schiphol Group)

Amsterdam Looks Ahead

LONDON/HEATHROW’S new Terminal 2 continues to welcome new airlines as the process of moving them in from T1 and T3 nears completion. During September SAS Scandinavian Airlines (the 10th) and Ethiopian Airlines (17th) completed their respective moves. Twenty one SAS departures took place on its first day at the new facility, while Ethiopian transferred over its daily Boeing 787 Dreamliner service to Addis Ababa. (Heathrow Airports Limited)

Heathrow T2 Moves Continue

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Fraport Buys Ljubljana AirportFRAPORT AND a consortium headed by Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SDH) have reached agreement to purchase Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport (see Airports of the World, issue 46, p58). Competing tenders were submitted in a sealed bidding process before July 4. Fraport was selected to participate in exclusive negotiations on the sale of Aerodrom Lubljana, the company that runs the airport.

Under the agreement, Fraport will pay €177.1m for a 75.5% stake in Aerodrom Ljubljana. As part of the privatisation process, Fraport intends to eventually acquire 100% of the Ljubljana airport company. It will submit a takeover bid to the remaining shareholders, in

accordance with legal and statutory requirements.

Dr Stefan Schulte, Fraport’s CEO, expressed satisfaction with the expansion of the company’s international airport portfolio: “With Ljubljana, we are adding another airport investment with dynamic development potential,” he said.


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

New Fire and Rescue Vehicles for ManchesterMANCHESTER AIRPORT’S Fire Service has unveiled six state-of-the-art Oshkosh Global Striker Vehicles as part of a £4.2m investment in the airport’s fire and rescue service. They are equipped with the latest technology to help make fire-fighting safer, including forward looking infra-red cameras, high-reach extendable turrets (also known as ‘snozzles’) and more environmentally-friendly foam.

The vehicles were built in and shipped from Wisconsin, USA over the last three months. Eighty-four firemen at

Manchester Airport have been trained on them since July. The sixth and final vehicle arrived in late September.

Steve Metcalf, Manchester Airport’s Chief Fire Officer and Emergency Services Manager, said: “The introduction of this fleet has presented us with the opportunity to introduce a new operational model incorporating a completely fresh approach, adopting revised tactics and techniques to enable us to create a safer environment for our passengers, crews and fire-fighters.”

Budapest Plans ExpansionB U DA P E S T/ F E R E N C L i s z t International Airport (BUD) is set to achieve its highest ever passenger figures this year, expected to be more than nine million. The Hungarian facility registered a 9.2% increase in August compared with the same month the previous year. It has recorded a month-on-month growth average of around 7% throughout 2014. Powering the increase has been the arrival of four new airlines (Air Serbia, Emirates, Transavia France, and Vueling) and nine new routes this year. The most significant

development was the arrival of Middle East giant Emirates, which launched flights from Dubai in October.

Speaking to Airports of the World at World Routes, Budapest’s Chief Commercial Officer Kam Jandu said: “Year-on-year traffic is up around 8% and in the first eight months of the year we welcomed six million passengers. The impact of the Emirates launch in October is likely to be enormous. Up until March next year the carrier will use an Airbus A330, but for the next summer season it is expected to

use a Boeing 777, thus increasing capacity. The ability to link into Emirates’ huge network from Dubai is a major plus for passengers.”

Resident carrier Wizz Air has confirmed a ninth A320 will be based at BUD next year and two new destinations added, Lisbon and Maastricht. Frequencies will be increased on 17 routes.

The airport marketing team has targeted a direct link to the US for some time and Jandu commented: “New York is the largest unserved direct market from Budapest. We

have had positive discussions with various US carriers at World Routes and are hopeful we can plug this gap soon.”

Major infrastructure projects are in the pipeline. Contracts for a new airport hotel, to be built near the terminal, are expected to be agreed by the end of the year. Jandu added demand was driving investment and a new €15m pier was expected to be built soon. The pier would also have upper level gates to handle widebody aircraft, while LCCs would use the lower level.

Ljubljana Airport is now 75% owned by Germany’s Fraport. (Sebastian Schmitz)

Jim Johnson, Oshkosh, President of Fire and Emergency (left), and Steve Metcalf, Manchester Airport’s Chief Fire Officer and Emergency Services Manager, stand in front of one of the new Oshkosh Global Striker Vehicles which were showcased to 150 guests at an event at Manchester Airport’s Runway Visitor Park in early October. (MAG)

LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner SP-LRB (c/n 37894) had to divert to Glasgow Airport on September 26 while en route from Chicago to Warsaw after the pilots received warning of a fire in the forward cargo hold. After landing, the airport’s fire service inspected the aircraft but no fire was found and a faulty indication was suspected. The flight continued to Warsaw six hours later. (Michael McQuade)

LOT Dreamliner Diversion

Award for Amsterdam’s Security

AMSTERDAM/SCHIPHOL Airport was awarded the ‘Best Airport Security Initiative’ title at the Future Travel Experience Global 2014 in Las Vegas in September. This was in recognition of its new-look security screening lanes which feature innovative ideas to reduce waiting times. Passengers can now use several preparation areas at the start of each lane, which

lessens the time spent waiting for others in front to remove jackets, belts and any other items that are selected for additional screening. Consequently this reduces the need for manual inspections, and so minimises delays. The screening area also has more space, increased natural light and features plants to create a more relaxing atmosphere.

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Hamad Opens E-GatesDOHA’S HAMAD International Airport (see Airports of the World, issue 55, p64) has introduced 62 automated border control e-gates. Supplied by Vision-Box the e-gates are fully integrated with the Ministry of Interior of the State of Qatar’s identity management infrastructure. They are tailored specifically to the airport’s requirements, and make use of face, iris and fingerprint recognition technologies to ensure the highest level of accuracy and border security.

Jean-François Lennon, Vision-Box’s Director Global Business Development, Sales & Marketing, claims this is the largest number of multimodal automated border control e-gates at one airport. “We’ve been witnessing an outburst of initiatives by governments, airports, airlines and the private sector [in the Middle East] adopting digital identity as a means to improve security and efficiency, and also to provide value-added services to their citizens,” he added.

Stansted Opens Revamped Departure LoungeTHE FIRST phase of Stansted Airport’s international departure lounge redevelopment was officially opened by Manchester Airports Group (MAG) CEO, Charlie Cornish, and Stansted Airport’s Managing Director, Andrew Harrison, on September 29. Also launched was a new World Duty Free Group store which forms the entrance to the multi-million pound development.

The £80m terminal transformation project has already introduced a new security search area which, according to MAG’s Chief Commercial Officer Ken O’Toole, has been well received by passengers. Average processing times are around five to six minutes. It provides additional lanes and dedicated channels for fast track, families and passengers needing assistance. Fifteen additional ePassport gates were opened at the Essex facility on October 7, replacing the original five and tripling the number available to passengers.

After passing through the World Duty Free store, passengers arrive in the departure lounge and a range of retail and refreshment options.

These include WHSmith, Boots UK, Dixons Travel, Glorious Britain, JD Sports, Rituals, Fat Face and Next. This latest development phase has created 250 full and part-time jobs.

Commenting at the opening, Cornish said: “When MAG acquired Stansted last year we set out a clear vision

to return the airport to growth and improve services and facilities for our passengers. We are making great progress on our £260m investment programme and with Stansted once again the fastest growing airport in London, the time to invest in change couldn’t be better.”

Mr O’Toole told Airports of the World at World Routes in Chicago passenger numbers for the year at Stansted were expected to be two million higher than in 2013. This has been achieved through a mix of increased frequencies and the arrival of new airlines. Next year, he said, Thomas Cook Airlines is to add direct holiday flights to Las Vegas and Orlando in the US and Cancun in Mexico for a limited summer period.

The next major infrastructure development will be the opening of a new Escape Lounge in early 2015, directly below the main departures area and overlooking the airfield. This will be followed shortly after by the arrival of further food and beverage brands, including new concepts, celebrity chef treats and old-fashioned favourites (see Airports of the World, issue 55, p10).

Completion of the overall project will be in autumn 2015 when a further 16 new retail units will be opened including a wide mix of high-end fashion, accessories, footwear, lingerie and gifts.


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT has completed a new purpose-built transit facility, enabling connecting passengers to pass through the terminal with greater speed and efficiency. It will transform the airport’s ability to cater for long-haul services. Arriving passengers requiring a connecting flight can now remain airside, without having to pass through immigration, or be processed through security again.

Birmingham Airport’s CEO, Paul Kehoe, said: “The completion of our new passenger transit facility is another string to our bow in terms of what we can offer passengers and airlines focussed on long-haul travel. This valuable piece of infrastructure enables us transfer passengers

travelling between destinations, allowing them extra time to relax and enjoy the excellent facilities we have available in the departure lounge.”

He added: “The timing of this new facility couldn’t be better. The airport recently recorded the busiest month in its 75-year history, as over one million passengers passed through the terminal during August. Over the past five months, we’ve achieved consecutive growth and seen records smashed, including our long-haul traffic. This demonstrates the strong demand that exists for passengers who want to fly further afield on long-haul services or those who are looking for other options to connect within the UK.”

The £1m investment is the latest

in an extensive list of infrastructure projects, following completion of a new primary radar tower, a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower and a 1,312ft (400m) runway extension.

Kehoe confirmed to Airports of the World at World Routes that the next major capital expenditure would be a new baggage handling system. Work is expected to begin in 2017.

Birmingham Airport’s new transfer facility will enable arriving passengers connecting to ongoing flights to proceed directly to the departure lounge. (Birmingham Airport)

From left: Karen Smart, Director of Customer Service at Stansted Airport; Charlie Cornish, MAG CEO; Andrew Harrison, Managing Director Stansted Airport; and Beth Brewster, MAG Retail Director, celebrate the opening of phase one of the departure lounge redevelopment. (MAG)

Birmingham Eyes Transfers

Hamad International Airport has opened 62 automated border control e-gates to help smooth the immigration process for thousands of passengers. (Vision-Box)

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MAG Expands EMA Escape LoungeTHE MANCHESTER Airports Group (MAG) has extended its Escape Lounge brand with the launch of a new facility at East Midlands Airport. Marking the latest phase in the airport’s £12m terminal redevelopment programme, the lounge provides an extensive space for passengers looking for an area away from the hustle and bustle of the airport terminal.

Originally launched in Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2, MAG developed its Escape Lounge brand initially in Manchester by adding a second lounge in Terminal 1 in 2010 and in Terminal 3 in 2013. In addition to East Midlands, MAG is set to add a fifth Escape Lounge at London/Stansted Airport later this year.

Kevin Smith, Head of Retail - Lounges for MAG, said: “The Escape

Lounge brand continues to go from strength to strength and following its success at Manchester, we’ve been keen to extend the concept

into our other airports, and the retail investments at Stansted and East Midlands have allowed us to do that. We are very confident that

the Escape Lounge delivers not only what our guests are looking for in a quality lounge, but also good value for money in a competitive market place – something clearly evidenced by the established repeat customer base at Manchester.”

The new lounge provides passengers with a selection of complimentary food and drink, free Wi-Fi access and a range of newspapers and magazines, and work and meeting areas. It is open between 04:00 and 20:00 daily. Other facilities include a quiet zone, comfortable seating, an eating area and window booths. Entry costs £18.99 per adult (12 years and over) and £12.50 per child when pre-booked online, and £22.50 per adult and £15.00 per child on the door, subject to availability.


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

Concessions Transformation for Washington

MORE THAN 20 new stores and restaurants are to be rolled out across Washington DC’s airports. These are in addition to 60 new stores and restaurants that are already open or under construction.

The new offerings feature expanded dining and shopping at both Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. There has been a complete redesign of post-security food courts near the gates in Reagan National’s Terminals B and C, providing a more cohesive, integrated space with upgraded seating and power outlets for travellers. Well-known local restaurants have also opened branches at the airports.

The latest wave of additions is part of a comprehensive, near-complete overhaul of all food, beverage and retail offerings at the two airports, the first two phases of which has

already attracted brands such as Ben’s Chili Bowl, Legal Sea Foods, Lacoste and Spanx to Reagan National and Burberry, Estee Lauder/MAC, Chef Geoff’s and Bar Symon to Dulles International.

Work is under way at Washington Dulles on outlets for Michael Kors, L’Occitane, Coach, Burberry and Vineyard Vines clothier, and also the remodelling of shops for Solstice Sunglasses and InMotion Entertainment. Bracket Room, an upscale sports lounge originally founded in Arlington in 2012, Potbelly Sandwich Works and American Tap Room will provide additional dining choices for passengers.

The new of wave of redevelopment at Reagan National will bring more dining options from local and nationally recognised chefs. Celebrated chef Mike Isabella will open Kapnos Taverna, a local DC concept serving

Mediterranean and Greek cuisine. Isabella’s restaurant will be joined by local favourites El Centro DF, featuring traditional Mexican fare from chef Richard Sandoval; Lebanese Taverna Café, which is celebrating 35 years serving authentic Middle Eastern cuisine in the greater DC area; Cava Grill, a DC original featuring Mediterranean and Greek-inspired fast-casual fare; and Reagan National’s own location of Bracket Room, an Arlington, Virginia-based sports bar and grill.

Reagan National’s food courts in Terminals B and C will also get a significant overhaul. The middle of each grouping of gates, which currently include small cart-based retail and food options, will be completely redesigned into integrated dining, shopping and quick-bite venues. These will be similar to the larger redevelopment underway in Terminal A.

Stansted Welcomes Cyprus Airways

Cyprus Airways’ flight CY326 from Larnaca, was welcomed by the Stansted Airport Fire Service with a water-arch salute on September 14. The carrier has moved its flights to the Essex facility after the final departure from London/Heathrow the previous day. For a detailed report see page 40 of the November issue of our sister publication Airliner World. (Stansted Airport)

East Midlands Airport is the latest to offer MAG’s Escape Lounge brand. (MAG)

KLM’s Route Planner

AppKLM IS offering a route planner app for transfer passengers at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, marking the first time an airline has used beacon technology to provide an indoor navigation service for customers. On arrival passengers can connect to the airport’s free Wi-Fi service, and upon passing one of the navigation beacons, those with the KLM smartphone app will be asked if they’d like help in finding their next gate. The app then displays the route they need to take and how long it should take to reach the gate, with the distance and time updated each time the passenger passes another beacon.

KLM has been installing beacons at gates and lounges, and along the airport’s concourses throughout the summer, and testing the beacon technology with the help of customers. The service is currently available for Android smartphones, and will be available for iOS phones in the near future.

Martijn van der Zee, Senior Vice President of e-commerce at Air France – KLM said: “Customer feedback, especially on social media, has told us that passengers – even experienced travellers – often worry about transferring to another flight. Sixty-seven percent of our passengers at Schiphol are transferring flights, and with this new service, KLM aims to improve customers’ travel experience.”

06-15_news.mn.indd 10 10/10/2014 09:54

A NEW Regus Express Lounge has opened in London/Heathrow’s Terminal 5. It is the facility’s first lounge dedicated to business users, and includes a suite of high-specification meeting rooms. The lounge features a range of professional co-working spaces, private workstations cal led ThinkPods, mobile phone charging points, secure Wi-Fi and cloud-based printing and copying facilities.

Feedback from potential customers suggests there will be a high demand for the meeting rooms within the international hub airport, which are available in a range of sizes and are

bookable by the hour.Phil Kemp, Global Managing

Director of Regus Third Place commented: “This is the first Regus Express location at a UK airport, and we envisage it becoming a popular touch-down point and meeting venue for a wide variety of users, not just airport passengers.”

There are two ways to access the Regus Express centre: pay-as-you-go priced at is £8 per hour/£40 per day or Regus Businessworld Gold membership at £35 per month, which provides drop-in access to Regus’ UK network of business lounges, including Regus Express.


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

Mongolia Comes to Changi

New Lounge for Heathrow’s T5

The new Regus Express Lounge has a wide range of business facilities and also provides great views of the Terminal 5 aprons. (Heathrow Airports Limited)

Singapore/Changi Airport welcomed MIAT Mongolian Airlines for the first time on September 24 when the carrier began a twice-weekly service from Ulaanbaatar via Beijing. The carrier is using a two-class Boeing 767 on the route. (Changi Airport Group)

Upgrades Continue at DFWREFURBISHMENT WORK at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is now 30% complete, Ken Buchanan, the Texas facility’s Executive Vice President told Airports of the World at World Routes. He explained the renovation of Terminal A was at the half-way stage. A new multi-storey car park to serve it would be finished within a year.

Terminals B, C and E are also being updated. Work in Terminals B and E is 33% complete and two thirds of a new multi-storey car park for the latter has been built. The latest car parks will feature technology assistance to guide drivers quickly to empty spaces. Another important development opened in August – a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) rail station providing fast links to Dallas. A connection to Fort Worth is due to be completed by 2018. The on-site Grand Hyatt hotel is to be refurbished. A new connector road has been completed to the north of the airport and another on the south side is currently under construction.

The airport authorities are considering building a Terminal F,

to help accommodate future growth by American Airlines following its merger with US Airways, and increasing interest from overseas carriers. There are two Airbus A380-capable gates at DFW, but exact gate capacity for the proposed terminal has yet to be determined.

A new development called Southgate covering 32 acres (13ha) is being considered and would be built south of Terminal F. It would include a post office, an hotel, restaurants and several offices, helping consolidate work space in one location. Income from 115 on-site gas wells owned by the airport will help fund the projects.

So far this year traffic levels have risen by almost 5% compared with 2013. International passengers have climbed by 6.1% - aided by American Airlines starting daily services to Shanghai and Hong Kong in June and Qatar Airways introducing a daily rotation from Doha in July. The airport celebrated a first when Qantas began using an Airbus A380 on it rotation from Sydney on September 29. Flight 7 from Sydney to DFW and the returning Flight 8 are the world’s longest scheduled non-stop flights, covering a distance of 8,578 miles (13,804km), taking between 15.5 and 16 hours to complete. Two days later Emirates also began using an A380 on its connections from Dubai.

Dallas/Fort Worth Airport’s Ken Buchanan, Executive Vice President (right) and Christopher Poinsatte, Chief Financial Officer, spoke to Airports of the World during World Routes in Chicago. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

Boston Prepares for A380

THE MASSACHUSETTS Port Authority (Massport) has approved a $30m partial budget to create and reconfigure approximately 130,000sq ft (12,077m2) of floor space at Boston/Logan Airport’s Terminal E. The aim is to provide space and amenities to handle the Airbus A380. Three existing gates are to receive two additional airbridges each – this will enable one to reach the aircraft’s upper deck, leaving the other two to access the main deck. The work will increase the size of the departure level gates and deplaning areas, and make the necessary infrastructure changes, such as widening taxiways and apron parking stands. The immigration and customs area at the western end of the terminal will be renovated; more space will be made available for concessions and a third level will be added to provide space for new airline lounges.

The improvements are part of a $100m programme revealed by Governor Deval Patrick earlier this year. Massport CEO, Thomas P Glynn, said: “International flights are the largest growing sector at Boston/Logan, with one in five passengers travelling abroad. This project reflects our continued effort to improve infrastructure that helps grow the region’s economy, improve our customers’ experience, and be a good neighbour.’’

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In a show of unity the CEOs of Birmingham Airport (Paul Kehoe - right) and Gatwick (Stewart Wingate - left) joined forces to call for a strong but competitive network of airports across the UK during a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference. They want to ensure the Airports Commission guarantees that any new runway developments promote choice across the UK. Wingate said: “Competition between the UK’s airports is essential for delivering choice for passengers, businesses and investors across the country.” (Birmingham Airport)

Birmingham and Gatwick call for Airport Strength


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

ARCHITECTS FOSTER + Partners, in collaboration Mexican firm FR-EE and Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO), has won the contract to design the terminal for the new international airport to serve Mexico City. The team intends to make the new facility the world’s most sustainable airport. It features a revolutionary design – the whole terminal will be enclosed within a continuous lightweight grid shell, embracing steel and glass walls and roof in a single, flowing structure and will be built to LEED Platinum standards. Energy saving is a priority and extensive use of solar power will be made and rainwater collected

for non consumable uses. Mexican building materials will be used and local workers will be employed for construction.

Th e te r m i n a l w i l l cove r approximately 5,060,200sq ft (470,000m2) and the roof will span 328ft (100m), making it one of the world’s largest terminals. The design focuses on providing minimal walking distances, making navigation easier and does not require the use

of people movers or underground tunnels. It is designed to deal with predicted demand up to 2028.

The terminal will be assembled from pre-fabricated sections, eliminating the need for scaffolding during construction. All electrical, communications and water supply services will be provided from below, thus removing ducts and pipes from the roof. Extensive use of solar energy and rain water collection will be made to reduce the terminal’s environmental impact.

The new airport will have three runways, with expansion built in to allow up to six runways by 2062.

Edinburgh Trials

Google Glass

EDINBURGH AIRPORT is trialling wearable technology by equipping members of its customer service team with Google Glass (a device that projects information in front of the wearer’s eyes). The trial, which will last until the end of the year, will enable staff to provide travellers with real-time flight information, translate foreign language documents and answer general questions about the airport and city.

The Scottish facility is the second UK airport to trial Google Glass after Virgin Atlantic Airways did the same during a four-week period at its London/Heathrow Upper Class Wing earlier this year.

Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airport’s CEO said: “We’re always looking for new and innovative ways to improve the airport experience for our passengers and the Google Glass trial is a great example of how we’re thinking outside the box. The fact that it’s the first trial of its kind in a Scottish airport is exciting as it shows we’re leading the way in how we interact with our passengers. Over the next few months we’ll be able to establish whether this product is suitable for an airport environment.”

Contract Awarded for New Mexico City Airport

An artist’s impression of the terminal planned for Mexico city’s new airport. The huge steel and glass grid shell roof will potentially be its most impressive feature. (Foster + Partners)

European Traffic Buoyant

AIRPORT TRADE body, ACI Europe’s traffic report for August shows passenger traffic at the region’s airports grew by 7%, compared with the same month last year. EU airports reported a robust 6.6% growth year-on-year but passenger traffic at non-EU airports (including Iceland, Israel, Norway, Russia, Switzerland and Turkey), still had the edge, reporting an 8.2% rise during the same period. Freight traffic grew 3.3% while aircraft movements were 3.4% up.

Olivier Jankovec, Director General, ACI Europe, commented: “August saw a remarkable surge in air traffic at Europe’s airports, further outperforming wider economic conditions. A key factor has been airlines adding more capacity, as evidenced by the increase in aircraft movements – which on a monthly basis was the strongest since 2011.

Most of it was driven by LCCs, which are reinforcing their presence in primary markets – occasionally at the expense of secondary and smaller regional airports.”

He added: “EU airports generally fared extremely well, while non-EU airport traffic was affected by geopolitical conditions, with a slump in passenger traffic at Ukrainian airports and, to a lesser extent, in Israel. It is worth noting that the increase in freight traffic is entirely due to EU airports, as it was completely flat at non-EU facilities, mainly due to a sharp decrease in traffic in Russia as a result of the EU sanctions.”

Airports reporting above average growth included Athens (22.8%), Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen (25.6%), Brussels (18.7%), Hamburg (18.8%), Chisinau (35.2%) and Belgrade (30.6%).

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Construction Starts at RigaBUILDING WORK has started on the extension to Riga International Airport’s Terminal C in Latvia. The project is designed to increase the area for handling non-Schengen passengers (see Airports of the World, issue 43, p16) and will add four new

gates to raise capacity and improve efficiency and customer service. Last year the airport handled 4.7 million passengers – well above its official design limit of 3.5mppa.

The improvements will also enable the facility to accommodate larger

aircraft. This will be necessary as predictions indicate Riga could be welcoming more than 5mppa within the next three years. The project is being funded by the airport’s operating profits and credit raised by the Pohjola Bank.

US Airports Roll Out Automated Passport Control

SEVERAL PROMINENT international airports in the US have introduced the latest Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks to help speed up the entry process for international arriving passengers and reduce the extensive queues which can often build up in immigration.

US and Canadian citizens arriving from abroad, as well as travellers from the 38 Visa Waiver countries who are registered with the US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Electronic System for Travel

Authorization (ESTA) programme, are eligible to use the new machines. The APC kiosks allow international passengers, including family groups, to submit their customs declaration form and biographic information electronically, thereby reducing the time they spend with a CBP officer. A passenger can select from 13 languages to use. Easy-to-follow

instructions guide users through the process, which includes scanning their passport, having their photo taken, answering questions, and fingerprinting for non-US citizens. They then receive a receipt confirming their information and proceed to a CBP officer to complete their entry into the United States. Individuals can complete the process within 90 seconds and a family of three within four minutes.

At Los Angeles International Airport

40 APC kiosks have recently been introduced at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Airport officials are planning to install APC kiosks in Terminal 2, LAX’s secondary international terminal, during its recently started $320m renovation, which is scheduled to finish in 2016. Similar technology is currently in use at Terminal 5, installed by Delta Air Lines as part of its on-going $250m renovation programme.


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

Bratislava Welcomes flydubai

SLOAKIA’S BRATISLAVA Airport is set to welcome Middle East LCC flydubai on December 6 when the airline introduces twice-weekly services from Dubai. The carrier’s Boeing 737-800s are configured with 189 seats, 12 of which are Business Class. This will be Bratislava’s first connection to Dubai, and the new route will provide options for onward travel to Asia and Australasia.

Ivan Trhlík, CEO and Chairman of Bratislava Airport, said: “The launch of the new scheduled flight connection between Bratislava and Dubai is great for business. We have also been able to meet our priority business targets which we set ourselves – namely securing direct daily routes to at least five significant European hubs and flights to at least one hub in the Middle East.”

US and Canadian Airports providing APCAirport IATA CodeHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta ATLAustin/Bergstrom AUSBoston/Logan BOSCharlotte/Douglas CLTChicago/Midway MDWChicago/O’Hare ORDDallas/Fort Worth DFWDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County DTWFort Lauderdale/Hollywood FLLHouston/George Bush IAHLos Angeles LAXMiami MIAMinneapolis-Saint Paul MSPMontréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau YULNew York/John F Kennedy JFKNewark/Liberty EWROrlando MCOPhiladelphia PHLPhoenix/Sky Harbor PHXSeattle/Sea-Tac SEATampa TPAToronto/Pearson YYZVancouver YVRHartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International

Airport is among the US facilities to have introduced APC kiosks. (www.atlanta-airport.com)

Jordanian Dreamliner at Heathrow

Royal Jordanian Airlines has introduced its new Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on its Amman – London schedules. The initial 787 service, flight RJA111, performed by JY-BAA (c/n 37983) made its first appearance at Heathrow on September 1. (A J Best)

06-15_news.mn.indd 13 10/10/2014 10:25


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

Frankfurt Airport became a creative hub on September 26 when the international fashion world’s best up-and-coming designers gathered for the 2014 Frankfurt Style Awards. Sixty creations made it into the final round and designers from Australia, Israel, Mexico, and ten European nations took their place in the limelight during the Fraport Forum at Frankfurt Airport. (Fraport)

Frankfurt Gets CreativeTAV Istanbul AcquisitionGLOBAL OPERATOR TAV Airports, which runs Istanbul/Atatürk International Airport, has signed an agreement with the Limak Group to acquire its 40% share in Istanbul/Sabiha Gökçen Airport. TAV and Malaysia Airports (MAHB) will become partners and will have equal rights in the management of Sabiha Gökçen when the transaction is completed.

The company confirmed at World Routes it will not bid to build the new airport planned for Istanbul, saying it considered the project “too expensive”. The new facility is due to replace Istanbul Atatürk, but TAV wants to embark on a new strategy to further develop Sabiha Gökçen and in 2017 it plans

to open a second runway, ensuring the facility has capacity for growth. It is also planning to build a second terminal which is expected to open in 2025.

Commenting on the Limak Group deal, TAV Airports CEO and President Sani Şener said: “Becoming a partner at Sabiha Gökçen Airport is a bold strategic move for TAV, as Atatürk is planned to be closed when the new airport will be put into service in Istanbul. It is the responsibility of TAV senior management to anticipate the termination of our Atatürk operation by finding opportunities to extend our footprint in Istanbul and to benefit fully from its traffic growth potential until 2030.”

Bahrain ModernisationTHE BAHRAIN Airport Company is pressing ahead with a three-phase modernisation of the Middle Eastern facility. Speaking to Airports of the World at World Routes, Mohamed Khali l , the company’s Chief Commercial Officer, confirmed the first phase, valued at BHD30m ($80m), was under way to provide immediate improvements to existing infrastructure. This includes seven new glazed airbridges to replace the current ones, new X-ray machines for security screening, upgrades to the arrivals pier, and installing

charging points for personal electronic devices.

A tender is due to be issued by the end of the year for a new General Aviation/VIP facility and an MRO is to be built in association with flag carrier Gulf Air.

The second phase will start in the middle of next year, involving the design and construction of a new terminal. This will raise the airport’s capacity from nine to 17.5mppa and take up to four years to complete. The new building will be adjacent to the current terminal and will have

12 airbridge-equipped gates. Once completed, the old terminal will be used for either religious flights or by LCCs. Ultimately it could be demolished. Phase two is expected to satisfy demand until 2034. After that, a third phase of development could see a completely new airport built further north.

Khalil added this year was proving very successful. Passenger numbers to August were 8.5% up on last year. Overall he expects the year to finish with an increase of around 6% – almost eight million passengers.

Commenting on the airport’s route development goals, Khalil confirmed he was focused on three markets. “We believe there are further opportunities in the Indian Sub-Continent, South East Asia and Africa,” he said. Among the targets is a service to Hyderabad, as well as establishing links to Nepal, the Philippines and Indonesia.

G u l f A i r h a s u n d e rg o n e considerable restructuring over the past year and by the end of October it will have added flights to Moscow/Domodedovo.

ADP to Design New Beijing TerminalADP INGÉNIERIE (ADPI) has been selected to design Terminal 1 at Beijing’s New Daxing Airport. Launched in July 2011, the Beijing New Airport Construction Headquarters (BNAH) competition

attracted proposals from some of the world’s most prestigious architectural and engineering firms.

Situated south of the Chinese capital, the new Beijing International Airport will ultimately have seven

runways and handle more than 100 million passengers a year, making it one of the largest airports in the world.

The termina l w i l l cover 7,534,984sq ft (700,000m2) and

is scheduled to open towards the end of 2018 (see Airports of the World, issue 54, p8). It will have an initial capacity of 45mppa, extendable to 72mppa, and 82 airbridge-equipped gates.

Another New Chinese Airport

CHINA IS planning to build a new airport on an artificial island off the coast of Dalian, in the northeast of the country. Expected to cost 26.5bn yuan ($4.3bn), Dalian International Airport will be constructed on an eight square mile (20.9km2) island to be reclaimed from the sea. According to local officials, rapid increases in demand at Dalian’s existing Zhoushuizi International Airport will outstrip its capacity within five years (it handled 14 million passengers in

2013). There is little land around the current airport for expansion and experts concluded there were no suitable sites within 60 miles (100km) of the city limits. A new island airport is the only practical solution, even though it will be a considerable distance from the city.

Local reports claim the project will be developed in two phases and eventually the airport will have four runways. If so, it will be the largest to be built on reclaimed land.

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport has added another route to its network after Turkish Cargo introduced freighter flights. The carrier is using Airbus A330-200Fs on twice-weekly connections from Istanbul. Hyderabad has India’s first airport-based Free Trade Zone and a growing Aerotropolis. (GMR)

Hyderabad Welcomes Turkish Cargo

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The Manchester Air Group and NATS have signed a new ten-year contract for air traffic control and engineering services at Manchester and London/Stansted airports. The contract, which builds on the long-term working relationship between the two companies, will start on April 1, 2015.

Sri Lanka’s Colombo/Bandaranaike International Airport has begun the next phase of its redevelopment. The project will be carried out in sections and will ultimately increase the facility’s capacity from the current 6mppa to 15m. Work involves adding another pier to the west of the existing one and constructing a new two-floor terminal. This phase of the project is due to be finished by early 2017. Funding has been achieved with the help of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

A reconfiguration of Stand 14 (Pier B) has begun at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport so that it can handle category F aircraft with a wing span of more than 213ft (65m) – such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8I. At the same time, the gate lounge area will be expanded. The reconstructed stand will have three airbridges and should be ready for the start of the summer 2015 season.

Aviation industry handling provider Libanet has signed a three-year aircraft fleet services contract with Jeddah-based Saudia Ground Services (SGS), to provide ground handling to all carriers flying to Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Medina airports in Saudi Arabia.

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has been awarded the handling concession for a new 53,821sq ft (5,000m2) cargo terminal at Milan/Malpensa Airport. The deal forms part of a major investment programme to increase the airport’s cargo capacity to one million tonnes a year by 2020. WFS will move into the new building in early 2016 and will invest in excess of €1.8m to equip the facility with modern handling systems and the necessary logistics infrastructure.

The modernisation of Croatia’s Dubrovnik Airport, also known as Cilipi, is due to start by the end of the year to provide increased capacity and to reduce runway congestion. The cost of first phase of the project is put at €36m and is being financed by the airport. In late 2014 tender requests will be issued for the design and construction of the new passenger terminal; with the runway and taxiway process planned for next year. Overall the work is expected to cost €245m and be completed in 2020, giving the airport a capacity of 4mppa.

IN BRIEF


NEWSLATEST UPDATES

Heathrow Helpers

LONDON/HEATHROW Airport has introduced Heathrow Helpers, a team of expertly trained staff, who will be able to assist with a multitude of passenger questions and demands – from handing out tissues to relatives waving off loved ones, through to sharing the latest restaurant openings at key destinations.

Based throughout the airport, the helpers will be easy to identify by their purple uniforms and ‘tool belts’. Each belt contains the necessary equipment to respond to the most popular passenger requests, including cuddly toys to keep young children happy and technology chargers for business travellers.

The Heathrow Helpers have a combined 264 years’ experience of assisting passengers. Selection has been based on their skills, from tourism specialists to proficiency in sign language. The team can collectively speak 38 languages.

The top ten strangest passenger requests:

1. Can I bungee jump from your control tower?

2. I am heading to the Tower of London; can I try the Crown Jewels on there?

3. What’s the difference between a toilet and a loo?

4. Are there ATMs in central

London? Can you mark them on my map?

5. Where can I exchange currency for some Scottish dollars?

6. Will most people speak English during my holiday in London?

7. Where can I see James Bond’s house?

8. Will I be able to see Beefeaters in the street?

9. Can I drink the water here?10. Do I need to change the time

on my watch or will it change automatically when I fly?

For passengers after the next level of personal service, the airport is set to launch a bespoke treatment – Heathrow Upgrade. This offer will

provide passengers with their own Heathrow Helper for the duration of their journey, a porter to carry bags and even their own buggy to transport them around the terminal.

Normand Boivin, the airport’s COO said: “We see a wide range of passengers travelling through the airport daily, and with this comes a variety of needs and demands that must be catered for. That’s why our latest trial highlights Heathrow’s endeavour to provide a unique and bespoke service to everyone using the airport. Our Heathrow Helpers will be present all week, providing passengers with that extra special treatment.”

Heathrow Helpers have been introduced at the West London airport to assist passengers with a wide range of queries. (Heathrow Airports Limited)

Detroit Pursues International MarketDETROIT METROPOLITAN Wayne County Airport is enjoying a resurgence in passenger traffic, something Joe Cambron, Director, Service Development, described as the “the revival of Detroit”. During September the Michigan facility welcomed new services from Alaska Airlines, having attracted JetBlue

in March. Other carriers, including Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, have added new routes.

Speaking at World Routes, Cambron explained the airport was eager to expand its long-haul connections. “We are hoping build our connectivity to new parts of the world. At the moment, important

links to places such as India and the Middle East are limited, and we’re keen to work with carriers to meet the increasing demand we have for connections to Asia,” he said. The city’s traditional automotive industry would also benefit from improved links to China, with direct flights being a target.

SkyWork Introduces Southend-Bern Flights

SkyWork Airlines is to offer a daily return service from London/Southend to Bern, Switzerland, from October 27 using a Dornier Do 328. The small carrier is moving the service from London City Airport. (Simon Murdoch)

06-15_news.mn.indd 15 10/10/2014 10:26

World Routes, far and away the largest event in the commercial aviation calendar, this year marked its 20th birthday. It’s

come a long way since the inaugural Routes in Cannes, France, in 1995. Back then a small hotel conference room was sufficient – but this year it was held at McCormick Place, North America’s largest conference and convention centre with exhibition space totalling 2,670,000sq ft (248,000m2).

More than 3,000 delegates representing 120-plus countries attended, bringing together marketing executives from 800 airports, route network developers from 300 airlines and representatives from 200 tourism authorities. Over the course of three days (September 21-23) some 16,000 one-to-one, 20-minute meetings between airlines and airports took place – a new record. They are what Routes is all about, sowing the seeds for new air services and maintaining relations between existing customers.

Chicago’s Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, who toured the conference hall on September 22, wants to attract 55 million visitors a year to the city by 2020 – and as part of efforts to reach this target the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), led by Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino, attended its first World Routes in

Vancouver in 2010. The CDA has been at the event every year since and its meetings with airlines have secured dozens of new flights to the city which have benefited the local economy by a staggering $2.8bn.

This shows the value of hosting this huge forum – and why competition to bring it to cities around the globe is so fierce. The opportunity to showcase a city to airlines,

marketers and tourism chiefs is invaluable, and having them all in the same place at the same time is very cost-effective. This applies equally to airlines and airports as it can save hundreds of flights a year between potential partners.

Last year World Routes was held in Las Vegas and tourism played a large part in the proceedings. The theme continued in Chicago, with a ‘Tourism Summit’ taking

World Routes 2014For the second successive year, the World Route Development Forum was held

in North America. The host city was Chicago which, as Editor Mark Nicholls reports, put on an outstanding show for the event’s 20th anniversary.


NEWS REPORTWORLD ROUTES 2014

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place along with the now well-established ‘Strategy Summit’. There were also keynote presentations from the two largest airlines at Chicago/O’Hare (American Airlines and United Airlines), a presentation on Etihad Airways’ development strategy and a fascinating interview with Emirates Airline CEO Sir Tim Clark.

Strategy SummitThis year’s Strategy Summit, sponsored by Oman Airports Management, convened in the Skyline Ballroom (which is the size of an American football field) at McCormick Place and brought together many heavyweights from the commercial aviation industry, including Emirates boss Sir Tim Clark, American Airlines President Scott Kirby and Angela Gittens, Director General of ACI World.

Guest speakers and discussion panels featured key people from the global commercial aviation scene and the audience – which included many CEOs – was presented with a menu of important and sometimes controversial subjects. Among the most serious was what lessons can be learnt from the recent tragedies of Malaysia Airlines’ flights MH370 and MH17. Also under the spotlight were the apparent shortfall in airport infrastructure investment, taxation and improving the regulatory environment.

Among several keynote speeches, Jim Compton, Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer of United Airlines, outlined the carrier’s investment projects, including an increase in capacity through gradual replacement of its 50-seater regional aircraft with 76-seat Embraer 175s. The airline has made substantial investments in products and staff, updating its fleet and improving the matching of demand with capacity. Compton said that, this year, United provided

25% more capacity in July than in February, partially achieved by the introduction of the 787-8. On September 23 it introduced the larger 787-9.

United’s network strategy, he said, includes using San Francisco as the main hub for Asian flights. Recently introduced routes to Chengdu and Taipei are doing “better than expected”, direct Houston-Munich flights have started and more capacity is available to Tokyo/Narita. The first international service using the 787-9 will be Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, in late October.

Scott Kirby, President of American Airlines, described how the carrier has merged with US Airways over the past two years. The resultant airline has 100,000-plus employees and expects to carry more passengers this year than the populations of France, Germany and the UK combined.

Etihad Airways’ Chief Strategy Officer, Kevin Knight, gave a presentation on how

the company was using several methods to ‘catch-up’ with regional rivals Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways. On the first day of the event Etihad revealed new routes to Baku (Azerbaijan), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and Tbilisi (Georgia) which will start in the second half of 2015.

The main summit proceedings were moderated by the BBC’s Aaron Heslehurst who kicked off the first panel discussion on critical issues facing air transport by asking what could, or should, be learnt from the tragedies of Malaysia Airlines flights MH370 and MH17. Debating the topic were panellists David Scowsill, President and CEO, World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC); Trey Urbahn, Chief Revenue Officer, Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras; Thomas Windmuller, Senior Vice President – Airports, Passenger and Cargo Services for IATA; and Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, Managing Director, Malaysia



The impressive Chicago skyline comes to life at night. (Wikimedia Commons/Lol19)

The ‘bread and butter’ of World Routes – thousands of 20-minute meetings between airport marketing teams and airline route network developers. (Routes/UBM Live)

The Bahrain Airport Company is to host the first Routes Middle East and Africa event next year. To mark the signing of the contract there was an exchange of gifts and the presentation of the Routes Trophy between Adrian Newton, Group Director, Transport and Technology, UBM Live (left) and Mohamed Khalil, Chief Commercial Officer, Bahrain Airport Company (right). (Routes/UBM Live)

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Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB). Among the questions raised were: how could a widebody jet with over 200 people on board just disappear? Why were some airlines flying over a warzone while others were not? And what is the role of governments, the ICAO and IATA?

David Scowsill was quick to comment that demand for air travel had not been affected, even in the short-term, by the two tragedies. But the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship in January last year, which cost 32 lives – significantly fewer than in the Malaysia airlines incidents – had a significant impact on cruise travel bookings for the rest of the year.

Another subject that generated fervent debate was how governments viewed aviation – “either as cash cows or economic drivers” – as IATA’s Thomas Windmuller put it. The UK was singled out as an example of the former as the various ministries each had its own agenda and there was no-one single person or ministry in overall control. Not only was the UK market burdened by air passenger duty (APD) but also, despite having the busiest single and twin runway airports in the world (Gatwick and London/

Heathrow), no decision on additional capacity will be made until after mid-2015 at the earliest, meaning any new runway is unlikely to be ready for at least a decade. Meanwhile other European facilities handling fewer passengers already have more runways; and expansion in the Middle East and Asia was progressing rapidly as governments there understood the value of good air connections for their economies.

The second panel focused on pressures

facing airports as they respond to increasing demand. Moderating was CDA Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino and panellists were Angela Gittens, Director General ACI World; Dr Sani Sener, CEO TAV Airports Holdings; Antonio Miguel Marques, CEO Sao Paulo/Guarulhos Airport; Augustin de Romanet, CEO Aéroports de Paris; and Jude Bricker, Senior Vice President Planning, Allegiant Travel Company. Concerns over levels of infrastructure investment were aired.



The vast McCormick Place Convention Center, the venue for the 20th World Route Development Forum. (Routes/UBM Live)

Chicago’s Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, at World Routes on September 22 with CDA Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino, examining an aerial photograph of the city’s O’Hare Airport. (Routes/UBM Live)

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The summit tackled issues such as regulation and how it affects specific regions, ensuring efficient passengers flow at airports, the passenger and cargo components of air service development, how new long-range aircraft are opening up new route opportunities, passengers’ needs while on the ground (ie, at an airport) and presented a multi-dimensional view on sustainability in aviation.

A live interactive vote on several topical questions ran throughout the summit – and it was a lack of investment in airport infrastructure that worried most delegates.

The Emirates ViewOne of the most eagerly awaited speakers was Sir Tim Clark, President and CEO of Emirates Airline – which is by far the largest user of the Airbus A380 with more than 50 in service and 90 more on order. He described the aircraft as an “astounding success story” which offers the carrier “wonderful seat-mile economics”. During an interview with Aaron Heslehurst, he added: “We’re shocked if the load factor on the A380 is below 85%. I keep telling other airlines that the A380 is a wonderful aircraft, but they say to me they wouldn’t be able to fill it. I guess it goes to prove it’s not what you’ve got it’s what you do with it.”

Sir Tim, who was knighted in the UK’s New Year Honours list for services to aviation, said the carrier would consider adding between 60 and 70 more A380s to its fleet, but Airbus would need to move forward with the A380neo quickly. “We’re looking at a derivative to take the aircraft into the next generation, but this is a business case that’s not stacking up in Toulouse. We would look at 60 to 70 if they build the right aircraft, but we need to persuade Airbus to take this route.” He also indicated he would be interested in a stretched -900 variant, which

could seat more than 800 passengers in a three class layout – adding it “would be beautiful”.

Emirates is a relatively new arrival to the Chicago market, launching flights in August this year in a market already served by rivals Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. The launch now brings the carrier’s US network to nine destinations – three points in the east, three central and three in the west. “I have to be honest, there’s more to come,” Sir Tim confirmed, although he wouldn’t be drawn where the airline would fly. “They will be in the east, central and in the west, supporting the existing strategy,” he joked.

He confirmed that Emirates will certainly increase its presence in the US both through new routes and frequency and capacity growth in existing markets.

“The US currently gives us about 7% of route revenue. It’s not the number one market as the UK and Australia both give around 9%, but the US is certainly growing. It will rise but will likely remain around the 9-10% level as our global scale also increases.”

Sir Tim empathised with comments made during the summit that infrastructure issues around the world are a major concern. He remarked that many airports in North America had been risk-averse in developing new infrastructure – but with the largest US airlines becoming more profitable, they would increasingly be putting pressure on the airports to enhance their facilities.

Sir Tim Clark interviewTo watch Aaron Heslehurst’s interview with Sir Tim Clark see: www.routesonline.com



Chicago-based band Earth, Wind and Fire supplied top-rate entertainment at the networking evening and gala dinner. (Routes/UBM Live)

Traditional Chinese music entertained delegates at the Beijing Capital Airport stand. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

Maintaining the musican theme, South Korean musicians provided light relief for delegates on the Incheon Airport stand. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

The BBC’s Aaron Heslehurst chats with Emirates Airline President and CEO Sir Tim Clark. (Photo by anna.aero)

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Marketing AwardsThe highlight of the networking evening and gala dinner on September 21, held in Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History, was the presentation of the World Routes Airport Marketing Awards. These are voted for by the airlines and recognise the best airport marketing teams for their achievements during the previous year. Five of the six awards go to airports in size categories; the other is presented to the ‘best destination’ and rewards the best marketing initiatives by a tourism authority or organisation.

The overall winner was Brussels Airport – an unprecedented occurrence since it was also the winner in Abu Dhabi in 2012. Leon Verhallen, the airport’s Head of Aviation Marketing, said: “This was a big surprise. After winning in 2012 and then being recognised as ‘Highly Commended’ in Las Vegas last year we simply did not believe we would be picking up this prestigious award tonight. It’s been a strong year for Brussels Airport and the team have worked hard to ensure we’re supporting our airline partners, whether small regional carriers, medium-sized operators or long-haul.”

Katie Bland, Director Routes/UBM Live, the event organiser, said: “We’re delighted to mark the achievements of all of our nominated airports and destinations in our annual World Routes Airport Marketing Awards. Year on year we are impressed by the calibre of the submissions. Brussels Airport has had an outstanding year, welcoming four new carriers and 18 new destinations to its

network and we congratulate them on their continued success.”

In addition to the shortlisted finalists nominated by the airlines, the overall winners from each of 2014’s regional Routes events automatically gained a place in the final judging. They were Tampa International Airport, Abu Dhabi Airports, City Airport Bremen and Kilimanjaro International Airport.

A panel of judges made up of senior members of the airline network planning community reviewed the lists and submissions from the nominated airports to decide the winners. The panel comprised: Mateusz Klimek, Route Manager, LOT Polish Airlines; Tom Prior, Network Development Long-haul, British Airways; Wilken Bellmann, Head of Network Development Long-haul, Condor Airlines; Jirapon Hirunrat, Director of Network Planning, Bangkok Airways; Rick Wagstaffe, Vice President Procurement and Logistics, Emirates Airline; Dharmender Hunjan, Vice President Airline Partnership, Qatar Airways; Rafael Taizhanov, Director Commercial Planning, Air Astana; Simon Bundle, Vice President Industry and International Affairs, Ukraine International Airlines; Chris Kennedy, General Manager, Delta Air Lines; and Manuel Ambriz Lopez, Network Planning Director, Volaris.

If sharing dinner with a complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton and other natural wonders weren’t enough, entertainment was provided by famed Chicago act Earth Wind and Fire, which encouraged a significant number of delegates to their feet to dance – with varying degrees of success!


Marketing Award Winners and FinalistsOverall WinnerBrussels Airport

More than 50 Million PassengersChangi Airport Group WinnerAmsterdam Airport Schiphol Highly CommendedFrankfurt Airport Highly CommendedHeathrow AirportParis-Charles de Gaulle Airport

20-50 Million PassengersDublin Airport WinnerCopenhagen Airports Highly CommendedMunich Airport Highly CommendedDüsseldorf AirportSeattle-Tacoma International Airport

4-20 Million PassengersBrussels Airport WinnerAthens International Airport Highly CommendedBudapest Airport Highly CommendedAbu Dhabi AirportsTampa International Airport

Less than 4 Million PassengersShannon Airport WinnerCity Airport Bremen Highly CommendedAksu AirportCuneo Levaldigi AirportKilimanjaro International Airport

Destination AwardTourism Australia WinnerTurismo De Tenerife Highly CommendedDepartment of Tourism, PhilippinesLas Vegas Convention and Visitors AuthorityMadagascar Tourism BoardValencia Tourism


A small corner of the extensive McCormick Place West Building – the venue for this year’s World Routes. (Routes/UBM Live)

For the second time in three years the overall winner of the World Routes Airport Marketing Awards was Brussels Airport. The airport’s marketing team, led by Leon Verhallen, celebrate after being presented with the trophy by Katie Bland, Director, Routes/UBM Live (right). (Routes/UBM Live)

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Next Year’s EventsA full programme of regional events in place for next year includes a new Routes Middle East and Africa, which will be hosted by the Bahrain Airport Company at the end of May.

The regional Routes Americas could well give delegates the chance to see how a large international airport deals with substantial snowfall, as it takes place in Denver during February. This is followed in March by Routes Asia in Kumming, Yunnan, China – which is expected to be well attended given the strong growth in commercial aviation across Asia. Routes Europe will be in Aberdeen, Scotland, in mid-April.

Next year’s World Routes will, for the first time, be in Africa. Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, will welcome the global commercial aviation community to what is expected to be an impressive showcase for the rapidly growing city and region.

The Routes effectThe combined economic value of World Routes runs into billions of dollars – as the city of Chicago can testify. This year’s event was as smooth and efficient as last year’s in Las Vegas. So Durban in South Africa next year and Chengdu, China, in 2016 have tough acts to follow.

But every city chosen to host this prestigious forum has the chance to showcase its own unique attributes, attractions and tourism and business potential to the very people that can help generate more visitors – airport marketers and airline route development planners.

This year there were many first time attendees alongside hundreds of seasoned delegates and organisations that come annually. As one CEO told Airports of the World: “It’s an event we cannot afford to miss. All the people you need to speak to are in one place, so it saves you a fortune in flights as you don’t need to visit them individually. Add in all the other amenities, the vast networking opportunities and the chance to see many new places – what’s not to like?”

Routes in 2015Routes Americas Denver, Colorado, USA February 1-3

Routes Asia Kumming, Yunnan, China March 15-17

Routes Europe Aberdeen, Scotland April 12-14

Routes Middle East and Africa Bahrain May 31 - June 2

World Routes Durban, South Africa September 19-22



On the final day of the event CDA Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino passed the World Routes trophy to representatives from the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban’s King Shaka International Airport and Dube TradePort. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

Part of World Routes 2014 host Chicago Department of Aviation’s extensive stand. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

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New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) forms a third of the city’s aviation transportation system, along with international gateways at John F

Kennedy (JFK) and Newark Liberty (EWR). Last year the three welcomed 112 million passengers. Since inception LGA has been the city’s downtown airport – it is in the northern part of the borough of Queens, overlooking the waterfront of Flushing and Bowery Bays, around 10 miles (16km) from downtown Manhattan.

Its convenient position has assured continuing popularity among US domestic

passengers, reflected by a record 26.7m travellers handled last year. This was despite legislation prohibiting non-stop flights to or from points beyond 1,500 miles (2,414km) and means it is also the busiest US airport without direct services to Europe.

HistoryAt the beginning of the 20th century the Gala Amusement Park stood on the site now occupied by LGA. In 1929 the park was transformed into a 105 acre (42ha) private field named Glenn H Curtiss Airport, after the famous Long Island pioneer pilot, before

later being renamed North Beach Airport. In those days the area was often dubbed as “frog town”, due to the presence of swamps, marshland and their jumping inhabitants.

The only commercial airport serving the New York City region until the 1930s was Newark, relatively close to downtown Manhattan, although not in the State of New York but in neighbouring New Jersey. New York City’s Italian-American Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, in charge from 1934 to 1945, took the initiative to develop North Beach for commercial flights. The story began when a Transcontinental & Western Air

Welcome to New York – The Downtown WayFEATURELAGUARDIA

American Airlines Bombardier CRJ700 N522AE (c/n 10147) taxies to its stand at Terminal B. (All photos author unless stated)

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Welcome to New York – The Downtown WayLaGuardia Airport has been a popular gateway to the New York City area

since the 1930s – so much so that capacity issues have been a problem for decades. Luigi Vallero looks at its history and plans for further development.

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An aerial view of the airport. With all bar one approach over water, it is not surprising that some pilots call it ‘USS LaGuardia’. (Wikimedia commons/Patrick Handrigan)

The current ATC tower replaced the 1962-vintage example in October 2010. (PANYNJ)



(TWA) flight he was on landed at Newark Airport. His ticket mentioned ‘New York’ as a final destination so he demanded to be taken to a proper New York airport, ordering the plane to fly on to Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field. This ‘hijacking’ gave him the opportunity to ask New Yorkers to support the idea of a new airport within their own city limits.

The first airline to accept Mayor La Guardia’s challenge was American Airlines which introduced scheduled flights at Floyd

Bennett Field. The project failed after a few months; the cause being put down to the closer proximity of Newark to Manhattan, meaning passengers preferred the latter. An alternative plan to open a new airport in the borough of Queens was soon on the table. It would have been relatively easy to access from downtown Manhattan, thanks to the newly opened Queens–Midtown Tunnel. North Beach Airport was immediately identified as the best option, although it needed complete redevelopment

for transformation to a major facility. Reconstruction began in 1937 with support from the Works Progress Administration. Landfill was moved from Rikers Island and placed over a metal framework. Soon North Beach Airport became a state-of-the-art 550-acre (222ha) facility.

American Airlines was at the forefront of the initiative with the Mayor allocating extra facilities to it, including four hangars and office space. The carrier turned the office into the Admirals Club, the world’s first private airline club, in 1939. The revamped aerial gateway, costing $23m, was dedicated as New York Municipal Airport on October 15, 1939 and opened for business on December 2. It had four runways at 45-degree angles to each other, the longest (13/31) being 6,000ft (1,829m), making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.

Five other carriers, Pan American World Airways, United Airlines, Eastern Air Lines and TWA also served the airport as soon as it opened. During World War Two it was also used as a training facility. Pan Am used the iconic Marine Air Terminal (MAT) for its luxurious seaplane services. Domestic flights were joined by regular long-haul transatlantic services from late 1945 until April 1951, when they were transferred to newly opened Idlewild Airport, 13 miles (21km) to the east on Jamaica Bay. On June 1, 1947 the running of the airport was transferred to the Port Authority of New York – now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ). It became

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Airport StatisticsICAO Code: KLGAIATA Code: LGALocation: 40° 46.37’ N, 73° 52.21’ WElevation: 21ft (6m)Runways: 04/22 7,000 x 150ft (2,134 x 45m) 13/31 7,000 x 150ft (2,134 x 45m)Frequencies: ATIS: 125.95 Tower: 118.7 Ground: 121.7 Approach: 118.0, 132.7Website: www.panynj.gov/airports/laguardia

American Airlines BAC One-Eleven N5030 (c/n 072) shares the apron at LaGuardia with three United Airlines Boeing 727s and a 737 in April 1970. (AirTeamImages.com/Bob O’Brien Collection)

Southwest Airlines is the largest budget carrier using LaGuardia and, together with subsidiary AirTran, flies to nine US destinations.

The current Terminal B dates from 1964, but plans are in place for it to be demolished and replaced by a new, larger facility as part of a $3.6bn redevelopment project.



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officially known as New York Municipal Airport–LaGuardia Field but in 1953 was re-named LaGuardia Airport.

The four-runway system did not last long. Runway 18/36 closed in 1947, followed by Runway 9/27 in 1958, allowing the northward expansion of the passenger terminal. In 1961 Runway 13/31 was moved to the north east, allowing construction of a parallel taxiway. The Boeing 727 – the first jet airliner to use the airport – was introduced by United Airlines on its Chicago and Cleveland services on June 1, 1964. Along with the later introduction of the Douglas DC-9, it dictated the extension of the remaining two runways to 7,000ft (2,134m) in 1965-66. A new ATC tower, destined to become one of the signature features of the airport owing to its ‘beehive’ design, was added in 1962.

Rapidly rising demand during the 1960s led to LGA facing serious congestion problems and substantial delays. Much higher landing fees were imposed on general aviation aircraft to encourage them to use alternative airports such as Teterboro in New Jersey. This was only a partial solution. A Sunday to Friday ‘perimeter rule’ was introduced in 1984, as more commercial flights competed for space on the runway. This prohibited non-stop flights from LGA to cities more than 1,500 miles (2,414km) away, the only exception being Denver, Colorado, which already had non-stop connections before the ban was implemented.

The Port Authority, which by now also controlled John F Kennedy (formerly Idlewild) and Newark airports, decided to improve the competitiveness of the latter pair in an attempt to attract traffic away from LGA and relieve congestion. It connected them to regional rail networks via AirTrain Newark and AirTrain JFK. At the same time the FAA limited the number of flights and types of aircraft that could use LGA. Despite the short runways, introduction of limited widebody services by Lockheed Tristars and later 757s and 767s helped keep up with growing traffic flows, but was not sufficient to completely

eliminate congestion. Consequently traffic levels continued to rise unabated until demand plummeted following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

The Port Authority also launched investments to renovate LGA’s central terminal building and upgrade the airfield layout. The FAA approved new instrument departure and arrival procedures, improving the overall efficiency of an over-stressed facility. A new ATC tower opened on October 9, 2010 replacing the 1962 one, which was

only partially demolished, maintaining its base as a memento to the airport’s heritage.

A major point in the airport history occurred on August 12, 2009 when Delta Air Lines and US Airways announced a slot and terminal swap at LGA. US Airways was to give Delta 125 slot pairs at LGA in return for 42 slot pairs at Washington DC’s Ronald Reagan National Airport and being allowed to fly from the US to São Paulo, Brazil, and Tokyo, Japan. Under the deal, Delta Shuttle flights were to move from the MAT to Terminal C. US Airways Shuttle

Spirit Airlines Airbus A320-232 N607NK (c/n 4595) makes its way to Runway 31. The budget carrier has been steadily increasing its presence at LGA.

Delta Air Lines McDonnell Douglas MD-88 N966DL (c/n 53115) makes its way to Runway 31.

One of the few international carriers serving LGA is Air Canada, with services from Montréal/Trudeau, Ottawa and Toronto/Pearson.

The large American Airlines maintenance hangars date from the late 1930s.



flights would transfer to the MAT. Mainline US Airways flights were planned to move to Terminal D. The US DoT said it would only approve the arrangement if the carriers agreed to sell some slots to other airlines. Delta and US Airways appealed through the courts and it was not until October 10, 2011 that the deal was eventually finalised.

On December 16, 2011 Delta outlined plans to establish a major domestic hub at LGA, using 32 gates in Terminals C and D, while keeping its shuttle service to Boston and Washington DC in Terminal A. Daily flight numbers increased to 264 and destinations served rose to 60. The carrier invested $100m to renovate Terminals C and D and a connecting bridge was added to link the two.

LGA todayToday’s LaGuardia has four terminals inter-connected by walkways and a shuttle bus. Terminals C, D and part of A are directly

managed by airlines, while Terminal B, also known as the central terminal building (CTB), is run directly by PANYNJ. Work already undertaken is designed to allow the airport to keep pace with rising traffic levels.

• Terminal A – Marine Air TerminalArguably the best known among LGA’s structures and a throwback to the golden age of flying (officially designated an historic landmark since 1995), the MAT was the airport’s original passenger facility for long-haul flights. It has a waterside area designed for use by the legendary Pan Am Clipper flying boat fleet. The Sikorsky Clippers of the 1930s and later the Boeing 314s of the 1940s used the MAT until February 1952, when the final Pan Am flying boat to Bermuda departed.

The art deco-styled building is typified by a central rotunda area from which the ‘wings’ of the terminal spread out. It contains a large mural titled ‘Flight’ by New York artist James Brooks dating from 1942. It was painted over during the 1950s but restored to its original splendour to tell the history of flight and was rededicated in 1980.

The MAT underwent a $7m restoration in 2004 to coincide with 65th anniversary of commercial flights at LGA. It now handles GA movements as well as Delta Shuttle services.

• Terminal BTerminal B, a multi-airline facility directly managed by the PANYNJ, was designed by Harrison & Abramovitz and built in 1964. It is a semi-circular structure with a four-story central section, two three-story wings and four concourses (A, B, C, and D) with 40 airbridge gates. It was originally designed to handle 8mppa, but today deals with more than 13mppa and is used by Air Canada, Air Canada Express, American Airlines, American Eagle, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines (including AirTran), Spirit Airlines, United Airlines and United Express.

Although showing its age, it is easy to use as walking distances are short, notably from curbside to gate. The PANYNJ and airlines using the terminal carried out a $340m improvement during the 1990s and early 2000s. In April 2010 the PANYNJ

announced a radical $2.4bn project which will involve the building’s demolition and reconstruction in order to start a complete harmonisation of the airport’s terminals.

In February 2014 a comprehensive $27.6bn ten-year capital spending plan was unveiled by the PANYNJ. The intention is to provide significant job opportunities and $29bn in economic activity. It is one of the most comprehensive efforts ever undertaken by the agency to identify and prioritise its long-term transportation needs. Lysa C Skully, LGA’s general manager, during an interview with Airports of the World, said the plan included redevelopment of the CTB, where $3.6bn will now be invested in a public-private ‘design, build, operate, maintain and finance’ partnership. The winning contractor will be chosen from four finalists selected from 15 that submitted bids. The resulting new terminal and associated infrastructure will completely replace the existing structure, aircraft aprons, utilities and roadway network. The terminal will have 35-gates and the standard aircraft size will be considered the 737-900 instead of the original DC-9. There will be 70 acres (28ha) of aprons, new frontage roads and other related facilities, while a $230m multi-storey car park will provide 3,084 car parking spaces to the west.

Construction will be in phases to maintain operations throughout the project – which is due to begin before the end of the year. All improvements will support the expected passenger forecasts for LGA, anticipated to reach 34mppa by 2030.

• Terminal CThe 300,000sq ft (27,870m2) $250m Terminal C opened on September 12, 1992 and was originally designed for Eastern Airlines by William Nicholas Bodouva + Associates, architects and planners. The airline was declared bankrupt in 1991 and the terminal was used by Continental Airlines which sold its leases and most of its LaGuardia slots to US Airways. Today Delta Air Lines is the major tenant. WestJet and US Airways also operate from Terminal C. A 1,100-space energy-efficient multi-storey car park is due to be completed opposite

The LaGuardia Market Place in Terminal B offers a range of shops and refreshment outlets. (Wikimedia Commons/Alexisrael

Some of the refreshment outlets in Terminal B have excellent views of the aircraft aprons.

Today the Marine Air Terminal is still in use, though not by the legendary Pan Am but by Delta Air Lines.

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the terminal by February 2015.

• Terminal DDesigned by the same team responsible for Terminal C, this facility opened on June 19, 1983 and was originally used by most of Delta Air Lines’ traffic. It was designed to accommodate the carrier’s 757s and 767s – the largest aircraft the airport can currently handle.

Despite activities at LGA being limited by curfew between 23:59 and 06:00, the airport’s intersecting runway system is efficient, regularly dealing with up to 1,150 movements on an average weekday. Only three out of 75 hourly slots available are allocated to GA traffic.

AirlinesDelta Air Lines is by far the largest carrier at LGA, having transported 10,609,164 passengers in the 12 months ending in May. It offers frequent services to Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Minneapolis/St Paul, New Orleans, Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa, West Palm Beach, as well as seasonal weekend services to Aruba, Bozeman, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Key West. Delta Shuttle Embraer 190 services are available to Boston, Chicago/O’Hare, and Washington/National. These are complemented by the Delta Connection regional subsidiary using Embraer ERJs and Bombardier CRJs to Asheville, Bangor, Birmingham, Buffalo, Burlington, Charleston, Charlotte, Charlottesville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbia, Columbus, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dayton, Des Moines, Fort Myers, Grand Rapids, Greenville/Spartanburg, Greensboro, Halifax, Houston/

Intercontinental, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Knoxville, Lexington, Louisville, Madison, Manchester, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montréal/Trudeau, Nashville, Norfolk, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Portland, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Rochester, Sarasota, Savannah, Syracuse, and Wilmington, plus seasonal services to Bangor, Daytona Beach, Myrtle Beach, Nantucket, Orlando, Tampa, and Traverse City. Delta’s LGA hub system is increasingly showing its efficiency with 35% of the total traffic now connecting through the airport.

In second place in the passenger statistics is American Airlines, and in the 12 months up until May it carried 5,035,254 passengers to and from LGA. Its mainline fleet serves Chicago/O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami, as well as the seasonal destinations of Eagle/Vail and West Palm Beach. Its American Eagle subsidiary flies regional jets to Charlottesville, Columbus, Dayton, Detroit, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Knoxville, Little Rock, Louisville, Montréal/Trudeau, Nashville, Norfolk, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Roanoke, St. Louis, Toronto–Pearson, Wilmington, and to the seasonal destination of Traverse City. Adding to the carrier’s figures, and accounting for another 2.6m passengers, are the US Airways/US Airways Shuttle services to Boston, Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia, and Washington/National along with US Airways Express regional links to Charlotte, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Almost on a par with US Airways in terms of passengers carried, United Airlines and United Express regional services connect to Chicago/O’Hare, Cleveland, Denver, Houston/Intercontinental and Washington/Dulles, along with seasonal services to Aruba.

These ‘legacy’ carriers are increasingly in competition with budget airlines with Southwest/AirTran being the major presence at LGA, accounting for more than 2mppa. Between them the two provide connections to Akron/Canton, Atlanta, Chicago/Midway, Dallas/Love, Denver, Houston/Hobby, Milwaukee, Nashville, and St. Louis. JetBlue Airways, which has its main hub at nearby JFK, flies to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando, Sarasota, Tampa and West Palm Beach. Spirit Airlines has a growing portfolio

of destinations, including Chicago/O’Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale and Myrtle Beach; while Frontier Airlines connects to Cleveland and its hub in Denver. From the winter 2014/15 schedule, Virgin America is expected to launch flights to Dallas/Love Field in direct competition with Southwest Airlines.

International carriers are limited to Air Canada and Air Canada Express flying to Montréal/Trudeau, Ottawa, Toronto/Pearson, and WestJet, also on the Toronto/Pearson route.

Often criticised by the travelling public for its somewhat old-fashioned facilities, and by pilots who often refer to it as ‘USS LaGuardia’, due to the overwater approaches and short runway lengths (giving the impression of landing on an aircraft carrier), LGA is now embarking on a series of major structural changes that will enable it to properly fulfil its role as New York City’s downtown airport, making it one of the more convenient and easy to use facilities serving the Big Apple.

AcknowledgementsThe author would like to thank Lysa C Scully, General Manager LGA, and Cheryl Ann Albiez, Press Officer PANYNJ, for their support in preparing this article.


AirlinesAir CanadaAir Canada ExpressAmerican AirlinesAmerican EagleDelta Air LinesDelta ConnectionDelta ShuttleJetBlue AirwaysSouthwest Airlines

Spirit AirlinesUnited AirlinesUnited ExpressUS AirwaysUS Airways ExpressUS Airways ShuttleVirgin AmericaWestJet

(Not for airborne or operational use/FAA)

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C H R I S T M A S W I T H K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N GC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T HC H R I S T M A S W I T H K E Y P U B L I S H I N G K E Y P U B L I S H I N GC H R I S T M A S W I T H

Hawarden Airfield in Flintshire, North Wales has been linked with aircraft production since it was first opened at the onset of World War Two, to

serve a new assembly plant for Vickers Wellingtons. Over the years it has grown to become the centre of wing manufacturing for Airbus – the company signed a long-term tenancy agreement with BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace BAe), giving it the right to act as the sole operator. The site has also attracted other aviation-related businesses, including the Aviation Park Group (APG) that provides aircraft and passenger handling services for private and commercial customers.

Early HistoryHawarden traces its history back to 1939 when a short concrete runway was constructed to permit flight testing of Wellington bombers assembled at the nearby Vickers factory.

It was the location of a propaganda film made by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) when workers, over half of whom were women, built a Wellington in a record time of 24hrs 48min. Production switched to Avro Lancasters between June 1944 and September 1945. A total of 5,786 different aircraft were built on-site prior to the end of the war.

During the Battle of Britain, the airport

served as one the RAF’s main bases for training Spitfire and Hurricane pilots. In 1940, the Air Transport Auxiliary was formed at Hawarden, operating as No 3 Ferry Pilots Pool (FPP), delivering thousands of airframes to air force and navy squadrons throughout the UK until it was disbanded in 1945. The RAF’s No 48 Maintenance Unit was also established there in 1940, and it used the site (until 1957) for storing, maintaining and scrapping military aircraft, including the Handley Page Halifax, Wellington, Airspeed Horsa assault glider, Lancaster and the de Havilland Mosquito. In just four months during 1945 a total of 1,000 aircraft had been broken

Wales' Multipurpose GemMartyn Cartledge recounts the history of Hawarden Airport and details how it has evolved to serve one of the world’s largest plane makers and

host a range of smaller businesses, among them the Aviation Park Group.


FEATUREHAWARDEN

The Aviation Park Group was founded in 1994 by Colin Butt. It opened an FBO in 2005 called Chester Handling Services.

30-35_chester.mn.indd 30 09/10/2014 13:27

up. With the war at an end demand for new aircraft disappeared almost overnight and some of the factories were used to make prefabricated bungalows – thousands of homes had been destroyed or damaged by German bombs and there was a need to quickly re-house the population. By the end of the decade, 28,000 aluminium units had been built.

Aircraft production returned to Hawarden in 1948 when de Havilland took over the main Vickers factory and during the post-war years different types were assembled at the plant, including Hornets, Mosquito night-fighters, Chipmunk trainers as well as Dove and Heron passenger liners.

Some of these types were still rolling off

the production lines when Britain entered the commercial jet age in the 1950s. Vampires and Vixens were built on-site along with the UK’s first jetliner, the Comet – British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) becoming the launch customer for the type in September 1958.

The Hawker Siddeley HS 125s was designed and produced at Hawarden in 1965 and hundreds of different variants of this popular business aircraft were assembled there over the next 30 years. Manufacturing was moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1994 following the sale of the British Aerospace business jet division (Hawker Siddeley merged with the British Aircraft Corporation in 1977 to form British Aerospace) to the Raytheon


FEATUREHAWARDEN

The Aviation Park Group built a business aviation centre for passenger handling services.

The Aviation Park Group provides various passenger services, including a corporate and VIP lounge with

air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, complimentary refreshments and free car parking next to the terminal. (All photos M J Cartledge/ASP Photography unless stated)

30-35_chester.mn.indd 31 09/10/2014 13:28


FEATUREHAWARDEN

The terminal is fitted with catering facilities

that can be used by airport staff and

security services.

Caroline Craft joined APG as managing

director in 1997.

The Chocks Away diner provides catering services for Airbus flights as well as passengers going through the FBO.

The terminal was completed in 2013 with a view to building a commercial route network, but the airlines weren’t forthcoming. It is now to be used as an aviation centre for GA and VIP flights.

APG was established in 1994 when Colin Butt purchased land adjacent to the airport to store his collection of Soviet-built aircraft, including this decaying Mig-23.

30-35_chester.mn.indd 32 09/10/2014 13:28

1967 and two years later announced the contract for supplying its wings had been awarded to Hawker Siddeley. This was despite the UK Government withdrawing its support for the multi-national Airbus project in the same year. However, the UK rejoined the project as a full partner in 1979 with an investment of £50 million. No doubt this decision was helped in part by an order from UK entrepreneur, Freddie Laker for ten A300s. Hawker Siddeley had, by this time, been incorporated into BAe, which rejoined Airbus with a 20% stake in

the company.As aircraft production expanded over the

years, the facilities grew to meet demand and new factories were built. The European manufacturer’s newest production line opened in October 2011, making composite wings for the A350.

FacilitiesAlthough Airbus is the largest company at the airfield, the site is also used by several smaller businesses, which enjoy a symbiotic relationship with

Corporation and the name changed to Hawker Beechcraft. The company maintained a support facility at the airport until 2013 when it was sold to Cambridge-based Marshall Aerospace.

Airbus UKCurrently the airport is home to Airbus UK’s Broughton facility (named after a nearby village). The firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus SAS and produces wings for the A320s, A330s and the A380.

Airbus began work on its A300 project in


FEATUREHAWARDEN

Cheshire Classic Cars is another on-site resident – offering sales, servicing and restoration expertise.

Wing production for the A350 XWB began at the Airbus Broughton factory in 2011. (Airbus)

Much of the equipment for the new terminal was purchased at auction by APG when Plymouth Airport closed down.

Hawker Beechcraft maintained a support facility at the airport until 2013 when it was sold to Cambridge-based Marshall Aerospace.

30-35_chester.mn.indd 33 09/10/2014 13:28

the manufacturing giant. The APG was founded in 1994 by Colin Butt, current chief executive, and maintained aircraft in one of its hangars.

The firm started in a rather unusual fashion. During the early 1990s, Butt purchased 30 acres (12.1ha) of land adjacent to the airport along with two hangars, which he used to store his recently-acquired selection of Soviet-built aircraft. This included assorted fighters, transports and helicopters – many of which remain to this day, although in varying degrees of decay. Outside and open to the elements are two Sukhoi Su-17s and one Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23B, whilst a hangar houses two Mil Mi-2 turbine helicopters and ten ex-Aeroflot Antonov An-2 biplanes.

Colin’s daughter, Caroline Craft, joined the company as managing director in 1997 and set about restructuring. The first task

was to replace the maintenance business with an aircraft and passenger handling service for private owners. Over the years more hangars were built to provide aircraft storage for an expanding customer base, which ranges from wealthy owner-operators to large multi-national companies.

Ten years after the original purchase, another 30 acres was acquired, which enabled APG to expand into a new venture – a business park with offices and warehouses, often built to customer specification. Companies, both large and small, were attracted to the site (which provides 24hr security), among them Iceland Frozen Foods and AIM Engineering. Other businesses have moved there because of connections with the airport, for example Kuhne + Nagel, which manages logistics for the Airbus in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.


FEATUREHAWARDEN

Hawarden AirportICAO Code: EGNRIATA Code: CEGRunway 04/22 6700 x 148ft (2043 x 45m)Longitude/Latitude: W 002° 58' 40.00"/N 53° 10' 41.00"Elevation: 45ft / 13.7mTime Zone: UTC 0 (+1DT)Approach: 123.35MHzTower: 124.95 MHzRadar: 130.25 MHzChester Handling Operations: 131.50 MHz

APG has added more hangars to attract new customers ranging from private owner-operators to large multi-national companies.

The airport is home to North Wales Military Air Services (NWMAS) which maintains classic aircraft, including three BAC Strikemasters (one of which belonged to the Oman Air Force), an Aero L-39 and one Jet Provost.

30-35_chester.mn.indd 34 09/10/2014 13:28

Air Traffic Control as well as rescue and firefighting services have been contracted by Airbus to SERCO, a UK company that specialises in aviation, military and nuclear weapons contracts.

Beluga flights intensified when A350 XWB production began in 2012. Airbus launched the Fly10,000 project, an initiative started in 2011 to introduce more efficient loading facilities in Hamburg and Bremen in Germany and Saint-Nazaire in France. It aims to double its Beluga fleet activities by 2017 (from 5,000 to 10,000 flight hours).

Due to the increased activity at Hawarden, Airbus has recently extended the weekday opening hours from 06:30 to 00:00 (previously 21:00). There are plans to increase the Saturday opening times beyond the current 08:30 to 16:00, closing five hours later at 21:00.

Planning for the futureThe APG invested £600,000 in building a new terminal, completed in 2013, in the hope of attracting customer airlines. The initial plan was to launch routes to airports in South Wales, London and the near continent, including Amsterdam. This proved to be unsuccessful and so the terminal is being turned into a general aviation centre.

It will include a corporate and VIP lounge with air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, complimentary refreshments and free car parking. In addition the Chocks Away diner supplies meals to workers on the business park and for aircraft operators who require catering, including for Airbus flights. Another uses for the terminal currently being investigated is to offer it as a training facility for airport staff and security services; or leasing it to film and TV companies.

Fixed Base OperationsThe APG opened an FBO in 2005 called Chester Handling Services, and built a business aviation centre to meet the needs of its customers. The company also provides ground handling for the regular bmi regional Embraer ERJ-145 Airbus shuttle services to Bristol Airport and the main Airbus assembly site in Toulouse, France.

In addition to the FBO and private hangarage, there are several other aviation-related firms at the airport, including Flintshire Flight School, Jefferson Air Photography and North Wales Military Aviation Services (NWMAS) which provides classic jets for air displays and pilot training. Marshall Aerospace has facilities on site, providing aircraft sales and maintenance for the European fractional ownership and rental firm, NetJets’ Hawker Beechcraft fleet. Cheshire Police bases a Eurocopter EC135 helicopter at the airport and Williams Aviation offers private charters using a Cessna Citation XLS+.

Airbus OperationsAirbus uses the airport primarily for its Beluga flights, transporting wings to assembly plants in Toulouse and Hamburg. The giant aircraft is a modified A300-600ST used to carry large aircraft parts and oversized cargo. It was initially called the Super Transporter, but the name Beluga (after the white arctic whale it vaguely resembles) was later adopted officially. The wings of the A380 are too large to be carried by air and are loaded on a barge on the nearby River Dee and taken through the port of Mostyn, 15 miles (24km) downstream from where they are shipped to Bordeaux by sea.

Airbus uses separate aprons for airfield movements – ‘A’ is for passenger aircraft with its own small terminal and security facilities; ‘B’ is exclusively for the Beluga; ‘C’ is used by Marshall Aerospace; and ‘D’ is used for outsized aircraft, military visitors and Gulfstream G5s, that cannot negotiate the turn onto APG’s north apron.


FEATUREHAWARDEN

Colin Butt’s ten Aeroflot Antonov An-2 single radial-engine bi-planes are stored in a hangar.

Hawarden is home to Airbus UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus SAS, which produces wings for the company's whole airliner range.

30-35_chester.mn.indd 35 09/10/2014 13:28


SNAPSHOTANCHORAGE ALASKA

Anchorage Alaska

Northern Air Cargo Douglas DC-6A N6813C (c/n 44889) stands at Anchorage between flights. The aircraft was originally destined for Airwork as G-AOFX, but was not taken up and was instead sold to Slick Airways as N6813C in January 1956. It later served with Perdue Research Foundation, the Aero American Corp, and with Northern Air Cargo until May 1981.

A scene long since gone at Anchorage – an Alaska Airlines Boeing 727-90C, N798AS (c/n 19170). The aircraft was originally delivered to the carrier in November 1966 and was sold to Omni Air Express in October 1993 as N270AX. It subsequently passed to Kitty Hawk Air Cargo in August 1998, and was sold to Angola’s Transafrik International as S9-BOG in October 2000.

The Douglas DC-3 Dakota has been associated with this remote part of the US for decades and was a familiar sight at almost every Alaskan airport. This example, C-47-DL Skytrain N8061A (c/n 6085), started life with the USAAF as 41-18679. The aircraft is still registered to Jim Hankins Air Service and is based at Jackson-Hawkins Field, Mississippi.

Western Boeing 727-247 N2819W (c/n 21057) was delivered in May 1975 and is taxiing to its stand after arriving at Anchorage. The carrier merged with Delta Air Lines in April 1987, and this aircraft continued to fly until it was retired in November 2001; it was scrapped in 2004.

A few locations around the world stand out for aviation enthusiasts when it comes to piston-engine classics. South America and Africa

are probably the most obvious, but the US state of Alaska was, and still is, an isolated refuge for many active examples. In May 1980, Ron Mak travelled to Anchorage International Airport to capture this impressive selection of classic aircraft.

36-37_snapshot.mn.indd 36 09/10/2014 16:31


SNAPSHOTANCHORAGE ALASKA

An overview of part of Anchorage Airport, with two Douglas DC-6s, two Curtiss C-46s and a Fairchild C-82 all visible.

In use with the FAA as a calibration aircraft, Fairchild C-123B Provider N98 (c/n 20219) was formerly delivered to the US Air Force as 55-4548 and used in the transport role. This aircraft is preserved and can be seen at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla, Alaska.

Fairchild C-82A N9701F (c/n 10184) was well known to older aviation enthusiasts in Europe as it belonged to Trans World Airways and was used to transport engines and equipment around Europe in the 1960s. It is now preserved at the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Maryland.

Seair Convair CV-580 N5820 (c/n 62) began life with Allegheny Airlines in 1967 and was sold to Sea Airmotive in 1978. This became Seair Alaska Airlines in 1984. The aircraft was sold to Canada’s Kelowna Airlines as C-GKFQ in 1987 and the following year moved to Evergreen International Airlines. In 1990, it moved to South America as HX-3559X with Aerovias Especiales de Carga before joining the Colombian Army as EJC-121 in 1996.

36-37_snapshot.mn.indd 37 09/10/2014 16:32

Cape Town is without doubt one of the world’s top tourist destinations. Surrounded by spectacular scenery and dominated by Table

Mountain, the South African coastal city lies at the juncture of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Whether one wants to enjoy the great food and fantastic wines the region has to offer, drive along the Garden Route along the nation’s southern coast, go whale watching, kite surfing or just relax by the beach, all can be easily achieved. The number of visitors continues to grow and one of the main beneficiaries is Cape Town International Airport (CPT).

The facility opened in 1954 and replaced the much smaller Wingfield Aerodrome, which was closer to the city, as Cape Town’s primary airport. It was named D F Malan Airport after the South African prime minister at the time of its opening, but after the fall of apartheid in the early 1990s the name was changed to its current title. Always in the shadow of the much larger and busier O R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, CPT has become the second major gateway for South Africa, a selection of airlines connecting it with a wide range of global destinations.

Expanded terminalThe airport’s General Manager, Deon Cloete, told Airports of the World that seasonal traffic flows are a challenge and many airlines find it difficult to successfully maintain year-round schedules. Some have chosen to only run seasonal services to try and guarantee good loadings while others have opted to stop at O R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg en route. Recently, however, some carriers have started their seasonal flights earlier in the year or extended them by a month at the end. This indicates confidence in the market and shows demand is rising during the previously quieter months. Keeping the terminal infrastructure as flexible as possible has been essential to dealing with this seasonal demand. When the number of international flights increases during the Southern Hemisphere summer, additional check-in desks and security checkpoints are needed to meet demand.

In readiness for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the airport had a complete makeover and the previously separate domestic and international terminals were joined by a large central building to create a single structure. All check-in desks are now on

the upper floor and can be switched between international or domestic use at any time.

In a central security screening area, one section is used by international and one by domestic travellers. These areas are flexible so capacity can be adjusted to match demand in either. After exiting security, passengers are guided to the international or domestic concourses.

Landside, the terminal is very spacious building with high ceilings and benefits from plenty of natural light. Escalators lead from the arrivals hall up to the impressive check-in hall. The next level houses a food court, offering a wide range of restaurants to suit most tastes and budgets; there is also a small observation deck providing good views of the main apron and runway.

Most jet airliners use one of the ten airbridges while commuter aircraft and the occasional domestic Boeing 737 flight park remotely. Both concourses have separate bus boarding areas on the lower level for aircraft parked on remote stands. Arriving passengers collect their bags from either the domestic or international carousels in the relevant part of the terminal and are then guided to the central arrivals area in the new connector

Cape Town’s Gateway

Following substantial investment in terminal facilities, Cape Town International Airport is about to embark on a major runway project.

Sebastian Schmitz travelled to South Africa to find out more.


FEATURECAPE TOWN

The airport’s apron and terminal with Table Mountain in the background. The section added in 2010 to connect the International and Domestic concourses stands out. (ACSA)

38-44_capetown.mn.indd 38 09/10/2014 16:30

building – which can involve lengthy walks.A range of shops and food outlets are

sited in both concourses – there is even a hairdresser and massage parlour for passengers with time to spare before their flight. The terminal facade is completely glazed and affords views of the apron as well as the runway (although reflections can make photography difficult).

It was important to the management to bring Cape Town into the terminal, to give it a distinctive local flavour. Arriving passengers are greeted by images of typical colourful Cape Town houses and decorative items have helped to provide a less ‘clinical’ appearance. Small details like softer seat covers and USB device charging stations have been installed following passenger feedback.

Two large car parks flank the terminal and a bus terminal opposite links to Cape Town’s MyCITI bus network. Services cover most of Cape Town and the buses take around 20

minutes to drive the 12 miles (19km) from CPT to the Civic Centre, where onward connections are available. Taking a taxi is an alternative but there is currently no train service, although proposals exist for a rail connection.

AirlinesThe facility is run by the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA), which was established in 1993 when it assumed responsibility for nine of the nation’s commercial airports. Cape Town is second in passenger numbers to Johannesburg’s O R Tambo Airport, and in the 2013/14 financial year recorded 8,392,989 travellers, most of them (6,879,919) flying domestically – the Johannesburg route being far and away the most popular. It is the African continent’s third-busiest airport, after O R Tambo and Cairo, and all South African carriers, with the exception of some the very smallest, serve it many times a day.

Flights on the Johannesburg route, one the

world’s ten busiest, take just less than two hours and carried some 4.4 million travellers in 2012. Between South African Airways, Comair (operating both as British Airways and Kulula.com) and South African’s low-cost subsidiary, Mango, more than 50 flights are available on weekdays between the two cities, including some to Johannesburg’s second airport in Lanseria. Most are by 737-800s but during the day, when many widebody aircraft would sit idle at Johannesburg, South African likes to use its Airbus 330s and 340s on Cape Town services. Even new entrants like short-lived Velvet Sky or the latest newcomer, Flysafair, usually try their luck first on the busy Johannesburg route.

Durban is another important domestic destination, with up to 13 daily departures from CPT provided by Comair, South African Express and Mango. Other towns and cities around the country are served by multiple daily flights – in particular those in the

Cape Town’s Gateway


FEATURECAPE TOWN

minutes to drive the 12 miles (19km) from CPT world’s ten busiest, take just less than two building – which can involve lengthy walks.building – which can involve lengthy walks. minutes to drive the 12 miles (19km) from CPT minutes to drive the 12 miles (19km) from CPT building – which can involve lengthy walks. An art installation in the arrivals area depicts the profile of Table Mountain.

(Not for airborne use - Navtech Aerad)

38-44_capetown.mn.indd 39 09/10/2014 16:41

west and south like George or Port Elizabeth, for which CPT also serves as a convenient hub airport with regional and international onward connections; both cities are served several times a day by either SA Express or Airlink using regional airliners.

These two carriers also operate direct services between CPT and large cities such as Bloemfontein and Kimberley as well as Hoedspruit, Nelspruit and Skukuza airports which surround the Kruger National Park.

Cape Town has a number of carriers

offering intercontinental flights, although Deon Cloete was quick to point out there is plenty of scope to attract more. In recent years some airlines have reduced capacity and trimmed routes: for example, Delta Air Lines dropped its Atlanta service via Dakar in 2009. Another strategic connection was lost in 2012 when Malaysia Airlines pulled out of its Kuala Lumpur-Cape Town-Buenos Aires route, which had provided an important non-stop link for the city to both Asia and South America.

While Asia can still be reached directly with Singapore Airlines to its hub at Changi Airport (albeit with a stop in Johannesburg), there are currently no flights to South America. Deon explained: “North America and Asia are two markets the airport is convinced could support direct flights. Many of the ever increasing number of tourists visiting the region are from them.”

South African Airways dropped direct CPT-London/Heathrow flights in August 2012, shortly after it had stopped services to Frankfurt, and concentrated its long-haul business at Johannesburg. The London route

had been going for more than 35 years, launched in the 1970s using 747SPs. But the link is still popular and London/Heathrow operates up to three daily flights to Cape Town by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic during the Southern Hemisphere summer. British Airways even upgraded its frequencies during the slower winter period, which suggests good loadings and confidence in the market.

Middle East giant Emirates has two daily departures to Dubai – where passengers can access its worldwide network. Should the airport consider upgrades to accept the Airbus A380, it will no doubt have Emirates in mind, as the carrier now has more than 50 in service out of orders for 140. Meanwhile Qatar Airways extends three of its Johannesburg flights to CPT each week


FEATURECAPE TOWN

offering intercontinental flights, although had been going for more than 35 years,

Passenger StatisticsPeriod Passengers2004-05 6,214,9032005-06 6,834,1732006-07 7,518,5432007-08 8,426,6182008-09 7,813,1702009-10 7,810,0692010-11 8,200,5472011-12 8,576,3382012-13 8,434,799

The airport’s observation deck affords good views of the apron and runway, but is not ideal for photography.

Air Cape Hawker Siddeley HS-748 ZS-JAY (c/n 1717) makes a colourful sight at CPT in 1986. (AirTeamImages.com/Bob O’Brien Collection)

Brightly-coloured Mango Boeing 737-844 ZS-SJT (c/n 32633) taxies out for a flight to Durban.

Embraer ERJ-135 ZS-OUV (c/n 145493) disembarking passengers at Cape Town. Airlink, part of a strategic alliance with South African Airways and South African Express Airways, provides extensive regional services. (AirTeamImages.com/Ralf Meyermann)

38-44_capetown.mn.indd 40 09/10/2014 16:31

– currently using 787 Dreamliners on the route – and Turkish Airlines has a daily A330 service from Istanbul via Johannesburg.

Cape Town is also a very popular destination for Germans, and is served by Lufthansa. For years, CPT was an extension to a Johannesburg flight which eventually became a seasonal, non-stop connection from Frankfurt. In 2012 the route moved to Munich and during this year’s South African summer, five weekly A340 flights are scheduled.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is one of the few airlines offering daytime flights to South Africa. Its daily Cape Town service, flown by 777s, arrives at 21:35, returning

to Amsterdam about two hours later as the last departure of the day. Complementing the flights of its Dutch Skyteam partner, Air France launched seasonal links from Paris/Charles de Gaulle in the European winter of 2011, three times a week with 777-200s.

Condor began seasonal services from Frankfurt to Cape Town in November 2012. The route has been successful for the company, which is to increase frequency

from two to three flights a week from this year’s European winter schedule. Another seasonal visitor is Switzerland’s Edelweiss Air with two weekly A330 flights from Zürich.

Regional flights include a twice-daily Air Namibia service to Windhoek (usually flown by A319s) and six flights a week to Walvis Bay in Namibia by SA Express; Air Botswana offers twice-weekly flights to both Maun and Gaborone using Avro RJ85s, ideal for travellers who want to visit Botswana and Cape Town; TAAG Angola Airlines operates three 737 flights a week from its home base at Luanda; and Air Mauritius comes in three times a week from Mauritius using A319s.

Interesting flights not published in passenger schedules include seasonal links to Novolazarevskaya in Antarctica (see Airports of the World, issue 47, p30), around five hours’ flying time away. They are provided by Russian or Belarusian Ilyushin Il-76s on behalf of Antarctic Logistics Centre International and run once or twice a week during the summer months.

Ambitious future projectsDeon Cloete revealed that the face of the airport will change significantly over the next few years. There are currently two runways; the main one, 01/19, measures 10,502ft (3,201m) and is used by almost all commercial flights. The intersecting Runway 16/34 is much shorter at 5,581ft (1,701m)


FEATURECAPE TOWN

– currently using 787 Dreamliners on the from two to three flights a week from

Airport StatisticsICAO Code: FACTIATA Code: CPTLocation: 33° 57.53’ S, 18° 36.06’ EElevation: 151ft (46m) Runways: 01/19 10,500 x 200ft

(3,201 x 61m) 16/34 5,581 x 151ft

(1,701 x 46m)Frequencies: ATIS: 127 Tower: 118.1 Ground: 121.9 Approach: 12.05Website: www.acsa.co.za

South African Express Airways Bombardier CRJ200 ZS-NME (c/n 7240) makes its way to Runway 01 for departure. (AirTeamImages.com/Irfan Caliskan)

Two British Airways Boeing 747-436s wait for their evening flights back to London/Heathrow.

Comair-operated British Airways Boeing 737-4S3 ZS-OAP (c/n 24167) waits to be pushed back for a flight to Johannesburg.

Air Mauritius Airbus A319-112 3B-NBH (c/n 1936) prepares to depart for home.

(ACSA)

38-44_capetown.mn.indd 41 09/10/2014 16:40


FEATURECAPE TOWN

38-44_capetown.mn.indd 42 09/10/2014 16:31

Cape Town International Airport, looking north along Runway 01. (ACSA)


FEATURECAPE TOWN

38-44_capetown.mn.indd 43 09/10/2014 16:40

and only sees occasional use by general aviation or commuter aircraft. Both are to be replaced by a new, single runway further east measuring 11,483 x 246ft (3,500 x 75m).

I t will b e

able to handle 45 movements per hour, thanks to high-speed exits, compared with only 30 with the existing Runway 01/19. As it will be further from the terminal, space will be freed up to add more parking aprons – the current aprons are small and often reach capacity at busy times. The existing runway, recently repaved, will be used as a taxiway once the new one becomes operational, which is expected to be in 2018 at the latest. The alignment of the new runway will also help to avoid obstacles on the approach.

Three piers will be added to the terminal, giving it a crown plan form. This will add considerable gate capacity with minimal increases in walking distances.

Looking further ahead, ACSA also has plans for a parallel runway and another hotel on the airport site. From a passenger’s point of view, flying from CPT is a pleasant experience few airports in Africa can match,

and the facility has received awards from both Skytrax and Airports Council International as ‘Best Airport in Africa’. Following the upgrades for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the runway infrastructure project about to get under way is expected to give overall capacity a considerable boost. It will be interesting to see how the airport uses it to attract more carriers and increase its destinations portfolio.


FEATURECAPE TOWN

The spacious departures hall in the central terminal building provides passengers with plenty of room and easy-to-find amenities. (All photos author unless stated)

The domestic concourse is long, so anyone connecting from an international service could have quite a trek.

MyCITI buses offer an easy and affordable link to Cape Town’s city centre.

Check-in desks were consolidated into the central terminal in 2010.

A landside view of the central terminal area – note the bus facility conveniently positioned for passengers using the MyCITI bus network. (ACSA)

I t will b e

I t will b e

I t will b e

AirlinesAir BotswanaAir FranceAirlinkAir MauritiusAir NamibiaBritish AirwaysComairCondorEdelweiss AirEmiratesFlySafair

KLMKululaLufthansaMangoQatar AirwaysSingapore AirlinesSouth African AirwaysSouth African Express AirwaysTAAG Angolan AirlinesTurkish AirlinesVirgin Airlines

38-44_capetown.mn.indd 44 09/10/2014 16:31


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Clark International Airport (CRK), previously known as Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) has completed the latest

phase of its terminal expansion project. The larger facility has enabled the airport, which is approximately 50 miles (80km) north of the Philippines capital Manila, to raise its passenger capacity from 2.5mppa to at least 4mppa.

The PHP417m ($9.62m) Phase 2 expansion project increased the floor area from 92,432sq ft (8,587m2) to 199,925sq ft (18,573m2) providing space for 34 check-in desks and 24 immigration counters.

Growing marketThe facility is fast becoming the ‘airport of the north’, with more travellers from the Middle East and Europe passing through

on their way to tourist spots in central and northern Luzon province, as well as to the white beaches of the island of Boracay. The introduction of daily flights from Doha by Qatar Airways in October 2013 blazed the trail for the European and Middle Eastern markets.

For Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), CRK provides the ideal gateway, particularly as it now benefits from better road access, such as the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. Workers from Luzon no longer travel all the way to the capital Manila to catch flights from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NML) to the Middle East, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and elsewhere; they can now do so from CRK.

Jonard Aquino, a resident from nearby Mabalacat City, passes through CRK regularly using Asiana Airlines. He does

Clark Evolution

Clark International Airport in the Philippines continues to expand and as Ron Mak and Arnel P San Pedro report, there is a lot more to come.


FEATURECLARK EVOLUTION

Airport StatisticsICAO Code: RPLC

IATA Code: CRK

Location: 15º 11.09’N, 120º 33.37’E

Elevation: 484ft (148m)

Runways: 02R/20L 10,499 x 197 ft (3,200 x 60m)

02L/20R 10,499 x 148 ft (3,200 x 45m)

Frequencies: ATIS: 113.1

Tower: 118.7, 124.3

Approach: 119.2

Website: www.clarkairport.com

http://crk.clarkairport.com

Cebu Pacific remains one of the largest incumbent carriers at Clark International. (All photos author)

46-48_clark.mn.indd 46 09/10/2014 16:29

so because: “It is more convenient for me, I don’t mind paying extra money as long as it is convenient. I don’t have to fight with the heavy Manila traffic.”

Budget TerminalAéroports de Paris Ingénierie (ADPI) was commissioned by the Philippines Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) in February to carry out a feasibility and development study, and provide designs for a LCC Terminal that will increase CRK’s total capacity to between 15 and 16mppa. The project

has an estimated price tag of PHP7.2bn ($164m) and came about as part of the Philippine government’s plans to support vital aviation-related projects to maximise capacity at NML and CRK. Joseph Emillo Abaya, DOTC Secretary, said: “We recognise that Ninoy Aquino and Clark both have a significant impact on the country’s economic growth, particularly in terms of tourism and logistics.”

The medium-term plan is to use both airports to serve Luzon province. To further support this, a feasibility study is also being developed for the north-south commuter railway, which will make Clark more accessible from Manila. Buses, which regularly ply the route between the capital and CRK, are currently the main mode of public transport.

Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) President and CEO Victor Jose I Luciano said that “aside from the Clark LCC Terminal, other projects include a dual passenger boarding bridge for use by long-haul airlines such as Emirates and Qatar Airways”. Both carriers introduced daily



Airlines and DestinationsAirline DestinationsAsiana Airlines Seoul Incheon

Cebu Pacific Cebu City, Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, Singapore

Jin-Air Seoul/Incheon

Tiger Airways Davao City, Kalibo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore

Dragonair Hong Kong

Qatar Airways Doha

The new check-in areas at a quiet time of day.

The expanded terminal has given the airport a welcome increase in capacity.

46-48_clark.mn.indd 47 09/10/2014 16:29

flights from Dubai and Doha in October last year, but Emirates suspended its services in May citing intense competition, low load factor and tax issues.

Passenger figures for 2013 were down on 2012 due to the withdrawal of Air Asia Philippines in the latter part of the year. However, AirAsia is due to return in 2016, and talks are ongoing to attract Hawaiian Airlines, which has pulled out of NML.

Luciano confirmed the LCC Terminal project during the Clark Challenge Stakeholders Summit 2014, which took place at the Widus Convention Centre at

Clark Freeport Zone. He said the ADPI studies and design work would take at least three months, but that the facility should be completed during the second quarter of 2016.

More equipmentProviding further details, Luciano said the government had also approved the PHP600m ($13.7m) required to fund new equipment, such as the dual airbridges, as part of the requirements of Qatar Airways for its aircraft. Among other initiatives are a 16.6 miles (26.75km) fence and an 8.2 mile (13.2km) perimeter lighting system. New navigational aids will also be installed to replace the existing 18-year-old equipment. Rapid intervention vehicle fire trucks will be purchased as part of the upgrading of the emergency services unit to attain an ICAO Category 10 rating (currently it is Category 9).

Last year the CIAC reported increased revenues, mainly because of government support, but also helped by the arrival of Qatar Airways and Emirates. The CIAC

recorded a net income of PHP44m ($1m), a turnaround from a net loss of PHP7m ($160,360) the previous year. Revenues stood at PHP563m ($12.9m) even as operating expenses increased by 6% to PHP363m ($8.3m) from PHP343m ($7.8m) in 2012. CIAC’s improved revenues were the result of a 63% increase in non-aeronautical fees that amounted to PHP277m ($6.34m) last year.



Acknowledgments and further InformationThe authors would like to thank Arnel San Pedro and Ogie Orejas of CIAC for updating the Clark International Airport article.

For more details about the history of the former Clark Air Force Base, see the articles that appeared in Airports of the World issue 16, p20 (Living with Mount Pinatubo) and issue 46, p68 (Philippines’ Boom Time) and also in our sister publication Airliner World, August 2010 (The Phoenix of the East).

Traffic StatisticsYear Passengers2008 490,748

2009 559,792

2010 654,229

2011 767,109

2012 1,315,757

2013 1,200,592

Traditional check-in desks dominate at CRK and consequently can become very busy at peak times.

Qatar Airway’s connection from Doha has provided an alternative option for travellers flying from Europe and has helped to increase traffic.

46-48_clark.mn.indd 48 09/10/2014 16:29

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Aerotropolis A Brave New World

Dr Nicola Davies talks to some key figures involved in developing the aerotropolis, and looks at current and future concepts.

AIRPORT ANALYSISAEROTROPOLIS

50-55_aerotropolis.mn.indd 50 09/10/2014 13:24

“A city made for speed is made for success.” These were the words of Swiss-born French architect, Le Corbusier (full

name: Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris), on the revolution of the car in the 1920s. Today, the airport is becoming the heart of the city, and speed is certainly the name of the game. It has led to the birth of the aerotropolis – urban planning with layout, infrastructure and economy centred on an airport.

Airports – the new city hubThe original concept was introduced in the 21st century by John Kasarda, Director of the Center for Air Commerce at the University of North Carolina and author of ‘Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next’.

As airports increasingly become the new city hub, there is speculation the aerotropolis will be the city of the future.

Before exploring this possibility, Dan Poremba, Managing Director of airport city development for Denver International Airport, Colorado makes the distinction between an airport city and an aerotropolis. “Airport city simply refers to commercial mixed-use development on airport land that is attracted to the location because of the benefits of being next to its nucleus (the hub airport), in terms of direct access for people and products. Aerotropolis is the surrounding off-airport development that is catalysed by its proximity to the terminals, runways and shipping infrastructure.”

Air travel on the up and upThe ICAO put figures for world air travel at close to three billion in its annual report in December 2012. By 2034, it is projected that more than ten billion passengers a year will be processed internationally. This amount of air traffic and passenger handling will see huge changes in the way people live, including the need for airports that meet different passenger requirements.

Simon Elsegood, a senior analyst with CAPA Centre for Aviation, said: “The thinking in developing regions is that an airport is not just a transport hub, but also an opportunity to attract all the industries that come with aviation – maintenance, logistics, aerospace manufacturing, information technology, technical training, and others – into a cluster that provides the key infrastructure in an efficient manner. The co-location of these industries and businesses also creates synergies between them.”

Dubai International Airport (DXB) is a prime example of a fully functioning aerotropolis. It handled in excess of six million passengers for three of the four months to April 2014 and is a major hub for the Middle East, with passengers connecting from Europe, Africa, and the Indian subcontinent, as well as Southeast Asia. It works so well because office parks, hotels and accommodation, and even

factories are in close proximity to DXB allowing quick and easy access.

Another example is Songdo City in South Korea. Around 40 miles (65km) from Seoul, Songdo City was built on approximately 1,500 acres (605ha) of reclaimed land along the waterfront in Incheon. The capital Seoul had grown over many years and it was decided that a new city, designed from the ground up, would provide a better lifestyle. It was modelled on the aerotropolis concept, where everything is close at hand. Commuters can walk to work through pleasant parks instead of having to rely on motorised transport and waste removal technology improvements make the streets cleaner and reduces vermin. It remains less than a quarter populated as people are reluctant to move from familiar neighbourhoods but as the pressure builds for new office space and apartments, it is gradually gaining more residents and is expected to have the vibrancy of any other city very soon.

Aerotropoli in developing countriesAerotropoli are not restricted to developed countries, “I think the key for the Middle East and the Asia Pacific regions is the concept of the aerotropolis as an integrated development opportunity,” said Elsegood. “The concept has been accepted as part of national development plans in a number of countries, or even regions within developing countries, that are looking to aviation and tourism as major future contributors to their economies.”

“The thinking in the Middle East,” Elsegood continued, “is to build for the future, rather than react to what’s happening right now, as appears to be the case in much of Europe and the US. Without significant infrastructure of this kind already in place, they have the luxury of planning to ensure maximum efficiency and space for the future.” Therefore, the concept can be included in the planning process for these new airports, particularly the large ones being developed for major cities in the Gulf, China and India.

This sentiment is backed up by Saxen van Coller, CEO of Dube TradePort Corporation, with offices adjacent to King Shaka International Airport, near Durban, South Africa. Van Coller believes that the nation has the rare opportunity to plan a new aerotropolis rather than alter an existing airport. She says: “Our development of an aerotropolis on a green field site is unique at King Shaka International Airport. Durban differs from both Cape Town International Airport and O R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, as around both of these airports green field land for development is limited.”

Dube TradePort has more than 32,000 acres (12,950ha) for development –

compared with airports in Europe and the US where large parcels of land are not available for planners to try and build their vision of the future.

On long-term plans for the aerotropolis, van Coller said: “The 50-year master plan looks at the controlled expansion of capital infrastructure and the operational zones within the Dube TradePort precinct, namely, Dube TradeZone, Dube Cargo Terminal, Dube AgriZone, and Dube City. Ultimately, the airport will expand to accommodate up to 45mppa and one to two million tonnes of cargo.”

Challenges in developed countriesDenver city leaders have recently taken the next step towards creating a long-desired aerotropolis by purchasing 55 acres (22.25ha) near Denver International Airport. Managing Director Poremba commented: “The vision is to develop airport-driven commercial real estate uses approximately 9,400 acres [3,80ha] of airport land that is available, after full build-out of the airport to 12 runways – we currently have six. This commercial development will drive synergistic development in the entire surrounding aerotropolis region and collectively place the airport in an even stronger financial and competitive position internationally.”

It’s part of the facility’s ambition to become ‘America’s favourite connecting hub, where the Rocky Mountains meet the world.’ “This is our long-term strategy for Denver International Airport and its surrounding commercial real estate,” said Poremba. “Increasing our non-aviation revenues also helps us keep costs low for the airlines, so they can continue to add and expand services.”

New concepts can be intimidating, however, and the MD explained some of the challenges: “Regional planning collaboration is our largest challenge. We are working hard to educate our neighbouring jurisdictions about the benefits of this airport-driven development. However, as with anything new, there is still uncertainty and anxiety about what it means for them. Some have expressed concern that they will lose real estate opportunities to airport land instead of fully understanding the synergistic benefits that are available to the region.

“In general we believe that for every building that is built on-airport, more will be built off-airport in the surrounding aerotropolis jurisdictions. Similarly, for every job that is added on-airport, more jobs will be generated in the region. This education process is one that takes time and trust to nurture properly and that is what we are very much involved with now at Denver Airport. We are looking for ways to better connect off-airport projects to the airport to generate mutual benefits and efficiencies.”

So, what exactly would the benefits


Aerotropolis A Brave New World


Dubai International Airport is an excellent example of a fully functioning aerotropolis, providing global connection for travellers plus a multitude of amenities, business and leisure activities and accommodation all within easy reach. (Dubai Airports)



be of an aerotropolis for Denver? Poremba explained: “In today’s global economy, aerotropoli are being planned and developed all around the world. They have become fundamental strategies to help cities and regions improve their connectivity and competitive standing. The benefits to Denver would be that the region becomes more competitive internationally, our airport becomes a larger economic driver for the region, we add jobs, and our entire region benefits.”

He will be addressing these benefits at the second annual Aerotropolis Americas Conference in Denver later this year

(December 8-10). Hosted by the City and County of Denver and Denver International Airport, it will provide a strong focus on the regional benefits of airport cities and aerotropolis development.

The managing director admits: “The practical implementation of aerotropolis development is still very much in the early stages in the US, where we trail airports in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. This is partially because of the oversight governance of the FAA, which is responsible for protecting the function of our national airport system.”

However, he said the FAA is interested

in seeing US airports generate more non-airline revenues and commercial development offers a strong opportunity to do this, at least at the large hubs. “We hope to see the FAA help airports proactively facilitate this development in the future,” added Poremba, “we also expect that regional stakeholders surrounding hubs will come to see how on-airport commercial expansion results in much higher levels of real estate development and job growth.”

Civic engagementDenver International is not the only airport in the US that faces a challenge in developing the aerotropolis concept. Jim Tarantino, Executive Director of The Gateway to Milwaukee, explained why America appears to lag behind the cities of the Middle East and Asia: “Regarding the difference between developing countries versus the US and Europe, land availability is a huge factor, but perhaps more important is the control of centralised government in those countries. Too often, American regions are fragmented into various overlapping governmental units, many of which have competing interests. This is simply inefficient and does not allow for a co-ordinated development vision to take place in many cases, unlike New Songdo City in South Korea or the Dubai aerotropolis, which are centrally planned. Centralised control, of course, is a double-edged sword.

“General Mitchell International Airport (GMIA) is owned by Milwaukee County, which does not have a development plan, per se,” explained Tarantino. “There is an airport master plan which deals more with facility planning than land development. The southwest corner of the airport is a former US Air Force base that has been re-branded as the MKE Regional Business Park. The plan there is for the county to try


Songdo City in South Korea is a good example of an aerotropolis and is served by Seoul’s Incheon International Airport.

Denver International Airport owns a huge amount of land – 53 square miles (138km2). So whereas many would like to establish an aerotropolis but don’t have the space, this facility has no such concerns. (DIA)


to lease out the former air force buildings.”Apparently, this has been a modest failure

and now the county is seeking developer proposals to do something with these obsolete buildings. “They received zero responses to that request,” says Tarantino. “My opinion on that matter is that few private sector developers want to work with Milwaukee County, which has historically been a difficult unit of government.”

In response to the lack of a development plan from the airport itself, Tarantino explained that a non-profit corporation known as Aerotropolis Milwaukee has been created. “Right now we [the Gateway

to Milwaukee] are working on aligning the comprehensive land use plans of the communities that surround the airport and attempting to build a unified development vision for the areas just outside the airport fence.” Conceptually, this plan would identify parcels or areas for businesses that are either linked to the airport through passenger travel (such as hotels, retail, and entertainment) or air cargo (transportation logistics, warehousing and just in time manufacturing).

So, does GMIA see itself as an airport or an aerotropolis in the making? Tarantino said: “GMIA staff see the property just

as an airport right now. There is very little flexibility for them to pursue airside commercial ventures or other ‘airport city’ type land uses, so the focus is largely on being an interface between cars and aircraft. To this end, they do a fine job.”

He elaborated by saying: “Through Aerotropolis Milwaukee, the GMIA area is starting to break down some of the historic walls that have prevented collaboration among communities. We have co-ordinated a Memorandum of Understanding among the communities around GMIA. This whole effort emerged from the business community, organised through The Gateway to Milwaukee, which I believe is a unique approach of civic engagement.”

CommunitiesAn important question is: what exactly makes a successful aerotropolis? Elsegood said, “Airport size isn’t necessarily a determining factor for success.” Existing and successful airports with restricted space are going to be limited in their options and will have to plan accordingly. However, at the core there has to be a successful airport, along with the ease of passenger and freight movement and the growth in connectivity that this implies.

Elsegood continued: “The region an aerotropolis is located in is just as important. It is difficult to build an aerotropolis and support the related infrastructure without anyone wanting to go there. While air traffic growth in the developing world is faster than in Europe and North America, there still needs to be sufficient catchment area and destination interest to ensure growth, even with the spur the aerotropolis provides.” In addition, the logistics of the development need to be solid. It’s not



Construction work has begun on Seoul Incheon’s second terminal. It will raise the airport’s capacity from 44mppa to 66, and is due to open in 2018. This will provide added connections and benefit the nearby Songdo City aerotropolis. (Incheon Airport)

Good surface transportation links are essential to make an aerotropolis work efficiently. Dubai International Airport is supported by an extensive road network and a metro system. (Dubai Airports)



enough to just have air links – road, rail and even sea transport links are important, particularly for the manufacturing sector.

Tarantino agreed, adding: “Successful airports are predicated on factors beyond a community’s control. As we have seen in Milwaukee, airlines are the ‘tail that wags the dog’ when it comes to the air service market. When an airline wants to leave a community or reduce flights, it does so overnight, seemingly on a whim. When a community seeks additional air connections it is at the mercy of the airlines’ decision-making process.” Having your development vision intricately tied to the airline market

is risky, especially as the airline industry is consolidating services in large markets and leaving mid-sized markets behind.

Other factors, such as fuel prices, impact airline profitability, which in turn has a service and economic impact. Communities cannot plan for these many and varied factors and at best can only hope for favourable market conditions for growth.

Aerotropoli futureClearly, there is a certain amount of co-operation required between government planning, the business community, and airlines themselves in order to build a successful aerotropolis. Existing airports

are facing some challenges, but these are not insurmountable provided the airlines continue to serve the city in question. As Tarantino explained, Milwaukee is facing economic pressure brought about by the actions of airline companies. The fact is, the carriers must look to their profit margins or fail financially.

The Middle East, Asia and Africa have adequate space, and the huge distances to be covered mean there is little competition from other forms of transport. Therefore, an aerotropolis will


As well as Dubai International, the Middle Eastern emirate is also developing Dubai World Central at Jebel Ali. The area is served by Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International Airport, which opened to passengers in October last year and once completed will have five runways. Currently surrounded by desert, this is expected become a vast aerotropolis in ten years’ time. (Luigi Vallero)

The first plans for Dubai World Central – the basic concept is the same, although it will only have five runways instead of the originally planned six! (Dubai Airports)

Expansion work is currently under way at Denver and will give the airport everything it needs to be a vibrant centre to an aerotropolis. (Gensler)

Dubai International Airport is home to Emirates and by the end of next year is expected to overtake London/Heathrow as the world’s busiest international hub. (Dubai Airports)


have a captive market. Many developing countries are popular with passengers because of the favourable exchange rate, the diversity of cultural experiences and tremendous natural attractions.

Whether a flight originates from an aerotropolis or a conventional airport matters little to the passenger when inside the terminal. However, businesses requiring efficient air cargo handling would find the aerotropolis model more convenient in terms of custom-built freight handling facilities and connections to the airport hub. New technology is helping to reduce air and noise pollution – two factors that have

previously been obstacles to development around the airport.

Even within airports, the mix of tenants has changed. In the past, there would be a book shop, souvenir and gift shops, restaurants, plus a few luxury goods and clothing outlets. Now, passengers alighting from a flight may need to pick up basic groceries on the way home – not just wine, flowers and chocolate – hence the proliferation of supermarkets in many terminals.

The unique products of a country can be found within airports. No longer is the airport a step on the way to a destination – the biggest and the best have become destinations in themselves where travellers can indulge in the art of shopping.

With more travellers pursuing adventure sports and outside adventure activities (hiking, skiing and camping for example), sporting goods outlets are profiting – travellers can get kitted out at the airport – giving them more time to enjoy themselves. Spas have also taken off, with treatments

offered that will leave passengers glowing and relaxed before taking their flight.

As the city built for speed, with the airport at its centre, begins to dominate skylines around the world, passengers and local employees can rest easy knowing there are sufficient hotels and accommodation nearby; that spares and supplies necessary to operate efficiently are at hand; and, that once their work is done there are restaurants, clubs and bars for some rest and recreation. It’s a brave new world of which Le Corbusier would have been proud.



Currently there are no true aerotropoli planned for the UK. The closest will be Manchester’s airport city, designs for which are taking shape adjacent to the northwest facility. (Manchester Airports Group)

An artist’s impression showing part of the Dube TradePort, now under development at King Shaka International Airport, Durban, South Africa.

Large airports, such as Dubai International, provide everything a traveller needs by way of shops, restaurants and cafés, adding convenience for aerotropolis business travellers. (Key – Mark Nicholls)



INDUSTRY COLUMNBRUCE HALES-DUTTON

that new ownership and branding can’t hide the fact that there have been some big shifts over the last decade and a half. Edinburgh is now Scotland’s number one gateway, having elbowed aside Glasgow International which once enjoyed the top position. Edinburgh is now the UK’s fifth busiest airport, handling more passengers than both Luton and Birmingham, representing 4.3% of total UK airport passenger traffic, compared with 3% in 1999.

Since the new millennium Edinburgh’s passenger numbers have virtually doubled. It’s not that difficult to find the reason – 1999 was the year of Scottish devolution which signalled the growth in significance of the city as the seat of the nation’s parliament and government.

The city’s airport had already come a long way since 1971 and its acquisition by the then British Airports Authority. The nationalised airport operator injected a considerable sum of money to turn what had once been RAF Turnhouse into an airport worthy of the Scotland’s capital.

A vote in favour of Scottish independence might have given it even greater scope to improve its position, although it remains to be seen what happens under the “devo max” promised during the campaign. The Scottish National Party (SNP) had pledged to abolish Air Passenger Duty (APD), something which caused concern to airports in the North of England. Newcastle‘s management in particular feared many of its passengers would have chosen to fly from Edinburgh and Glasgow to avoid paying the tax.

The UK Competition Commission in 2009 required BAA (as it became upon privatisation in 1986) to sell one of its two key Scottish Lowland gateways. The foreign-owned airports operator elected to dispose of Edinburgh. It was sold for £807.2m to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a multi-national private equity firm headquartered in New York.

Glasgow came into the British Airports Authority fold in 1975 when it acquired Renfrew’s Abbotsinch Airport from Glasgow Corporation. It grew to become the UK’s

They kept telling us things would never be the same, whatever the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum. A brief look at

Scotland’s major airports shows they have already been subject to profound change since Devolution, which took effect in 1999.

Three decades ago most of Britain’s airports were run by UK government-owned organisations headquartered in London. In 2014, year of the independence poll, three of Scotland’s key gateways are in the private sector, leaving the remainder controlled by Scotland’s own devolved government. Today Scotland has 17 airports, ranging from Edinburgh to Lerwick (Tingwall). Together they handle just over 24 million passengers a year, 10.4% of the UK total which is dominated by the big three of London/Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester which between them account for more than half of all UK passengers.

The position has remained virtually unchanged since the turn of the century. Look beneath the surface and you’ll soon realise

that new ownership and branding can’t hide

They kept telling us things would never

Scotland’sDevolved Airports

British Airways Boeing 737-436 G-DOCA (c/n 25267) departs from Edinburgh Airport for London/Heathrow on May 3, 2012. The Scottish airport has enjoyed buoyant traffic figures for over a decade. (AirTeamImages.com/Ray McFadyen)

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the UK’s longest commercial runway north of Manchester, was Scotland’s long-haul gateway. Common sense eventually prevailed. Government policy was relaxed and in 1992 BAA bowed to the inevitable and put Prestwick up for sale. It is also owned by the Scottish Government and is the nation’s number four airport, handling just over a million passengers a year, compared with the 2.4 million regularly seen during the mid-2000s.

Heathrow Airport Holdings, the rump of the once mighty British Airports Authority, still owns Glasgow and Aberdeen. You

wouldn’t think so, though. Gone is the corporate branding maintained so rigorously by BAA. The current approach is, it appears, a softer one with little evidence of the relationship with the world’s premier international airport.

Glasgow and Aberdeen both have plans for accommodating future traffic. Glasgow expects to treble its current passenger throughput by 2030 and its owners are planning a £290m investment in new facilities. Who knows what further changes will affect Scotland’s airports in the years ahead? The current situation is: of the four lowland gateways once owned by a London-based UK nationalised corporation, three are under the control of multi-national companies and one is owned by the Scottish Government. At least the HAIL is now where it should be – in devolved ownership. That means it’s capable of fulfilling its mission to “provide and operate safe, secure and efficient airports which support the communities we serve” with real conviction.


INDUSTRY COLUMNBRUCE HALES-DUTTON

fourth busiest facility by the mid-1990s and was still Scotland’s number one in 2004, handling 4% of all UK passengers. It has now slipped to eighth with a 3.2% share. Further north, Aberdeen Airport was acquired by the British Airports Authority from the CAA in 1975 just in time for the boom in traffic; particularly helicopter flights supporting the off-shore oil and gas industry. More recently, Aberdeen airport’s traffic has grown from 2.4mppa in 1999 to 3.6mppa in 2014, and is now the UK’s 14th busiest.

Serving the far northThe CAA had inherited a ragbag of responsibilities when it was established in 1972 as the UK’s first statutory regulator to operate at arm’s length from government. In addition to Aberdeen and Inverness, it acquired ten small airports in the Scottish Highlands and islands. The portfolio included Barra, still the only airport in the world to use the beach as its runway.

In the 1980s the ten facilities were put up for sale. In the absence of a serious buyer the CAA created Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) as a wholly-owned subsidiary. In 1995 HIAL was transferred to the Scottish Office.

Today it is owned by the Scottish Government which subsidises services. Of the 1.36 million passengers handled by the group’s airports in 2013/14, almost 620,000 used Inverness. This year consumer journal Which? bestowed its ‘recommended provider’ status on Inverness, following its latest airport survey.

The decline of Prestwick has been the most pronounced and has come despite the presence of low-cost carrier Ryanair. Prestwick was one of the original quartet of airports transferred to the nationalised British Airports Authority when it was established in 1966. Maintaining Prestwick’s position, which was backed by its illustrious heritage as the British end of the wartime trans-Atlantic air bridge, was for years an act of faith. It was also a plank of UK government policy, in spite of dismal operating figures and seemingly defying common sense. Prestwick enjoyed almost legendary status as a ‘strategic’ airport on account of its amazing weather record. Often there would be clear visibility on the Ayrshire coast when Glasgow and Edinburgh were socked in. That, it was often said, would surely count against any closure plans.

Perhaps it was Scotch mist which cloaked the absurdity of the UK government’s lowland airports policy. It ensured Glasgow and Edinburgh were strictly short-haul airports while Prestwick, possessor of

Glasgow International Airport’s passenger numbers have recovered from a low of 6.5 million in 2010. Large carriers such as Emirates Airline have helped to increase long-haul flows. On April 10 this year the Middle East carrier used one of its Airbus A380s on its daily service from Dubai to mark the tenth anniversary of the route. (Wikimedia Commons/Emirates EK27)

Inverness Airport is enjoying considerable popularity and was recently voted Which? magazine’s ‘recommended provider’ status. (Wikimedia Commons/Phillip Capper)

Scottish Airport Traffic 2014* 2013 2010 2008 2005 2004 1999Edinburgh 10.00 9.3 8.6 9.0 8.4 5.1 5.1Glasgow 7.5 7.2 6.5 8.1 8.8 8.6 6.8Aberdeen 3.6 3.4 2.8 3.3 2.9 2.6 2.4Prestwick 1.0 1.1 1.7 2.4 2.4 2.2 0.7Millions of passengers; *July 2013-June 2014Source: CAA

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The airport city and aerotropolis (see pages 50-55) concepts are usually associated with large facilities close to substantial conurbations where there are high levels of

airline traffic and plenty of potential employees. But the idea of establishing aviation-related industries can also work at smaller regional airports – as is the case at Newquay Cornwall Airport, home to the Cornwall Aerohub.

ConceptThe airport is run by Cornwall Council which took over the former RAF St Mawgan airfield in December 2008. Prior to that, the commercial terminal was a tenant on the northern side of the runway. The RAF retains a small section of the southern side of the airfield, still called RAF St Mawgan, which is used by the Defence Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Extraction School to

train up to 5,000 personnel a year. With the terminal and the necessary

infrastructure in place for passenger flights, the airport management has turned its attention to maximising the site’s potential for business development. The area was designated an Enterprise Zone in August 2011 and Aerohub offers the largest planning-free business development site in the UK, covering 650 acres (263ha). It is

Cornwall AerohubA business and jobs revolution is taking place at Newquay airport in the South West region of England. Editor Mark Nicholls profiles the Aerohub

project and was impressed by the commitment made by all involved.


AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURECORNWALL AEROHUB

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in an ideal position to attract companies to the UK aerospace market with uncongested and unrestricted airspace, one of the UK’s longest runways, direct maritime access, and an excellent aviation oriented environment.

Aerohub is home to one of the largest development sites in the UK, which is split into two areas, Airside and the Business Park, and two economic zones:

• Airside (231 acres – 93ha) – direct aerospace activities.

• Business Park (53 acres – 21ha) – aerospace supply chain, complimentary activities, renewable energy, information technology companies, advanced manufacturing, engineering and others.

• Economic Zones (45 acres – 18ha) – aerospace activities.

Funding valued at £6m was approved for the first phase of the business park in early September and the work is due for completion in June next year. Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, welcomed the announcement:

“Cornwall’s Aerohub is an excellent example of one of the 24 government-backed enterprise zones that are driving private sector-led growth across England. This new funding will help develop valuable infrastructure for the new business park to attract increased investment and create more jobs for Newquay and the surrounding area.”

At the heart of the enterprise zone is the desire to reduce barriers to growth for businesses. Companies setting up in the zone will benefit from:

• 100% business rate relief for five years if located on the site by March 2015.

• Aerohub has two Local Development Orders (LDOs) in place giving more planning freedom.

• Superfast Broadband – Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are already connected.

The two LDOs last for 20 years, meaning adding new hangars and other infrastructure, as well as extending existing structures, can be built without having to seek planning permission.

In November 2012, NQY partnered with West

Wales Airport to form the National Aeronautical Centre (NAC). The NAC aims to give the UK a major opportunity to establish a commercial advantage in the development and manufacture of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and their associated technologies. The civilian UAS industry is forecast to be worth £20bn by 2020, and the NAC is the main vehicle to capture some of this market for the UK.

The majority of the hardened aircraft shelter (HAS) site and the former Nimrod servicing hangar, as well as the runway and taxiways, are owned by the council. Three HAS are also used to house private aircraft while a T2 hangar is used by ShelterBox to store humanitarian relief supplies.

TenantsTen companies and organisations are resident at NQY and form the nucleus of the burgeoning Aerohub. They are:



An artist’s impression of the maintenance hangar which is to be built next to the Classic Air Force

facilities. (Cornwall Development Company)

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services provided by NQY, is considered essential by the company and its presence at the Aerohub is likely to grow over time.

• Ainscough Wind EnergyAinscough Wind Energy Services (AWES) owned by Ainscough Cranes, is one of the UK’s largest wind farm services companies and relocated to Aerohub in January 2013. Its premises offer office and workshop space and enabled Ainscough to expand operations in the wind energy market, where it provides lifting, building and servicing of wind turbines. The facility is used for maintenance and support for all major wind turbine manufacturers.

• Apple AviationApple Aviation is a CAA and EASA approved MRO and line maintenance company. It is also actively involved in parting out aircraft and recently completed the tear down of a Royal Netherlands Air Force McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (T-255, c/n 46987). It can also perform interior refits and modifications. Apple Aviation is one of the latest businesses to relocate to Aerohub, with a newly built RUBB hangar (see Airports of the World, issue 53, p12) in development zone 2, a single

HAS for storing and processing reclaimed parts, and office space nearby.

• Bloodhound Super Sonic CarThe Bloodhound Super Sonic Car is the brainchild of Richard Noble and is being designed and engineered to reach speeds of up to 1,000mph (1,609km/h). It will attempt to become the first wheeled land vehicle to exceed Mach 1 in a few years’ time on a dry lake bed in South Africa. At the heart of this thrilling project is the desire to create a lasting legacy of excitement towards the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields. The team is targeting UK schools to inspire and excite young people about STEM, and build the next generation of the UK’s engineering talent.

Following a successful rocket test in October 2012, the team occupies two HAS and are preparing for a series of rocket and car testing programmes, as well as several local school educational days.

• Bristow HelicoptersBristow Helicopters Group won a ten-year contract in March 2013 to take over the UK’s search and rescue service from the MoD. Under this contract it will operate from ten

• AgustaWestlandAgustaWestland moved into the 402 hangar just six months after it first enquired about the possibility. It has established an Operational Flight Training Centre (OFTC) to deliver high-quality training for helicopter pilots, engineers and mission crews. Facilities include a helicopter hangar, briefing rooms and IT training rooms. The company currently provides 40 high-skilled jobs (pilots, engineers and ground crew) including 13 aircrew instructors. It has invested more than £1m in its NQY initiative.

The OFTC runs helicopter flight training programmes for up to 60 students per year, covering specific helicopter skills such as search and rescue and policing. It is committed to developing and expanding its training portfolio to meet both the current and future needs of all its customers. An excellent training environment, combined with the aviation

Among the latest structures to be completed at Newquay Cornwall Airport is a hangar for the Cornwall Air Ambulance. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

The recently completed RUBB hangar on the south side of the runway is now being used by Apple Aviation. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

The view looking down Runway 30 at Newquay Cornwall Airport. The majority of the Aerohub site is to the left of the runway. (Cornwall Development Company)



Current TenantsAgustaWestlandAinscough Wind energyApple AviationBloodhound supersonic carBristow Helicopters

British International HelicoptersClassic Air ForceCornwall Air AmbulanceGateguardsSkybus

Website: www.aerohub.co.uk

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Force. To maintain and fly these aircraft, the Trust’s mission is to sustain and maintain the skills required by yesterday’s technology and to keep historically important aircraft flying for tomorrow’s generations to enjoy. The museum aims to be a centre of excellence for education and will be providing training in engineering and piloting skills.

In July 2012, Classic Air Force became the first occupier of the Aerohub, offering the largest fleet of post-World War Two classic aircraft in Europe. Getting the huge 404 hangar on the south side of the airport up and running was no easy feat; the massive hangar doors had to be repaired and a cafe and gift shop were added. The museum is now open to the public, with 25 aircraft on site and new aircraft moving in regularly. The museum is used to host a wide range of activities, from ballet and Zumba classes to model aircraft fairs. In addition, the Classic Air Force takes its aircraft nationwide and they are available for displays, flypasts and airshows around the UK and overseas.

• Cornwall Air Ambulance TrustFor more than 25 years Cornwall Air Ambulance has provided a vital year-round helicopter emergency service to residents and visitors. It attends around 1,000 emergencies annually. This service has often made the difference between life and death. From its new, purpose-built charity headquarters and hangar in the south east corner of the airport, Cornwall’s air ambulance helicopter arrives on scene at an incident on average 12 minutes from a 999 call.

The organisation receives no direct government or National Lottery funding, and relies entirely on the generosity of supporters, both in Cornwall and further afield.

• GateguardsGateguards is the UK’s premier manufacturer and supplier of high-

sites around the UK, including NQY. Work on new facilities, including a £7m hangar, was due to get under way this autumn on the northern side of the runway near to the airport’s fire and rescue station. Once completed by early 2017, the facility will house two Sikorsky S-92 helicopters.

• British International HelicoptersOwned by the UK’s largest domestic helicopter operator, Patriot Aerospace, British International Helicopters Limited (BIH) currently runs its business out of Hangar N1 on the north side of the airport. It specialises in offshore work, including a contract with the MoD and Royal Navy.

• Classic Air ForceThe Classic Aircraft Trust was established in 2012 by Mike Collett, with the aim of preserving a unique collection of airworthy aircraft of the UK’s post-war era. These aircraft were previously owned by Air Atlantique and now form the Classic Air


The interior of the AgustaWestland hangar, which is used as an Operational Flight Training Centre for helicopter pilots, engineers and mission crews. (Cornwall Development Company)

The Classic Air Force occupies the former Nimrod servicing hangar and has established a superb collection of post World War Two British aircraft. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

At the time of the author’s visit in September three Flybe Embraer 195s were in storage on the airfield, including G-FBEK (c/n 19000168). (Key – Mark Nicholls)

Skybus began scheduled commercial passenger flights in April 1987 and now has six aircraft: three de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters and three Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders. The former are based at Newquay Cornwall Airport and include G-CBML (c/n 695). (Key – Mark Nicholls)


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covering 87,686sq ft (8,146m2), is to be built adjacent to the former Nimrod hangar which is now used by Classic Air Force. It will be large enough to accommodate two Boeing 757-300 size aircraft or a single Airbus A330 - as well as single aisle narrowbodies. The facility is already being advertised for lease and once the final go-ahead is received, construction should take up to 18 months.

Newquay Cornwall Airport was one of eight shortlisted by the CAA in July 2014 as a possible site for a UK commercial

spaceport. If the facility is awarded this accolade, the runway would require a 2,296ft (700m) extension at the western end. Initial thinking is that all supporting infrastructure would be on the northern side of the runway where the current passenger facilities are. This would enable a new terminal to be built on the south side of the airfield, with direct access from the main road to Newquay. It has been a long-stated aim to eventually construct a terminal in this location – were the airport to win the spaceport contract, it might be able to speed up the process.

Cornwall’s Aerohub – with on-airfield businesses already thriving and work on the 53-acre (21ha) business park under way – is now one of the UK’s leading aerospace sites. In an area where the economy has struggled in recent years, it is a welcome development. Cornwall is heavily reliant on the seasonal tourism industry and agriculture. Once-important activities, such as tin and slate mining as well as a strong fishing fleet, have all faded over the past 100 years. The injection of modern businesses, bringing with them highly-skilled jobs, such as engineering and IT, is a real shot in the arm for the local economy. Regional airports really can make a difference.

quality, full-size replica aircraft for museums, collectors and film industries around the world. The company uses two of the former RAF hardened shelters where 14 skilled employees create these high-quality replicas.

• SkybusThe Isles of Scilly Steamship Company owns the airline Skybus, which began scheduled commercial passenger flights in April 1987. Skybus now has a fleet of six aircraft: three de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters (based at NQY) and three Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders.

The carrier is enjoying a successful year and by the end of December expects to have welcomed 57,000 passengers. It provides regular scheduled flights to the Isles of Scilly from Land’s End, Newquay, Exeter, Bristol and Southampton. Skybus occupies hangar N2 on the north side of the airport, using the building for its passenger operations and line and base maintenance requirements. The firm employs about 14 maintenance and flight crew at NQY.

PotentialUltimately the Aerohub could support up to 5,000 jobs and provide more than 2,000,000sq ft (185,800m2) of hangar space. As part of the process of expansion another large aircraft maintenance hangar,



From the MD“Aerohub is Cornwall’s Enterprise Zone (EZ) and is an exciting project to grow Newquay Cornwall Airport into a nationally important asset,” commented Al Titterington, the airport’s Managing Director. “The EZ project is essentially about supporting the airport in attracting aerospace and related business that will grow and ultimately secure long-term investment and jobs. The economic employment benefits in having an EZ are significant and already with the businesses located here their employees’ wages are double the average in Cornwall. The projection for new jobs generated through the airport and Aerohub could reach 1,100 by 2030.“Newquay Cornwall Airport is proud to be the only aerospace-focused EZ on an operational airport in the UK. This status allows us to offer companies good connectivity both regionally and worldwide via major UK airport hubs, business rate relief benefits and government support alongside space for their business to develop and grow.”

Newquay Cornwall Airport’s Managing Director Al Titterington. (Newquay Cornwall Airport)

The layout of the Aerohub development zones and business park within the border of the enterprise zone. (Cornwall Development Company)

The view from the ATC tower, looking north towards the intersection of the two former cross runways. This area will be the site of the new air sea rescue base to be run by the Bristow Helicopters Group. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

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Sustainable Baggage at Amsterdam/

SchipholVANDERLANDE INDUSTRIES has introduced the first operational sustainable BLUEVEYOR project at Amsterdam/Schiphol Airport. Fourteen of the baggage conveyors have been integrated in one of the arrival lines of the airport’s baggage handling system (BHS). The project started as a pilot two years ago and was extensively tested in a semi-operational environment. The trials showed that up to 56% less energy was used against comparable conventional conveyors. The system also proved to be robust and durable, and ready to be deployed in BHS. It minimizes energy consumption, the use of natural resources and environmental impact and also saves on required maintenance time and cost.

Materials can be used again and again and the conveyor is free of PVC and other harmful or toxic materials and can ultimately be recycled. All components are easy to disassemble and no adjustments are required – belt tensioning and tracking is not necessary.

Rapiscan Systems Detectra HX is a new hand-held explosive trace detector that could be used in many security situations, including airports. (Rapiscan Systems)

Seattle to get Automated FOD

DetectionAN ADVANCED automated Foreign Object Debris (FOD) detection system that also indicates wildlife hazards is to be installed at Seattle-Tacoma Airport in Washington State. Security, health and engineering firm Leidos received a contract from the Port of Seattle to provide a comprehensive FOD detection system as part of the airport’s runway improvement project. Xsight Systems will design, install and implement the FODetect equipment and provide training. The system will be only the second of its kind in the US – the other is at Boston/Logan.

FODetect is automated and collocated with the runway edge lights. It continuously scans the airport’s operational areas and monitors runway conditions day and night for FOD and wildlife, even in bad weather. It can differentiate between birds and FOD, and alerts the airport’s wildlife team in real time, day and night. The system alerts operators, characterises objects, assists with clean-up and allows incident tracking. Its detection capabilities are based on a unique hybrid radar-optical sensing technology that utilises optimised radar algorithms, advanced image processing software and close range detection for high-quality performance.

Leidos Group President, Larry Hill said: “The Port [of Seattle] has selected the FODetect system to meet expanding operational demands for continuous monitoring for FOD at Seattle-Tacoma airport. It will enable viable sensing, identifying and locating at a previously unprecedented level of speed and accuracy for objects as small as an aircraft rivet.”

Skyscanner Launches Travel

InsightGLOBAL TRAVEL search engine Skyscanner, has launched Travel Insight. It is an addition to the Skyscanner for Business suite and is designed to provide airlines and airports with significant real demand traveller data, along with a comprehensive view of the air travel market, as a way to quickly identify business opportunities.

Travel Insight gathers data from Skyscanner’s proprietary flight search product and therefore offers a view of the demand of an entire market. Data is collected from the millions of searches done globally each month by more than 25 million visitors looking at the hundreds of airlines, online travel agents, low-cost carriers and charter flights.

The product gives airlines and airports an idea of passengers’ popular destinations, preferred travel days and times and uses geo-tagging to identify where they are searching from. The company developed Travel Insight to deliver its data through various graphs and charts that would enable airlines and airports to easily make useful business decisions.

Hugh Aitken, Director of Business Development at Skyscanner commented: “We are thrilled to be introducing Travel Insight to the industry. This unique product will be invaluable to airports and airlines, giving them key data to understand the behaviour and real demand of travellers in order to develop and plan flight routes.”

For more information visit www.skyscanner.com

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Houston Airport Blu-RayFor its 6th Airport Blu-Ray Just Planes visits Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.This is one of United Airline’s major hubs and is also served by many other US airlines as well as services from Europe, Asia and Latin America. This film is shot from some fantastic locations both near the runways as well as right above the gates for taxi, takeoff and landing action. The airport is served by a good number of widebodies including the Airbus A380, Boeing 787 and 747-8, all found on this 3 hour programme. Region-free Blu-Ray disc. Running time 240 minutes

La Guardia Airport Blu-RayFor its 7th Airport Blu-Ray, Just Planes not only picked this really interesting location, but spent no fewer than 4 weeks filming in the middle of the winter to get some really awesome snow action along with ice, wind, crosswind, low visibility and some de-icing scenes. There are also sunny days for clear action along with dramatic sunsets and striking views of the city in the background. Region-free Blu-Ray disc, Running time 180 minutes

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Norwegian Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Blu-Ray

This programme covers Norwegian’s Asian routes from Oslo and Stockholm to the Thai capital of Bangkok on-board its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. We’ve gathered some great pilots who take their time to present the aircraft in full detail as you enjoy a great flight with striking scenery and great approaches thanks to 6 cameras in the cockpit!Region-free Blu-Ray disc, Running time 202 minutes.

Miami Airport 2013-14 Blu-RayThis 8th airport Blu-Ray from Just Planes features one of the most interesting airports in the US! With nearly 60 airlines from all over the world, it is the second busiest airport for International travel in the US behind New York/JFK and ahead of Los Angeles. Our crews have placed their cameras in fantastic locations to capture all the action and this programme gives you nearly 5 hours of it! Region-Free Blu-Ray, Running time 280 minutes.

Turkish Airlines 777-300ER Blu-Ray

This programme features the airline’s largest aircraft operating its nonstop service from Istanbul to Tokyo/Narita. You will find fantastic pilots who present their aircraft, the route and operation in comprehensive detail. You’ll see how our crew gets the Boeing 777 on the ground in Narita when many others diverted to alternative airports due to extreme winds and windshear.Region-Free Blu-Ray Disc, Running time: 220 minutes.

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Everts Air Cargo DC-6 DVD

This programme follows Everts Air Cargo DC-6 flights to half a dozen destinations across Alaska with its amazing scenery. You will also visit maintenance, operations, cargo and more. Region-free DVD. Running time: 181 Minutes.

Brisbane Airport DVD

Join AirUtopia at Brisbane Airport, voted the best in Australia in 2010! Enjoy some amazing Queensland airport action with a huge variety of ‘Aussie’ domestic carriers such as Norfolk Air, Skytrans and Alliance along with a spectacular array of international operators including JAL, China Airlines, Royal Brunei, Cathay Pacific, Air Vanuatu and more!Region-free DVD, Running time 60 minutes.

Buffalo Airways DC-4/C-46 DVD

Buffalo Airways was established over 40 years ago and is based in Yellowknife. The airline has become famous through the TV Show “Ice Pilots” and World Air Routes is honoured to be welcoming Buffalo to their ever growing Flight in the Cockpit series! The aircraft you will fly in for this program is a piece of history, C-GCTF was built 65 years ago!Region-free DVD.Running time: 246 Minutes.

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Air France Airbus A380 Blu-Ray

For the very first time you can take a detailed look inside the Airbus A380 and discover what makes this aircraft so special. Air France’s long-haul Airbus Fleet Manager personally presents the “Super” to you from the time the crew reports at the airport to prepare the flight to the arrival at the destination gate so you witness first-hand what is involved to operate such a large and advanced aircraft. Region-free Blu-Ray disc, Running time 277 minutes.

Brussels Airlines Airbus A319/330 Blu-Ray

On this programme you’ll get four flights on the A319 with two very interesting destinations. Geneva with its nice approach surrounded by mountains and Eskisehir, our first visit to this Turkish destination, where we’ll be landing on a taxiway!! Our viewers also appreciated Captain Coupez’s work on the A330 so we’re delighted to have him back for the A319. Region-free Blu-Ray disc, Running time 273 minutes.

Las Vegas Nevada Airport Blu-Ray

Las Vegas/McCarran has always been very interesting because it accommodates the huge crowds that come and visit this very special destination. You will see many special liveries, a lot of low-cost airlines as well as widebody traffic from Europe and Asia. The programme was filmed from locations right around the touchdown zone with great views of the Las Vegas skyline in the background!Region-Free Blu-Ray Disc, Running time: 202 minutes.

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Osaka Airports Spectacular DVDJoin AirUtopia and discover what makes Osaka a true aviation paradise for both the passionate enthusiast and the casual observer. The dual airport system of Itami and Kansai offers extensive viewing facilities that are simply some of the best in the world. Region-free DVD, Running time 90 minutes.

Airports of the World binderKeep your Airports of the World collection in pristine condition with these high-quality binders. Each binder will hold up to 12 editions of your favourite aviation magazine.

Scandinavian AirlinesA330-300 DVD

Join the SAS flight crew for this transatlantic crossing on the widebody Airbus A330! The 2 pilots on this program which runs more than 4 hours long, including all the information you want about the aircraft, the route, oceanic crossings and much more! This is a wonderful occasion to follow a flight to the US as we fly into busy Newark International Airport. Region-free DVD, Running time 247 minutes.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 Cockpit DVD

Go on board the 787 Dreamliner of Ethiopian Airlines and fly this brand new Boeing jetliner from the heart of Africa to the capital of the United States, Washington DC! In depth filming brings you the full on board experience, from the cabin crew servicing Business Class and Economy Class to the step-by-step commands of the cockpit crew, from start to finish. Region-free DVDRunning time 115 minutes.

New York JFK Classic Airport DVD

Journey back in time to America’s most famous airport - NEW YORK JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT! AirUtopia takes you back to the early 1980s for a glimpse at the classic airlines and airliners that helped make JFK one of the greatest airports in the history of aviation! Region-Free DVD. Running time: 60 minutes.

Air Canada Boeing 777 Polar Operations

This latest Air Canada DVD is hosted by the airline’s Senior Director of Flight Operations, Captain Rick Allen who takes you on Air Canada’s non-stop service from Toronto to Hong Kong and back becoming the longest route in the World Air Routes series! Running time: 262 mins. Region-free DVD

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With the coming of the jet age in the 1960s, Vancouver International Airport’s (YVR’s) position on the edge of the

Pacific Ocean made it a natural gateway for Asian, Australian and New Zealand airlines. But competition among airports to attract carriers has increased as technical improvements have enabled aircraft to fly much further. Vancouver, and its west coast

rivals Seattle/Tacoma and Los Angeles International, face stiff competition from inland airports such as Canada’s Calgary and Toronto as well as Chicago in the US.

Strong positionVancouver’s airport is coming out on top, according to Craig Richmond. He is YVR’s third president and chief executive since the federal government transferred

management from Transport Canada to the Vancouver Airport Authority in 1992. The facility was named the ‘Best Airport in North America’ for a fifth straight year at the Skytrax World Airport Awards at Passenger Terminal Expo in Barcelona in March 2014 – despite it being two years into a major ten-year CAN$3.2bn infrastructure improvement plan called the ‘Gateway’ programme.

The project was launched by Richmond’s predecessor, Larry Berg, whom he replaced in July last year. Among its elements is the expansion of the ‘A’ and ‘B’ Piers of YVR’s Domestic Terminal, which largely serves WestJet and other smaller regional carriers. Other major follow-up projects include building more than 2,300ft (700m) of secure corridors and moving walkways, installing a high-speed baggage system, enhancing runways and upgrading the domestic terminal which dates from 1968. Space for many more shops will also be created.

Richmond believes the airport’s high ranking is due mainly to its people, who realise that an airport is, and should be, more than just a landing strip. Currently 23,600 people work at YVR across 400 businesses. “The consecutive awards are all the more satisfying for YVR, its staff and the retailers because there hadn’t yet been major improvements

Craig RichmondVancouver

David Arminas speaks to Vancouver International Airport’s President and CEO, Craig Richmond,

about this thriving gateway to one of Canada’s most impressive cities.


ON THE SPOTCRAIG RICHMOND

Vancouver International Airport’s layout – the central terminal complex with the southern runway is to the left and the northern runway to the right. (All photos Vancouver Airport Authority)

66-69_interview.mn.indd 66 09/10/2014 16:27

to the airport in those years,” Richmond told Airports of the World. “In YVR’s case, it’s not the airport authority that won the award. It comes down to good old-fashioned friendliness and customer service throughout the airport experience.

“Twenty years ago travellers were appreciative if they found a Starbucks at an airport. Nowadays, passengers expect much, much more and they also expect to be wowed,” added Richmond, who knows a thing or two about aircraft as well as airports. “For many travellers, their vacation starts with shopping at the airport, even if they don’t buy anything. The only time I have to visit a bookshop now is at an airport and I’ll spend half an hour at the one in YVR before a flight.”

Events and art“The best part of the YVR experience is the fact it’s a slice of Vancouver – because of the people you meet and because you get a sense of Vancouver and the west coast community,” said Richmond. “Let’s face it, YVR is the first and last impression many people have of Vancouver.”

Throughout the summer, YVR holds ‘Take-off Fridays’, a showcase of games, caricaturists and live performances in the terminals. Retail outlets offer discounts



Craig RichmondAfter gaining a master’s degree from the University of Manitoba in 1994, Richmond joined the operations team at YVR. He moved over to the airport’s operations business, Vantage Group, and ran airports in the UK, the Bahamas and Cyprus. His first experience of airport employment was as a teenager fuelling small aircraft at Kamloops Airport in British Columbia’s interior. He gained his pilot’s licence at age 16 – before he could legally drive – and later joined the Canadian Armed Forces: by the age of 20 was piloting fighter jets, including the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and later the Boeing CF-18 Hornet.

The airport’s President and CEO, Craig Richmond.


and parking charges are also reduced. Exhibits of art and objects are increasingly the medium used to get across the idea of community. Vancouver has taken this to heart, especially with the permanent exhibits of the ‘Flying Traveller’ and the ‘Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe’.

Among the airport’s leading attractions are two large aquariums. The first, with

a capacity of 30,115 gal (114,000 lit) and standing more than 16ft (5m) high, is home to dozens of local fish, invertebrates and grasses, including wolf eels, starfish, anemones and rock fish. A smaller, 475-gal (1,800-lit) version houses jellyfish. The aquariums were added in 2007 as part of an expansion programme at the International Terminal.

Social mediaBeing connected is what airports are all about, and Vancouver now offers free Wi-Fi. “It is such a part of everyday life now that it should be free,” said Richmond. “It used to be in the early 1990s that if something happened, someone would tell 100 friends soon after the event. Now if something happens, good or bad, someone


Airport HistoryConstruction of the first runway in 1930 was driven by criticism from the famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh, who said Vancouver had “no fit field to land on”. The runway was a 2,395ft (730m) strip and aircraft rolled up to a small wooden-frame administration building.

The 1940s and World War Two marked a period of expansion with the addition of hangars, a Royal Canadian Air Force base and a major aircraft manufacturing plant for Boeing.

Apart from Burkeville, a small community of several thousand people, YVR has Sea Island to itself. Burkeville was built in 1943 by the federal government to provide housing for workers

employed at the local Boeing plant and named after the then Boeing president Stanley Burke. After the war many of the homes were sold to returning veterans. Street names still have an aeronautical theme, including the titles of aircraft manufacturers.

The 1960s ushered in the jet age and YVR opened a CAN$32m terminal building in 1968, which served 1.9 million passengers in its first year. It is now the Domestic Terminal and from its opening was equipped with airbridges.

The 1980s saw significant increase in international flights to YVR. New airlines appearing on its schedules between 1983 and

1989 included British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Lufthansa, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air China. In May 1996, the CAN$250m, 16-gate International Terminal opened and a new control tower was completed.

The airport’s emergency procedures were tested in 2001 during the unprecedented closure of North American airspace after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. Vancouver took in 34 diverted US-bound widebody aircraft carrying a total of 8,500 passengers.

Today, 62 airlines serve YVR, connecting people to 99 global destinations.


Young visitors examine the model of the airport during a guided tour.

Among the most striking art exhibits is the ‘Spirit of Haida Gwaii: The Jade Canoe’.

China Southern Airlines introduced Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners on its daily Vancouver flight from Guangzhou on February 19.


tells 100,000 people within seconds.”He warns that ignoring social media

means an organisation could be the focus of a scorn campaign on the internet. “You never know when something will go viral, such as the ‘United Airlines breaks Guitars’ YouTube video. Airports must be ready for this challenge.”

Chris Richards, YVR’s social media

consultant, added: “If a passenger has an issue, I want to deal with it very quickly. It’s like inviting someone over for dinner. You want them to have a good time.” YVR has been on Twitter since 2009 and Richards monitors tweets about the airport 24 hours a day through a search engine that picks up the call letters ‘YVR’ and sends him an alert. “If I hear on social media that

someone in the airport is having a hard time in some way, not getting onto Wi-Fi, say, I try to find that person in the airport and help them directly.”

Airports are also about the flying experience itself, from the aircraft’s take-off to cruising at 35,000ft (10,668m). Richards is in charge of YVR’s online picture gallery project ‘Canada from the Air’, available to view on the airport’s website. Anyone from an aviation enthusiast to a first-time passenger is invited to send in their favourite photo taken from an airliner. “We get the most incredible photos, it’s hard to pick the ones to upload,” he added. “Some people send us whole libraries of pictures because they’ve been taking photos out of cabin windows their whole lives.” Tweets can be sent to @yvrairport using the #YVRCANADA hashtag. More information is available at: http://yvr.ca/en/improvements/YVR-Improvements-YVRCanada/PhotoGuidelines.aspx

Canada from the Air is a way for YVR to broaden its own horizons, said Richards. “Yes, YVR is Vancouver’s and British Columbia’s airport, but also we’re part of the much bigger Canadian picture.”



Sea IslandVancouver International Airport is on Sea Island about 8 miles (13km) from downtown Vancouver, a 20-26 minute journey aboard the Sky Train. To get the best idea of YVR’s location – as well as learning about its history – visitors should see the large scale model displayed at the observation deck on level four of the Domestic Terminal.

Sea Island is at the mouth of the Fraser River, which tumbles out of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. The Fraser itself is considered one of YVR’s runways, with around 100,000 float-plane movements

a year out flown from a dedicated riverside terminal.

People also come to Sea Island to enjoy conservation areas and use the walking and cycling paths along the shoreline. One of the airport’s best kept secrets is its own Chester Johnson Park, between the car park and the International Terminal. The narrow park, with its benches and paths, stretches for half-a-kilometre through trees, past totem poles, a small pond and a waterfall. Passengers and employees alike can be found around the park, especially during lunchtimes.

The giant aquarium is very popular – especially with younger travellers.

Local art and sculptures welcome arriving international travellers, giving them a flavour of the region’s history.



UK VISITORSGALLERY

The first visit to London/Heathrow by Biman Bangladesh Airways Boeing 777-266ER S2-AHK (c/n 32629), formerly SU-GBX with EgyptAir, took place on September 10. (Richard Vandervord)

Former Flybe Embraer 195 G-FBED (c/n 1900084) was noted wearing the livery of its new operator VIM Airlines at Exeter on September 9. Upon delivery it will take up the registration VQ-BUR. (Ian Simpson)

Vizion Air Fokker 50 OO-VLO (c/n 20127) was noted at Sumburgh Airport in the Shetland Isles on September 18. (Ian Simpson)

Dubai Air Wing Boeing 747-422 A6-MMM (c/n 26906) makes its final approach to Newcastle Airport on September 7. It was bringing in a Prince from Dubai to spend a couple of days Grouse shooting. (James Fairweather)

Denim Air Fokker 100 PH-LND (c/n 11320) was an unusual visitor to Manchester when it arrived from Newcastle with the Stoke City football team in the early hours of September 24. (Nik French)

This section contains a selection of images of visiting aircraft from airports around the UK. For the most part, they are commercial, but almost all of them are either unusual types, wearing new or unique liveries, or first visits by an airline or airliner to a particular airport. So if you are out and about and see something out of the ordinary, please send in your photos. As most of the world now works with digital media, photos can be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Please ensure that you provide details with any images, especially the relevant date, location, airline names and aircraft identity.

London/Heathrow

Manchester

Sumburgh

Newcastle

Exeter

70-72_visitors.mn.indd 70 10/10/2014 09:51


UK VISITORSGALLERY

London/Southend

Manchester

East Midlands

Sky Taxi Saab 340 SP-MRB (c/n 100) departs London/Southend for Wroclaw in Poland on September 10. It had previously arrived from Chateauroux, France and carries ‘IGavion’ and ‘Jura-tourisme’ titles. (Keith Burton)

Blue Panorama Boeing 767-324ER EI-CMD (c/n 27392), wearing ‘Conviasa’ titles, at Manchester after it had arrived on a heavily delayed Monarch Airlines flight from Palma early on August 31. It is a recent addition to the carrier’s fleet and is one of its first to be fitted with winglets. (Nik French)

Al Anwa Aviation Boeing 727-2U5 Adv HZ-AB3 (c/n 22362) performed a series of low approaches and go-arounds at Exeter on September 28. It came from Bournemouth Airport and after carrying out some more training at Southampton returned to Lasham. (Ian Simpson)

Manchester

Exeter

Air Global Cargo Boeing 747-409(BDSF) OM-ACG (c/n 24311) made its first appearance in the UK when it arrived at East Midlands on October 5. It later departed to Freetown, Sierra Leone. (Charles Cunliffe)

Livingstone Air Airbus A320-232 EI-EUB (c/n 1998) arrives at Manchester carrying Roma football fans prior to a Champions League match with Manchester City on September 30. Six days later the carrier suspended flights and three of its four A320s were returned to their lessors at Dublin Airport. The Italian civil aviation regulatory body (L’Ente Nazionale per l’Aviazione Civile) revoked the carrier's Air Operators Certificate on October 7. (Rob Skinkis)

Manchester

70-72_visitors.mn.indd 71 10/10/2014 09:51


UK VISITORSGALLERY

International Air Response Lockheed C-130A N121TG (c/n 3119, ex-USAF 56-0511) arrived to take up oil spill response duties at Cardiff on September 8. Having logged 16,500 flying hours, the 1957-vintage aircraft is one of the oldest airworthy examples of the type. (Phil Woods)

Blue Air Boeing 737-4D7 YR-BAQ (c/n 28702) was added to the carrier’s fleet in June and visited London/Luton on August 16. (Rob Skinkis)

Windavia (operated by White Airways) Airbus A320-211 YL-LCA (c/n 333) arriving at Manchester on a TAP Portugal service from Lisbon on September 18. (Karl Nixon)

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-8F2 TC-JHY (c/n 42003) departs from Birmingham on September 30. It is wearing special logos commemorating 100 years of Turkish cinemas in English on the right side, and in Turkish on the left side. (Charles Cunliffe)

LOT Polish Airlines unusually used Embraer 195 SP-LNB (c/n 19000444) on its Warsaw to London/Heathrow service on October 5. The carrier has used several types on the route recently, including its Boeing 787s. (Rob Skinkis)

London/Luton

Birmingham

Manchester

London/Heathrow

Cardiff

70-72_visitors.mn.indd 72 10/10/2014 09:51

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BREAKTHROUGHWith the incredible MiG-25 the Soviets had an interceptor that challenged – and rattled – the West. Nikolay Yakubovich describes its development.

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The first thing I noticed as my flight descended into Kuala Lumpur’s International Airport (KLIA) was the amazing number of palm oil and

rubber plantations in the surrounding countryside. Until the year 2000, the area was completely covered by these estates until the airport was built close to the Sepang motor racing circuit, which generates considerable air traffic from many events, including Formula 1 and MotoGP races.

First impressionsI was in Asia visiting Singapore but took advantage of AirAsia’s low fares to catch an early-morning flight from Singapore/Changi to spend a day in Kuala Lumpur, before returning the same evening.

After touchdown on Runway 32L we taxied to our stand. I cursed my luck as I was sat on the left-hand side of the aircraft and through the windows opposite I could see a rare Polet Airlines Ilyushin Il-76 parked on a remote parking spot. It would be fair to say the difference between Singapore/Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) is huge. The LCCT was a former cargo warehouse converted into a passenger terminal and opened in 2006 to cater for AirAsia and the growing list of budget airlines wishing to serve the city. It was replaced by the airport’s KLIA2 terminal (which opened on May 2 this year) and I could see the new, almost finished, building.

Passengers disembarked via airstairs and followed covered walkways to the terminal and immigration control checks. Facilities were modest. Carrying only hand luggage,

Kuala LumpurSpencer Bennett flies from Singapore to experience

a day in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.


FLYING VISITSKUALA LUMPUR

The twin Petronas Towers are Kuala Lumpur’s most recognisable landmark, visible from across the city. They straddle an impressive shopping centre and are adjacent to the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. (Key – Mark Nicholls)

The interior of the LCCT – converted from an old freight warehouse to provide space for budget airlines in 2006. (Wikimedia Commons/Kentaro Iemoto)

74-77_kuala.mn.indd 74 09/10/2014 13:18

I was able to pass quickly through customs and was soon at the information desk asking where I could catch the shuttle bus to the main terminal. The scene outside was somewhat chaotic with people, cars, taxis and buses seemingly everywhere. The instructions given to me were good and I found the shuttle bus fairly easily.

Although the LCCT is only about a mile (1.6km) from the main terminal across the apron, by road the journey is around 10 miles (16km) and takes roughly 20 minutes for a small charge of MYR 1.5 per passenger – about 30 pence. The main terminal is much more modern and the KLIA Express train departs to the city centre regularly, the journey taking just 28 minutes.

I took a quick look at the airport’s viewing gallery before I caught the train. It is on the departures level and gives great views over both runways and many of the aircraft stands. The LCCT and cargo terminal can also be seen from here, although a little too distant for good photographs. The gallery was popular with families waving off loved ones, and locals just wanting to watch the arrivals and departures.

Kuala LumpurI made my way easily to the KLIA Express station and booked a return trip. The train is comfortable with air conditioning, large TV screens and free Wi-Fi. My first venture on arriving at Kuala Lumpur’s city centre railway station was to catch a light rail transit (LRT) train to the 1,483ft (452m) Petronas Towers – the world’s tallest twin skyscrapers. I wanted to experience the view from the Skybridge, which links the two buildings 558ft (170m) above the ground, and also



Kuala Lumpur International

Airport is home to Malaysia Airlines. Unfortunately the

flag carrier is facing a challenging future

following the loss of two aircraft this year, both in very

high-profile incidents. (All photos author

unless stated)

Low-cost carrier AirAsia has a

strong presence at Kuala Lumpur

International Airport; the author flew with it from Singapore to spend a day in the Malaysian capital. (AirTeamImages.

com/Europix)

74-77_kuala.mn.indd 75 09/10/2014 13:18

from the top floor. The exit from the LRT station was at the base of the towers and their sheer size was quite breathtaking. Having located the sales counter, I purchased my ticket for the next available slot at 15:15. I had read that tickets were issued for specific time slots and sell out early.

As it was still late morning, I jumped back on LRT and took a 30-minute train ride to the Batu Caves, which are about 8 miles (13km) north of the city. The caves are a popular tourist attraction and a religious site. The largest cave is known as the Cathedral Cave, due to its high ceiling, and has a number of ornate Hindu shrines inside, and the world’s tallest statue of Lord Murugan (a Hindu god) outside. Adding to the caves’ charm are wild Macaque monkeys which have become quite tame and will try to steal food and drink from unsuspecting tourists.

To enter the Cathedral Cave, visitors have to climb 272 very steep steps. The clouds had parted and the sun was beating down, which added to the humid conditions and made the ascent testing, to say the least. There were a few small stalls at the top of the steps near the entrance selling much needed cold drinks and Hindu ornaments. I was amazed to find one vendor selling model aircraft in a variety of different liveries – some even in AirAsia’s special schemes. I did wonder why somebody had decided the entrance to the Batu Caves would make a good place to sell model aircraft but concluded the locals knew their trade and presumably sold enough to make the venture worthwhile.

Entering the caves gave a respite from the heat and some tranquillity, compared with the busy city centre. An opening at the top of the cave allowed a shard of light to shine in, which provided great photo opportunities and reminded me of a famous scene in an Indiana Jones movie.

Having spent time marvelling at the cave and the shrines, both in and outside, I jumped on the return train to take me back to the city centre and made my way to the Petronas Towers.

I joined other visitors gathering for the 15:15 slot. After passing through a security control point we gathered at the lift. First, visitors are given a talk on health and safety plus dos and don’ts – by a 3D holographic lady who appeared through vapour emitted from a wall.

The towers host many offices and the Skybridge is used by workers crossing from one tower to another. We had 15 minutes on the bridge before taking the lift to the 86th floor. This is not quite the top as the Towers have 88 floors, but is the highest visitors are allowed. Understandably the view from the top is spectacular – the whole of Kuala Lumpur can be seen and even the Batu Caves can be glimpsed on a clear day. Sadly, after 15 minutes it was time to take the lift back to ground level.

After a quick wander around Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park – a 49 acre (20ha) area at the foot of the towers – my time was running out so I caught the KLIA Express back to the airport. Luckily I had enough time to spend about 20 minutes at the viewing gallery, where an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-300 was noted, before catching the shuttle to the mayhem of the LCCT again.

Check-in was just as chaotic as arrival, but soon enough I was boarding the AirAsia Airbus A320 for the return flight to Singapore – which was quite memorable for a huge thunderstorm visible to the left of the aircraft during the journey.

Kuala Lumpur provided an interesting contrast to Singapore – not as clean or modern, but perhaps more indicative of real Asia and certainly very affordable – especially for those visiting on AirAsia.



The impressive statue of Hindu god Lord Murugan stands guard at the Batu Caves entrance.

74-77_kuala.mn.indd 76 09/10/2014 13:18



Looking down from the Petronas Tower’s Skybridge – still less than half way up the impressive structures.

A shard of light illuminates the floor of the Batu Caves; somewhat reminiscent of a scene from the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark.

74-77_kuala.mn.indd 77 09/10/2014 13:18

The central Bolivian city of Santa Cruz is one of the fastest growing conurbations in the world, although not necessarily one of the most

beautiful. It is also the nation’s only city with two commercial airports. El Trompillo Airport (SRZ) is the more charming one of the two and just a stone’s throw away from the city centre. Visitors arriving at its quaint little terminal after a short drive from the city centre (it is also within walking distance) immediately realise what a little gem this airport is. You feel as though you were back in the good old days when people wore a suit to go on a flight, when all airports had observation decks and there were no security checks.

HistoryAviation’s connection with Santa Cruz began in July 1925 when a small grass

strip south of the city was used for the first Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano Junkers F-13 flight. Initially called Capitán Horacio Vázquez, after an aviation pioneer, the airport soon became known as El Trompillo, after a species of tree – the Trompillo – which grows locally in abundance. It remained the fast-growing city’s only airport but in the 1960s city planners realised it was becoming overcrowded. Traffic continued to increase and a suitable site for a new airport was identified.

The new Viru Viru International Airport (VVI), 12 miles (20km) north of the city centre, opened in 1983 and replaced SRZ as the city’s main aerial gateway. SRZ, which was now practically in the city centre as a result of urban sprawl, remained open for limited scheduled domestic flights, general aviation and some military activity - a role it continues to fulfil.

Most of Bolivia’s major cities are at high altitude, the only exception being Santa Cruz, which is just over 1,300ft (400m) above sea level. This comparatively low altitude, and the fact that the city has become such an important destination, makes it the perfect gateway for long-haul international flights because they can take-off without any payload restrictions – which is a challenge in the thinner air of facilities at higher altitudes.

The airport todayEl Trompillo’s single runway is no longer busy, with just the limited flights already mentioned and flying school traffic. Two carriers serve SRZ; Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM), the passenger airline of the Bolivian Air Force, and Aerocon, a domestic airline flying Fairchild Swearingen SA227 Metros. Aerocon has its headquarters at the airport

Santa Cruz Little Jewel

Sebastian Schmitz visits El Trompillo,

the smaller of two airports serving the Bolivian city

of Santa Cruz


FEATURESANTA CRUZ

TAB Cargo McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10F CP-2489 (c/n 46903) performed an impressive low pass at Santa Cruz/El Trompillo Airport during the Bolivian Air Force 90th anniversary celebrations last autumn. (Agustin Fernandez Suarez)

78-81_santa_cruz.mn.indd 78 09/10/2014 16:28


in a rebuilt hangar and serves the city of Trinidad in the Bolivian lowlands four times a day, with connections to other cities in the area. There are direct flights to Yacuaiba in Southern Bolivia as well as Puerto Suarez, close to the Brazilian border, and Oruro, in western Bolivia. Aerocon also provides a weekday evening flight to La Paz, which returns the following morning. The small carrier largely caters for business travellers who find the proximity of the airport to the city centre very appealing.

TAM is primarily meant to offer flights to remote parts of the country, where no airline could run commercially, but it competes with traditional airlines on the nation’s trunk routes. This includes flights from Santa Cruz where the carrier’s aircraft can be seen throughout the day. Routes include a daily Boeing 727 service to La Paz and Cochabamba, as well as flights to Puerto Suarez, Sucre and Trinidad – not all of which run on a daily basis. Aircraft types can include almost everything in TAM’s inventory – the 727, 737, Xian MA-60, British Aerospace 146-200 and the occasional Fokker F27.

Regional airline Línea Aérea Amaszonas used to serve SRZ with its fleet of Bombardier Regional Jets, offering a limited number of domestic routes. All its flights have been consolidated at Viru Viru Airport and all that remains at SRZ is its vacant office. Before Aerosur folded in 2012 it also served SRZ, bringing in anything from Let L-410s (some of which remain stored here) to the 727. Several small air taxi and charter operators remain

FEATURESANTA CRUZ

The airport’s small terminal dates from a bygone era in aviation history and has a small, unassuming street entrance. (All photos author unless stated)

Among the air taxi and charter operators at SRZ is Aeroeste which uses Let L-410s – including CP-2382 (c/n 861727)


at SRZ. The most visible is Aeroeste which uses Let L-410s and a Beech 1900.

Runway 15/33 is 9,144ft (2,787m) long. Its northern end is surrounded by two small aprons, one belonging to the Bolivian Air Force and the other used for commercial flying and general aviation. The runway does not have a parallel taxiway and aircraft landing towards, or taking off from the south, have to back track along it. There are

no night-capable runway lights, restricting flying to daylight hours. The military apron is used by the Bolivian Air Force Flying College. In addition, a variety of military aircraft and helicopters often visit. The eastern side of the runway is dominated by commercial operators and flying school hangars; the passenger terminal is also on this side. A varied collection of stored aircraft is scattered around the airfield,

some of them in terrible shape and most unlikely to ever take to the skies again. They include a SAVE British Aerospace Jetstream 31 and some smaller types.

UpgradesLast autumn the Bolivian Air Force celebrated its 90th anniversary and the country’s President Evo Morales visited the airport to mark the occasion. He announced the


FEATURESANTA CRUZ

Airport StatisticsICAO Code: SLET

IATA Code: SRZ

Location: 17° 48.41’ S, 63° 10.17’ W

Elevation: 1,371ft (418m)

Runway: 15/33 9,144 x 124ft (2,787 x 38m)

Frequencies: Tower: 118.3

Ground: 121.7

Approach: 119.7

Website: n/a

Bolivia

Argentina

Brazil

The airport’s popularity and its small terminal mean it can often be quite crowded.

The airport’s observation deck provides great views and photo opportunities.

TAM’s sole Boeing 727-224, FAB-111 (c/n 22449), was built in 1981 and can be seen at SRZ on an almost daily basis.



FEATURESANTA CRUZ

airport would soon receive improved lighting to allow night-time operations and work on the new control tower, which was suspended some time ago, would be restarted. Bringing the airport up to the latest international standards would make its future more assured. This is welcome news for the operator and employees, as there had been calls for its closure due to the urban location and concerns over noise and pollution.

For passengers, SRZ is easy to use. There are no flashy shopping arcades or the level of comfort expected at a modern, international airport. These shortcomings are more than made up for by positives. It is only a short drive from most parts of the city. The terminal is compact, meaning walking is kept to a minimum. From check-in, it is just a short distance through security to the small departure lounge and then a brief walk across the tarmac to the aircraft.

Arriving passengers can usually expect to be leaving the airport in a taxi five minutes after their aircraft parks on its stand, especially if they only have hand baggage. The terminal can get crowded with all the meeters and greeters, many of whom go up one floor to the open observation deck.

This is an excellent spot from which to enjoy good views of the civilian and military aprons and the northern half of the runway.

When in Bolivia, a visit to El Trompillo should not be missed. It is like a trip down memory lane to how airports used to be and even just an hour or two will be enjoyable. Although most of the city’s flights now use Viru Viru Airport, it seems that SRZ will be around for the foreseeable future, offering its fascinating mix of scheduled flights, military movements and general aviation traffic.

Aerocon Fairchild Swearingen SA227 Metro 23 CP-2477 (c/n DC-830B) waits for it next passengers in front of the small terminal.

The remains of several stored aircraft can be found littered around the airfield.

TAM Boeing 737-230(A) FAB-116 (c/n 22122) makes its way to its parking stand.


NEXT ISSUEON SALE DECEMBER 23

*UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that overseas deliveries are likely to occur after this date. Contents subject to change.82 airports of the world

AAIB Air Accidents Investigation Branch (UK)

ACAS Airborne Collision-Avoidance System

ACI Airports Council International

ADR Accident Data Recorder

AG Aktiengesellschaft (German: joint stock company)

ALPA Air Line Pilots Association (US)

ANS Airborne Navigation System

APU Auxiliary Power Unit

ATA Air Transport Association (US)

ATC Air Traffic Control

ATP Advanced Turbo-Prop (BAe)

ATS Air Traffic Service

BAe British Aerospace (now renamed BAE Systems)

CAA Civil Aviation Authority (UK)

CDA Continuous Descent Approach

CEO Chief Executive Officer

CIS Commonwealth of Independent States

c/n Construction Number

combi Aircraft which routinely carries both passengers and cargo at same time

COO Chief Operating Officer

CVR Cockpit Voice Recorder

dB Decibel

DfT Department for Transport (UK)

DME Distance-Measuring Equipment

EASA European Aviation Safety Agency

ERAA European Regions Airline Association

EROPS Extended-Range OPerationS

ETOPS Extended-range Twin-engine OPerationS

ETS Emissions Trading Scheme

FAA Federal Aviation Administration (US)

FAI Féderation Aeronautique Internationale

FAR Federal Aviation Regulations

FBO Fixed Base Operator

FDR Flight Data Recorder

FL Flight Level (usually expressed in hundreds of feet)

FOD Foreign Object Damage

GA General Aviation

GAO General Accounting Office (US)

GAPAN Guild of Air Pilots And Navigators

GDP Gross Domestic Product

GECAS General Electric Commercial Aviation Services

GmbH Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung (German: limited liability company)

GMT Greenwich Mean Time

GNS Global Navigation System

GPS Global Positioning System

GPU Ground Power Unit

HQ Headquarters

IACA International Air Carrier Association

IAP International Airport

IATA International Air Transport Association

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization

IFALPA International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations

IFR Instrument Flight Rules

ILFC International Lease Finance Corporation

ILS Instrument Landing System

IMC Instrument Meteorological Conditions

INS Inertial Navigation System

JAA Joint Aviation Authorities (European)

LCC Low-Cost Carrier

LCD Liquid Crystal Display

LED Light-Emitting Diode

localiser Steering guidance element of an LS system

LORAN Long Range Aid to Navigation

MD Managing Director

MLS Microwave Landing System

MLW Maximum Landing Weight

MoD Ministry of Defence

MoU Memorandum of Understanding

MPPA Million Passengers Per Annum

MRO Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul

MTOW Maximum Take-Off Weight

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

NBAA National Business Aircraft Association (US)

NBC Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (warfare)

OFT Office of Fair Trading (UK)

PAPI Precision Approach Path Indicator

PAR Precision Approach Radar

pax Passenger

P&W Pratt & Whitney

PPL Private Pilot’s Licence

PR Public Relations

RAF Royal Air Force

RFP Request for Proposals

RVR Runway Visual Range

SARS Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

SID Standard Instrument Departure

STOL Short Take-Off & Landing

TCAS Traffic alert and Collision-Avoidance System

TSA Transportation Security Administration

UN United Nations

VASI Visual Approach Slope Indicator

VFR Visual Flight Rules

VMC Visual Meteorological Conditions

VOR VHF omni-directional range (radio beacons)

WTTC World Travel and Tourism Council

We explain some of the abbreviations and acronyms that regularly appear in the pages of Airports of the World. These details will be updated and added to as necessary.

Mfuwe – Zambia upgrades

Healthy Airports – Adapting for lifestyles

Plus – All the latest airport news and much more

Fukuoka – Japan’s southern hub

Chisinau – Gateway to Moldova

Toluca – Mexican alternative

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Chicago O’HareChicago O’HareIllinois Icon

(Wikimedia Commons)

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Airports of the World November December 2014