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QATAR’S AL MOURJAN LOUNGE<br />
www.airportsworld.com Mar/Apr <strong>2015</strong> | Issue 58<br />
DUAL HUBS<br />
The Challenges Facing <strong>Airports</strong><br />
LA PAZ<br />
On Top of the World<br />
LILLE<br />
Serving Northern France<br />
UNMANNED AND<br />
DANGEROUS<br />
Do Drones Threaten Air Traffic?<br />
7<br />
GLOBAL<br />
AIRPORTS<br />
INCLUDING:<br />
4 SPECIAL<br />
FEATURES<br />
BELFAST INTERNATIONAL<br />
Northern Ireland Gateway<br />
UK<br />
£4.70<br />
SAIPAN, MARIANAS<br />
Western Pacific Gem<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
Channel Island's Ambitions<br />
ULAANBAATAR<br />
Genghis Khan International
Contents<br />
Regulars<br />
4 News<br />
Detailed news coverage from the<br />
global airport scene.<br />
16 Industry Column<br />
– Unmanned and<br />
Dangerous<br />
Bruce Hales-Dutton examines the risks<br />
remotely piloted air systems pose to<br />
commercial aviation.<br />
32 Airport Infrastructure<br />
– Al Mourjan Lounge<br />
Luigi Vallero samples Qatar Airways’<br />
new oasis for premium travellers at<br />
Doha’s Hamad International Airport.<br />
36 Snapshot – Dakar<br />
Ron Mak provides a sample of classic<br />
aircraft from Dakar’s Léopold Sédar<br />
Senghor International Airport.<br />
46 Airport Analysis –<br />
Divide and Conquer<br />
Ulf Meyer delves into the complex world<br />
of ‘dual-hubs’.<br />
71 UK Airport Visitors<br />
Our readers’ gallery – featuring a<br />
selection of the more interesting aircraft<br />
that have recently visited UK airports.<br />
74 Airport Infrastructure<br />
– Abu Dhabi<br />
Abu Dhabi International’s new midfield<br />
terminal opens in two years, but how<br />
is demand to be managed until then.<br />
82 Glossary<br />
We explain some of the abbreviations<br />
and acronyms that regularly appear<br />
in the pages of <strong>Airports</strong> of the World.<br />
Cover shot<br />
Lufthansa line-up at Frankfurt’s<br />
Pier A-Plus. (Fraport)<br />
38 Lille<br />
32 Doha<br />
54 La Paz
Features<br />
FREE DVD!<br />
Claim your FREE Costa Rica Airport DVD<br />
worth £12.49 when you take a two-year<br />
or direct debit subscription to<br />
<strong>Airports</strong> of the World. See pages<br />
30 and 31 for details.<br />
18 Belfast International<br />
The primary airport serving much of<br />
Northern Ireland is Belfast International.<br />
Paul B Anderson discovers it is striving<br />
to increase its range of destinations.<br />
24 Saipan – Asia’s Corfu<br />
Marco Finelli travels to the Western<br />
Pacific and visits a paradise with a<br />
very violent past – Saipan, one of the<br />
Mariana Islands.<br />
38 Resurgent Lille<br />
Lille Airport is bouncing back after<br />
a period of decline as it fights for its<br />
place in the highly competitive Franco-<br />
Belgian border region of Northeast<br />
France. Yinka Jan Sojinu investigates.<br />
54 La Paz – Holding<br />
the High Ground<br />
Sebastian Schmitz visits the world’s<br />
highest international airport – El Alto<br />
in La Paz, Bolivia.<br />
60 Island Delight<br />
Kevan James journeys to the Channel<br />
Island of Guernsey and discovers its<br />
well-equipped airport is eager to<br />
welcome more visitors from the UK<br />
and Europe.<br />
66 Mongolia Gateway<br />
Sebastian Schmitz heads east to<br />
Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and its<br />
Chinggis Khan International Airport,<br />
which is soon to be replaced by a new,<br />
larger facility<br />
78 Ecuadorian<br />
Swansong<br />
Sebastian Schmitz reports from<br />
Guayaquil’s José Joaquín de Olmedo<br />
International Airport as it enters its final<br />
decade before replacement by a new<br />
out-of-town facility.<br />
74 Abu Dhabi
EDITORIAL<br />
<strong>Airports</strong> and airlines are<br />
currently releasing performance<br />
figures for 2014 and overall the<br />
news is very good. Broadly<br />
speaking passenger numbers<br />
are up and, thanks in part to<br />
lower fuel costs, many carriers<br />
are posting profitable bottom<br />
lines – in some cases the first<br />
for a very long time. The year<br />
was also a safe one, despite<br />
the headline-grabbing incidents<br />
involving Malaysia Airlines.<br />
However, a new and worrying<br />
threat is emerging that could<br />
potentially put hundreds<br />
of flights and thousands of<br />
passengers at risk. Remotely<br />
piloted vehicles, or ‘drones’ as<br />
the wider media incorrectly<br />
calls them are appearing in<br />
the world’s skies in rapidly<br />
increasing numbers – and<br />
they are easily available and<br />
affordable for anyone to buy...<br />
whatever their motive for<br />
wanting one.<br />
Our industry column on page<br />
16 takes a look at the problem<br />
and at some of the technical<br />
solutions already being<br />
proposed. However, someone<br />
with good IT knowledge could<br />
potentially ‘hack’ any GPS<br />
safety systems programmed in<br />
to keep such vehicles away from<br />
airports and restricted airspace.<br />
There is a real danger here as<br />
some of these ‘drones’ are<br />
large and could cause serious<br />
damage if they were to hit an<br />
airliner. On January 23 Dubai<br />
International Airport was closed<br />
to flights for 35 minutes after a<br />
remotely piloted vehicle entered<br />
its restricted airspace which<br />
extends eight nautical miles<br />
from the facility. This was the<br />
third such incident at Dubai in<br />
less than a year.<br />
Clearly the ICAO, national<br />
regulators and governments<br />
must regulate further to prevent<br />
such incidents and penalties<br />
must be very harsh if they are<br />
to act as a deterrent.<br />
Mark Nicholls<br />
Brand Editor<br />
CAA Rules over Military<br />
Business jets have been using RAF Northolt in West London for decades. Now the safety of such aircraft using the military airfield comes under<br />
the remit of the CAA. (AuirTeamImages.com/TT)<br />
THE CIVIL Aviation Authority (CAA)<br />
has become responsible for the flight<br />
safety of private aircraft using all<br />
government-owned military airfields,<br />
following a high court ruling.<br />
In what many observers regard<br />
as a landmark judgement, the UK’s<br />
Ministry of Defence (MoD), and<br />
Secretary of State for Transport<br />
Patrick McLoughlin were told of<br />
the clarification in January, after a<br />
judicial review. It places private and<br />
military aviation operators on an<br />
equal competitive footing for safety<br />
and overheads.<br />
The ruling comes after Biggin Hill<br />
Airport and London/Oxford Airport,<br />
represented by John Steel QC,<br />
lodged an application for a judicial<br />
review into the use of RAF Northolt<br />
for business aviation flights, claiming<br />
the West London aerodrome did not<br />
meet civil safety standards.<br />
The judgment, handed down by<br />
the Hon Mr Justice Popplewell on<br />
January 23, dismissed the judicial<br />
review application in its entirety<br />
because of a technicality. However,<br />
the judge ruled that the CAA is<br />
responsible for the safety of all civilian<br />
flights using RAF Northolt and other<br />
military aerodromes in the United<br />
Kingdom and not the Military Aviation<br />
Authority (MAA) as was believed to<br />
be the case. Until now ministers had<br />
repeatedly argued that such facilities<br />
did not need to meet stricter, costlier<br />
civilian safety standards – just ‘lower’<br />
military equivalents – and that the<br />
CAA had no regulatory powers at<br />
military airfields.<br />
The trigger for the proceedings<br />
came in <strong>April</strong> 2012 when the MoD<br />
lifted the self-imposed limit on<br />
commercial flights at Northolt from<br />
7,000 to 12,000 movements per year.<br />
Will Curtis, Managing Director of<br />
Biggin Hill Airport, said in a statement<br />
after the hearing: “Despite a serious<br />
crash in 1996 in which an aircraft<br />
overran the runway and collided with<br />
a vehicle on the A40 trunk road,<br />
RAF Northolt evidently believed<br />
it was entitled to bypass many<br />
internationally accepted aviation<br />
safety measures – measures that civil<br />
airports, such as ours, are required to<br />
maintain. Lower safety standards at<br />
military aerodromes are unacceptable,<br />
not only for those in the aviation<br />
industry, but also for passengers and<br />
those in the surrounding community<br />
on the ground.”<br />
The CAA is now expected to carry<br />
out a safety audit at RAF Northolt.<br />
London Oxford Airport and Biggin Hill<br />
Airport has also lodged a State Aid<br />
complaint with the EU Competition<br />
Commission. It argues that the MoD<br />
has been unfairly competing with<br />
the private sector, which if proven<br />
could land the ministry with a<br />
compensation bill running into tens<br />
of millions.<br />
“Using taxpayers’ money to<br />
compete with civil airports serving<br />
the same customers is simply not<br />
equitable,” Curtis added. “As military<br />
and government flights at RAF<br />
Northolt have declined, replacing<br />
them with 12,000 civilian flights a<br />
year means it is now effectively a civil<br />
airport via the back door, despite the<br />
<strong>Airports</strong> Commission stating that it<br />
sees no long-term role for it.”<br />
A statement on RAF Northolt’s<br />
website says the airfield “remains<br />
able to accept civil aviation as<br />
per its published limitations and<br />
procedures”.<br />
Brand Editor: Mark Nicholls<br />
Contributing Editors: Barry Woods-Turner,<br />
Tom Allett, Craig West, Richard Benedikz<br />
Correspondents: Luigi Vallero (Italy),<br />
Sebastian Schmitz (Germany)<br />
Production Editor: Sue Blunt<br />
Deputy Production Editor: Carol Randall<br />
Sub Editors: Norman Wells, Paul Watson<br />
Designer: Tracey Mumby<br />
Chief Designer: Steve Donovan<br />
Group Marketing Manager: Martin Steele<br />
Marketing Manager: Shaun Binnington<br />
Commercial Director: Ann Saundry<br />
Production Manager: Janet Watkins<br />
Group Advertisement Manager: Brodie Baxter<br />
Advertisement Manager: Andrew Mason<br />
Advertising Production Manager: Debi McGowan<br />
Advertising Production Controller: Rebecca Duffy<br />
Executive Chairman: Richard Cox<br />
Managing Director & Publisher: Adrian Cox<br />
Colour/Origination by: Key Publishing, Stamford/<br />
AT Graphics, Peterborough<br />
Printing by: Warner's (Midland) plc, The Maltings,<br />
Bourne, Lincs. PE10 9PH<br />
Distributed by: Seymour Distribution Ltd,<br />
2 Poultry Avenue, London. EC1A 9PP<br />
Published by Key Publishing Ltd.<br />
PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ<br />
Tel: +44 (0)1780 755131<br />
Fax: +44 (0)1780 757261<br />
Email: mark.nicholls@keypublishing.com<br />
Published Bi-Monthly. ISSN: 1747-4396<br />
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4 airports of the world
Dubai Takes Heathrow’s Crown<br />
DUBAI INTERNATIONAL Airport<br />
(DXB) surpassed London/Heathrow<br />
as the world’s busiest facility for<br />
international passengers in 2014.<br />
With no domestic services in the<br />
United Arab Emirates (UAE), all<br />
70,475,636 passengers travelled<br />
overseas and while London/<br />
Heathrow handled greater numbers<br />
at 73.4 million – those flying<br />
internationally totalled 68.1 million.<br />
This was achieved despite a<br />
temporary reduction in flights due<br />
to an 80-day runway refurbishment<br />
project at DXB. This had an effect<br />
on annual aircraft movements which<br />
were 357,399, down from 369,953<br />
in 2013.<br />
Operator Dubai <strong>Airports</strong> is<br />
expecting traveller numbers to<br />
reach 79 million this year. Paul<br />
Griffiths, CEO of Dubai <strong>Airports</strong> said:<br />
“Much like 2014, <strong>2015</strong> promises to<br />
be another eventful year featuring<br />
more record passenger numbers<br />
and facility upgrades including the<br />
opening of Concourse D which will<br />
boost Dubai International’s capacity<br />
to 90 million.”<br />
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al<br />
Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai<br />
<strong>Airports</strong>, added: “The shared goal<br />
Top Ten <strong>Airports</strong> 2014<br />
is to make Dubai a global centre of<br />
aviation and we are nearing that<br />
goal thanks to an open skies policy,<br />
a friendly business environment,<br />
Dubai’s growing attractiveness<br />
as a centre for trade, commerce<br />
and tourism, growing network<br />
connectivity due to the rapid<br />
expansion of Emirates and flydubai<br />
and timely investment in aviation<br />
infrastructure.”<br />
The top market for growth in<br />
Airport Passengers Increase<br />
1 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta 96.1 million 1.85%<br />
2 Beijing Capital 86.1 million 2.9%<br />
3 London/Heathrow 73.4 million 1.4%<br />
4 Tokyo/Haneda 73 million 6%<br />
5 Los Angeles 70.7 million 6%<br />
6 Dubai International 70.4 million 6.1%<br />
7 Chicago O’Hare 70.07 million 4.45%<br />
8 Paris/CDG 63.8 million 2.8%<br />
9 Hong Kong 63.4 million 5.8%<br />
10 Dallas/Fort Worth 62.9 million 4.4%<br />
Although Chicago O’Hare has slipped two places in the passenger numbers, it has regained<br />
top spot for movements from Atlanta, thanks in part to increasing numbers of feeder commuter<br />
flights. (Key – Mark Nicholls)<br />
Dubai International has surpassed London/Heathrow as the world’s busiest international airport –<br />
helped by the rapid expansion of home carrier Emirates. (AirTeamImages.com/BaoLuo)<br />
passenger volumes last year was<br />
Western Europe with an increase<br />
of 1,192,831, followed by the Indian<br />
Subcontinent with an increase of<br />
936,449, Asia with another 716,180<br />
and North America with a rise of<br />
432,597.<br />
Departure capacity from the<br />
airport has also risen from<br />
16,799,851 seats in 2005 to<br />
45,019,420 seats last year, an<br />
average annual increase of 18.7%.<br />
<strong>Airports</strong><br />
Top Ten 2014<br />
PROVISIONAL FIGURES for last year<br />
show a few changes among the top<br />
ten global airports. Hartsfield-<br />
Jackson/Atlanta International Airport<br />
retains its top spot for passenger<br />
numbers, but has lost its leading<br />
movements crown to Chicago O’Hare.<br />
Chicago also slipped from fifth to<br />
seventh position in the passenger<br />
rankings, surpassed by Los Angeles<br />
and Dubai, while Jakarta has dropped<br />
out of the top ten, being replaced by<br />
Hong Kong/Chek Lap Kok at number<br />
nine, with Dallas/Fort Worth slipping<br />
to tenth position.<br />
Significantly, each of the ten<br />
facilities enjoyed rising passenger<br />
numbers, with Dubai International<br />
leading the way with a 6.1% increase<br />
compared with the previous year.<br />
Europe’s<br />
Air Traffic<br />
Boom<br />
AIRPORT TRADE body ACI Europe<br />
has released its traffic report for 2014,<br />
revealing that passenger traffic at<br />
the continent’s facilities grew by an<br />
average 5.4%. Passenger traffic in<br />
the European Union (EU) increased<br />
by 4.9%, with Greece, Luxembourg,<br />
Lithuania, Portugal, Romania,<br />
Belgium and Ireland significantly<br />
outperforming the EU average.<br />
Conversely, countries such as Poland,<br />
France, Germany, Austria, Latvia and<br />
the Czech Republic all saw airport<br />
traffic growing below this average.<br />
Meanwhile, non-EU airports posted<br />
passenger traffic growth of 7.3% with<br />
Serbia, Iceland, Georgia and Turkey<br />
all growing well above this average.<br />
Air freight traffic across the<br />
European area grew by 3.6% with<br />
a similar performance between EU<br />
and non-EU airports (3.6% and 3.3%<br />
respectively). Aircraft movements<br />
were up 2.6%, reflecting additional<br />
airline capacity, however, the bulk<br />
of this was at non-EU airports which<br />
saw aircraft movements increase by<br />
5.6% compared with just 1.5% at<br />
EU airports.<br />
Olivier Jankovec, Director General<br />
of ACI Europe, said: “2014 was<br />
generally a good year for Europe’s<br />
airports and what really stands out<br />
is the fact that passenger traffic at<br />
EU airports significantly outpaced<br />
economic performance. This shows<br />
just how resilient the demand for air<br />
transport is and reflects how much<br />
consumers and businesses rely on air<br />
connectivity. However, the year also<br />
saw the direct impact of geopolitical<br />
tensions with passenger traffic falling<br />
in Ukraine and slowing down sharply<br />
in Russia. This resulted in almost<br />
converged growth rates between<br />
EU and non-EU airports in the final<br />
months of the year.”<br />
Among the best performing<br />
European airports were: Istanbul/<br />
Sabiha Gökçen (traffic up 25.4%),<br />
Athens (21.3%), Chisinau (34.8%),<br />
Mikonos (26.9%), Brussels (14.7%),<br />
Lisbon (13.3%) and London/<br />
Stansted (11.8%).<br />
<strong>Airports</strong> of the World, Key Publishing Ltd,<br />
P0 Box 300, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1NA, UK.<br />
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<strong>Airports</strong> of the World (ISSN: 1747-4396) is published<br />
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www.airportsworld.com 5
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
Hanoi Opens Terminal 2<br />
The spacious interior of Hanoi/Noi Bai<br />
International Airport’s new Terminal 2.<br />
(Robbie Shaw)<br />
NOI BAI International Airport<br />
serving Hanoi, Vietnam, opened its<br />
new Terminal 2 on January 4. The<br />
facility, used by international flights,<br />
covers 456,745sq ft (42,432m 2 )<br />
and has 96 check-in desks, ten<br />
self-service check-in kiosks, 283<br />
flight information displays and 17<br />
gates, 14 of them equipped with<br />
airbridges. The building raises the<br />
airport’s capacity to 19mppa and it<br />
is designed to be expanded in 2020<br />
to meet anticipated demand. In<br />
2013 the airport handled 15.2 million<br />
travellers, despite having an official<br />
capacity of only 9mppa. The old<br />
Terminal 1 is now being used purely<br />
for domestic flights. More on Hanoi’s<br />
new terminal will appear in the next<br />
issue of <strong>Airports</strong> of the World.<br />
WORK HAS begun on a major<br />
refurbishment of Terminal 1 at<br />
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.<br />
A series of projects and initiatives<br />
will add capacity and transform<br />
the passenger experience by mid-<br />
2016. The project includes faster<br />
Sydney Upgrades Terminal 1<br />
access from security screening<br />
to gates, more seating, enhanced<br />
ambience, wider walkways,<br />
improved wayfinding, direct paths<br />
to gates with clearer sightlines,<br />
environmentally friendly design<br />
features, plus new shopping and<br />
dining outlets. Two new baggage<br />
carousels are already in service<br />
and check-in counters are being<br />
extended to accommodate more<br />
passengers.<br />
Construction will be staged over 20<br />
months, with the first phase starting<br />
in the middle of the terminal with<br />
the relocation of some seating and<br />
retail areas in order to facilitate the<br />
improvements. Clear signage will<br />
help communicate this to passengers<br />
and every effort will be made to keep<br />
disruption to a minimum.<br />
Düsseldorf Welcomes<br />
Dreamliner<br />
Etihad Airways introduced its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on services between Abu Dhabi<br />
and the German city of Düsseldorf on February 1. Seen six days later, aircraft A6-BLA (c/n<br />
39646) is arriving on stand after its flight from the Middle East. (Marcus Steidele)<br />
JFK Concourse B Complete<br />
THE CONCOURSE B extension at<br />
New York/John F Kennedy Airport’s<br />
Terminal 4 has been completed.<br />
The announcement by Delta Air<br />
Lines and the Port Authority of New<br />
York and New Jersey in January<br />
cleared the way for the carrier to<br />
move 80% of its JFK services to<br />
the concourse, thus speeding up<br />
transfer times for passengers.<br />
Forming part of an overall $1.2bn<br />
expansion, the $175m project<br />
has added 11 airbridge-equipped<br />
gates and 75,000sq ft (6,967m 2 )<br />
to the concourse. Intra-terminal<br />
connections are catered for by a new<br />
bus stop at the end of the concourse.<br />
The Port Authority’s Executive<br />
Director, Pat Foye, said: “The Port<br />
Authority and our airline partners<br />
are committed to continuing<br />
our initiatives to transform and<br />
modernise JFK into a world-class<br />
facility befitting the hundreds of<br />
thousands of people who fly in and<br />
out of our region each day. We<br />
applaud Delta’s investment in New<br />
York City’s airports to modernise<br />
and expand its terminal operations,<br />
and we will continue to work with<br />
all of our stakeholders to make<br />
sure JFK continues to serve as a<br />
premier source of job creation and<br />
economic activity.”<br />
6 airports of the world
London City Expansion Approved<br />
THE STRATEGIC Development<br />
Committee of Newham Council<br />
has approved planning permission<br />
allowing a £200m development<br />
at London City Airport and the<br />
construction of a 260-bed hotel. The<br />
granting of permission will allow the<br />
airport to handle up to 111,000 flights<br />
a year (up from the current 70,000<br />
limit), although it is 10,000 fewer than<br />
requested. The project is expected to<br />
create 1,500 jobs, on top of the 500<br />
during construction, and could double<br />
the airport’s economic value to the<br />
area – which could reach £1.5bn a year.<br />
London City’s CEO Declan Collier<br />
said: “The development of the<br />
airport will culminate in 2023 when,<br />
having constructed seven new<br />
aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway<br />
and terminal extensions to the<br />
west and to the east, the airport<br />
will be welcoming some six million<br />
THE MANCHESTER <strong>Airports</strong> Group<br />
(MAG) announced the next phase of<br />
its £260m redevelopment project at<br />
London/Stansted during the Future<br />
Travel Experience Europe event in<br />
London on February 4. The work<br />
will upgrade and rejuvenate the<br />
Satellite One departure gate area<br />
and includes a new Escape Lounge<br />
specifically aimed at attracting more<br />
long-haul carriers. Costing £8m the<br />
development will restyle the satellite<br />
passengers every year.”<br />
Council officers set out 131<br />
conditions that are designed to<br />
reduce any impact on local residents.<br />
These include no more than 45<br />
More Stansted Upgrades<br />
and add more comfortable seats,<br />
refurbished toilets, charging points<br />
for electronic devices and improve<br />
Wi-Fi access.<br />
The airport’s managing director,<br />
Andrew Harrison, commented:<br />
“These are really exciting times and<br />
will be a significant turning point<br />
in the airport’s history. Having<br />
successfully returned Stansted<br />
to growth, making it once again<br />
London’s fastest growing airport,<br />
Planning permission to allow<br />
the development of London City<br />
Airport to handle up to 111,000<br />
flights a year has been approved.<br />
(Simon Murdoch)<br />
flights per hour, the building of a<br />
noise barrier to the south of the<br />
site during construction and limiting<br />
the noisiest work, such as piling, to<br />
weekends.<br />
we’re driving forward our ambition<br />
to attract a greater mix of airlines,<br />
including long-haul connections to<br />
serve our region and the London<br />
– Stansted – Cambridge economic<br />
growth corridor. I’m really excited<br />
and looking forward to this time<br />
next year when this phase of<br />
re-development will be completed<br />
and our passengers can fully<br />
experience how Stansted is changing,<br />
because this is just the beginning.”<br />
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
London/Southend Airport set a new<br />
passenger record last year of 1,090,696,<br />
exceeding the 2013 figure of 970,167. The<br />
most popular destination was Amsterdam,<br />
which attracted 200,973 travellers.<br />
The airport has undergone a £120m<br />
transformation since it was bought by the<br />
Stobart Group in 2008, and has benefitted<br />
from a new hotel, ATC tower, terminal,<br />
railway station and runway extension.<br />
Simon Murdoch<br />
Stockholm/Arlanda Airport could be<br />
the first in Scandinavia to provide US<br />
customs and immigration preclearance.<br />
The Swedish Government is to consider<br />
introducing the capability, which if agreed<br />
would make it only the second European<br />
nation (after Ireland) to offer it. If the<br />
Swedish and US governments approve<br />
the idea, Arlanda Airport would instigate<br />
construction of new facilities.<br />
Amsterdam/Schiphol welcomed 55 million<br />
passengers during 2014 – a 0.6% increase<br />
compared with the previous year. At<br />
Eindhoven Airport numbers were 3.9 million,<br />
up 16%, while Rotterdam’s The Hague<br />
Airport welcomed 1.7 million passengers,<br />
up 6.1%.<br />
Schiphol Group’s President and CEO Jos<br />
Nijhuis said: “These figures show that<br />
Schiphol Group has achieved growth in<br />
all of its operations. This is no reason for<br />
complacency, however. In collaboration<br />
with our home carrier KLM, other airlines<br />
and business partners, we will continue<br />
to work hard to strengthen the role of<br />
Schiphol with a view to remaining Europe’s<br />
preferred airport.”<br />
EMIRATES upgraded its second daily<br />
service from Dubai to Manchester with<br />
an Airbus A380, replacing the Boeing<br />
777 that previously flew the route, from<br />
February 1. The move will deliver an<br />
extra 13% in seat capacity for the North<br />
West facility as well as a more than 20%<br />
increase in premium cabin availability.<br />
AirPortr Pursues New Markets<br />
UK-BASED baggage concierge<br />
provider AirPortr is negotiating with<br />
several London airports, including<br />
Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, to<br />
expand its services. The company<br />
then plans to branch out across the<br />
UK and into Europe. It also wants to<br />
serve international customers and is<br />
currently working with the relevant<br />
UK customs and border agencies to<br />
see if this is possible.<br />
AirPortr has been operating at<br />
London City Airport since last May<br />
and collects passengers’ luggage<br />
for them, then takes it to their<br />
desired location, such as a hotel,<br />
home or place of business – and<br />
vice-versa. Currently this is limited<br />
(MAG)<br />
to domestic flights as operatives<br />
collect luggage from the arrivals<br />
hall carousels.<br />
Customers can track their bag’s<br />
progress using a smartphone app<br />
and real-time GPS location. Prices<br />
start from £15 for the first item and<br />
£5 for each additional bag. For<br />
more details visit: http://portr.com<br />
Belarusian News reports that the<br />
reconstruction of the main terminal at<br />
Minsk National Airport in Belarus is now<br />
complete. The project is believed to have<br />
cost $65m, and according to the Belarusian<br />
Deputy Prime Minister Anatoly Kalinin the<br />
project has added 6,561sq ft (609m 2 ) of<br />
floor space to provide more room in the<br />
immigration and customs areas.<br />
Almost 10.6 million passengers used<br />
Warsaw/Chopin Airport in 2014, the<br />
second best result in its history. The<br />
majority of passengers, 9,373,000,<br />
travelled internationally with domestic<br />
services accounting for only 1,217,000.<br />
Airport Director Michał Kaczmarzyk<br />
commented: “It was a very good year<br />
for the airport. We served 10.6 million<br />
passengers without Ryanair, which shows<br />
a significant potential for growth.”<br />
www.airportsworld.com 7
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
Funding<br />
for Argyle<br />
International<br />
THE GOVERNMENT of St Vincent<br />
and the Grenadines has allocated<br />
$27.7m for the completion of Argyle<br />
International Airport, which was<br />
originally expected to be open by<br />
now. The $270m facility is to replace<br />
the current E T Joshua Airport<br />
near Kingstown and will allow<br />
direct flights from international<br />
destinations to serve the nation.<br />
No final completion date has been<br />
set, but the island’s Prime Minister<br />
Dr Ralph Gonsalves told parliament<br />
that it would be finished this year. In<br />
his speech he said: “As always, our<br />
government makes contingency<br />
plans in the event of the delay in<br />
the draw-down of grants or softloans.<br />
This has been a constant<br />
factor in the life of the airport’s<br />
construction. The pavement works<br />
have already commenced with the<br />
placement of the base and subbase<br />
for the runway, aprons and<br />
taxiways. The asphalt works and the<br />
concrete works on the aerodrome<br />
are scheduled for completion by the<br />
end of May <strong>2015</strong>.”<br />
Regarding air services he<br />
commented: “Several airlines<br />
have expressed interest in adding<br />
St Vincent and the Grenadines to<br />
their networks, and agreements<br />
are expected in the first half of <strong>2015</strong><br />
with several of them.”<br />
LAST YEAR was an encouraging one<br />
for Amsterdam/Schiphol Airport’s<br />
cargo traffic, which beat the 2013<br />
figure by 6.7%. The final quarter was<br />
once again its strongest, maintaining<br />
the last-quarter-peak pattern which<br />
was the norm before the 2008 global<br />
recession. Tonnage for the October-<br />
December period was 422,112 – an<br />
increase of 3% on the same period<br />
in 2013.<br />
For the year, tonnage was 1,633,195,<br />
with North America showing the<br />
strongest growth – up 14% compared<br />
Cargo Bounce-back<br />
at Schiphol<br />
Great Wall Airlines’ Boeing 747-412F/SCD B-2433 (c/n 28027), now with China Cargo Airlines,<br />
touches down at Amsterdam/Schiphol on July 31, 2014. (AirTeamImages.com/Javier de la Cruz)<br />
with 2013. This was followed by<br />
Europe (+12.5%), Middle East (+6.1%),<br />
Asia (+5.4%) and Africa (+4.1%).<br />
Latin America however ended<br />
the year down by 2%. Freighter<br />
movements in 2014 totalled 16,568<br />
– an increase of 6% year-on-year.<br />
Enno Osinga, Schiphol Cargo’s<br />
Senior Vice President, said: “An<br />
interesting development in the<br />
figures was that December was the<br />
only month of 2014 in which we<br />
experienced negative growth. This<br />
has two explanations – in 2014 there<br />
was a large volume of Playstations<br />
and X-boxes that needed to reach the<br />
shops before Christmas, creating an<br />
early peak.<br />
“Secondly, it’s clear that the US<br />
west coast port problems have<br />
caused a shift of available freighter<br />
capacity from Asia-Europe to the<br />
Pacific to deal with ocean freight<br />
backlogs, resulting in December’s<br />
decline in growth from Asia. Given<br />
the continuation of these US<br />
problems, it’s realistic to expect the<br />
start of <strong>2015</strong> to be slow.”<br />
Frankfurt T1 Developments<br />
FRAPORT, WHICH runs Frankfurt<br />
Airport, has unveiled development<br />
plans for redesigning the Terminal<br />
1 forecourt and access roads. Initial<br />
work has already started on the €36m<br />
project and is scheduled to last about 14<br />
months. The extensive refurbishment<br />
will focus on the terminal façade and<br />
entrances, as well as pedestrian areas<br />
and roadways on the arrivals level of<br />
the terminal forecourt.<br />
The old perforated brick exterior<br />
of the arrivals level will be replaced<br />
by a contemporary metal and glass<br />
façade and the walkways and roads<br />
resurfaced. The entire area will be<br />
brighter and more welcoming, thanks<br />
to improved lighting. Additional<br />
traffic-calming measures will make<br />
the forecourt more attractive to<br />
pedestrians with LED walls added to<br />
create a multi-media experience in<br />
its middle zone.<br />
Dr Matthias Zieschang, Fraport AG’s<br />
executive board member for controlling<br />
and finance (CFO), explained the<br />
An artist’s impression of the brighter Terminal 1 forecourt and access roads at Frankfurt Airport. (Fraport)<br />
importance of the project: “We wish<br />
to improve the travel experience<br />
significantly for our passengers, their<br />
meeters and greeters, as well as the<br />
environment for airport staff. The<br />
redesigned forecourt will serve as an<br />
attractive reception area, especially<br />
for our international guests. Because<br />
regular terminal operations will<br />
continue during the construction<br />
phase, we ask passengers for their<br />
understanding about temporary traffic<br />
restrictions and re-routing.”<br />
Traffic flow on the T1 access<br />
roads will also be better managed.<br />
Measures to provide drivers with<br />
better guidance and to keep the<br />
traffic moving at all times will be<br />
implemented. “Due to the existing<br />
high utilisation of T1, we are well<br />
aware of the situation facing drivers<br />
during peak hours. Thus, we are<br />
taking steps to alleviate traffic<br />
congestion, particularly in view of<br />
the growing passenger volumes at<br />
Frankfurt,” added Zieschang.<br />
8 airports of the world
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NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
Edinburgh<br />
Expansion<br />
Part 2<br />
CONSTRUCTION WORK has begun<br />
to expand the immigration hall<br />
at Edinburgh Airport by 6,560sq<br />
ft (609m 2 ) and add a further<br />
baggage reclaim area. The<br />
£50m project will also add more<br />
airbridges and aircraft stands and<br />
is intended to accommodate more<br />
long-haul services. The facilities<br />
are expected to be ready in time for<br />
the introduction of Etihad Airways’<br />
flights from Abu Dhabi on June 8.<br />
The work forms the second stage<br />
of a multi-phase five-year £150m<br />
development; the first phase – a<br />
£25m terminal extension – has<br />
already been completed. The<br />
airport recorded an impressive<br />
90% increase in long-haul traffic<br />
last year, helped by new services<br />
by Qatar Airways, United Airlines<br />
and US Airways and more flights<br />
by Turkish Airlines.<br />
The Prime Minister David<br />
Cameron visited the airport<br />
in January and was shown<br />
the construction site by the<br />
airport’s CEO Gordon Dewar and<br />
its Chairman Sir John Elvidge.<br />
Speaking at the event, Dewar<br />
said: “The work we’ll be carrying<br />
out over the next four years will<br />
transform our airside facilities,<br />
tripling our capacity to handle<br />
bigger aircraft and paving the way<br />
for the next ten years of increased<br />
international connectivity.”<br />
The Prime Minister commented:<br />
“Having first class infrastructure<br />
is a crucial part of our longterm<br />
economic plan to support<br />
business, create jobs and secure<br />
a brighter future for hardworking<br />
families across the country. The<br />
expansion of Edinburgh Airport is<br />
great news for Scotland and for<br />
the whole of the UK.”<br />
WORK ON the PHX Sky Train at<br />
Phoenix/Sky Harbor International<br />
Airport in Arizona has been<br />
completed and the system fully<br />
connects the regional Valley Metro<br />
Rail with the airport’s east economy<br />
parking area and all three terminals.<br />
The city’s Mayor Greg Stanton,<br />
members of the city council, and<br />
Airbus A350 Launched<br />
on Doha-Frankfurt Route<br />
Qatar Airways placed its new Airbus A350 XWB into commercial service on the Doha-<br />
Frankfurt route on January 15. The aircraft, A350-900 A7-ALA (c/n 006), carried out flight<br />
QR068, with the journey taking 6hrs 50mins. For more on the first commercial service see<br />
the <strong>April</strong> issue our sister publication Airliner World. (Fraport)<br />
Phoenix Sky Train Complete<br />
Malta Invests<br />
MALTA INTERNATIONAL Airport<br />
is investing €4m on infrastructure<br />
projects this year. They include<br />
a €2m expansion of the non-<br />
Schengen arrivals area, $900,000<br />
worth of runway, taxiway and apron<br />
improvements, $450,000 for new<br />
back-up generators, €100,000 on<br />
an emergency operations centre<br />
and €520,000 to upgrade the highvoltage<br />
supply network.<br />
The work is necessary as the airport<br />
continues to welcome increasing<br />
numbers of passengers – which last<br />
year reached almost 4.3 million,<br />
up 6.4% on 2013. This year the<br />
Mediterranean island will welcome four<br />
new carriers – Aegean Airlines, Finnair,<br />
Jet2 and Swiss International Air Lines.<br />
airport officials rode on the train<br />
to the last station to be opened<br />
– at Terminal 3 – on December 8<br />
last year to mark completion of<br />
the projects. The new station has<br />
a walkway link to T2.<br />
Mayor Stanton said: “All of Sky<br />
Harbor’s passengers may now<br />
enjoy an easy connection with public<br />
The completed Sky Train system at Phoenix/Sky Harbor<br />
International Airport offers fast and convenient transfer for<br />
passengers. (Phoenix/Sky Harbor International Airport)<br />
transportation, and a convenient ride<br />
between the airport and downtown<br />
Phoenix.” The opening was in time<br />
for the NFL <strong>2015</strong> Super Bowl, which<br />
was played in the city on February<br />
1. The Sky train project was finished<br />
ahead of schedule and under budget,<br />
according to Phoenix Acting Aviation<br />
Director Tamie Fisher.<br />
Taking the Strain at Heathrow<br />
Vanderlande’s new STACK@EASE units are to be introduced at London/Heathrow’s Terminal<br />
3 following a successful trial. (Vanderlande Industries)<br />
DUTCH BAGGAGE handling specialist<br />
Vanderlande Industries has been<br />
awarded a contract to supply and<br />
install 72 STACK@EASE units as<br />
part of London/Heathrow Airport’s<br />
Terminal 3 integrated baggage<br />
(T3IB) system. This follows a recent<br />
successful test of the product at<br />
terminals 3 and 5.<br />
Developed by Vanderlande in<br />
2013, the STACK@EASE is highly<br />
flexible and takes heavy lifting out<br />
of loading operations in baggage<br />
handling environments. It works as<br />
an extension of the handlers’ normal<br />
operations to minimise their physical<br />
workload. This helps to increase<br />
productivity and reduce the risk of<br />
manual handling injuries.<br />
The STACK@EASE unit takes<br />
its power from any standard wall<br />
socket and is a compact design. This<br />
enables it to fit easily into baggage<br />
handling systems with a minimum of<br />
disruption to existing layouts. During<br />
the test, the system proved capable<br />
of maintaining the required load rate<br />
and needed minimal intervention from<br />
the maintenance team. This was<br />
demonstrated to a number of VIPs<br />
– T3IB baggage stakeholders from<br />
Heathrow, Vanderlande and British<br />
Airways – at the test, in which 12 units<br />
were used to load several flights.<br />
10 airports of the world
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
Records tumble at Birmingham<br />
BIRMINGHAM AIRPORT (BHX)<br />
reported 2014 as its busiest-ever year,<br />
ending with another record month in<br />
December. BHX handled 9,707,449<br />
passengers in 2014, 6.5% more than<br />
in 2013. It also celebrated seven<br />
record months – <strong>April</strong>, May, June, July,<br />
August, November and December –<br />
with Dublin, Dubai and Amsterdam<br />
its top three routes. In December,<br />
622,317 passengers travelled through,<br />
up 8.4% year-on-year and the busiest<br />
December since 2008.<br />
The airport’s CEO, Paul Kehoe,<br />
said: “During 2014 we experienced<br />
seven record months and saw the<br />
completion of a major package<br />
of infrastructure works that has<br />
prepared the airport for future<br />
passenger growth. The passenger<br />
records have been achieved as a<br />
result of airlines introducing new<br />
routes and more people realising<br />
the ease of travelling to and through<br />
Birmingham Airport – and the<br />
coming year looks equally exciting<br />
St Athan Busy<br />
as we prepare for American Airlines,<br />
Norwegian and Vueling to start<br />
operations in the summer.<br />
“We also expect Dubai to overtake<br />
Dublin as the most popular<br />
destination this year, as Emirates<br />
get set to launch a third daily service<br />
from August; and with more capacity<br />
being offered by Turkish Airlines,<br />
Air India, SAS, Brussels Airlines,<br />
Aegean, Thomson and Thomas Cook,<br />
travellers can expect more choice<br />
than ever from Birmingham in <strong>2015</strong>.”<br />
IN BRIEF<br />
American Express opened a new lounge<br />
beside Gate 24 at Sydney International<br />
Airport in February. It is for exclusive<br />
use by its premium card members. The<br />
facility is being run by Plaza Premium<br />
and provides guests with complimentary<br />
food and beverages, shower suites, Wi-Fi,<br />
business facilities, flight information<br />
screens, and local and international<br />
magazines and newspapers.<br />
Passenger numbers at Copenhagen<br />
Airport grew by 6.5%, to 25,627,093<br />
last year compared with 2013, the fourth<br />
consecutive record year. There was a<br />
significant rise in transfer passengers<br />
– up by 12.6% – with the highest growth<br />
rates on the important feeder routes from<br />
Stockholm, Oslo and Bergen. International<br />
traffic was up by 6.8% for the year while<br />
domestic traffic rose 2.3%.<br />
Liverpool/John Lennon Airport will welcome<br />
a direct Czech Airlines link from Prague<br />
on May 18. The carrier is expanding its<br />
European network and the Liverpool service<br />
will run year round on weekdays.<br />
Yakutia Cargo Boeing 757-23APF VQ-BOX (c/n 24868) was noted outside Cardiff Aviation’s facility at<br />
MoD St Athan on January 27 following repairs to its tail. Several companies are involved in developing<br />
maintenance, repair and parting out activities at the site near Cardiff Airport, Wales. (Geoff Jones)<br />
SCOTLAND’S REGIONAL airports<br />
enjoyed their busiest year ever in<br />
2014 according to latest figures.<br />
A record 1.4 million passengers<br />
passed through Highlands and<br />
Islands <strong>Airports</strong> Limited’s (HIAL) 11<br />
airports, almost 52,000 more than<br />
the previous year, representing a<br />
3.8% increase.<br />
HIAL’s busiest airport, Inverness,<br />
had its best year since 2008, with<br />
628,526 passengers, up by 1.7% on<br />
2013. This was largely as a result of<br />
growing demand on the Manchester<br />
and Amsterdam routes, which are<br />
increasingly popular alternative<br />
hubs to London, and the launch<br />
of a new link with Dublin, which<br />
offers connections to the United<br />
States and Canada. Latest figures<br />
show passenger numbers on the<br />
Amsterdam route up 14%, while<br />
Manchester’s figures soared by 32%<br />
over the past year.<br />
Sumburgh confirmed its status as<br />
Scotland’s fastest growing major<br />
airport with an 18.2% rise to 319,597<br />
passengers. The airport is about<br />
to undergo further investment<br />
after Scottish Transport Minister<br />
Best Ever Year for HIAL<br />
Derek Mackay gave the go-ahead<br />
for funding for a second phase of<br />
redevelopment.<br />
Barra recorded an 11.5% increase in<br />
the amount of travellers while Islay,<br />
Stornoway and Tiree also enjoyed<br />
strong growth during the year.<br />
There was more modest growth at<br />
Benbecula and Kirkwall. Numbers<br />
fell slightly at Campbeltown and by<br />
19.5% at Dundee, though the decline<br />
has slowed in recent months. At<br />
Wick/John O’Groats traveller levels<br />
HIAL Passenger Statistics<br />
returned to more typical levels for the<br />
airport following a surge in 2013 due<br />
to increased but short- term offshore<br />
helicopter activity.<br />
Managing Director Inglis Lyon said:<br />
“We are delighted with performance<br />
of the group as a whole, particularly<br />
at Sumburgh and Barra, which have<br />
been our fastest growing airports.<br />
The success of these two underlines<br />
the importance of aviation for<br />
business and tourism in our island<br />
communities.”<br />
Airport 2014 2013 % change<br />
Barra 10,560 9,474 11.5<br />
Benbecula 33,367 32,805 1.7<br />
Campbeltown 9,774 9,910 -1.4<br />
Dundee 22,865 28,420 -19.5<br />
Inverness 628,526 617,719 1.7<br />
Islay 28,460 26,981 5.5<br />
Kirkwall 177,419 176,605 0.5<br />
Stornoway 133,094 126,586 5.1<br />
Sumburgh 319,597 270,349 18.2<br />
Tiree 9,880 9,038 9.3<br />
Wick/JoG 32,688 46,433 -29.6<br />
Total 1,406,230 1,354,320 3.8<br />
Singapore/Changi Airport recorded 54.1<br />
million passengers last year, a 0.7%<br />
increase compared with 2013 and the<br />
busiest in its 33-year history. Cargo<br />
volumes were stable at 1.84 million tonnes,<br />
while flight movements dipped 0.7% to<br />
341,390. Airfreight shipments between<br />
Singapore and Japan rose 7.5% yearon-year,<br />
boosted by the commencement<br />
of a new Okinawa-Singapore service by<br />
ANA Cargo. Two of Singapore’s key trade<br />
partners – Australia and China – also<br />
exhibited positive growth of 5.7% and<br />
1.3% respectively.<br />
Last year Prague’s Václav Havel Airport<br />
exceeded the 11 million passengers a year<br />
mark for the first time. The 11,149,926<br />
figure represents a 1.6 % increase<br />
compared with the previous year.<br />
Several new carriers helped to boost<br />
the numbers, including Adria Airways,<br />
Ryanair, Transavia France, Air Transat,<br />
Pegasus Airlines and flydubai.<br />
Portugal’s Lisbon Airport handled more<br />
than 18 million travellers last year –<br />
two million more than 2013 equating<br />
to a rise of 13.5%. This impressive<br />
performance was down to several<br />
factors, among them Turkish Airlines<br />
which is planning to further increase<br />
services between Istanbul, Lisbon and<br />
Porto this year.<br />
Construction has begun on the new Jewel<br />
Changi Airport project in Singapore (see<br />
<strong>Airports</strong> of the World, issue 51, p60).<br />
Mott MacDonald is the building services<br />
consultant for the development, which<br />
will feature attractions, retail offerings, a<br />
hotel and other amenities. Completion is<br />
set for 2018.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 11
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
Vietnamese<br />
Developments<br />
A NEW terminal has opened<br />
at Vinh airport in the Nghe An<br />
Province of Vietnam. Believed to<br />
have cost $56.4m – invested by<br />
operator <strong>Airports</strong> Corporation of<br />
Vietnam – it covers 125,942sq ft<br />
(11,700m 2 ), has 28 check-in desks<br />
and four gates and will raise the<br />
airport’s capacity to 3mppa.<br />
Meanwhile construction has<br />
begun on a new $70m terminal<br />
at Cat Bi International Airport<br />
in Vietnam’s Hai Phong City,<br />
where the existing terminal has<br />
a capacity of 800,000 passengers<br />
a year. The new structure,<br />
designed for both domestic and<br />
international use, will increase this<br />
by 4mppa. Completion is expected<br />
in the fourth quarter of 2016.<br />
airBaltic Celebration<br />
Latvian carrier airBaltic welcomed the one millionth passenger on its Oslo-Riga route on January<br />
6. The lucky person was El na Viša who received a gift upon arriving in Riga – two Business Class<br />
tickets to any of the carrier’s 60 destinations in Europe, the CIS and the Middle East. (airBaltic)<br />
New Airport<br />
for Chengdu<br />
REGULATORY APPROVAL has<br />
been granted for a new $10.8bn<br />
airport to be built in Chengdu,<br />
China. The facility is expected<br />
to have a capacity of 40mppa<br />
and three runways when it<br />
opens in 2025.<br />
The city’s existing Shuangliu<br />
Airport dates from 1938 and,<br />
although expanded and updated,<br />
it is struggling to keep pace with<br />
demand. Last year it handled<br />
37 million passengers, up 12.8%<br />
compared with 2013, and traffic<br />
levels have more than doubled<br />
since 2005. Its current capacity<br />
is also 40mppa – which is<br />
expected to be reached next<br />
year – and it is likely to remain in<br />
use after the new airport opens.<br />
Helsinki<br />
Connects<br />
THE LONG-AWAITED railway<br />
connection between Helsinki Airport<br />
and the Finnish capital’s city centre is<br />
set to become a reality this summer<br />
with the opening of the New Ring Rail<br />
Line. The rail link will also improve<br />
the public transport system across<br />
the region. Additionally it will be an<br />
option for Russian travellers as they<br />
will be able to take the train from St<br />
Petersburg direct to Helsinki Airport.<br />
Construction of the Ring Rail Line,<br />
which is 11 miles (18km) long, started<br />
in 2009 and it is being managed by<br />
the Finnish Transport Agency.<br />
Heathrow’s<br />
Latest A380<br />
The latest carrier to bring the Airbus A380 to London/Heathrow is Etihad Airways. The superjumbo A6-APA (c/n 166), which was introduced<br />
on the route to Abu Dhabi on December 27, is seen arriving at Heathrow two days later. (Richard Vandervord)<br />
Icelandair Arrives in<br />
Birmingham<br />
Icelandair launched flights between Reykjavik and Birmingham Airport on February 5, using its<br />
specially painted Aurora Borealis aircraft – Boeing 757-256 TF-FIU (c/n 26243). The service<br />
offers passengers the chance to transfer to North American flights in Iceland. Welcoming<br />
the inaugural flight was Birmingham Airport’s CEO Paul Kehoe (second from the left), the<br />
Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Shafique Shah (centre) and Icelandair CEO Birkir Hólm<br />
Guðnason (second from the right). (Birmingham Airport)<br />
New Terminal<br />
for Abha<br />
UNITED ARAB Emirates (UAE)<br />
construction company Al Jaber<br />
Group has been awarded a $479m<br />
contract to build a new terminal<br />
at Abha Regional Airport in<br />
Saudi Arabia. The 282,000sq ft<br />
(26,198m 2 ) structure will have a<br />
capacity of 5mppa and be equipped<br />
with 20 airbridges. The apron will<br />
accommodate a maximum of 26<br />
aircraft and a 2,800-space multistorey<br />
car park will be included.<br />
Chairman of Al Jaber Group,<br />
His Excellency Obaid Khaleefa<br />
Al Jaber Al Marri, said: “Al<br />
Jaber Group’s Saudi branch is<br />
witnessing substantial growth<br />
since we started our operations<br />
in Riyadh last year. We were<br />
able to compete and win sizable<br />
projects, including the Abha<br />
Airport development project.”<br />
SkyTeam<br />
Lounge at<br />
Sydney<br />
THE SKYTEAM airline alliance has<br />
introduced a new lounge at Sydney<br />
Airport, Australia, the group’s third. It<br />
can seat 140 guests and has charging<br />
points for electrical devices, free Wi-Fi,<br />
a TV room, a fully equipped business<br />
area, a ‘wellness centre’ with showers<br />
and four full-body massage chairs as<br />
well as the usual complimentary food<br />
and beverages. It also offers excellent<br />
views across the airport.<br />
It is open to Elite Plus, and First and<br />
Business Class passengers flying with<br />
the seven SkyTeam airlines currently<br />
serving Sydney. Plaza Premium<br />
Lounge Management Limited will run<br />
the facility on behalf of the alliance.<br />
SkyTeam Managing Director Michael<br />
Wisbrun said: “It’s a great way to kick<br />
off our 15th anniversary year."<br />
12 airports of the world
New Iraqi Airport<br />
A NEW airport, primarily for cargo use,<br />
is to be built to serve Iraq’s Diwaniya<br />
governorate (province) following the<br />
award of a 45-year contract to build and<br />
run the facility to Kuwait firm Al Nasriyah.<br />
Construction of the $1.35bn airport will<br />
be in three phases and will include a<br />
surrounding aerotropolis featuring<br />
industry and recreational areas. It is<br />
estimated the development will generate<br />
more than 8,000 jobs. Phase one is<br />
valued at $420m and includes the<br />
main airport infrastructure and a free<br />
trade zone. Work is expected to start<br />
imminently with the first phase taking<br />
just over two years to finish and the<br />
entire project completed in five years.<br />
A single 11,811ft (3,600m) runway<br />
will be able to handle the world’s<br />
largest aircraft.<br />
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
World’s Shortest<br />
International Flights<br />
Approval for Second<br />
Suvarnabhumi Terminal<br />
AIRPORTS OF Thailand (AoT) has<br />
approved the construction of a<br />
second terminal and a third runway at<br />
Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. The<br />
projects are expected to cost $1.47bn,<br />
with the runway due to be completed<br />
in 2017 and the terminal two years<br />
later. The 870,000sq ft (80,823m 2 )<br />
building will increase capacity by<br />
20mppa to 65mppa and will have<br />
car park space for 3,000 vehicles. It<br />
will be connected to the rest of the<br />
airport by a monorail system.<br />
The extra runway will be used mainly<br />
to allow repairs to be carried out<br />
on the other two without affecting<br />
Vancouver<br />
Opens<br />
Extended<br />
Domestic<br />
Terminal<br />
THE VANCOUVER Airport Authority<br />
has inaugurated its A-B Connector,<br />
expanding the domestic terminal at<br />
Vancouver International Airport,<br />
British Columbia, Canada. The<br />
CAN$213m facility has increased<br />
gate capacity, provided ten more<br />
shops and restaurants, added a<br />
Plaza Premium pay-per-use lounge<br />
and upgraded the baggage handling<br />
system – which enables faster<br />
baggage transfer between domestic<br />
and international flights.<br />
Craig Richmond, the authority’s<br />
President and CEO, said: “We’re<br />
proud to deliver this project on plan<br />
and on budget. Vancouver Airport<br />
is facing increased competition from<br />
other airports and both travellers<br />
and airlines have choices. To remain<br />
competitive and continue to be<br />
an economic generator and jobs<br />
creator for British Columbia, we<br />
must continue to invest in projects<br />
that make it easier and faster for<br />
passengers and their baggage to<br />
move through the airport.”<br />
flight schedules – and ultimately to<br />
accommodate traffic growth.<br />
Meanwhile AoT has been<br />
restructuring part of the terminal<br />
interior to provide more space for<br />
airline lounges. An 18,000sq ft<br />
(1,672m 2 ) area near Concourse D<br />
has been set aside for the project and<br />
will be divided between three carriers<br />
– Thai Airways International, Bangkok<br />
Airways and Singapore Airlines as<br />
well as the Louis’ Tavern Transit<br />
Hotel. Qatar Airways will also add a<br />
new lounge – its second outside Doha<br />
after London/Heathrow, on which it<br />
will be modelled.<br />
LAX Qantas Lounge<br />
AUSTRALIAN FLAG carrier Qantas<br />
has opened a new First Class<br />
lounge at Los Angeles International<br />
Airport. The facility is modelled<br />
on its existing flagship lounges in<br />
Melbourne and Sydney and seats<br />
221 customers. Covering 17,500sq<br />
ft (1,626m 2 ) the lounge includes a<br />
74-seat à la carte restaurant, free<br />
Wi-Fi, business facilities, cable<br />
television, two private work suites<br />
and seven shower rooms. Furnishing<br />
is to a high standard with marbled<br />
floors, American oak walls, Tai Ping<br />
wool carpets and a 48ft (14.6m)<br />
Fly Niki will perform the world’s shortest international flights when it introduces services<br />
between Vienna and Bratislava. (AirTeamImages.com/Alun Morris Jones)<br />
FLY NIKI is to introduce the shortest<br />
international flights in the world after<br />
opening a base at Bratislava Airport<br />
in Slovakia. As well as starting flights<br />
to Brussels and Palma, the carrier<br />
will fly to its base in Vienna, Austria<br />
– just 31 miles (50km) away. The<br />
carrier will position Embraer 190s<br />
from Vienna to Bratislava, and from<br />
<strong>April</strong> 1 will serve the route up to<br />
six times a week. This will allow<br />
Carrara marble bar.<br />
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said<br />
at the opening: “The new lounge<br />
is more than triple the size of the<br />
previous space, and the design and<br />
service is equal to the world’s best<br />
five star hotels and restaurants.<br />
Lounges are important to our<br />
international customers’ journey,<br />
which is why we have drawn on the<br />
knowledge of world leading experts,<br />
such as designer Marc Newson and<br />
Qantas chef Neil Perry, to deliver the<br />
most luxurious experience before<br />
people even step on board.”<br />
The bar in the new Qantas lounge at Los Angeles International Airport. (Qantas)<br />
Bratislava passengers to transfer<br />
to other Fly Niki services in Vienna.<br />
The connection to Brussels<br />
is significant because Slovakia<br />
assumes the European Union Council<br />
presidency in July 2016, so the link<br />
will take on added importance.<br />
Services to the Belgian capital will<br />
be by E190s, although the Palma<br />
flights, due to start on May 2, will<br />
be by Airbus A320.<br />
Modular<br />
Hotel for<br />
Bristol<br />
BRISTOL AIRPORT is to have a<br />
modular hotel, provided by CIMC<br />
(China International Marine<br />
Containers) and due to open in<br />
the spring of next year. It will be<br />
part of the Hilton Worldwide range<br />
under the economy Hampton by<br />
Hilton brand and will be financed<br />
and owned by CIMC. The hotel, the<br />
airport’s first, will have 201 rooms.<br />
The modular technique reduces<br />
construction time, according<br />
to CIMC, with the component<br />
parts manufactured in China<br />
and then assembled on site. The<br />
airport’s CEO, Robert Sinclair,<br />
commented: “The development<br />
of a high-quality on-site hotel to<br />
be operated under such a worldrenowned<br />
brand will be a very<br />
welcome addition to our facilities<br />
for the growing number of<br />
passengers choosing to fly to and<br />
from Bristol Airport. Alongside<br />
the terminal extension currently<br />
under construction, this is another<br />
statement of our ambition to be<br />
a world-class regional airport<br />
serving the southwest of the UK.”<br />
www.airportsworld.com 13
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
Metro Link<br />
for Liberty?<br />
THE PORT Authority of New York<br />
and New Jersey has granted a<br />
$6.4m three-year contract to HNTB<br />
Corporation to examine a proposal<br />
to extend the PATH (Port Authority<br />
Trans-Hudson) Metro to Newark<br />
Liberty International Airport.<br />
The authority recommended the<br />
project in 2012 and has included it<br />
in its latest $27.6bn ten-year capital<br />
plan, launched in February. It has<br />
asked HNTB to come up with a more<br />
accurate cost estimate for the Metro<br />
extension, currently estimated at<br />
$1.5bn. If the go-ahead is given,<br />
work could start in 2018 and take<br />
five years to complete.<br />
The extension would run beside<br />
the Northeast Corridor main line<br />
from Newark Penn Station to the<br />
airport’s mainline station. The<br />
latter would be an interchange<br />
between PATH, AirTrain monorail<br />
and NJ Transit services.<br />
Bratislava Welcomes flydubai<br />
Dubai-based flydubai has introduced three flights a week between the Middle East and the Slovakian capital Bratislava. Cutting the ribbon after<br />
the arrival of the inaugural service from Dubai are, from left to right: Director VIP services Bratislava Airport Dana Madunická, flydubai CEO Ghaith Al<br />
Ghaith and the airline’s Vice President Commercial Operations Jeyhun Efendi. (Bratislava Airport)<br />
MARSHALL AVIATION Services,<br />
the business aviation-focused arm<br />
of the Marshall Aerospace and<br />
Defence Group, has acquired the<br />
executive aviation handling facility<br />
(FBO) at Birmingham Airport and<br />
will formally open for business<br />
within the next few months. The<br />
company has agreed a long-term<br />
lease of the FBO which was built<br />
in 2011 and is to the west of the<br />
main terminal. The glass-fronted<br />
444,000sq ft 4,088m 2 ) facility<br />
includes hangar space, which<br />
New FBO at Birmingham<br />
will be available both to resident<br />
and visiting aircraft. Under the<br />
previous operator, the facility was<br />
named Best Handling Agent/FBO<br />
by industry peers of the Baltic Air<br />
Charter Association (BACA) in 2013.<br />
It is regularly used by executive<br />
charter operators Cello Aviation and<br />
FlairJet. Marshall Aviation Services’<br />
aircraft operations, charter and<br />
management company, will also<br />
have a presence and the facility will<br />
continue to provide fuel via Avfuel.<br />
The company intends to position the<br />
facility as a world-class FBO, offering<br />
comprehensive amenities for both<br />
flight crew and passengers, including<br />
crew rest facilities, flight planning<br />
rooms, prayer room and visitor or<br />
residential crew offices. Marshall<br />
is to work closely with Birmingham<br />
Airport to increase business through<br />
the FBO, including offering business<br />
jet travel for premium passengers<br />
arriving on long-haul flights and<br />
needing onward connections within<br />
the UK or Europe.<br />
Birmingham Airport’s Head of<br />
Property, Melanie Cameron said:<br />
“It is a very exciting time for us, with<br />
record passenger numbers and the<br />
recent completion of a multi-million<br />
pound redevelop programme to<br />
allow for the growth of our long-haul<br />
route network so we are delighted<br />
to welcome the Marshall team this<br />
year. The new operation will provide<br />
first class facilities for airlines and<br />
passengers, and aviation business<br />
services that are much needed in<br />
the Midlands to support the thriving<br />
local economy.”<br />
Lithuanian<br />
<strong>Airports</strong>’<br />
Record Start<br />
PASSENGER NUMBERS using<br />
Lithuania’s airports increased by<br />
16.5% during January, compared<br />
with the same month in 2014.<br />
Kaunas Airport served 29%<br />
more passengers, Vilnius Airport<br />
15% and Palanga Airport 0.2%.<br />
Totals for the three facilities<br />
were 44,000, 203,500 and 9,000<br />
passengers respectively.<br />
Gediminas Almantas, Chief<br />
Executive Officer of SE<br />
Lithuanian <strong>Airports</strong>, said: “The<br />
beginning of this year is really<br />
record-breaking for us – the<br />
number of passengers at all the<br />
three airports has significantly<br />
exceeded last year’s result.<br />
Dedicated Parking in Salzburg<br />
Women travelling alone have been provided with a dedicated parking area at Salzburg Airport in Austria.<br />
The ‘Frauenparkplatz’ is on the ground floor close to the exits and is designed to make lone female<br />
travellers feel more secure by reducing time spent within the multi-storey car park. (Jan Blazej)<br />
Transatlantic<br />
A321neo Could<br />
Help <strong>Airports</strong><br />
AIRBUS OFFICIALLY launched its<br />
A321neo variant with a 97 tonnes<br />
maximum take-off weight (MTOW)<br />
on January 13 after securing its<br />
first commitment from Air Lease<br />
Corporation (ALC). This latest variant<br />
of the A320 Family will have the<br />
longest range of any single-aisle<br />
airliner available or in the near<br />
future, according to the European<br />
manufacturer, allowing it to fly up<br />
to 4,598 miles (7,400km) – ideal for<br />
transatlantic routes. It will also allow<br />
airlines to tap into new long-haul<br />
markets that were not previously<br />
accessible with the current<br />
generation of single-aisle aircraft. It<br />
could potentially open opportunities<br />
for new city pairs across the Atlantic,<br />
notably for smaller regional airports.<br />
14 airports of the world
NEWS<br />
LATEST UPDATES<br />
Australian Master<br />
Plans Approved<br />
Workpods Arrive at Gatwick<br />
THE AUSTRALIAN Government<br />
has approved four major master<br />
plans for the airports in Adelaide,<br />
Brisbane, Canberra and Perth.<br />
Adelaide is intended to benefit<br />
from significant investment in<br />
infrastructure, including expanding<br />
the southern end of the main<br />
terminal, increasing the size of the<br />
international arrivals hall, adding<br />
more gates, enlarging the security<br />
screening area, opening more retail<br />
outlets and airline lounges, building<br />
a hotel, as well as supporting an<br />
airport business district. During the<br />
next five years around AU$1bn will be<br />
invested, creating up to 3,500 jobs.<br />
Approval was also granted to<br />
Brisbane Airport Corporation’s<br />
(BAC) 20-year master plan for<br />
the airport in Queenstown. Up to<br />
AU$3.8bn is to be invested during<br />
the next decade to expand the<br />
terminal and improve transport<br />
infrastructure and includes a fiveyear<br />
environment strategy. The<br />
projects will enable the airport to<br />
handle up to 48mppa by 2034.<br />
Julieanne Alroe, BAC’s CEO and<br />
Managing Director said: “We are very<br />
pleased the Australian Government<br />
has approved our 20-year vision for<br />
Brisbane Airport which will help us<br />
achieve our goal of becoming a more<br />
important gateway for Australia<br />
in the future. We’re particularly<br />
proud of the extensive consultative<br />
approach taken with this master<br />
plan and efforts to present the<br />
community with comprehensive<br />
aircraft noise information, setting<br />
a benchmark in this field.”<br />
Meanwhile Perth Airport in<br />
Western Australia is celebrating<br />
the approval of its master plan.<br />
It includes adding a third runway,<br />
a rail link to the city and a new<br />
international pier over the next<br />
five years. Brad Geatches, Perth<br />
Airport’s CEO said: “The master<br />
plan recognises the airport needs<br />
to develop integrated proposals that<br />
complement Perth’s broader urban<br />
and infrastructure ideas, and take<br />
into account the impact of airport<br />
development on surrounding<br />
communities and the environment.”<br />
Finally the government has also<br />
approved Canberra Airport’s 2014<br />
Master Plan, outlining its strategic<br />
direction for the next 20 years. This<br />
includes a focus on attracting more<br />
flights to international destinations<br />
and increasing services by LCCs.<br />
Improvements to taxiways and<br />
aprons as well as transportation and<br />
road infrastructure are also outlined.<br />
Deputy Prime Minister and<br />
Minister for Infrastructure and<br />
Regional Development Warren<br />
Truss commented: “Canberra<br />
Airport boasts the nation’s newest<br />
passenger terminal and the<br />
commencement of international<br />
flights as outlined in the 2014 Master<br />
Plan will be an important step in<br />
promoting the Canberra region as a<br />
jewel in the nation’s tourism crown.”<br />
The Regus Workpod has been introduced in the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport, offering<br />
business travellers a quite place to work before flying. (Regus)<br />
WORKPLACE PROVIDER Regus has<br />
introduced its first Workpods at<br />
Gatwick Airport. Situated airside<br />
in the South Terminal, the pods<br />
are a private workspace, tailormade<br />
to provide business travellers<br />
somewhere quiet to work whilst<br />
waiting for their flight. Each pod<br />
gives access to Wi-Fi, a comfortable<br />
desk and seat, power and mobile<br />
chargers, computer screen and a<br />
telephone for UK calls. Users can<br />
book the Workpod on the spot using<br />
a credit card or online on the Regus<br />
website in advance. Half an hour<br />
costs £10 plus VAT.<br />
Global Managing Director of Regus<br />
Third Place, Phil Kemp said: “Workpods<br />
offer business travellers everything<br />
they need when working on the move:<br />
a quiet space to check emails, make<br />
that last call or concentrate on urgent<br />
work before they fly. We know that<br />
more and more people need to work<br />
on the move, and this is another way<br />
of helping our customers maximise<br />
their productivity.”<br />
London Gatwick’s Chief Commercial<br />
Officer, Guy Stephenson, added:<br />
“Business travel continues to grow at<br />
Gatwick, with one in five passengers<br />
now travelling on business to a range<br />
of destinations. The Regus Workpods<br />
will be another key addition to the<br />
modern new facilities we offer<br />
business passengers every step of<br />
the way from the office to the plane.”<br />
It is planned to introduce the<br />
Workpods in the Gatwick North<br />
terminal this year.<br />
Fortnum & Mason at Heathrow<br />
Among the new luxury brands recently unveiled at London/Heathrow’s Terminal 5 are Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Rolex, Bottega Veneta and<br />
Fortnum & Mason. This marks the culmination of a £40m investment that has raised the number of fashion and luxury brands to 22. The<br />
first Fortnum & Mason store and bar at an airport is an exciting world exclusive for Heathrow. (Fortnum & Mason)<br />
LAX Satellite<br />
Award<br />
LOS ANGELES World <strong>Airports</strong><br />
(LAWA) has placed a $960m<br />
contract with a Turner-PCL joint<br />
venture, in collaboration with<br />
Corgan and Gensler, for the design<br />
and construction of its Midfield<br />
Satellite Concourse (MSC) North at<br />
Los Angeles International Airport.<br />
Work will be split into two phases<br />
and should be completed in 2020.<br />
Sited 1,300ft (396m) west of<br />
the Tom Bradley International<br />
Terminal (TBIT), the satellite<br />
will feature an 800,000sq ft<br />
(74,320m 2 ) five-level concourse<br />
with 11 gates and will be able<br />
to handle Code F aircraft – the<br />
Airbus A380 and Boeing 747-8I.<br />
Airport infrastructure, such as<br />
new taxiways, aprons, utilities<br />
and surface roads, will also be<br />
included. The MSC will be linked<br />
to the TBIT by a tunnel.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 15
INDUSTRY COLUMN<br />
BRUCE HALES-DUTTON<br />
Unmanned<br />
As access to remotely piloted air systems becomes available to the<br />
masses, Bruce Hales-Dutton examines the risks they pose to commercial<br />
aviation after a close encounter near London/Heathrow last year.<br />
and<br />
Remotely-piloted<br />
aircraft or systems,<br />
more commonly<br />
if not quite<br />
correctly referred<br />
to as ‘drones’,<br />
are becomingly<br />
increasingly<br />
common as<br />
prices drop and<br />
capabilities increase.<br />
(Wikimedia<br />
Commons/<br />
Jaypatravali)<br />
The word ‘drone’ is frequently in the<br />
news these days. Usually it refers to<br />
military unmanned aerial systems<br />
but commercially available remotely<br />
piloted vehicles are becoming increasingly<br />
popular – whether for fun or for business<br />
purposes, but there’s now growing concern<br />
that in the wrong hands they could pose a<br />
serious threat to civil aviation.<br />
Last July there was a serious airprox<br />
incident near London/Heathrow involving<br />
an Airbus A320 and an unidentified object,<br />
believed to have been a small radiocontrolled<br />
helicopter. Although the incident<br />
was not that widely reported, the release<br />
in December of the UK Airprox Board’s<br />
findings about the encounter, generated<br />
considerable publicity. Inevitably, there<br />
was some consternation within the industry,<br />
especially when it was realised that there’d<br />
been a similar incident earlier in the year,<br />
coupled with reports of booming sales of<br />
such models.<br />
To those who still regard model aircraft<br />
as flimsy confections of balsa wood and<br />
tissue paper which reward their builders, if<br />
they’re skilful or lucky enough, with a few<br />
stuttering yards of flight, this might have<br />
seemed somewhat surprising. But new<br />
technology is transforming them. Suddenly<br />
model aircraft have become unmanned<br />
aerial vehicles or as the media loves to label<br />
them, drones. Such craft have morphed<br />
into a threat to life and limb, especially<br />
when they blunder into controlled airspace<br />
and come into conflict with airliners.<br />
The Airprox Board, which investigates<br />
reports of near mid-air collisions filed by<br />
pilots and air traffic controllers, considered<br />
there was a definite risk of collision when<br />
“a small black object” came too close to an<br />
airliner approaching London’s Heathrow<br />
airport. The pilot of the A320 on short<br />
finals for Runway 09L reported passing<br />
through 700ft (213m) when he saw what<br />
appeared to be a small radio-controlled<br />
helicopter. It passed just 20ft (6m) over<br />
the airliner’s wing.<br />
In dry official prose the board’s report<br />
noted: “the object did not strike his aircraft<br />
and he made a normal landing, but it was<br />
a distraction during a critical phase of<br />
flight.” It added: “ATC was informed of the<br />
object’s presence and following aircraft<br />
were notified.”<br />
When they considered the incident,<br />
which happened in July 2014, the board’s<br />
members were “satisfied that the A320<br />
crew had seen a model helicopter.” They<br />
were unanimous “that the operator of the<br />
model had chosen to fly it in an entirely<br />
inappropriate location.” Due to the risk<br />
posed by the event the board placed<br />
it into its category A, the most serious<br />
of three. The report noted: “That the<br />
dangers associated with flying such a<br />
model in close proximity to a commercial<br />
air transport aircraft in the final stages<br />
of landing were not self-evident was a<br />
cause for considerable concern. Members<br />
re-iterated that anyone operating an air<br />
vehicle of whatever kind had to do so with<br />
due consideration for regulation<br />
and for other airspace users,<br />
and preferably under the<br />
auspices of an established<br />
association or club.”<br />
A jointly-issued statement<br />
by the British Airline Pilots’<br />
Association (BALPA), the Association<br />
of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (ARPAS-<br />
UK), the British Model Flying Association<br />
(BMFA) and drone training specialists<br />
EuroUSC and Resource Group said: “Drones<br />
are a growing technology which we believe<br />
is here to stay.” The statement noted that<br />
such craft brought “significant” potential<br />
economic, technological and societal<br />
benefits. But, it added: “The safety of<br />
people both in the air and on the ground<br />
must come first.”<br />
In May 2014 the pilot of an ATR turboprop<br />
reported seeing a helicopter drone only<br />
80ft (24m) away as he approached<br />
Southend airport at a height of 1,500ft<br />
(457m). Jim McAuslan, BALPA’s general<br />
secretary said: “A small drone could be a<br />
risky distraction for a pilot coming in to<br />
land and cause serious damage if they hit<br />
one. The risk of a 22lb [10kg] object hitting<br />
a plane is a real one that pilots are very<br />
concerned about.” The Airport Operator’s<br />
Association declined to comment.<br />
According to the BBC News website,<br />
commercially available drones are in<br />
great demand, with UK sales running at<br />
a rate of between 1,000 and 2,000 every<br />
month. “They are expected to be very<br />
popular Christmas presents,” the BBC<br />
noted in December.” One police force felt<br />
sufficiently concerned about the prospect<br />
of remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS)<br />
for ‘kids of all ages’ to issue a statement<br />
just before Christmas warning against the<br />
indiscriminate use of such devices. Those<br />
‘lucky enough’ to be given an RPAS need to<br />
be aware that it should only be operated in<br />
accordance with the law, Essex police said.<br />
The appropriately-named RC Geeks, based<br />
at Crawley in West Sussex close to Gatwick<br />
Airport, advertises a range of ‘quadcopters’<br />
priced from £36 to £940. The top of the<br />
range Phantom Plus v 3.0 with its four<br />
battery-driven rotors offers 25 minutes of<br />
flight time, weighs 43oz (1,242g) and has a<br />
motor-to-motor diagonal measurement of<br />
14 inches (35cm). According to the retailer,<br />
16 airports of the world
INDUSTRY COLUMN<br />
BRUCE HALES-DUTTON<br />
Dangerous<br />
this device “is simple to set up and easy<br />
to fly, making it the first aerial film-making<br />
system for everyone”. It adds: “Now you<br />
can shoot fully stabilised video from the sky,<br />
right out of the box.” The built-in three-axis<br />
camera stabilisation system is claimed to<br />
bring “a whole new level of smoothness to<br />
your aerials and gives you total creative<br />
freedom in the sky”.<br />
So who would want access to such aerial<br />
creativity? According to the on-line<br />
Property Industry Eye newsletter, drones<br />
are increasingly being used by ‘high end’<br />
estate agents as a cheaper alternative to<br />
helicopter hire to get aerial shots.<br />
The UK CAA has pointed out that under<br />
the Air Navigation Order it’s illegal to<br />
fly unmanned aircraft over a congested<br />
area or within 164ft (50m) of a person,<br />
vehicle, building or structure. The CAA<br />
warns that it will prosecute people using<br />
drones for commercial purposes without<br />
a licence. To get permission, companies<br />
have to submit an operations manual<br />
to the CAA demonstrating how they<br />
intend to use the unmanned aircraft. In<br />
addition, the person using the device<br />
has to be qualified, having passed an<br />
approved training course. They also<br />
need liability insurance.<br />
Meanwhile, the University of<br />
Birmingham’s Policy Commission has<br />
conducted research into remotely piloted<br />
aircraft led by Sir David Omand, a former<br />
head of the GCHQ intelligence centre.<br />
There are, it says, significant safety,<br />
security and privacy concerns: drones<br />
could be used for criminal or terrorist<br />
purposes. It wants urgent measures to<br />
safeguard British airspace and privacy.<br />
Unmanned aircraft are reported to have<br />
been flown over major cities and towns as<br />
well as at a variety of public events, such<br />
as football matches. The BBC quoted Chris<br />
Wilkinson, director of a Nottingham-based<br />
company which uses drones to film legally,<br />
as warning that, with such devices now<br />
easier to obtain, “in the wrong hands they<br />
could cause injury or death”.<br />
The CAA insists that the Heathrow and<br />
Southend incidents are the only recent ones<br />
to involve miniature aircraft and airliners.<br />
It was, though, sufficiently concerned<br />
to issue a leaflet specifically directed at<br />
model helicopter operators, warning them<br />
to stay well clear of airports and airfields.<br />
Operators, it says, are legally responsible<br />
for the safe conduct of each flight. It added<br />
its campaign has been supported by the<br />
BMFA. “They’ve been very supportive,”<br />
an authority spokesman told <strong>Airports</strong> of<br />
the World. The association says its policy<br />
is to support lawful model flying which<br />
includes recreational aerial photography and<br />
“first person view” while distancing itself<br />
from unlawful activity. But it acknowledges<br />
that the latest technology has blurred the<br />
distinction between traditional sporting<br />
and recreational model flying and aerial<br />
work, which is not recognised as being<br />
anything to do with model aircraft. There is,<br />
the association, says, a grey area between<br />
the two existing definitions. As a result,<br />
there will be a new category called data,<br />
development and display activity which<br />
can trigger an extension of the £25 million<br />
insurance cover offered to members.<br />
The BMFA says the new technology has<br />
changed what’s possible with model aircraft<br />
with the “ready availability of equipment<br />
capable of capturing high-quality stills<br />
and film footage in easy-to-operate and<br />
often ready-to-fly packages”. But there<br />
are indications that technology has the<br />
potential to make incidents, such as the<br />
recent Heathrow airprox, a thing of the past.<br />
At least one manufacturer of quadcopters<br />
is embedding global positioning system<br />
co-ordinates into its devices to ensure they<br />
can’t blunder into airport control zones and<br />
others may follow.<br />
The CAA spokesman said: “If an attempt<br />
is made to operate the aircraft within a<br />
CTZ [Controlled Traffic Zone] it won’t<br />
take off.” That’s reassuring no doubt,<br />
but in the US things seem to be moving<br />
in a different direction. Small unmanned<br />
aircraft have been reported flying near<br />
airports and aircraft across the US.<br />
This has prompted calls for low-altitude<br />
airspace to be opened up to legal drone<br />
activity (Ed: presumably so it can be<br />
controlled and monitored?).<br />
NASA is developing a system to provide<br />
UAV users with an internet portal to file<br />
trajectories and check them for weather,<br />
obstacles and other traffic. Airspace<br />
operators will be able to geo-fence areas,<br />
authenticate users and issue an ‘all land’<br />
order in an emergency. Early work on the<br />
web interface has begun in Alaska.<br />
The fact is that whatever we choose to call<br />
them, remotely controlled aircraft, whether<br />
flying for pleasure or commercial purposes,<br />
are here to stay. So we’d better get used to<br />
them and come up with ways to ensure<br />
safety isn’t compromised.<br />
The risk of a<br />
‘drone’ colliding<br />
with a commercial<br />
airliner is very real.<br />
Everything must<br />
be done to prevent<br />
their use in sensitive<br />
areas. (Key – Barry<br />
Woods-Turner)<br />
www.airportsworld.com 17
FEATURE<br />
BELFAST<br />
Belfast<br />
International<br />
The primary airport serving much of Northern Ireland is<br />
Belfast International. Paul B Anderson discovers it<br />
is striving to increase its range of destinations.<br />
Low-cost<br />
carrier easyJet<br />
began serving<br />
BFS in 1998 and<br />
has increased its<br />
flights considerably.<br />
Airbus A319-111<br />
G-EZBF (c/n 2923)<br />
comes in to land.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Danish<br />
Aviation Photo)<br />
Buses provide<br />
a public transport<br />
option to the city<br />
centre and there is<br />
a possibility a rail<br />
connection might<br />
eventually be added.<br />
(All photos author<br />
unless stated)<br />
18 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
BELFAST<br />
Arriving at Belfast International<br />
Airport you can get the<br />
impression of either a very busy<br />
place or one that is quite the<br />
opposite. It all depends upon the time<br />
of day. If you arrive early in the morning<br />
it will be very busy at check-in, security<br />
and in the shops and refreshment outlets.<br />
The airline with the most flights, easyJet,<br />
has many early morning departures. The<br />
sole intercontinental flight of the day,<br />
to Newark/Liberty, New Jersey, departs<br />
at about 11:00 and employs the largest<br />
aircraft to use the airport on a regular<br />
basis – a United Airlines Boeing 757-<br />
200. After all these departures, activity<br />
tapers off and is spread throughout the<br />
afternoon and early evening. The late<br />
evening arrivals, again mostly easyJet<br />
flights, keep things busy in the baggage<br />
claim area up until midnight.<br />
History<br />
The airport site was originally selected<br />
in November 1917 as a Royal Flying Corps<br />
training site during World War One. It<br />
became RAF Aldergrove upon the formation<br />
of the Royal Air Force the following year.<br />
Hangars and buildings from the military<br />
days can be seen opposite today’s terminal.<br />
Civil traffic began in 1922 with newspaper<br />
flights and in 1933 scheduled passenger<br />
services started with connections to<br />
Glasgow by Midland and Scottish Air<br />
Ferries. During World War Two, RAF<br />
Aldergrove was used by Coastal Command.<br />
The four runways were too short for the<br />
largest aircraft and two longer ones were<br />
constructed. These form the basis of the<br />
present runway configuration.<br />
There was an interim period after the<br />
conflict when another wartime airfield,<br />
Nutts Corner (only three miles away)<br />
was used as Belfast’s civil airport. This<br />
airfield was too small for the emerging<br />
turboprop and jet aircraft and could not<br />
easily be expanded. A decision was made<br />
to return civil activity to Aldergrove and<br />
a terminal and apron, along with car<br />
parks and related facilities were built.<br />
The transfer of flights from Nutts Corner<br />
took place on September 26, 1963 and<br />
the first passenger service to land at<br />
A multi-language welcome to Belfast greets<br />
passengers as they leave the airport.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 19
FEATURE<br />
BELFAST<br />
The obligatory newsagent provides passengers with a last chance to pick up something to read on their flight.<br />
A busy time at check-in, with the easyJet desks in the foreground. (Wikimedia Commons/Ardfern)<br />
Airline and Destinations<br />
Carrier<br />
Destinations<br />
easyJet<br />
Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Bristol,<br />
Edinburgh, Faro, Gatwick, Geneva, Glasgow, Ibiza, Jersey, Krakow,<br />
Liverpool, London/Luton, London/Stansted, Malaga, Malta, Manchester,<br />
Newcastle, Nice, Palma Majorca, Paris/CDG<br />
Jet2.com<br />
Alicante, Dubrovnik, Geneva, Faro, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Menorca, Malaga,<br />
Murcia, Palma Majorca, Pisa, Reus, Tenerife<br />
Thomas Cook Alicante, Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Faro, Heraklion, Ibiza, Lanzarote,<br />
Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Palma, Reus, Tenerife<br />
Thomas Cook Airlines Orlando<br />
Thomson Airways Burgas, Dalaman, Faro, Grenoble, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Lapland, Las Palmas,<br />
Lourdes, Menorca, Malaga, Palma, Reus, Tenerife<br />
United Airlines Newark/Liberty<br />
Aldergrove was a British European Airways<br />
(BEA) Vickers Viscount from Manchester.<br />
The formal opening took place on<br />
October 28, 1963 when The Queen<br />
dedicated the new terminal. Regular jet<br />
services started on January 4, 1966 with<br />
a British United BAC One-Eleven flight<br />
to London/Gatwick. Two years later, Aer<br />
Lingus and British Overseas Airways<br />
Corporation (BOAC) introduced jet flights<br />
to New York; the Aer Lingus service went<br />
via Shannon and the BOAC connection via<br />
Glasgow/Prestwick.<br />
In 1969, passenger numbers reached the<br />
one million mark for the first time and<br />
the following year a plan was unveiled to<br />
extend the main Runway 07/25 by more<br />
than 3,000ft (915m) to 9,121ft (2,780m).<br />
A new organisation, Northern Ireland<br />
<strong>Airports</strong>, took over running the facility<br />
from the UK Department of Trade and<br />
Industry in 1971.<br />
A 747 Jumbo Jet was used on a charter<br />
flight to Toronto, Canada, via Shannon,<br />
on July 3, 1977, proving the airport<br />
could handle large aircraft, if necessary.<br />
Expansion into the European market came<br />
in 1980 when KLM Cityhopper introduced<br />
flights from Amsterdam/Schiphol.<br />
The airport was renamed Belfast<br />
International (BFS) in 1983 and in the<br />
same year a dedicated international<br />
pier was completed. Check-in facilities<br />
were relocated and the first travelator<br />
installed. In 1984 passenger numbers<br />
reached 1.5 million and the same year<br />
BFS welcomed British Midland flights from<br />
London/Heathrow, which competed with<br />
British Airways. Three years later annual<br />
passenger numbers reached two million.<br />
(Not for airborne or<br />
operational use –<br />
Navtech Aerad)<br />
20 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
BELFAST<br />
Privatisation came to BFS on July 20,<br />
1984. A management buy-out created<br />
Belfast International Airport Holdings<br />
and among its first investments was a<br />
new cargo centre, which opened in 1991.<br />
Another change of ownership occurred<br />
on August 13, 1996 when BFS was sold to<br />
TBI, a subsidiary of Airport Concessions<br />
and Development Limited (ACDL),<br />
owned by Spanish companies Abertis<br />
Infraestructuras SA and AENA Desarrollo<br />
Internacional SA.<br />
The low cost sector made its debut at<br />
BFS in 1998 when London/Luton-based<br />
easyJet introduced flights. It helped boost<br />
demand and the following year the airport<br />
welcomed three million passengers for<br />
the first time and by 2004 it had soared<br />
to 4.5 million.<br />
During the ‘Farewell to the UK’ tour of<br />
the British Airways Concorde fleet, Chief<br />
Concorde pilot, Mike Bannister, flew aircraft<br />
G-BOAC, into Belfast International for a<br />
day of celebration of the aircraft’s career.<br />
The Maldron Hotel adjacent to the airport is especially useful for passengers with early morning departures.<br />
Originally introduced by Continental Airlines and<br />
now run under the United Airlines name, the<br />
daily flight to Newark/Liberty provides a direct<br />
link to New York from Northern Ireland.<br />
(AirTeamImages.com/Dave Sturges)<br />
As an easyJet Airbus A319 departs, some of the<br />
former RAF Aldergrove infrastructure can be seen in<br />
the background.<br />
A good-size duty free store offers a wide range of products.<br />
Several eateries are available, including this fast food option.<br />
Ownership changed again when TBI was<br />
taken over by parent ACDL on January 5,<br />
2005. On May 27 that year Continental<br />
Airlines introduced daily direct flights<br />
from Newark/Liberty. The following<br />
year annual passenger numbers hit<br />
five million. More recently The Queen<br />
officially marked the completion of a<br />
terminal upgrade project in October,<br />
2010. The latest chapter in the airport’s<br />
ownership was completed on October<br />
1, 2013 when it was acquired by the<br />
Canadian firm Airport Development<br />
Corporation (ADC) and Houston Airport<br />
System (HAS). This collaboration also<br />
owns other facilities in the US, South<br />
America and Scandinavia.<br />
Today’s airport<br />
There is a sensation of being out in the<br />
country at BFS. It is 13 miles (22 km)<br />
northwest of the city centre, surrounded<br />
by farms. There are two small villages in the<br />
vicinity; Aldergrove to the west and Killead to<br />
the east. If you have an early morning flight,<br />
the Maldron Hotel is adjacent to the airport.<br />
The terminal has two levels with the<br />
airside upper floor mainly used by<br />
www.airportsworld.com 21
FEATURE<br />
BELFAST<br />
Airport Statistics<br />
ICAO Code:<br />
IATA Code:<br />
Location:<br />
Elevation:<br />
Runway:<br />
EGAA<br />
BFS<br />
54° 39.27’ N, 006° 12.56’ W<br />
268ft (82m)<br />
07/25 9,121 x 148ft<br />
(2,780 x 45m)<br />
17/35 6,401 x 148ft<br />
(1,951 x 45m)<br />
Frequencies: ATIS: 128.2<br />
Tower: 118.3<br />
Ground: 121.75<br />
Approach: 128.5<br />
Website: www.belfastairport.com<br />
departing passengers and the ground<br />
floor for arrivals. The building has been<br />
used for many years, but renovated<br />
and modernised several times. There<br />
is a range of restaurants and shops, as<br />
well as a business lounge, run by the<br />
airport. In addition to airport-run car<br />
parks, additional facilities are available<br />
off site. There are several car rental firm<br />
counters in the arrivals area.<br />
Road access from the city is excellent<br />
with plenty of taxis available and frequent<br />
bus services to the Europa Bus Centre.<br />
There is currently no rail connection<br />
to the airport but there are plans for<br />
one which could be open as early as<br />
2020. This would involve reactivating a<br />
mothballed line, the old Lisburn to Antrim<br />
route, which runs close to the airport.<br />
Infrastructure<br />
Both runways are 148ft (46m) wide and<br />
there is a full-length parallel taxiway.<br />
The shorter crosswind runway is 17/35<br />
which measures 6,401ft (1,951m). The ATC<br />
tower is equipped with a terminal radar<br />
facility to provide surveillance radar for<br />
controllers.<br />
The cargo area is near the passenger<br />
terminal and BFS is the main cargo<br />
airport for all of Northern Ireland.<br />
Primary freight carriers are currently<br />
DHL and TNT.<br />
Holiday/charter<br />
flights form an<br />
important part of the<br />
airport’s business, as<br />
illustrated by Thomas<br />
Cook Airlines<br />
Airbus A320-214<br />
G-TCAD (c/n 2114).<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Simon Wilson)<br />
There is still some limited military<br />
activity on the old RAF site, notably in<br />
the large hangar facilities along with<br />
other support structures.<br />
Future<br />
It is the operator’s goal to attract<br />
additional airlines and new services<br />
provided demand continues to grow.<br />
With its long runway, BFS is able to handle<br />
flights to intercontinental destinations<br />
and Europe without load penalties.<br />
The runway could be lengthened if<br />
demand for more far off destinations,<br />
such as Asia, was to materialise. This<br />
would require a length of up to 11,800ft<br />
(3,597m). The longest runway in the<br />
neighbouring Republic of Ireland is at<br />
Shannon (10,500ft – 3,200m). Dublin’s<br />
runway is only 8,652ft (2,637m). Its<br />
operator has ambitions to secure longhaul<br />
flights to the Far East, including<br />
China, and has announced plans for a new<br />
12,000ft (3,658m) runway to be built by<br />
the end of the decade. If it is completed<br />
it could scupper similar possibilities at<br />
BFS because Belfast and Dublin are well<br />
connected across the border.<br />
In 2013 Belfast International celebrated<br />
its 50th year as the primary aerial gateway<br />
to Northern Ireland. As it begins its second<br />
half century, it is well placed to provide an<br />
increasing range of destinations and<br />
efficient service.<br />
Several easyJet flights await departure at BFS before sun rise – up to a<br />
dozen of the carrier’s service leave early in the morning.<br />
22 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
SAIPAN<br />
Saipan<br />
Asia’s Corfu<br />
China<br />
Philippines<br />
Marco Finelli travels to the Western Pacific and visits a<br />
paradise with a very violent past – Saipan, one of the<br />
Mariana Islands.<br />
Everyone likes a holiday, but in<br />
most Asian countries’ workers get<br />
much shorter breaks than their<br />
counterparts in Europe or North<br />
America. So they don’t want to waste time<br />
travelling long distances to find somewhere<br />
to relax. Enter Saipan – the largest island of<br />
the US Commonwealth Northern Mariana<br />
Islands (CNMI) – just a relatively short<br />
flight from Seoul or Taipei. It has become<br />
very popular with Japanese, Chinese and<br />
Korean tourists eager to find some ‘sun and<br />
fun’. Increasing numbers of budget airlines<br />
are flying to Saipan’s international airport<br />
(SPN) to satisfy this demand.<br />
History<br />
Saipan is probably best known as the site<br />
of some horrifically fierce battles during<br />
World War Two as the US military pushed<br />
the Japanese Empire back to the west,<br />
across the Pacific. The idyllic beaches now<br />
so popular with holidaymakers were once<br />
the scene of total carnage after US forces<br />
landed on June 15, 1944. The battle for<br />
the islands raged until July 9 and cost the<br />
lives of 3,426 Americans, with more than<br />
Delta Air Lines<br />
employs Boeing<br />
757-200s on its<br />
flights to Tokyo/<br />
Narita. (All photos<br />
author)<br />
10,000 injured. Of the 30,000 Japanese<br />
defenders, only 921 were taken alive, and<br />
a further 20,000 Japanese civilians are<br />
thought to have died.<br />
The island’s capture was a significant one<br />
during the war in the Pacific, as an airfield<br />
was established from which US Army Air<br />
Force Boeing B-29 Superfortresses could<br />
launch bombing raids against the Japanese<br />
mainland. Remnants of the battle can<br />
still be seen – from shelters and bunkers<br />
to abandoned tanks at the water’s edge.<br />
In 1933, the Imperial Japanese Navy<br />
established a landing strip at the southern<br />
tip of the island for training purposes. In<br />
1937 the navy began expanding As Lito<br />
Field for full military operations, despite an<br />
international law prohibiting the construction<br />
of military facilities in the Western Pacific.<br />
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii<br />
on December 7, 1941, bringing the US into<br />
World War Two, two squadrons of Mitsubishi<br />
A6M Zeros were based on the island.<br />
However, they were decimated during the<br />
American invasion in 1944 in what became<br />
known as the ‘Great Marianas Turkey Shoot’<br />
when the overwhelming strength of the US<br />
Australia<br />
Navy carrier force practically wiped out its<br />
Japanese opponent in a matter of days.<br />
An estimated 645 Japanese aircraft were<br />
destroyed and three of its fleet carriers<br />
sunk; a decisive blow from which it never<br />
recovered.<br />
The Americans took control of the airfield<br />
on June 18, 1944 and promptly renamed it<br />
Isley Field. Once the islands were secure<br />
new facilities were built quickly and a<br />
further three airfields constructed to house<br />
the B-29 bombers. Once hostilities ended<br />
the following year, the name reverted to As<br />
Lito Field, the bombers left for home and<br />
the site returned to civilian use, although a<br />
military presence remained into the 1990s.<br />
The islands were administered by the US<br />
as part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific<br />
Islands until 1978, when they became a<br />
municipality of the CNMI.<br />
In 1971, the then Mariana Islands District<br />
of the Trust Territory decided to develop<br />
the island as a tourist destination after the<br />
district became eligible to apply for a grant<br />
for airport development under<br />
the National Airport Airways<br />
Development Program.<br />
24 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
SAIPAN<br />
The terminal dates from the 1970s and relies<br />
heavily on concrete, although the steep red roof<br />
is reflective of the island’s architecture.<br />
United Express serves Guam, where passengers<br />
can connect to the main United Airlines network.<br />
Airport Statistics<br />
ICAO code:<br />
IATA code:<br />
Location:<br />
Elevation:<br />
Runways:<br />
PGSN<br />
SPN<br />
15º 07.08´ N, 145º 43.45´ E<br />
215ft (66m)<br />
07/25 8,700 x 200ft<br />
(2,652 x 61m)<br />
Frequencies: ATIS: 127.2<br />
Tower: 125.7<br />
Ground: 121.8<br />
Approach: 118.4<br />
Website: www.cpa.gov.mp<br />
www.airportsworld.com 25
FEATURE<br />
SAIPAN<br />
(Not for airborne/operational use – Navtech Aerad)<br />
The departure lounge features these aircraft models suspended from the ceiling.<br />
Undaunted by the requirement that local<br />
governments must fund a quarter of the cost,<br />
the islands pressed ahead, with the support<br />
of several airlines, the local tourism industry,<br />
and the Mariana Islands District Legislature.<br />
An airline technical committee, which<br />
included Continental Air Micronesia,<br />
Japan Airlines and officials of the Mariana<br />
Islands District Government, was created<br />
to oversee the airport project. When Isley<br />
Field was selected as the site of the new<br />
facility, the committee worked on the design<br />
of the terminal – one of the best features<br />
of which was its sweeping rooflines.<br />
Construction work began in 1972, the new<br />
Saipan International Airport was completed<br />
in 1975, and it opened to traffic on July 25,<br />
1976. Flights moved from another former<br />
US wartime facility at Kobler Field, from<br />
Asiana Airlines<br />
Boeing 767-38E<br />
HL7515 (c/n<br />
25762) climbs<br />
away from Saipan<br />
on its way home to<br />
Seoul/Incheon.<br />
Arctic Circle<br />
Britten-Norman<br />
BN2 Islander<br />
N675AC unloads<br />
its passengers after<br />
arriving from Tinian.<br />
where Air Mike and Air Micronesia (later<br />
Continental Micronesia) had introduced<br />
flights in 1968. Initially Air Mike had its<br />
main hub at Kobler Field, but it then moved<br />
to SPN. The carrier’s traffic to and from<br />
Saipan had decreased due to the breakup<br />
of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands<br />
during the 1970s, when they were divided<br />
into smaller political entities. Despite a<br />
downturn in local demand, Continental<br />
Micronesia continued to fly to Japan and<br />
the Philippines. However, the route to<br />
Manila was finally dropped in July 2008.<br />
Japanese carriers began flying to the<br />
island in the 1970s as the lure of the Pacific<br />
island’s beaches became popular, the<br />
flight time from Osaka and Nagoya being<br />
relatively short. Adaptations were made so<br />
that the airport could handle widebody<br />
airliners. Japan Airlines stopped serving<br />
Saipan in 2005, and its former routes are<br />
now in the hands of Delta Air Lines.<br />
The airport’s busiest years so far have<br />
been 1997 and 1998, when passenger<br />
numbers were around 1.6mppa. However,<br />
the effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,<br />
global economic instability and indifferent<br />
levels of competition saw a slight downturn<br />
in subsequent years.<br />
Recent developments<br />
In 2005, SPN was renamed to recognise<br />
former Lieutenant Governor Francisco C<br />
Ada. Meanwhile on the neighbouring island<br />
of Tinian, the Dynasty Hotel and Casino,<br />
which opened in 1998, was attracting<br />
increasing numbers of wealthy guests from<br />
China and Taiwan. As a consequence,<br />
26 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
SAIPAN<br />
Saipan benefitted from more flights from<br />
both countries and subsequently these<br />
were joined by services from South Korea.<br />
Then, in 2008, a greater number of Russian<br />
travellers began arriving and, unlike most<br />
Asian visitors, generally staying longer. The<br />
latest carriers to fly to SPN include Jeju Air<br />
(South Korea), EVA Air (Taiwan), Sichuan<br />
Airlines (China) and Orenair (Russia).<br />
Several improvements to the terminal<br />
have been undertaken, including a new<br />
boarding area with seven airbridges. A<br />
renovation project began in 2009 and<br />
work included improvements to the<br />
roof’s drainage, the replacement of two<br />
airbridges and six of the stand lighting<br />
guides for pilots. A new baggage handling<br />
system is to be installed to meet the<br />
latest TSA standards and there will be<br />
improvements to airfield drainage, a new<br />
generator for the terminal, and back-up<br />
generators for the ATC tower and the fire<br />
and rescue service building.<br />
There is a single runway (07/25),<br />
measuring 8,700ft (2,652m), that is<br />
equipped with an ILS. Six parking stands<br />
are available and the apron can handle<br />
aircraft as large as a 747.<br />
Terminal<br />
The terminal is built on a base of basalt<br />
rock from a lava flow, testament to the fact<br />
the islands are close to the ‘ring of fire’,<br />
the active volcanic and seismic ring which<br />
surrounds the Pacific Ocean. One positive<br />
to this has been the elimination of the<br />
need for much foundation work, given the<br />
solid footings of the structure. Departing<br />
passengers check-in, pass through security<br />
screening and then use a bridge to reach<br />
the airside departure lounge. There are<br />
several airside concessions, including<br />
shops, a duty free store and refreshment<br />
outlets; there is also a business lounge.<br />
For arriving passengers, a pair of baggage<br />
belts are sufficient.<br />
A small cafe<br />
is among the<br />
amenities in the<br />
departure lounge.<br />
Baggage<br />
reclaim in the main<br />
terminal is equipped<br />
with two belts.<br />
Two of Dynamic<br />
Airways Boeing 767-<br />
200s parked on the<br />
Saipan apron.<br />
The original structure is retained to the<br />
left of the main terminal, and is used for<br />
inter-island flights to Tinian and Rota.<br />
Dating from the 1970s, it is rather Spartan,<br />
has no cafes or bars, just check-in desks for<br />
carriers Star Marianas and Arctic Circle.<br />
There are no flight information display<br />
screens, as the schedules for the daytime<br />
flights are well known locally.<br />
Schedules<br />
The busiest time for flights is during the<br />
night. This is mostly because Asian carriers<br />
tend to focus on business flights during the<br />
day and leisure/holiday services at night.<br />
Up to 20 weekly domestic connections to<br />
Guam are provided by United Express ATR<br />
42-300s (managed by Cape Air); some<br />
also stop in Rota. These flights allow<br />
connections via United’s hub at Guam<br />
(see <strong>Airports</strong> of the World, issue 12, p76).<br />
Delta Air Lines has two daily 757-200<br />
services to Tokyo/Narita, one in the<br />
Passenger Statistics<br />
Year Passengers<br />
2009 844,278<br />
2010 851,943<br />
2011 792,682<br />
2012 986,392<br />
2013 1,002,039<br />
2014 987,915*<br />
*January 1 until September 30.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 27
FEATURE<br />
SAIPAN<br />
During the author’s visit, China Southern Airlines Boeing<br />
737-81B B-1918 (c/n 38915) passed through on<br />
delivery from Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington.<br />
28 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
SAIPAN<br />
afternoon and the other during the night.<br />
The carrier’s Nagoya connection runs<br />
on Saturday nights. Asiana Airlines is<br />
cleared to fly to Japan as second operator<br />
and runs a night-time link to Osaka/<br />
Kansai using either an A321 or a 767;<br />
it also flies to Hiroshima on Saturdays<br />
using an A321. The carrier’s connections<br />
from Seoul/Incheon are provided by a<br />
nightly A330-300 or 767-300ER, and by<br />
thrice-weekly afternoon A321 flights.<br />
Asiana also flies a twice-weekly link from<br />
the South Korean city of Busan. South<br />
Korea’s Jeju Air introduced budget 737-<br />
800 flights from Seoul/Incheon last<br />
October. An interesting competitor on the<br />
Seoul/Incheon-Saipan route is Dynamic<br />
Airways, using a pair of 767-200 that are<br />
often parked at SPN; the charter airline<br />
has also served Hong Kong, Tianjin,<br />
Wuhan and Hangzhou in China.<br />
China Eastern Airlines flies from Beijing<br />
six times a week using A330-300s,<br />
again arriving during the night and from<br />
Shanghai/Pudong Airport. Sichuan Airlines<br />
offers connections from Guangzhou.<br />
Orenair 737-800 services began in 2008<br />
from Khabarovsk and Vladivostok and<br />
have proved increasingly popular – there<br />
are now six a week. Regular cargo services<br />
are provided by 727-200Fs of Asia Pacific<br />
Airlines, based in Guam.<br />
The airport’s strategic location in<br />
the western Pacific makes it a popular<br />
refuelling stop for aircraft delivery flights,<br />
notably for Boeing products heading to<br />
Asian customers.<br />
Future<br />
A recent First Hawaiian Bank report<br />
showed increasing visitor numbers to<br />
the islands. The combined market share<br />
Asia Pacific<br />
Airlines Boeing<br />
727-212F N86425<br />
(c/n 21459), prior<br />
to departure on<br />
another cargo flight.<br />
Small General<br />
Aviation types are<br />
a common sight,<br />
scuttling between<br />
the various islands.<br />
Star Marianas<br />
passengers checkin<br />
for an interisland<br />
flight at the<br />
domestic terminal.<br />
from countries such as China, South Korea<br />
and Japan is about 90%. However, it<br />
is the number of Chinese visitors that<br />
is increasing, while those from Japan<br />
are declining. The first upturn in annual<br />
passenger numbers for several years came<br />
in 2012, when a 17% increase over the<br />
previous year was recorded (see table<br />
on p27).<br />
The passing of a law in <strong>March</strong> 2014 to<br />
permit gambling has attracted<br />
considerable interest from investors and<br />
future projections add up to a possible<br />
requirement for 2,000 additional hotel<br />
rooms. The first development phase is<br />
planned for 2017-2020 with 401 new<br />
rooms and a casino to be built. At the<br />
same time the release of further licences<br />
for new casinos is planned for Tinian. All<br />
of this bodes well for Saipan International<br />
– more flights and more passengers.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 29
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AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
DOHA<br />
Lounge<br />
The Al Mourjan<br />
Luigi Vallero samples Qatar<br />
Airways’ new oasis for premium travellers<br />
at Doha’s Hamad International Airport.<br />
Qatar Airways’ premium class<br />
passengers are now able to<br />
enjoy the long-awaited lounges<br />
the carrier has been heavily<br />
investing in to ensure its luxury offering on<br />
the ground matches its already exceptional<br />
passenger experience in the air. This<br />
development followed the opening of Doha’s<br />
Hamad International Airport on May 27,<br />
2014 which enabled the carrier to transfer<br />
its flights from the old Doha International<br />
Airport to the new world-class facility.<br />
Quality<br />
Situated on the terminal’s level 3, and<br />
is easily accessed by an escalator one<br />
floor up from departures, the Al Mourjan<br />
Business Lounge opened in August last<br />
year and is described by the carrier as<br />
“one of the largest lounges in the world”,<br />
and from a passenger’s perspective it is<br />
indeed vast. Spanning over two storeys<br />
and covering 107,642sq ft (10,000m 2 ),<br />
it occupies the same space as ten<br />
Olympic-size swimming pools and can<br />
accommodate up to 1,000 guests at a<br />
time. They can choose from a variety of<br />
spaces designed to suit every need, be<br />
it enjoying a drink, catching a nap in one<br />
of the quiet rooms, taking time out in a<br />
family room or indulging their taste buds<br />
in a choice of dining areas.<br />
32 airports of the world
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
DOHA<br />
The spiral<br />
staircase leading<br />
to the restaurant<br />
on the mezzanine<br />
level rises up over<br />
the infinity pool.<br />
(Qatar Airways)<br />
An all-day food<br />
court is well staffed<br />
and provides a<br />
wide range of<br />
meals.<br />
One of the<br />
many buffets on<br />
offer within the<br />
facility.<br />
Qatar Airways’ CEO Akbar al Baker said<br />
at the launch of the new lounge: “Qatar<br />
Airways does not compromise on quality<br />
and the Al Mourjan lounge is the perfect<br />
example of this as it is the epitome of<br />
comfort, convenience and five-star service<br />
that our premium class passengers have<br />
come to expect from us. We look forward<br />
to welcoming them to this superior lounge<br />
experience.”<br />
During a recent visit as a connecting<br />
passenger the author was immediately and<br />
pleasantly struck by the overall elegance<br />
and attention to minute detail that the<br />
designers have achieved. There is a<br />
combination of several different elements,<br />
a top-quality lounge incorporating a<br />
five-star dining venue, with the feel of<br />
a modern art gallery where bronze walls<br />
feature traditional Arabian calligraphy.<br />
The facility shares the same colour palette<br />
and refined finishes as the rest of the<br />
terminal incorporating some of the world’s<br />
most exclusive marbles, designer furniture<br />
and intricate décor, with handcrafted<br />
accents evoking a timeless appeal and<br />
contemporary sophistication.<br />
Amenities<br />
Upon entering, attention is immediately<br />
drawn to a 49 x 23ft (15 x 7m) infinity<br />
pool reflected in a ‘dimpled’ metal ceiling,<br />
and partly surrounding a grand spiral<br />
stairway that leads to the mezzanine buffet<br />
restaurant. The stairs wind around an<br />
impressive four-tiered crystal chandelier.<br />
On one side of the pool there is a selfservice<br />
area where nibbles and light<br />
The large infinity pool is certainly eye-catching.<br />
(All photos author unless stated)<br />
www.airportsworld.com 33
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
DOHA<br />
34 airports of the world
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
DOHA<br />
A view along<br />
just part of the<br />
lounge gives an<br />
idea of its scale.<br />
(Qatar Airways)<br />
Chefs and<br />
waitresses provide<br />
excellent service<br />
in the mezzanine<br />
level restaurant<br />
which offers an<br />
impressive range of<br />
dishes from around<br />
the world.<br />
Plenty of<br />
seating options<br />
are available to<br />
travellers.<br />
There are small<br />
‘garden’ areas<br />
at each end of a<br />
raised seating area.<br />
(Qatar Airways)<br />
bites are available; these change according<br />
to the time of day. Passengers can relax<br />
in partitioned areas furnished with stylish<br />
Italian design leather sofas and armchairs.<br />
Executive seating is on offer throughout<br />
the lounge and each unit comes with a<br />
private flight information display, a reading<br />
light and power/data outlets.<br />
On the other side of the pool there<br />
is a ‘gardened’ section – a long and<br />
slightly elevated feature with plants<br />
at both ends and organised into small<br />
partitioned relaxation areas. At the far<br />
end of this is the vast all-day food area,<br />
fully staffed by waiters and serviced by<br />
chefs preparing fresh à-la carte items,<br />
club sandwiches and a wide range of hot<br />
and cold dishes. For even more exotic<br />
food options, flavours from around the<br />
world are represented on the mezzanine<br />
level where guests can choose between a<br />
continental or oriental brasserie, a global<br />
deli or a patisserie, while a signature<br />
bar serves some of the world’s finest<br />
drinks including Krug champagne. Careful<br />
attention to detail is evident everywhere<br />
– even down to the scrambled eggs on<br />
offer in the buffet area where they are<br />
beautifully presented in individual terrines<br />
A dedicated business centre, complete<br />
with a conference suite, personal<br />
internet workstations, printers and<br />
scanners, along with private quiet rooms,<br />
peaceful family spaces, games rooms<br />
(offering PlayStation pods and an F1<br />
driving simulator), several prayer rooms,<br />
restrooms, a smoking area, a nursery<br />
and shower rooms fitted with luxury<br />
amenities and fine linens complete the<br />
lounge offerings. Guests who wish to<br />
stay connected and continue working can<br />
cocoon themselves in one of the private<br />
workstations equipped with personal<br />
display screens and complimentary Wi-Fi.<br />
The Al Mourjan Business Lounge is open<br />
to Qatar Airways and oneworld First and<br />
Business Class passengers. Next up is<br />
the Al Safwa First Class Lounge, which is<br />
due to open in the coming months as part<br />
of the airport’s phased development. It<br />
promises to deliver a luxurious and classy<br />
experience through the attentive care<br />
and 5-star hospitality provided by its<br />
highly trained staff, making any transit<br />
at the new Hamad International Airport<br />
a pure pleasure.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 35
SNAPSHOT<br />
DAKAR<br />
One of Air France’s earliest Airbus A300B4-2Cs, F-BVGH (c/n 023) arriving<br />
at Dakar/Yoff International Airport. The carrier took delivery of the aircraft<br />
on <strong>April</strong> 14, 1976. Twenty years later it was leased to Vietnam Airlines for<br />
five months and was then sold to C-S Aviation Services and converted to<br />
an A300B4-203C freighter. It was last reported as stored in 2003.<br />
Dakar<br />
The Senegalese capital Dakar is the<br />
most westerly city in Africa and<br />
occupies the Cap-Vert Peninsular<br />
on the Atlantic coast. It has always<br />
been a busy trading port, with shipping<br />
playing a vital part in its history since<br />
the 16th century. Dakar’s Léopold Sédar<br />
Senghor International Airport continues<br />
the trading tradition and today welcomes<br />
international flights from around the<br />
world, including New York, Dubai and<br />
several European cities.<br />
Until October 1996 the facility was<br />
called Dakar/Yoff International Airport,<br />
and 20 years prior to that Ron Mak paid<br />
a visit in November 1976 and recorded<br />
several of the now classic airliners that<br />
once frequented the airfield.<br />
Iberia Boeing 727-256 EC-CAI (c/n 20592) prior to departure from Dakar on November 9, 1976. The aircraft was delivered to the<br />
carrier in <strong>April</strong> 1972 and eventually broken up in Madrid in January 1996.<br />
Air Mauritanie Douglas DC-4 5T-CAD (c/n 42939)<br />
taxies to the runway in the heat of the African<br />
sun. Delivered to Air France as F-BBDG on May<br />
25, 1946, it was sold to Air Mauritanie in October<br />
1963 and leased to Air Afrique between 1965 and<br />
1968. It continued in service until 1977 before<br />
being stored at Nouakchott Airport in Mauritania.<br />
Senegal Government Boeing 727-2M1 6V-AEF (c/n 21091) 'Pointe de Sangomar' was delivered only seven days prior to the author’s visit on November 9, 1976. In <strong>April</strong> 2002 the aircraft was<br />
fitted with winglets, but is currently stored at Perpingnan/Rivesaltes Airport in the South of France.<br />
36 airports of the world
SNAPSHOT<br />
DAKAR<br />
Air Afrique Sud Aviation SE.210 Caravelle 11R<br />
TU-TCY (c/n 219) 'Yaounde' was handed over<br />
to the carrier on July 17, 1967. It moved on<br />
to Kabo Air as 5N-AWQ in 1984 and was later<br />
sold to AeroSucre Colombia as HK-3288X in<br />
September 1987. It crashed near Barranquilla<br />
in Colombia on <strong>April</strong> 26, 1989.<br />
Air Senegal Douglas DC-3D 6V-ACW (c/n 42959) made for a splendid sight at Dakar in November 1976. It was originally<br />
delivered to Pacific Northern Air Lines as N37469 in February 1946 and was also used by Mackey Air Lines and Ivory Coast Africa.<br />
Transportes Aéreos da Guiné-Bissau Douglas DC-3 CR-GBL (c/n 14161/25606) was originally delivered to the US Army Air Force as<br />
a C-47B (serial 43-48345). It was subsequently used by the Royal Air Force as KJ822 before passing into civilian use with several<br />
operators, including Air Senegal (as 6V-ACZ) and had just joined Transportes Aéreos da Guiné-Bissau when this image was taken.<br />
Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-62M CCCP-86453 (c/n 1622323) was delivered to the Russian carrier in August 1976. It was reregistered RA-86453 in May 1993, sold to Kras Air in December 1995<br />
and was last reported as stored.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 37
FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
Resurgent Lille<br />
Lille Airport is bouncing back after a period of decline as it fights for its place<br />
in the highly competitive Franco-Belgian border region of Northeast France.<br />
Yinka Jan Sojinu investigates.<br />
Airport Statistics<br />
ICAO Code: LFQQ<br />
IATA Code: LIL<br />
Location:<br />
50° 33.48’ N, 003° 05.13’ E<br />
Elevation: 157ft (48m)<br />
Runway: 08/26 9,333 x 148ft (2,845 x 45m)<br />
02/20 5,249 x 98ft (1,600 x 30m)<br />
Frequencies: ATIS: 119.325<br />
Tower: 118.55<br />
Ground: 121.85<br />
Approach: 126.475<br />
Website:<br />
www.lille.aeroport.fr<br />
UK<br />
France<br />
Germany<br />
Historic Lille is the main cultural<br />
and economic centre of the<br />
French-Flemish region and ranks<br />
as the country’s fourth largest<br />
metropolitan area with a population of<br />
about 1.5 million. The city, also referred<br />
to as Rijsel in the nearby Belgian-Flanders<br />
district, is a major transport interchange<br />
and home to several large corporations,<br />
specialised industries and universities. It<br />
also has a thriving tourist industry.<br />
It is a hub for travel between the<br />
Netherlands, Belgium, France, UK and<br />
beyond, thanks to the French motorway<br />
network and its strategic position on the<br />
continental high-speed rail network. There<br />
are strong cultural and economic ties across<br />
the Belgian border, which is 5.3 miles<br />
(8.5km) away, and these have led to the<br />
establishment of the Eurométropole Lille-<br />
Kortrijk-Tournai to promote inter-boundary<br />
co-operation.<br />
Lille Airport (LIL) is at Lesquin, 6<br />
miles (9.6km) south-southeast of the<br />
city, and plays an increasing part in the<br />
conurbation’s connectivity and is one of<br />
France’s fastest growing airports.<br />
History<br />
The first flights near Lille occurred in 1907<br />
when a grass field south of the city near<br />
Ronchin and Faches-Thumesnil was used.<br />
The site and others in the France/Belgian<br />
border region saw extensive action in<br />
World War One. The airfield near Ronchin<br />
was commissioned during the 1920s for<br />
commercial aviation and welcomed flights<br />
from the UK and European destinations.<br />
During World War Two the airfield was<br />
‘moved’ by the occupying Germans when<br />
a new site for a Luftwaffe base was<br />
established about 1.5 miles (2.5km) to<br />
the southeast in 1942. It had an extensive<br />
network of concrete runways, taxiways and<br />
aprons, which form the basis of the current<br />
airport. When the Allies liberated the city<br />
in September 1944, the airfield was mostly<br />
intact. The French Air Force took control<br />
and it was used by various NATO members<br />
after the organisation was founded in 1949.<br />
The French Army retained a helicopter unit<br />
at the base until the 1990s.<br />
The airfield began accepting civil traffic<br />
in 1947 and the city’s metropolitan<br />
chamber of commerce gave it full<br />
Air France, Volotea and Ryanair aircraft share the apron in front of Lille’s ultra-modern terminal. (Laurent Ghesquiere/Aeroport de Lille)<br />
38 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
The airport entrance adjacent to<br />
car park number three.<br />
(Not for airborne/<br />
operational use –<br />
Navtech Aerad)<br />
HOP! Embraer ERJ-145 F-GRGF (c/n 145050) between flights at Lille.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 39
FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
The main departures and arrivals hall. (Denis Paillard/Aeroport de Lille)<br />
Destinations<br />
Agadir<br />
Ajaccio<br />
Algiers<br />
Antalya<br />
Barcelona<br />
Bastia<br />
Biarritz<br />
Bodrum<br />
Bordeaux<br />
Calvi<br />
Catania<br />
Clermont-Ferrand<br />
Corfu<br />
Djerba<br />
Dubrovnik<br />
Faro<br />
Fes<br />
Figari<br />
Fuerteventura<br />
Geneva<br />
Heraklion<br />
Izmir<br />
Kos<br />
Lyon<br />
Malaga<br />
Marrakech<br />
Marseille<br />
Monastir<br />
Montpelier<br />
Nantes<br />
Nice<br />
Olbia<br />
Oran<br />
Oujda<br />
Palermo<br />
Palma de Mallorca<br />
Perpignan<br />
Porto<br />
Rhodes<br />
Split<br />
Strasbourg<br />
Tenerife<br />
Toulouse<br />
Tunis<br />
Venice<br />
Bar Jardins Pamplemousse is in the departures and arrivals hall<br />
and is particularly popular. (All photos author unless stated)<br />
40 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
commercial rights in 1953. The next ten<br />
years saw steady passenger growth which<br />
led to the construction of a new terminal<br />
during the 1960s. Traffic was typically<br />
business passengers flying mostly with<br />
Air France and Air Inter to domestic<br />
destinations. The world’s first Novotel<br />
opened near the airport in 1967, catering<br />
primarily for LIL travellers.<br />
Steady growth continued through the<br />
1970s and was sufficient to inspire the birth<br />
of a locally-based carrier – Flandre Air. It<br />
began with a fleet of Beech 1900s, serving<br />
mainly small domestic destinations. The<br />
same decade a dedicated cargo terminal<br />
opened and the airport was also used<br />
as a testing facility for the Anglo-French<br />
Aerospatiale/BAC Concorde.<br />
During the 1980s regular services were<br />
complimented by an increasing number<br />
of seasonal long-haul flights to the French<br />
Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and<br />
Martinique, as well as scheduled links to<br />
New York (1985). The airport’s fortunes<br />
changed in 1994 after the opening of<br />
the Channel Tunnel and the associated<br />
high-speed rail station providing links<br />
to Brussels, London and Paris. The fast<br />
rail links were stiff competition for the<br />
airlines and many domestic routes were<br />
dropped, including the previously busy<br />
one to Paris/Orly.<br />
The airport operator, Socièté de gestion de<br />
l’aéroport de la région de Lille (SOGAREL),<br />
responded and invested heavily in facilities<br />
and opened a new terminal in 1996. There<br />
was also a shift away from serving business<br />
travellers to a more leisure-focused market,<br />
particularly holiday charters. Over time<br />
this has paid off and in 2013 LIL registered<br />
record passenger numbers of 1,661,741.<br />
Today’s airport<br />
Lille Airport occupies 1,112 acres (450ha)<br />
and is bordered by five municipalities:<br />
Lesquin, Fretin, Avelin, Templemars and<br />
Vendeville, all part of the Lille metropolitan<br />
area. The distinctive 96,878sq ft (9,000m 2 )<br />
terminal was designed by French firm Denis<br />
Sloan and can handle 2mppa. Departures<br />
and arrivals share the same level which<br />
creates a rather ‘cosy’ atmosphere, despite<br />
the vast amounts of glass used to provide<br />
a sense of openness.<br />
The structure was refurbished in 2010<br />
and is populated with several shops, a cafe,<br />
restaurant (with views across the airfield),<br />
car rental desks and an information point.<br />
Airside there is a duty free outlet but<br />
refreshments are limited to vending<br />
machines. There are four airbridges,<br />
supplemented by 11 further aircraft stands<br />
accessed by foot. Other remote stands<br />
are served by a fleet of buses. Within the<br />
terminal are the SOGAREL offices and a<br />
conference centre which is available to<br />
rent for meetings and seminars.<br />
Road access is excellent as LIL is close to<br />
the A1 motorway to Paris and also has good<br />
connections to Belgium and regional cities<br />
such as Valencienes and Dunkirk. Because<br />
of this, 57% of passengers arrive by car and<br />
there are five large car parks with spaces<br />
for around 3,700 vehicles. An hourly bus<br />
shuttle to the city’s Lille Flandres and Lille<br />
Europe (high-speed) railway stations takes<br />
about 20 minutes.<br />
Infrastructure<br />
There are two runways, 08/26 is 9,333ft<br />
(2,845m) long and is used for most traffic,<br />
while 02/20 measures 5,249ft (1,600m).<br />
The main runway is CAT III and capable<br />
of handling aircraft up to the size of the<br />
Antonov An-124 and the Airbus A380 – LIL<br />
is a diversion facility for Paris/Charles de<br />
Gaulle. Runway 08/26 has six exits linked<br />
to a parallel taxiway and is crossed by 02/20<br />
at its western end. Most General Aviation<br />
traffic uses the shorter runway, winds<br />
permitting, and, if necessary, it can also be<br />
used by smaller passenger aircraft, such<br />
as Embraer and Bombardier regional jets.<br />
The airport’s fire and rescue station<br />
and the Shell Aviation fuel supply depot,<br />
the airport's sole provider, are near the<br />
eastern end of runway 08/26. In addition<br />
to its regular infrastructure, the airport<br />
An Air Algerie<br />
Airbus A330 arrives<br />
from Algiers, as<br />
viewed from the<br />
Your’s restaurant.<br />
A shuttle bus<br />
to the city’s two<br />
railway stations<br />
prepares to leave<br />
from the terminal.<br />
Low-cost<br />
carriers, such as<br />
easyJet, have<br />
helped to boost<br />
passenger numbers.<br />
The main<br />
apron can be<br />
particularly busy<br />
during the summer<br />
months. (Laurent<br />
Ghesquiere/<br />
Aeroport de Lille)<br />
Airlines<br />
Aigle Azur<br />
Air Algerie<br />
Air France<br />
easyJet<br />
Hop!<br />
Jetairfly<br />
Nouvelair Tunisie<br />
Pegasus Airlines<br />
Ryanair<br />
Tailwind Airlines<br />
Thomas Cook Airlines (Belgium)<br />
Transavia.com (France)<br />
Tunisair<br />
Volotea<br />
Vueling<br />
Enthusiast Spot<br />
Lille Airport’s panoramic restaurant Your’s is<br />
usually open between 11:00 and the time<br />
of the last departure and provides excellent<br />
views across the terminal apron and Runway<br />
08/26. It is accessed via the departures/<br />
arrivals hall level. Photographers should<br />
note the glass is tinted. Another vantage<br />
point is on the elevated access road beside<br />
the terminal. Off airport, there are various<br />
places to either observe or photograph<br />
aircraft around the perimeter and these can<br />
be reached via the D145 road.<br />
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FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
SOGAREL’s distinctive<br />
headquarters is linked to<br />
the airport’s terminal.<br />
has two distinctive half circle concrete<br />
taxiways with several parking stands on<br />
the southern side of Runway 08/26. These<br />
are mostly disused and are remnants of<br />
the former World War Two airfield.<br />
Airlines<br />
Air France and its subsidiaries have played a<br />
key role at LIL since the airport opened and<br />
still provide the vast majority of domestic<br />
flights. The airline has rebranded and<br />
restructured several times during the<br />
intervening years. For example, Air Inter<br />
was integrated into Air France in 1997,<br />
‘home carrier’ Flandre Air merged with<br />
Proteus and Régional Airlines to become<br />
Régional in 2001, and Régional itself was<br />
combined with Britair and Airlinair in 2013<br />
to become today’s HOP! Currently HOP!<br />
serves up to a dozen (summer season)<br />
domestic destinations, using regional jets.<br />
Flights to Marseille and Nice now enjoy<br />
mainline fleet A319s and passengers for<br />
Paris are booked on to the high-speed rail<br />
services from Lille Europe station.<br />
The last 15 years have seen the meteoric<br />
rise of LCCs and the budget formula<br />
has progressively been introduced to<br />
LIL, with easyJet, Ryanair, Volotea and<br />
Vueling adding flights which has helped<br />
to significantly raise passenger numbers.<br />
Connections to North Africa, particularly<br />
flights to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia,<br />
are popular because of extensive ethnic<br />
populations within the local communities.<br />
Algeria’s national carrier Air Algerie has<br />
several flights a week to Algiers and these<br />
are particularly busy during the summer<br />
and winter peak holiday seasons. The<br />
normal aircraft used to be a Boeing 737-<br />
600 or -800, but demand has resulted<br />
in increasing use of the carrier’s A330-<br />
200s and occasionally 767-300s. The<br />
airline also flies to Oran, while France’s<br />
Aigle Azur competes on both routes with<br />
A320s. Tunis Air and Nouvelair fly to<br />
Tunis and Djerba while Ryanair connects<br />
Traffic Statistics<br />
Year Passengers Cargo (tonnes) Movements<br />
2002 923,148 38,712 41,320<br />
2003 873,600 45,053 35,153<br />
2004 848,037 55,787 30,612<br />
2005 842,650 63,133 24,330<br />
2006 936,032 63,039 32,203<br />
2007 1,051,758 68,427 29,077<br />
2008 1,014,704 66,071 32,802<br />
2009 1,147,924 51,857 30,900<br />
2010 1,170,693 45,587 32,831<br />
2011 1,164,631 36,997 17,355<br />
2012 1,397,637 41,445 17,320<br />
2013 1,661,741 40,549 19,782<br />
the Moroccan city of Fes.<br />
The past two years have seen Belgian<br />
carriers Jetairfly (TUI group) and its<br />
competitor Thomas Cook Airlines<br />
(Belgium) added to LIL’s list of airlines,<br />
both providing summer seasonal holiday<br />
flights. The two account for a large<br />
percentage of the airport’s charter<br />
traffic and serve an impressive list of<br />
mostly Mediterranean destinations in<br />
Greece, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Croatia,<br />
Tunisia, Egypt and the French Island of<br />
Corsica. These flights are also attracting<br />
passengers from neighbouring Belgium.<br />
Transavia established a summer seasonal<br />
base at the airport in 2013 and currently<br />
flies to Venice, Djerba and Agadir,<br />
42 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
The terminal interior does its best to emulate<br />
the mood lighting concept now becoming<br />
popular in aircraft cabins.<br />
Marrakech and Oujda in Morocco. Other<br />
charter carriers frequenting LIL include<br />
Turkey’s Tailwind Airlines and Pegasus<br />
Airlines flying to and from Antalya,<br />
Bodrum and Izmir.<br />
The airport occasionally handles longhaul<br />
passenger charters, notably four<br />
direct XL Airways France A330 services<br />
to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic<br />
on behalf of tour operator Marmara. The<br />
cruise ship company Costa occasionally<br />
charters direct connections from Pointea-Pitre<br />
to bring home disembarking<br />
passengers from the Caribbean Island<br />
of Guadeloupe.<br />
Some annual charters also feature, such<br />
as the Royal Canadian Air Force CC-150<br />
Polaris flights on behalf of the Canadian<br />
National Vimy World War One Memorial<br />
which runs in the spring, and the Saudia<br />
747 Hajj flights to Jeddah. On June 9 last<br />
year the airport hosted the Air France A330<br />
departure carrying the French national<br />
football team to Sao Paulo for the FIFA<br />
World Cup.<br />
Cargo<br />
A cargo terminal is on the eastern side<br />
of Runway 08/26, close to the fire and<br />
rescue station and fuel store. It is open<br />
24 hours a day, seven days a week and<br />
the majority of freight is perishables. The<br />
facility was refurbished and extended in<br />
1994 and 2005.<br />
Jetairfly has<br />
secured a good<br />
foothold in the<br />
holiday market<br />
and competes<br />
with Thomas Cook<br />
Airlines (Belgium).<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Rudi Boigelot)<br />
Traffic climbs up<br />
the approach road<br />
to the terminal –<br />
57% of travellers<br />
arrive by road.<br />
Occasionally special cargo charters<br />
bring in types such as the Antonov An-124<br />
to collect heavy machinery for various<br />
customers across the globe. To date<br />
the maximum annual tonnage has been<br />
68,427, which was achieved in 2007, before<br />
the effects of the global financial crisis<br />
took hold. Since then freight traffic has<br />
struggled to recover, with 40,549 tonnes<br />
handled in 2013.<br />
Lille is home to France’s largest cluster of<br />
automotive, railway and bio tech industries,<br />
and is also a major logistics and distribution<br />
centre. Competition for cargo tonnage<br />
comes from several large airports in the<br />
region, some specialising in freight, such<br />
as such as Luxembourg/Findel.<br />
Other aviation activities<br />
A General Aviation facility has been<br />
established in the former passenger terminal<br />
on the western side of the airport near the<br />
ATC tower. It covers 8,611sq ft (800m 2 ) and<br />
has customs, border control, a VIP lounge<br />
and a 516,668sq ft (48.000m 2 ) apron.<br />
The old passenger terminal also houses<br />
a FedEx Express office, although local<br />
packages are taken by road to its hub<br />
at Paris/CDG. A maintenance hangar<br />
for HOP! is alongside, handling repairs<br />
and servicing for the carrier’s fleet of<br />
Embraers and ATRs as well as for third<br />
parties. The site occupies 46,285sq ft<br />
(4,300m 2 ) and has two hangars, the larger<br />
of which can accommodate aircraft as<br />
large as an A320.<br />
At the northern end of Runway 02 are<br />
hangars belonging to aircraft maintenance<br />
company CIDRA which specialises in general<br />
aviation aircraft. The site is also home<br />
to Club Aérien Lille Métropole (CALM),<br />
which is one of two flying clubs in the Lille<br />
Metropolitan area, the other being UALRT,<br />
based at the city’s grass airfield at Lille<br />
Marcq-en-Baroeul in Bondues.<br />
Opposite the CIDRA site, but separated<br />
from the taxiway/apron network<br />
www.airportsworld.com 43
FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
Travel Spot<br />
Lille is a city where the local French-Flemish and the country’s<br />
national culture are conjoined. This is reflected in an historic<br />
city centre which features modern architecture and several<br />
museums complimented with numerous restaurants and cafés.<br />
Visitors will find many impressive buildings, including the<br />
Chamber of Commerce with its 249ft-tall (76m) belfry, the old<br />
Stock Exchange (La Vieille Bourse) and the Opera House in the<br />
Grand Place (square). These structures date from the 17th to<br />
the 20th century and in most cases complement each other’s<br />
façades beautifully.<br />
Other highlights are the Vauban Citadel fortification, Column<br />
of the Goddess, Porte de Roubaix, and town hall in Place<br />
Simon Vollant. Also worth a visit is the Gare Saint Sauveur<br />
site, a converted railway yard with its own bistro and featuring<br />
alternating exhibitions.<br />
The Palais – des-Beaux-Arts de Lille is considered one of the<br />
country’s greatest fine art establishments and the Le Maison<br />
Natale de Charles de Gaulle are just two of a wide range of<br />
regional museums. On a modern note, the Euralille shopping<br />
centre, which opened in 1994, features around 130 shops and<br />
covers almost the entire area between the city’s two railways<br />
stations. It is surrounded by high-rise buildings and a park.<br />
Just one of many classic buildings to see in Lille is La Vieille Bourse<br />
(Old Stock Exchange).<br />
Useful Websites:<br />
www.lilletourism.com<br />
www.eurometropolis.eu<br />
www.northernfrance-tourism.com<br />
www.transpole.fr<br />
The Chamber of Commerce<br />
Belfry in the centre of Lille.<br />
The French high-speed rail network<br />
competes on journeys to many domestic<br />
destinations, although passengers for Paris<br />
are routed this way since flights from Lille no<br />
longer go to the French capital.<br />
44 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
LILLE<br />
is a hangar and landing apron used by<br />
Hélicoptère Sécurité Civile (National Civil<br />
Fire-fighter Helicopter) which flies the<br />
Airbus Helicopters EC145.<br />
Future prospects<br />
Marketing and Development Manager, Pierre<br />
Fernemont, explained to <strong>Airports</strong> of the<br />
World that the majority of the facility’s<br />
recent passenger growth had been down<br />
to the success of attracting new LCCs and<br />
more routes to the airport. Apart from the<br />
remaining high frequency business routes<br />
served by Air France and HOP!, the rise of<br />
cheaper domestic services offered by LCCs<br />
was providing stiffer competition to the<br />
high-speed rail services, notably to southern<br />
destinations such as Nice and Toulouse.<br />
Further expansion of LCC point-to-point<br />
traffic, along with enhancement of the<br />
business and holiday markets, remain<br />
SOGAREL’s priorities. A target had been set<br />
to achieve a throughput of 1.8mppa in 2018.<br />
Attracting a LCC to establish a permanent<br />
base at LIL would be the best outcome,<br />
as this could potentially boost traffic to<br />
in excess of 2mppa. To facilitate this, the<br />
terminal can be extended to accommodate<br />
3mppa if required.<br />
The airport’s management realises that as<br />
seemingly easy these goals might appear at<br />
first glance, the airport must compete with<br />
several other facilities with well establish<br />
LCC bases – Brussels/Charleroi being a good<br />
example – and the major hubs at Paris/CDG<br />
and Brussels Airport.<br />
This is probably why LIL doesn’t have<br />
any flights to Montreal in Canada, despite<br />
the fact that eight other French cities<br />
do. The airport’s CEO Jean Christophe<br />
Minot commented: “We can imagine that<br />
‘down the road’ some airlines will think<br />
seriously about such operation, but perhaps<br />
the establishment of an overseas hub<br />
HOP! Embraer<br />
E-Jets are a<br />
common sight at<br />
Lille. (HOP! – P<br />
Dourlot)<br />
One of the<br />
airside boarding<br />
gate waiting areas.<br />
The 'Your’s'<br />
restaurant is an<br />
ideal place from<br />
which to watch<br />
aircraft movements,<br />
though you are<br />
expected to order<br />
something!<br />
connection to Lille should be the first step.”<br />
In an attempt to distinguish it from its<br />
competitors, LIL has focused on the needs<br />
of its passengers and airline customers,<br />
provided good accessibility to the airport<br />
and maintained a quality product suiting<br />
its traditional (business) passengers. The<br />
next few years will determine if LIL’s<br />
ambitious passenger and route targets can<br />
be achieved, but given its record so far, it<br />
should rightfully feel confident.<br />
Acknowledgements<br />
The author thanks Jean Christophe Minot,<br />
Lille Airport’s CEO; Pierre Fernemont,<br />
Marketing and Development Manager;<br />
Edouard Aulanier, Communications<br />
Manager; and photographers, Laurent<br />
Ghesquiere and Denis Paillard, for their<br />
assistance in preparing this article.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 45
Divide and Conq<br />
AIRPORT ANALYSIS<br />
DUAL HUBS<br />
46 airports of the world
AIRPORT ANALYSIS<br />
DUAL HUBS<br />
quer<br />
Ulf Meyer delves into<br />
the complex world<br />
of ‘dual-hubs’ and<br />
the rationale for their<br />
existence.<br />
Traditionally in Europe and Asia (but<br />
not North America) one big airline<br />
has one big hub, often in the national<br />
capital or the country’s largest city.<br />
The pattern has changed and continues to<br />
evolve. Many European and Asian airlines<br />
have established one or more secondary<br />
hubs to cater for strong traffic growth<br />
worldwide and to overcome problems<br />
caused by increasingly slot-constrained<br />
primary hubs. In some places, such as<br />
Australia, having more than one hub is a<br />
necessity due to the great geographical<br />
distances. Customers simply do not<br />
enjoy backtracking to somewhere their<br />
aircraft flew over an hour previously.<br />
Matching demand with flights across two<br />
or more hubs is, however, a highly complex<br />
undertaking for airlines.<br />
Geography vs demand<br />
In densely built-up regions such as Europe<br />
or East Asia, airline hubs can sometimes<br />
be right next to one another. The distance<br />
between Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and<br />
Münich hubs is under 200 miles (320km),<br />
for example, while in Asia the distance<br />
between ANA’s hubs in Tokyo and Osaka<br />
is less than 250 miles (400km). In these<br />
cases, it is not so much the possible length<br />
of backtracking but the fact that each city<br />
has its own needs for a hub. Corporations<br />
or industries sometimes create significant<br />
demand for direct flights, so much so that<br />
traditional hubs cannot grow fast enough<br />
to meet the need. Secondary hubs are<br />
sometimes created to cater for ‘overflow’.<br />
Traffic division<br />
How do airlines divide their traffic flows<br />
between hubs? Do secondary or tertiary<br />
hubs replicate the primary ones, or do<br />
they carve out a niche for themselves?<br />
Different airlines find different answers,<br />
as is explained in the following examples<br />
from the world’s top 50 airlines (excluding<br />
US carriers, LCCs and one-hub airlines).<br />
British Airways (BA) has run two London<br />
hubs for many years, Heathrow (LHR) and<br />
Gatwick (LGW). The airline currently uses<br />
LGW primarily for leisure-oriented routes,<br />
while business destinations are served<br />
from LHR. There is much cross-over on<br />
flights to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Nice,<br />
Venice, Rome, Larnaca and Las Vegas, for<br />
example. As a result, many destinations<br />
are served from both facilities. Domestic<br />
connections are limited but cities such as<br />
Edinburgh and Glasgow are also linked to<br />
both hubs. Several destinations served<br />
from LGW, such as Dubrovnik, Alicante<br />
and Málaga, plus Caribbean hotspots<br />
including Antigua, Barbados, Bermuda,<br />
Cancún, Port of Spain, Punta Cana, St<br />
Lufthansa is a<br />
good example of<br />
a major European<br />
carrier running two<br />
hubs. Its primary<br />
one is at Frankfurt<br />
and its aircraft<br />
dominate this<br />
view of Terminal 1.<br />
(Fraport)<br />
British Airways<br />
is the dominant<br />
carrier at London/<br />
Heathrow, but the<br />
airline still provides<br />
many flights from<br />
its smaller hub at<br />
nearby Gatwick.<br />
(Sam Chui)<br />
German carrier<br />
airberlin has hubs<br />
at Berlin/Tegel and<br />
Düsseldorf. The<br />
former is used<br />
mostly for flights<br />
to Northern and<br />
Eastern Europe;<br />
Airbus A319-112<br />
OE-LOE (c/n 3415)<br />
departs on an inter-<br />
European service<br />
in <strong>April</strong> 2013.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Dave Sturges)<br />
Kitts, St Lucia, Tobago and Kingston have<br />
no links to LHR. Flights to North American<br />
and East-Asian are almost solely offered<br />
from Heathrow.<br />
On a smaller scale, Virgin Atlantic Airways<br />
also has a similar division of flights between<br />
the same two airports. From Gatwick,<br />
it serves the Caribbean (to Antigua,<br />
Barbados, Cancún, Grenada, Havana, St<br />
Lucia, and Montego Bay). It also flies to<br />
two North American cities – Las Vegas<br />
and Orlando – both being primarily leisure<br />
destinations. At Heathrow, Virgin connects<br />
to Atlanta, Boston, Delhi, Dubai, Hong<br />
Kong, Johannesburg, Lagos, Los Angeles,<br />
Miami, New York, San Francisco, Shanghai<br />
and Washington. It launched domestic<br />
flights from Heathrow to serve Manchester,<br />
Edinburgh and Aberdeen under the ‘Little<br />
Red’ banner in <strong>March</strong> 2013 to feed into its<br />
main LHR hub. It was not a commercial<br />
success and they are due to cease this year.<br />
Europe’s approach<br />
Looking at continental Europe, how<br />
does Germany’s Lufthansa divide<br />
traffic between hubs at Frankfurt and<br />
Münich? The pattern is much less<br />
obvious than BA’s. The carrier has to<br />
an extent replicated the route network<br />
offered at Frankfurt since opening its<br />
second hub in Münich in 1992. Both are<br />
business/city-focused. Münich has larger<br />
number of routes to Italy and the Balkans<br />
but does not serve many of the longhaul<br />
destinations that Frankfurt does,<br />
including Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka,<br />
Nagoya, Denver, Detroit, Dallas, Atlanta,<br />
Philadelphia, Houston, Johannesburg,<br />
Qingdao, Nanjing, Shenyang, Orlando,<br />
Toronto, Seattle, Vancouver and also<br />
cities in South America, Africa, the<br />
Middle East, Russia and Central Asia.<br />
Even within Europe, second-tier cities<br />
such as Geneva, Basel, Gdansk, Poznan,<br />
Wroclaw, Katowice, Riga, Vilnius, Tallinn,<br />
Turin, Bologna, Stavanger, Bergen,<br />
Billund and Gothenburg, Graz, Linz,<br />
Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Birmingham,<br />
Edinburgh and Aberdeen are only linked<br />
with Frankfurt which serves 95 more<br />
cities than Münich. Even some German<br />
domestic destinations, such as Dresden,<br />
Leipzig, Stuttgart, Friedrichshafen and<br />
Nuremberg are only linked to Frankfurt<br />
– at least for now. Münich has exclusivity<br />
on Lufthansa flights to Ankara, Antalya,<br />
Charlotte, Cologne, Izmir, Larnaca,<br />
Montréal, Sarajevo and Tbilisi.<br />
Lufthansa’s subsidiary Swiss International<br />
Air Lines (SWISS), with its dominant hub at<br />
Zürich, serves around 20 destinations from<br />
its secondary hub at Geneva. Services are<br />
a replica of Zürich, with the exception of<br />
Porto, indicating the carrier is not seeking<br />
to differentiate its hubs, but rather just<br />
serve local demand in the west of its<br />
home country.<br />
German carrier airberlin is another two<br />
hub-airline with almost symmetrical bases<br />
at Berlin/Tegel (TXL) and Düsseldorf<br />
(DUS). The DUS hub provides flights<br />
to some leisure destinations that TXL<br />
does not (including Cancún, Curaçao,<br />
www.airportsworld.com 47
AIRPORT ANALYSIS<br />
DUAL HUBS<br />
Milan/Malpensa was once a major hub for Alitalia,<br />
but today it has limited hub connections and some<br />
long-haul flights for the flag carrier. During better<br />
days, Boeing 777-243ER EI-DBM (c/n 32782) taxies<br />
to the runway in September 2009. (AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Jan Severijns)<br />
48 airports of the world
AIRPORT ANALYSIS<br />
DUAL HUBS<br />
Varadero, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Fort<br />
Myers – all in the Caribbean – as well<br />
as Djerba, Florence, Ibiza, Lanzarote,<br />
Marrakech, Marsa Alam, Miami, Naples,<br />
Olbia and Sylt). From Berlin, the carrier<br />
connects to several Northern European<br />
cities, such as Gothenburg, Bergen,<br />
Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm, as well as<br />
Eastern European destinations including<br />
Bucharest, Budapest, Gdansk, Kaliningrad,<br />
Kraków, St Petersburg, Sofia and Warsaw.<br />
It makes TXL the airline’s hub focusing<br />
on Northern and Eastern Europe. Unlike<br />
DUS, Berlin also has direct flights to<br />
Chicago, Miami, Paris/Orly and Rome,<br />
as well as domestic destinations such<br />
as Saarbrücken, Karlsruhe, Cologne,<br />
Frankfurt and Nuremberg.<br />
Air France and Dutch flag carrier KLM<br />
merged in 2004, although both retain<br />
their individual identities. Traffic is<br />
concentrated on the airlines’ respective<br />
hubs at Paris/Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and<br />
Amsterdam/Schiphol (AMS). The case of<br />
Air France-KLM is special because it is not<br />
so much one airline serving two hubs, but<br />
a double airline with one hub each. KLM<br />
serves some destinations from AMS that<br />
the larger hub at CDG does not. If you<br />
want to travel to secondary cities in East<br />
Asia such as Hangzhou, Xiamen, Taipei,<br />
Chengdu, Manila or Fukuoka on the Air<br />
France-KLM network, you will be routed<br />
via AMS, since Air France does not offer<br />
any of these destinations through its Paris<br />
hub. The same is true for Norwegian<br />
cities such as Bergen, Stavanger and<br />
Oslo and the Danish cities of Aalborg<br />
and Billund. Together with Helsinki and<br />
Gothenburg, this makes Amsterdam the<br />
Nordic and Scandinavian hub for the<br />
two-airline-group.<br />
The important oil and gas industry<br />
generates a considerable number of<br />
flights to the Scottish cities of Aberdeen,<br />
Glasgow and Edinburgh. All are served<br />
direct from AMS, but not CDG. Other<br />
exclusive destinations from AMS include:<br />
Abu Dhabi, Accra, Almaty, Aruba, Bahrain,<br />
Bonaire, Calgary, Cali Cape Town, Chicago,<br />
Curaçao, Damman, Dar es Salaam, Bali,<br />
Doha, Entebbe, Guayaquil, Havana, Kigali,<br />
Kilimanjaro, Kuwait, Lagos, Muscat,<br />
Nairobi, Paramaribo, Quito and Vancouver.<br />
Air France offers many non-stop<br />
connections to sub-Saharan Africa<br />
that Amsterdam does not, including to<br />
Abidjan, Abuja, Antananarivo, Bamako,<br />
Bangui, Brazzaville, Conakry, Cotonou,<br />
Dakar, Djibouti, Douala, Freetown,<br />
Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lomé,<br />
Malabo, Monrovia, N’djamena, Niamey,<br />
Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Port Harcourt<br />
and Yaoundé. In Latin America, Havana,<br />
Brasilia, Caracas and Montevideo are only<br />
connected with CDG. In East Asia this is<br />
true for Guangzhou, Ho Chi Minh City,<br />
Tokyo/Haneda and Wuhan. In both France<br />
and the Netherlands the vast majority<br />
of domestic services route passengers<br />
through their respective hubs, meaning<br />
for some passengers two flights can<br />
be required before joining a long-haul<br />
connection.<br />
In Southern Europe Alitalia has struggled<br />
in recent years, both financially and<br />
against increasing competition from LCCs.<br />
Although no longer considered one of<br />
the largest European carriers, it still has<br />
three hubs. Milan/Linate, mostly serves<br />
domestic destinations but also connects<br />
with Amsterdam, Barcelona, Brussels,<br />
Bucharest, London, Paris and Warsaw. All<br />
of these cities are also served from the<br />
China Southern<br />
Airlines Boeing<br />
737-81B B-2695<br />
(c/n 32923) shares<br />
the apron with<br />
Airbus A320 Family<br />
aircraft at Shanghai/<br />
Pudong Airport in<br />
December 2012.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Dave Sturges)<br />
Oslo/<br />
Gardermoen<br />
is one of three<br />
Scandinavian hubs<br />
used by SAS. It is<br />
also of increasing<br />
importance to<br />
resident carrier<br />
Norwegian<br />
Air Shuttle.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Jorgen<br />
Syversen)<br />
main hub in Rome/Fiumicino. However,<br />
people living in the wealthy north of Italy<br />
do not enjoy going south to the capital<br />
to then ‘backtrack’ north. Consequently,<br />
Milan/Malpensa offers a rather eclectic<br />
mix of Alitalia long-haul destinations,<br />
including Moscow, New York, Tokyo and<br />
Tunis, but no European connections and<br />
only one domestic route to Rome.<br />
In Northern Europe, Scandinavian<br />
Airlines (SAS) is another multi-hub carrier.<br />
The tri-national airline had three bases<br />
– in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo<br />
– from its outset and thus manages a<br />
‘triple-hub’. These heavily compete with<br />
one another. Today Copenhagen (CPH) is<br />
the most important of the three for SAS<br />
(even though the airline is headquartered<br />
in Sweden), mainly because it is furthest<br />
south and thus closer to the rest of<br />
Europe. The Danish capital has a few<br />
world-city connections that Oslo and<br />
Stockholm do not. Most noticeable are the<br />
long-haul destinations of San Francisco,<br />
Shanghai, Tokyo, Washington and Beijing,<br />
although some smaller German and Polish<br />
cities are exclusively served through<br />
CPH by SAS, such as Bremen, Hannover<br />
and Stuttgart in Germany and Warsaw,<br />
Wroclaw and Poznan in Poland. Other<br />
‘exclusive’ SAS destinations reachable<br />
from CPH are Athens, Bologna, Bucharest,<br />
Budapest, Leeds/Bradford, Luxembourg,<br />
Newcastle, Palanga, Pristina, Tel Aviv and<br />
Venice. Oslo (OSL) is the only SAS hub<br />
to have direct flights to Chania, Gran<br />
Canaria, Nice, Prague, Reykjavík and<br />
Alanya. Stockholm is the only SAS hub<br />
that does not serve any destination the<br />
other two do not.<br />
Straddling the Euro-Asia border, Turkey’s<br />
busiest airport is Istanbul/Atatürk, the<br />
primary hub for the rapidly expanding<br />
Turkish Airlines. Istanbul’s second airport,<br />
Sabiha Gökçen, is rapidly catching up and<br />
already offers flights to Amsterdam, Baku,<br />
Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt,<br />
Kiev, Kuwait, London, Milan, Münich,<br />
Paris, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Tbilisi, Sarajevo<br />
and Vienna. Across both facilities<br />
Turkish Airlines flies to 218 international<br />
destinations in 107 countries, making it<br />
one of the most geographically varied air<br />
carriers in the world. It connects to 100<br />
European destinations, 66 in Asia and<br />
42 in Africa.<br />
Asia/Pacific<br />
In China three major airline groups<br />
compete for the millions of customers.<br />
All run more than one hub – in most cases<br />
this is a necessity due to the vast size of<br />
the country. China Southern (CS) serves<br />
193 destinations in 35 countries from its<br />
hubs at Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing<br />
and Ürümqi. The carrier has 485 flights a<br />
day from Guangzhou and 221 from Beijing.<br />
The main hub is connected to a plethora<br />
of Asian destinations as well as Frankfurt,<br />
San Francisco, Amsterdam, Auckland,<br />
London, Paris, Vancouver, Moscow,<br />
New York and Los Angeles. The four<br />
big Australian cities (Melbourne, Perth,<br />
Sydney and Brisbane) are also directly<br />
www.airportsworld.com 49
AIRPORT ANALYSIS<br />
DUAL HUBS<br />
connected to Guangzhou, the capital<br />
of the Pearl River Delta and the world’s<br />
busiest industrial corridor, Guangdong<br />
Province. The airline’s secondary hub<br />
in Beijing is linked to Amsterdam, Hong<br />
Kong, Manila, Phnom Penh, Seoul and<br />
Tashkent. In addition, international flights<br />
are available from Dalian to Japan, South<br />
Korea and Russia.<br />
Air China officially has intercontinental<br />
hubs at Beijing/Capital and Shanghai/<br />
Pudong. From the Chinese capital it serves<br />
dozens of Asian destinations as well as<br />
14 cities in Europe (Athens, Barcelona,<br />
Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, London,<br />
Münich, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Paris,<br />
Rome, Stockholm and Vienna) – by far the<br />
best selection of European destinations<br />
that any Asian carrier offers from its<br />
hub(s). Add seven US-destinations plus<br />
Melbourne, Vancouver, Sydney and São<br />
Paulo and you have an Air-China megahub<br />
that makes its own secondary hub in<br />
Shanghai look small in comparison. From<br />
50 airports of the world
AIRPORT ANALYSIS<br />
DUAL HUBS<br />
Pudong, the carrier only serves Europe<br />
and Australia (Frankfurt, Milan, Münich,<br />
Paris, Melbourne and Sydney).<br />
China Eastern (CE) claims both of<br />
Shanghai’s airports (Hongqiao and<br />
Pudong) as its hubs. From Hongqiao,<br />
which is a mainly domestic city facility, it<br />
offers flights to Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul,<br />
Taipei and Tokyo. From Pudong it flies an<br />
extensive route network covering most<br />
of Asia as well as Frankfurt, Honolulu,<br />
London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York,<br />
Paris, Rome, San Francisco, Toronto and<br />
Vancouver. The carrier also runs two<br />
smaller hubs in Xi’an and Kunming (both<br />
with flights to Asian destinations only).<br />
All Nippon Airways (ANA) in Japan has<br />
its main hub at Tokyo/Haneda Airport<br />
(HND), but Osaka/Kansai and Tokyo/<br />
Narita (NRT) are also important hubs<br />
for its international flights. The airline’s<br />
route network extends through Asia, the<br />
United States and Western Europe and<br />
focuses on business destinations; its<br />
only remaining resort routes are from<br />
both Tokyo airports to Honolulu. From<br />
NRT it serves many Chinese destinations<br />
as well as Chicago, Delhi, Düsseldorf,<br />
Los Angeles, Mumbai, New York, San<br />
Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Singapore<br />
and Washington. Increasingly, though,<br />
more and more long-haul flights are being<br />
offered from HND, which is more popular<br />
because it is easier to reach for many<br />
travellers, including links to Frankfurt,<br />
Hanoi, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles,<br />
Münich, Singapore and Vancouver. There<br />
does not seem to be any particular logic<br />
as to why some cities are served from<br />
Narita and some from Haneda, or in the<br />
case of five destinations (Paris, Bangkok,<br />
Beijing, Jakarta and Manila), from both.<br />
Japan is an interesting case because<br />
both its major airlines use the same<br />
two Tokyo airports as hubs. Just like<br />
ANA, Japan Airlines (JAL) also uses<br />
HND, NRT and Osaka/Kansai as its three<br />
international hubs. Altogether, JAL<br />
serves 33 international destinations, six<br />
of them from Kansai (Bangkok, Honolulu,<br />
Los Angeles, Seoul/Gimpo, Shanghai and<br />
Taipei) – a larger selection than rival ANA.<br />
The primary long-haul service from HND<br />
is to London/Heathrow while from NRT,<br />
JAL offers a wide range of destinations<br />
including Boston, Chicago, Frankfurt,<br />
Guam, Helsinki, Los Angeles, Moscow, New<br />
York, San Diego, Sydney and Vancouver.<br />
In addition Bangkok, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh<br />
City, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Paris and<br />
Singapore are all served from both Tokyo<br />
hubs. There is a lot of duplication in the<br />
Tokyo aviation market, both between<br />
carriers as well as between airports.<br />
In Australia, just like the US and Canada,<br />
one hub can never be enough for an<br />
airline that wants to serve the entire<br />
nation. That is why Qantas uses three<br />
hubs: Brisbane (with flights to Hong Kong,<br />
Los Angeles, New York, Nouméa and<br />
Singapore), Melbourne (serving Dubai,<br />
Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles and<br />
Japan Airlines<br />
Boeing 787-8<br />
JA824J (c/n 34834)<br />
is pushed back<br />
at Tokyo/Narita<br />
on November 17,<br />
2012. The carrier<br />
has hubs at both<br />
Tokyo airports in<br />
competition with<br />
All Nippon Airways.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Angelo<br />
Bufalino)<br />
The 2004 merger<br />
of Air France and<br />
KLM produced one<br />
of Europe’s largest<br />
carriers. Each<br />
retains its own<br />
identity with hubs<br />
at Paris/Charles<br />
de Gaulle and<br />
Amsterdam/Schiphol<br />
respectively. In<br />
August last year<br />
one of KLM’s<br />
last remaining<br />
McDonnell Douglas<br />
MD-11s taxies<br />
to departure<br />
at Schiphol.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Jeffrey<br />
Schafer)<br />
Qantas has<br />
three hubs across<br />
the vast Australian<br />
continent, allowing it<br />
to offer connectivity<br />
to the country’s<br />
major population<br />
centres. One of<br />
the carrier’s Airbus<br />
A330s comes in<br />
to land at Sydney/<br />
Kingsford Smith<br />
Airport. (Sam Chui)<br />
Singapore) and of course Sydney, which<br />
links to all of the same destinations<br />
as Brisbane and Melbourne and also<br />
to Bangkok, Dallas, Honolulu, Jakarta,<br />
Johannesburg, Manila, Queenstown,<br />
Santiago de Chile, Shanghai and Tokyo.<br />
Smaller rival Virgin Australia (VA) follows<br />
its larger competitor’s regional pattern and<br />
also uses the same three hubs as Qantas.<br />
All have connections to Auckland and<br />
Christchurch in New Zealand, Denpasar<br />
in Indonesia and Nadi in Fiji – popular<br />
spots for Australian tourists. Melbourne<br />
and Sydney both offer flights to Los<br />
Angeles and destinations in the Southern<br />
Pacific such as Honiara, Port Moresby,<br />
Port Vila, Queenstown (from Brisbane)<br />
and Nuku’alofa (from Sydney). Virgin<br />
Australia’s only connection to Europe is<br />
from Sydney, via Abu Dhabi.<br />
Does it work?<br />
While different airlines around the globe<br />
have different ideas of how to differentiate<br />
their multiple hubs, in all cases the Latin<br />
saying ‘divide et impera’ (divide and<br />
conquer) has some relevance for the<br />
airlines’ strategies. Reasons and details<br />
for dual, triple or even quadruple hubs<br />
may be very different but they all aim to<br />
gain more customers than a single hub<br />
ever could. Geography plays an important<br />
factor in many cases, such as in the US and<br />
Australia, where vast distances dictate<br />
the need for multiple hubs to serve large<br />
population centres. In Europe the case<br />
for multiple hubs is far more complex,<br />
with business connectivity, manufacturing<br />
centres, financial markets and population<br />
growth driving the need for hubs to be<br />
much closer together.<br />
For the most part it works, but as has been<br />
the case in Milan, changing fortunes of one<br />
airline can quickly re-write an airport’s<br />
master plan, requiring a rapid shift in<br />
emphasis as it seeks to bring in new carriers<br />
to serve existing markets, or branch out<br />
into new ones.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 51
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FEATURE<br />
LA PAZ<br />
A busy La<br />
Paz apron in the<br />
late afternoon<br />
is overlooked by<br />
Illampu Mountain,<br />
Bolivia’s fourth<br />
highest peak. (All<br />
photos author)<br />
La Paz<br />
Holding the High Ground<br />
Sebastian Schmitz visits the world’s highest<br />
international airport – El Alto in La Paz, Bolivia.<br />
A<br />
landing at El Alto International<br />
Airport (LPB), 8 miles (13km)<br />
from and about 1,500ft (450m)<br />
above the Bolivian city of La Paz,<br />
is a truly breathtaking experience. When<br />
arriving from the east, aircraft overfly the<br />
city, which sits in a deep canyon. From the<br />
west, one may glimpse Lake Titicaca and<br />
the beautiful and eerie landscape of the<br />
Altiplano high plains, before seeing the<br />
simple brick buildings and many small<br />
churches in the not-so-wealthy suburb<br />
of El Alto.<br />
Thin air<br />
After touchdown, it is a wise to take things<br />
slowly due to the thin air. El Alto (which<br />
means ‘the high one’) is the world’s highest<br />
international airport – at an elevation of<br />
13,325ft (4,061m). It was, for many years,<br />
the highest airport in the world. The honour<br />
now rests with China’s Daocheng Yading<br />
Airport at 14,472ft (4,411m) above sea level.<br />
During the 1980s, Lufthansa used to fly to<br />
El Alto with Boeing 747-200s (and before<br />
that the 707), although only on a shuttle<br />
service from Lima. A now retired Lufthansa<br />
purser and friend of the author remembers<br />
vividly how both passengers and crew were<br />
greeted by ground staff carrying oxygen<br />
bottles as travellers arriving from sea level<br />
would often collapse or feel very weak in the<br />
rarefied air. Today, there is even an oxygen<br />
bar in the terminal where passengers can<br />
take a deep breath or two.<br />
The airport’s altitude has been a limiting<br />
factor throughout its existence. Even<br />
though its main Runway 10/28 is quite<br />
long at 13,123ft (4,000m), non-stop longhaul<br />
flights are out of the question for the<br />
time being. Thin air prevents maximum<br />
weight departures, meaning aircraft have<br />
to carry less fuel. The high altitude can also<br />
be a reason for unusual visitors. Aircraft<br />
manufacturer Airbus chose LPB, along with<br />
Cochabamba, for a series of high-altitude<br />
tests of its new A350 in January last year.<br />
Regional traffic<br />
Although LPB is Bolivia’s busiest passenger<br />
airport, the number of international routes<br />
is limited, compared to Santa Cruz/Viru Viru<br />
(VVI). The difference between the two is<br />
almost 12,000ft (3,658m) of altitude. Being<br />
much closer to sea level means VVI receives<br />
the bulk of the country’s international flights.<br />
However, some international traffic does use<br />
La Paz, mostly to neighbouring countries.<br />
The longest flight to LPB is American<br />
Airlines’ daily service from Miami, flown<br />
by a 757. The schedule is actually a Miami-<br />
La Paz-Santa Cruz-Miami triangular one,<br />
enabling the return flight to be direct from<br />
Santa Cruz with no weight penalties. The<br />
airport’s most important international route<br />
is to the Peruvian capital Lima, around two<br />
hours flying time. Between Avianca and<br />
LAN, there are up to three daily flights to<br />
Lima, some go via Santa Cruz purely for<br />
commercial reasons. Avianca has a daily<br />
Peru<br />
Bolivia<br />
Argentina<br />
Brazil<br />
Airbus A319 connection to its hub in Bogotá,<br />
with an early departure time of 04:25. The<br />
flight continues to Washington DC, using<br />
the same flight number, catering for the<br />
large Bolivian community living in Virginia.<br />
Peruvian Airlines launched flights to La<br />
Paz in October last year, offering a daily<br />
737 connection from Cuzco and Lima. Two<br />
carriers provide services to Chile; LAN from<br />
Santiago de Chile four times a week (using<br />
A320s), with a stop in Iquique in the north of<br />
the country. Chile’s Sky Airline (see Airliner<br />
World, <strong>April</strong> <strong>2015</strong>) has a daily A320 service<br />
which routes via Iquique and Arica, close<br />
to the Chilean-Peruvian border. The only<br />
Bolivian carrier offering an international<br />
flight is locally based Amaszonas. It runs a<br />
daily Bombardier CRJ link to the Peruvian<br />
city of Cuzco which, on three days of the<br />
week, goes via Arequipa.<br />
Domestic network<br />
Bolivia’s busiest domestic route is between<br />
La Paz and VVI. Boliviana de Aviación<br />
(BoA), which runs its international flights<br />
from the latter, has nine daily weekday 737<br />
flights between the two cities. Boliviana also<br />
serves Cochabamba as well as Tarija and<br />
Cobija. All remaining domestic destinations<br />
can be reached via Cochabamba or<br />
Santa Cruz. With the airline soon<br />
introducing Chinese-built Xian<br />
MA-60 turboprops, the number<br />
of destinations and frequencies<br />
is likely to grow.<br />
54 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
LA PAZ<br />
The terminal from<br />
the apron on a clear<br />
and sunny day. The<br />
international departures<br />
area is to the left and<br />
the domestic gates to<br />
the right.<br />
Airport Statistics<br />
ICAO Code:<br />
IATA Code:<br />
Location:<br />
Elevation:<br />
Runways:<br />
SLLP<br />
LPB<br />
16° 30.48’ S, 68° 11.32’ W<br />
13,325ft (4,061m)<br />
10/28 13,123 x 151ft<br />
(4,000 x 46m)<br />
10L/28R 6,725 x 300ft<br />
(2,050 x 91m)<br />
Frequencies: Tower: 118.3<br />
Ground: 121.9<br />
Approach: 119.5<br />
Website: www.sabsa.aero<br />
Passengers<br />
disembarking from<br />
BoA Boeing 737-<br />
3M8 CP-2552 (c/n<br />
25041), which has<br />
just arrived from<br />
Santa Cruz, the<br />
busiest route served<br />
by the airport.<br />
The main checkin<br />
hall, with the<br />
associated desks to<br />
the right, a luggage<br />
weighing service<br />
waiting for business,<br />
and a popular<br />
Subway outlet on<br />
the left.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 55
FEATURE<br />
LA PAZ<br />
The waiting<br />
lounges offer great<br />
views of the apron<br />
and runway and the<br />
clear glass also allows<br />
good photographs to<br />
be taken.<br />
The entrance to<br />
TAM’s small terminal.<br />
The facility is mostly<br />
used by the airline’s<br />
turboprop flights.<br />
TAM Xian MA-60<br />
FAB-97 (c/n 0412)<br />
parked in front of<br />
the carrier’s small<br />
terminal, just before<br />
leaving on a flight to<br />
Rurrenabaque.<br />
Aerocon Fairchild<br />
Swearingen<br />
SA-227DC Metro<br />
23 CP-2477 (c/n<br />
DC-830B) arrives at its<br />
parking stand in the<br />
early morning.<br />
Small Trinidad-based carrier Aerocon<br />
sends its Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners<br />
to Potosi, Oruro, El Trompillo (see <strong>Airports</strong><br />
of the World, issue 56, p78) and La Paz.<br />
Bolivia’s newest airline, EcoJet, offers flights<br />
to Trinidad and Cobija (with connections<br />
from there) and Sucre using Avro RJ85s.<br />
Amaszonas offers a range of domestic flights<br />
including multiple daily links on the trunk<br />
routes to Santa Cruz and Cochabamba,<br />
to the tourist hotspot Uyuni (with its<br />
stunning salt lake, the Salar de Uyuni),<br />
Sucre, Rurrenabaque and Potosi. Transporte<br />
Aéreo Militar (TAM), the passenger element<br />
of the Bolivian Air Force, is popular with<br />
travellers as fares are usually very low. It is<br />
also popular with aviation enthusiasts due<br />
to its fleet of 737-200s, BAe 146-200s, Xian<br />
MA-60s, Fokker 27s and its sole 727-200,<br />
which has now been retired. All jet flights<br />
usually use the regular terminal while its<br />
turboprops use TAM’s own terminal at the<br />
northern edge of the airport. Even when<br />
not flying, a visit to this small terminal<br />
is recommended as it offers good views<br />
of the military apron and photography<br />
is usually tolerated. The military carrier<br />
serves the cities of Cochabamba (up to four<br />
times a day) and Cobija, Trinidad, Sucre<br />
and Rurrenabaque with between two and<br />
six weekly frequencies. Aircraft types can<br />
vary, although the route to Rurrenabaque<br />
is usually a good bet for an MA-60 or F27.<br />
Facelift<br />
A series of modernisation and infrastructure<br />
projects is under way. Resurfacing the<br />
runway, taxiways and apron is already<br />
completed. A new wing is to be added to<br />
the terminal, providing much-needed space<br />
for more check-in counters and making the<br />
building more spacious. Once finished, the<br />
rest of the terminal will be refurbished. Two<br />
airbridges were recently added, increasing<br />
the total to four. However, many flights<br />
are still accessed by foot across the apron.<br />
The terminal extension will eat<br />
into current car parking space and a<br />
replacement area is to be built nearby.<br />
Looking ahead, there are plenty of unused<br />
areas around the airfield which could be<br />
used for more facilities if required.<br />
Until the extension is finished, the terminal<br />
remains small and can become crowded at<br />
peak times, especially in the international<br />
departure area. That said, amenities are<br />
modern and offer a good range of services<br />
including refreshment outlets, shops, ATMs<br />
and even a small ‘sleeping box’ hotel, the<br />
Onkel Inn. Once through security, the<br />
departure lounges give great views of the<br />
apron and runway and the windows allow<br />
for good photographs to be taken. Free<br />
wireless internet is available throughout.<br />
Bolivia is one of the few countries in the<br />
world where airport taxes are not included<br />
in the ticket price. Before proceeding to<br />
the boarding area, all travellers need to<br />
visit the airport tax counter and pay their<br />
$25 for international or just over $2 for<br />
domestic flights. There are frequent buses<br />
and minibuses connecting the airport with<br />
the city centre. Taxis are also available at<br />
a fixed rate.<br />
The airport has a second runway (10L/28R),<br />
parallel to the main tarmac, which is much<br />
shorter and unpaved. It is used rarely and<br />
not usually by scheduled flights.<br />
56 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
LA PAZ<br />
Old-timers<br />
Parked piston engine aircraft on the grass near<br />
the main apron are reminders of a time when<br />
these classics came and went many times a<br />
day. During the 1960s and 1970s, and even<br />
into the 1980s, a colourful array of airlines<br />
used piston engine types on cargo flights to<br />
La Paz. Then, roads were poor and there were<br />
hardly any trucks with a refrigeration system.<br />
Fresh meat had to be flown from the farms<br />
in Bolivia’s lowlands to La Paz. Many airlines<br />
made good money with these meat hauling<br />
flights across the Andes Mountains in what<br />
were often poorly maintained aircraft. Today,<br />
better roads and refrigerated trucks have made<br />
such flights obsolete and just a few abandoned<br />
aircraft remain at LPB as a reminder of those<br />
glorious days. They include Convair C-131<br />
CP-2026, Curtiss C-46s CP-1080 and CP-1655;<br />
and ex-La Cumbre Douglas DC-6 CP-1282. All<br />
are in pretty poor condition and will probably<br />
be scrapped shortly.<br />
Former<br />
Transporte Aéreo<br />
Militar (TAM)<br />
Douglas C-47 TAM<br />
01 is displayed in<br />
front of the carrier’s<br />
small terminal.<br />
British Aerospace<br />
146-200 CP-2634<br />
(c/n E2096) is flown<br />
on behalf of the<br />
San Cristobal mine,<br />
which runs a shuttle<br />
service from La<br />
Paz to the mine in<br />
southwest Bolivia.<br />
One of the Curtiss C-46s in storage at El Alto<br />
is CP-1655. It is in much better shape than the<br />
second example nearby.<br />
Former La Cumbre Douglas DC-6 CP-1282,<br />
slowly rotting away in the grass.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 57
FEATURE<br />
LA PAZ<br />
(Not for airborne/operational<br />
use – Navtech Aerad)<br />
Amaszonas Fairchild Swearingen SA227DC Metro 23 CP-2459 (c/n DC-847B) leaving a parking stand<br />
close to the terminal, from where this picture was taken. The airline has since standardised on a fleet of<br />
Bombardier CRJs and has disposed of its Metros.<br />
Bombardier CRJ200 CP-2715 (c/n 7218) was the first of the type to be delivered to Amaszonas in 2012<br />
and is one of seven now with the airline.<br />
Alexander is a Bolivian coffee chain which has numerous branches around<br />
La Paz and one in the domestic boarding lounge at El Alto Airport.<br />
LAN Airbus A320-214 CC-BFE (c/n 5364) prepares to depart for a flight to<br />
the Peruvian capital Lima.<br />
Bolivia’s busiest<br />
For years, Santa Cruz’ VVI was number one<br />
in Bolivia in terms of passenger numbers.<br />
This changed in 2012, when LPB took over.<br />
Viru Viru is used by 50% more international<br />
travellers than El Alto, yet, the number<br />
of domestic passengers is 40% higher at<br />
LPB. In 2013, La Paz handled 1,793,866<br />
travellers, 77,508 more than VVI and a<br />
growth of around 14% compared with the<br />
previous year. Having established an upward<br />
trend and with the much-needed expansion<br />
currently taking place, airport operator<br />
SABSA is finally being rewarded for its<br />
hard work and determination to improve<br />
the passenger experience at LPB. The<br />
company is responsible for running the<br />
nation’s three international airports, Santa<br />
Cruz/VVI, Cochabamba and LPB. The three<br />
were privatised in 1997 when a 25-year<br />
concession contract was signed with Airport<br />
Group International. Ownership of SABSA<br />
has changed several times and in 2013, when<br />
the government decided to re-nationalise<br />
SABSA, the company was owned by Spanish<br />
firm Abertis. Today, SABSA is fully owned<br />
by the Bolivian Government.<br />
Because of its high altitude, La Paz will<br />
never become an intercontinental hub.<br />
Instead it will focus on regional<br />
international flights and increasing its<br />
domestic reach. With the new terminal<br />
expansion and several smaller upgrade<br />
projects, the airport will become more<br />
attractive for travellers and hopefully be<br />
able to encourage more airlines and flights<br />
in the future.<br />
58 airports of the world
The busiest, biggest<br />
and best...<br />
NEW!<br />
JUST<br />
Great <strong>Airports</strong> of the World is a 100-page<br />
special publication which takes a detailed<br />
look at eight of the most influential,<br />
busiest, largest and most impressive<br />
global air hubs. Also examined are<br />
concepts for future giant airports,<br />
including the world’s largest at Dubai<br />
World Central, and several of the massive<br />
new terminals now under construction.<br />
Features include:<br />
Heathrow Gets its Mojo Back<br />
London Heathrow has been the world’s<br />
busiest international airport for decades,<br />
but was suffering under the strain of rising<br />
demand. Bruce Hales-Dutton reveals, there’s<br />
more to come.<br />
Sydney Airport: Australia’s Gateway<br />
Nestled on the banks of Botany Bay, Sydney<br />
Kingsford Smith Airport is Australia’s most<br />
important piece of aviation infrastructure.<br />
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130/15
FEATURE<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
Island<br />
Delight<br />
Kevan James travels<br />
to the Channel Island<br />
of Guernsey and<br />
discovers its wellequipped<br />
airport is<br />
eager to welcome<br />
more visitors from the<br />
UK and Europe.<br />
60 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
Airport Statistics<br />
ICAO Code:<br />
IATA Code:<br />
Location:<br />
Elevation:<br />
Runway:<br />
EGJB<br />
GCI<br />
49° 26.06’ N, 002° 36.07’ W<br />
336ft (102m)<br />
09/27 4,800 x 148ft<br />
(1,463 x 45m)<br />
Frequencies: ATIS: 109.4<br />
Tower: 119.95<br />
Ground: 121.8<br />
Radar: 118.9, 124.5<br />
Website: www.guernsey-airport.gov.gg<br />
An aerial view<br />
of the airport taken<br />
in September last<br />
year. (Brian Green/<br />
Guernsey Airport)<br />
Mention the Channel Islands to<br />
most people and they tend to<br />
think of tax exiles, the ’80s<br />
TV detective Bergerac and,<br />
perhaps, German occupation during World<br />
War Two – but there’s so much more to<br />
discover.<br />
Jersey is the largest of the seven<br />
inhabited islands that are geographically<br />
closer to France than mainland Britain and<br />
consequently has a distinct French flavour.<br />
They are not part of the UK, neither are<br />
they in the European Union, but are Crown<br />
Dependencies and thus Jersey has its own<br />
government, as does the second largest<br />
island, Guernsey, which is also responsible<br />
for Alderney and the remaining smaller<br />
islands, Sark, Herm, Jethou and Brecqhou.<br />
While Jersey may sometimes get more<br />
attention, Guernsey like the others, has its<br />
charms – quaint houses, quiet roads, great<br />
beaches and its airport. Once famous for<br />
the dip towards the threshold of Runway 09<br />
and its sloping parallel taxiway, Guernsey’s<br />
airport (GCI) has had a makeover; more<br />
than that, an almost complete rebuild,<br />
to match the modern terminal opened<br />
in 2004.<br />
History<br />
Guernsey’s airport has a long history,<br />
having originally opened with four grass<br />
runways on May 5, 1939. Being an island,<br />
it’s not surprising that aviation has always<br />
played a vital role here. The first passenger<br />
arrived in October 1919 and in 1923 a regular<br />
seaplane service began, using the bay off<br />
the island’s capital, St Peter Port. Cobham<br />
Air Routes arrived in 1935 using an earlier<br />
airfield at L’Eree for Croydon-Portsmouth-<br />
Christchurch-Guernsey flights by Airspeed<br />
Envoy IIs. Being flood-prone, the field<br />
was superseded by the current one at La<br />
Villaize four years later. The airfield was<br />
a prime target for the German occupation<br />
forces when World War Two broke out – and<br />
shortly after opening all civil flying ceased.<br />
But after the conflict no time was lost in<br />
re-starting services and in June 1945, His<br />
Majesty King George VI and his wife Queen<br />
Elizabeth arrived on an RAF Douglas DC-3<br />
Dakota, to celebrate the island’s liberation.<br />
It was the first time a Queen of England<br />
had flown.<br />
On June 21, 1945, just six weeks after<br />
the end of the war-time occupation,<br />
Guernsey Airways and Jersey Airways<br />
(later merging to become Channel Island<br />
Airways) began regular scheduled services<br />
between Croydon, Southampton, Guernsey<br />
and Jersey. British European Airways<br />
(BEA) subsequently took over flights,<br />
absorbing Channel Island Airways in <strong>April</strong><br />
1947, but caused some considerable disquiet<br />
locally by using Junkers Ju 52 aircraft, the<br />
type used on flights to the islands by the<br />
Luftwaffe on a daily basis during the war.<br />
Quickly replacing the Ju 52 with de<br />
Havilland DH.89 Rapides, BEA went<br />
on to introduce 22 services a week to<br />
Southampton, 21 to Croydon, 95 a week<br />
between Guernsey and Jersey and another<br />
12 to Alderney. Flights to Dinard, France,<br />
were also added and in 1954, BEA’s Croydon<br />
connection moved to London/Heathrow.<br />
However, four years later all BEA links to<br />
the UK capital moved again, this time to the<br />
newly opened Gatwick. This was despite<br />
considerable opposition from the islanders,<br />
who objected to losing direct links to what<br />
had rapidly become the world’s premier<br />
international airport. Meanwhile, in 1956,<br />
Jersey Airlines had taken over the Alderney,<br />
Southampton and Dinard routes, and in<br />
September that year the one millionth<br />
passenger passed through the airport since<br />
it opened in 1939.<br />
Airfield upgrade<br />
Towards the end of the 1950s, the grass<br />
runways and terminal were limiting<br />
the services that could be handled and<br />
the decision was taken by the Island’s<br />
government to build a hard surface runway,<br />
with enough length to cope with larger,<br />
heavier aircraft then entering service.<br />
The new runway opened the following<br />
decade after additional land to the west<br />
had been acquired, with several houses<br />
making way for the 4,800ft (1,463m) stretch<br />
of tarmac. One of the challenges facing<br />
the construction teams was a valley at<br />
the western end which had to be filled in.<br />
Even so, there was still a noticeable dip<br />
just past the threshold and the taxiway<br />
linking that end of the runway had an<br />
even bigger slope, resulting in aircraft<br />
disappearing from view completely when<br />
looking out from the terminal and apron.<br />
The other end of the runway also dropped<br />
away slightly, giving it an undulating<br />
profile that occasionally required careful<br />
touchdowns and a boost of extra power<br />
when going ‘up the hill’ in either direction,<br />
on the taxiway. This feature remained until<br />
the runway’s reconstruction in 2013, and<br />
today the taxiway retains the same slope.<br />
Traffic development<br />
Throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s, the<br />
DC-3s commonly used at GCI were replaced<br />
by Vickers Viscounts of BEA, British Midland,<br />
Northeast and Cambrian, Handley Page<br />
Dart Heralds of British Island Airways and<br />
the ungainly Aviation Traders Carvairs<br />
operated by British Air Ferries – enabling<br />
cars to accompany passengers. These, along<br />
with numerous smaller carriers, provided<br />
frequent services, particularly in summer,<br />
bringing holidaymakers from across the<br />
UK to the island.<br />
In 1969, BEA axed its Guernsey-Jersey<br />
flights and these were replaced by the<br />
newly formed Aurigny Air Services using<br />
Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders, the small<br />
yellow twin-engine aircraft being joined<br />
in 1971 by its larger cousin, the Trislander,<br />
with its tail-fin mounted third engine. More<br />
than 40 years later, Aurigny is still providing<br />
vital services. After 38 years of shuttling<br />
around the Channel Islands, the Trislander<br />
is nearing retirement, with the most wellknown<br />
example, G-JOEY (c/n 1016), still in<br />
service, faithfully flying from Guernsey<br />
until the arrival of the replacement type,<br />
the Dornier 228.<br />
In 1971, BEA set up its Channel Islands<br />
Division, basing 12 Viscounts primarily<br />
www.airportsworld.com 61
FEATURE<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
Airport Director Colin Le Ray. (Guernsey Airport)<br />
in Jersey, but also serving Guernsey,<br />
and in 1973 both islands were linked with<br />
Amsterdam/Schiphol by the four-engine<br />
turboprop aircraft. That same year saw<br />
the merger of BEA and the British Overseas<br />
Airways Corporation (BOAC), and British<br />
Airways Regional became a familiar sight<br />
at GCI, its stylised red tails replacing the<br />
other carriers’ long-standing ‘Red Square’<br />
logo and the shorter lived blue and red<br />
‘speedjack’ fin design.<br />
Since those heady days, mainline activities<br />
have fluctuated; British Airways axed all<br />
its Channel Islands routes except Jersey<br />
to Heathrow and Manchester in 1980.<br />
Some services were later restored only<br />
to be dropped once again and the link to<br />
Heathrow was awarded to what became<br />
Air UK. In 1998 Air UK moved its London<br />
route from Heathrow to Stansted and<br />
subsequently abandoned its Guernsey<br />
connections altogether.<br />
Over two decades, an array of airlines<br />
had come and gone, including Dan Air,<br />
Intra Airways, Jersey Ferry Airlines,<br />
Brymon Airways and Guernsey Airlines.<br />
By 2003 the two main carriers were<br />
Aurigny and Flybe, being joined by what<br />
had started as Le Coq’s Airlink based<br />
on Alderney, becoming Rockhopper and<br />
known today as Blue Islands.<br />
Infrastructure improvements<br />
Despite terminal extensions and<br />
improvements taking place over several<br />
years, and runway re-surfacing and widening<br />
in 1974/1975, there was little doubt that the<br />
airport was lagging behind<br />
An image from<br />
1960 – as the<br />
hard runway was<br />
completed, the<br />
dip was levelled<br />
enough to allow<br />
safe operations, but<br />
remained a feature<br />
of the airport until<br />
the 2013 rebuild.<br />
Note the taxiway<br />
was still much lower<br />
than the runway.<br />
(Guernsey Airport)<br />
The modern<br />
terminal opened<br />
in 2004 and still<br />
has plenty of<br />
spare capacity to<br />
accommodate traffic<br />
growth. (Author)<br />
others, particularly Jersey. As a result<br />
Kensington Taylor Architects was selected<br />
in 1999 to design a completely new terminal.<br />
Built by Hochtief (UK) Construction, the<br />
new building opened on <strong>March</strong> 25, 2004,<br />
heralding a new beginning for GCI.<br />
With a price tag of £18m, the terminal<br />
offered a dramatic improvement in facilities,<br />
with baggage belts, a larger departure<br />
lounge, enlarged duty-free outlet, a bigger<br />
restaurant and bar, wheelchair and disabled<br />
access to all areas, lifts and a covered<br />
walkway to aircraft parking stands.<br />
The terminal was only the start; a longterm<br />
plan for the airport’s development<br />
culminated in 2013 with completion of<br />
the Airport 2040 project,<br />
involving the<br />
Blue Islands ATR 72 G-ISLI (c/n 529), at GCI on June 14 last year. The carrier serves Jersey as well as<br />
Bristol and Southampton in the UK. (AirTeamImages.com/Simon Wilson)<br />
(Not for airborne/operational<br />
use – Navtech Aerad)<br />
62 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
resurfacing of all aircraft parking areas<br />
and most significantly, a rebuild and<br />
extension of the runway and a realignment<br />
of the taxiway serving it, enabling the<br />
airport to handle larger, heavier aircraft.<br />
Costing £80m, the scheme also converted<br />
grass parking areas for private aircraft to<br />
concrete to provide more apron space for<br />
both commercial and private flying; there<br />
were also upgrades to airfield lighting and<br />
drainage. The most noticeable change to<br />
the runway was a 492ft (150m) extension<br />
at the western (09) end and reducing the<br />
undulating profile by removing some of<br />
the famous ‘dip’ and raising the height of<br />
the 27 threshold to provide a more even<br />
profile. Runway End Safety Areas (RESAs)<br />
were also added at both ends.<br />
The work was completed over a two-year<br />
period and the airport remained open<br />
throughout, with the exception of four<br />
planned two-day closures for work that<br />
could not be carried out overnight.<br />
With the exception of Aurigny’s Embraer<br />
195 aircraft, currently the largest to use<br />
GCI, all other passenger flights are by<br />
either Aurigny or Blue Islands ATR 42s and<br />
72s, Flybe Bombardier Dash 8-Q400s, or<br />
Aurigny’s ubiquitous Trislanders. Airbridges<br />
are not appropriate for such small aircraft,<br />
but a covered walkway provides access<br />
to the eight stands fronting the terminal.<br />
and troughs of commercial services to the<br />
island. “Visitor traffic in the 1970s was<br />
nearly three times higher than current<br />
levels; however air travel was around<br />
50% of its current levels. The majority<br />
of visitors to and from Guernsey travelled<br />
by sea,” he continued. “Visitor traffic in<br />
2013 has been estimated at 302,000, of<br />
this 198,000 travelled to and from the<br />
island by air. Around 80% of visitors are<br />
here for leisure, the remaining 20% for<br />
business. Looking at total airport travel<br />
(visitors + residents) then 78% is to and<br />
from the UK, 21% is between Guernsey and<br />
the other Channel Islands and the balance<br />
is to and from Europe.”<br />
With the airport having capacity for<br />
extra services, Le Ray feels there is some<br />
room for new entrants and the airport can<br />
handle aircraft up to Boeing 737 size. “The<br />
key route network is largely unchanged,<br />
though carriers have come and gone.<br />
The airport offers route incentives for<br />
new or existing operators and the local<br />
tourist department can offer assistance<br />
on route marketing and other promotional<br />
initiatives,” he continued. “A study of<br />
new route development and a review of<br />
strategic air links is currently under way.<br />
It is fair to say that historically Guernsey<br />
(with 62,000 residents) has punched<br />
above its weight in terms of the number<br />
and variety of destinations served. With<br />
860,000 passenger movements to date<br />
[autumn 2014] there is a high propensity<br />
for travel and with only one airport we<br />
have both a responsibility and opportunity<br />
to benefit from that dependence on<br />
aviation. The greatest potential for new<br />
routes remains with the UK, however<br />
opportunities for developing European<br />
destinations are being considered. The<br />
airport can handle up to three 737s and<br />
five Dash 8s simultaneously on stands<br />
adjacent to the terminal. Four additional<br />
remote stands can accommodate aircraft<br />
up to Dash 8 size.”<br />
Although there is an obvious desire to<br />
see key links strengthened, London’s<br />
Heathrow is not amongst the destinations<br />
Le Ray believes will be served. “Gatwick,<br />
Director’s view<br />
Airport Director Colin Le Ray said: “The<br />
latest rebuild has been focussed on<br />
condition, capacity and compliance. In<br />
that respect the reconstruction activity<br />
has facilitated larger aircraft to operate in<br />
terms of runway and apron strength, both of<br />
which had limited the use of larger heavier<br />
aircraft (such as the E195) before works<br />
were commissioned. The reconstruction<br />
work has now facilitated regular scheduled<br />
flights by the Embraer type, which has<br />
been necessary to protect Guernsey’s<br />
lifeline Gatwick route on an economically<br />
sustainable basis. The terminal capacity is<br />
unchanged at 1.25m passengers per annum,<br />
and remains around 30% above current<br />
annual passenger numbers.”<br />
In position since the summer of<br />
2003, when he worked on the terminal<br />
redevelopment, Le Ray is well versed in<br />
Guernsey’s aviation history and the peaks<br />
The first floor<br />
departure lounge<br />
provides views of the<br />
central apron and<br />
the runway. (Author)<br />
Runway<br />
resurfacing and<br />
strengthening work<br />
under way in 2013.<br />
(Guernsey Airport)<br />
The check-in<br />
area at a quiet time<br />
of day. (Author)<br />
Tower controllers<br />
Peter Thoume (left)<br />
and Stephen Muir<br />
(right). The cab<br />
gives unobstructed<br />
views of the entire<br />
airfield. (Author)<br />
www.airportsworld.com 63
FEATURE<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
Manchester and Birmingham remain the<br />
main hubs with direct connections to and<br />
from Guernsey. The importance of these<br />
links is not underestimated and the island’s<br />
government is continuing to lobby for<br />
[further] access rights to these airports.<br />
It was for this reason that the government<br />
subsequently purchased Aurigny in 2003<br />
and in doing so obtained control of six<br />
landing slots at Gatwick.<br />
Flights to Heathrow ran until approximately<br />
1998 and sat alongside Gatwick as a regular<br />
destination for Guernsey passengers. The<br />
value of Heathrow slots, combined with the<br />
high price of flying that route led the then<br />
operator to pull out and concentrate efforts<br />
at Gatwick. No attempt has been made<br />
to recommence that service and little or<br />
no demand is being made for it. A recent<br />
new service to London City has been less<br />
well supported to date and this may imply<br />
that other than interlining traffic there is<br />
little business support in the island for a<br />
Heathrow connection.”<br />
Although the airport can handle a 737, Le<br />
Ray also points out that, “passengers or<br />
fuel weight would limit the range it could<br />
fly due to the runway’s length. Operation<br />
of the E195 is largely unlimited by either.”<br />
A further runway extension would<br />
overcome the issue and it’s not impossible,<br />
despite land being limited for more physical<br />
growth. Le Ray continued: “The likely future<br />
demand for larger aircraft is governed by<br />
economic realities, including population<br />
control. The use of larger aircraft with<br />
unlimited payload would require a runway<br />
extension to around 5,741ft (1750m) and<br />
the execution of the runway project has<br />
endeavoured to future-proof this work, such<br />
that it would be carried out only at one end.<br />
A decision not to pursue this option was<br />
made by the government in 2009, although<br />
the situation continues to be monitored<br />
and reviewed. Whilst there remain some<br />
relatively limited developments possible<br />
within the existing airport boundary, these<br />
will be costly as they are generally in more<br />
remote areas not directly linked to the<br />
runway or the main road network.”<br />
Other challenges<br />
One of the problems the airport does<br />
have is a familiar one. Guernsey is a small<br />
Airlines (November 2014)<br />
Carrier<br />
Aurigny Air Services<br />
Blue Islands<br />
Flybe<br />
West Atlantic<br />
Frank McMeiken,<br />
the airport’s ATC<br />
manager, enjoys<br />
his favourite read<br />
after talking to the<br />
author. (Author)<br />
Aurigny Air<br />
Services’ most<br />
well-known aircraft<br />
– Britten-Norman<br />
Trislander G-JOEY<br />
(c/n 1016) – on the<br />
Guernsey apron on<br />
a sunny summer’s<br />
day last June.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/Simon Wilson)<br />
West Atlantic<br />
British Aerospace ATP<br />
G-BTPG (c/n 2014)<br />
rests between cargo<br />
and mail services<br />
to Bournemouth<br />
and London/Luton.<br />
(Author)<br />
Destinations<br />
Alderney, Manchester, Gatwick, London<br />
City, Bristol, East Midlands, Dinard<br />
Bristol, Jersey, Southampton<br />
Birmingham, Exeter, Southampton<br />
Bournemouth and Luton<br />
island and the coast is not far away in<br />
any direction. Consequently birds are an<br />
ongoing issue and Operations Manager<br />
Mark Luty and his team are frequently to<br />
be found patrolling the runway using bird<br />
scaring equipment.<br />
Snow is less of a problem, but the climate<br />
is changing and recent winters have seen<br />
snow becoming more of an issue. “The<br />
airport does have a limited amount of<br />
equipment on site,” said Le Ray, “but relies<br />
on external third party plant operators who<br />
are able and willing to divert equipment to<br />
the airport to maintain flights. The facility<br />
is near the bay of St Malo, surrounded by<br />
sea and the instances of severe prolonged<br />
ice are limited. Short or sharp snowfall<br />
has proven more disrupting recently and<br />
the airport has adjusted its equipment in<br />
light of experience. Fortunately the length<br />
of disruption and the occurrences of it are<br />
still relatively few and rare.”<br />
While tourism remains a major industry<br />
for the Channel Islands, both Jersey and<br />
Guernsey have, since the 1960s, become<br />
64 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
GUERNSEY<br />
The airport’s fire and rescue service uses a pair of MAN VMA108 fire tenders. (Author)<br />
Flybe Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 G-ECOJ (c/n 4229) squeezes its way<br />
past the apron resurfacing work in 2013. (Guernsey Airport)<br />
major offshore financial centres similar<br />
to the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.<br />
Guernsey’s horticultural and greenhouse<br />
activities have been more significant than<br />
in Jersey, and Guernsey has maintained<br />
light industry as a higher proportion<br />
of its economy than the larger island.<br />
Jersey’s economy since the 1980s<br />
has been substantially more reliant<br />
on finance, and both islands are now<br />
heavily dependent on this sector. As<br />
a consequence, freight handling is not<br />
as significant as it once was, but West<br />
Atlantic continues to provide cargo and<br />
mail flights to Guernsey from the UK<br />
mainland using British Aerospace ATP<br />
aircraft, with links to Bournemouth and<br />
London/Luton. Aurigny and Blue Islands<br />
providing inter-island freight capacity.<br />
As well as its commercial traffic, the<br />
airport has a thriving private and business<br />
sector, with FBO Aiglle Flight Support<br />
providing a complete and – where required<br />
– discreet service for business customers<br />
in need of handling and hangar space.<br />
In a hanger next to the fire station is<br />
the Channel Islands Air Search (CIAS), a<br />
volunteer-run organisation providing a<br />
rapid response airborne search and rescue<br />
service covering the waters surrounding the<br />
Channel Islands and the adjacent French<br />
coast. In addition, Aurigny also supplies<br />
an emergency Air Ambulance capability<br />
between the islands and the mainland.<br />
Whilst it may not be the largest or busiest<br />
airport, despite the undoubted challenges<br />
of recent years Guernsey has risen to them<br />
and redeveloped its facilities to the point<br />
where, with a dedicated and enthusiastic<br />
management team in place, the island<br />
now has an airport fit to meet current and<br />
future demand.<br />
Acknowledgements<br />
The author wishes to thank Colin Le Ray,<br />
Airport Director; Kate Lawson, Commercial<br />
Manager; ATC Manager Frank McMeiken;<br />
Fire Services Manager Gareth Williams,<br />
and Mark Luty, Operations Manager and his<br />
team for their assistance and hospitality in<br />
the preparation of this article.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 65
FEATURE<br />
MONGOLIA<br />
Mongolia Gateway<br />
Sebastian Schmitz heads east to Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia and the city's Chinggis<br />
Khan International Airport, which is soon to be replaced by a new, larger facility.<br />
China<br />
Mongolia<br />
Russia<br />
When people think of Mongolia,<br />
their typical vision is of a<br />
vast, beautiful and unspoilt<br />
country populated by horseriding<br />
nomads living in yurts – with little<br />
else. While it is easy to find these things<br />
in the land-locked nation today, Mongolia,<br />
founded as the Mongol Empire by Genghis<br />
(Chinggis) Khan in 1206, is evolving into a<br />
modern country, particularly around the<br />
capital, Ulaanbaatar.<br />
Today, the country’s largest infrastructure<br />
project is a new airport to serve the city, which<br />
is expected to open next year. Until then,<br />
the existing Chinggis Khan International<br />
Airport (ULN) is the nation’s sole aerial<br />
gateway to the outside world.<br />
Centralised growth<br />
Mongolia has boomed in recent years and<br />
its economy has thrived, fuelled by the<br />
exploration and export of its abundant<br />
natural resources, as well as a blossoming<br />
tourist industry to satisfy interest in its<br />
abundant natural attractions. Ulaanbaatar,<br />
its only major city, is home to almost half<br />
of the country’s small population of just<br />
under three million people. Mongolia is<br />
geographically huge – bordered only by<br />
China and Russia – and distances between<br />
towns are considerable. Journeys are<br />
prolonged due to poorly maintained roads.<br />
Flying, for those who can afford it, is the<br />
only suitable option for travel around the<br />
country and ULN is not only Mongolia’s<br />
international gateway but also the hub<br />
for all domestic flying. The airport is<br />
about 11 miles (18km) west of the fastgrowing<br />
capital, close to the suburb of<br />
Buyant-Ukhaa, and opened for commercial<br />
flying in 1961. In 2005 it was named after<br />
Chinggis Khan in celebration of 800 years<br />
of Mongolian statehood.<br />
The airport has seen impressive growth<br />
recently. In 2007 it handled 599,555<br />
passengers, the figure almost doubling by<br />
2013 to 1,106,704. Between 2010 and 2012,<br />
growth rates were between 20 and 30%,<br />
although they slowed to 0.7% between<br />
2012 and 2013.<br />
While cargo is less significant, the amount<br />
of freight handled by the airport grew from<br />
3,299 tonnes in 2007 to 5,825 tonnes<br />
in 2013. Most of it is belly cargo carried<br />
on passenger flights; ULN does not have<br />
scheduled all-cargo flights.<br />
The airport<br />
Using ULN is a pleasant experience and<br />
since Mongolia introduced visa-free travel<br />
for many nationalities, immigration has<br />
become fast and efficient. The terminal<br />
dates back to 1986 and it is easy to see<br />
Mongolia was a close ally of the Soviet<br />
Union when it was built – its layout can be<br />
confusing and there are several bottlenecks:<br />
for example narrow staircases and small<br />
security checkpoints.<br />
Amenities include shops, a hairdresser and<br />
a cafe offering free Wi-Fi. Check-in for both<br />
domestic and international flights is on the<br />
departures level. Domestic travellers then<br />
proceed to a waiting lounge downstairs,<br />
which is devoid of any facilities. From there,<br />
they are taken to their remotely parked<br />
aircraft by bus.<br />
International travellers make their way<br />
to their own departure lounge which<br />
includes a few shops and a bar as well<br />
as a duty-free shop on the floor above.<br />
Departing Business Class travellers can<br />
use a small lounge offering snacks and<br />
beverages and more comfortable seats.<br />
When boarding, passengers enter a walkway<br />
leading to four airbridges. But, as arriving<br />
and departing passengers use the same<br />
walkway, separation is an issue, and there<br />
can be confusion when two flights board<br />
66 airports of the world
Airport Statistics<br />
ICAO code: ZMUB<br />
IATA code: ULN<br />
Location: 47º 50.35´ N, 106º 46.01´ E<br />
Elevation: 4,364ft (1,330m)<br />
Runways: 14/32 – 10,170 x 197ft<br />
(3,100 x 60m)<br />
15/33 – 6,560 x 131ft<br />
(1,999 x 40m)<br />
Frequencies: ATIS: 126.0<br />
Approach: 120.0<br />
Website: http://en.airport.mn<br />
The airport’s<br />
small terminal.<br />
The city has<br />
been gradually<br />
encroaching on the<br />
facility, one of the<br />
reasons for building<br />
a new airport 34<br />
miles (54km) away.<br />
Aero Mongolia<br />
Fokker 100 JU-8428<br />
(now N994JM – c/n<br />
11428), just prior to<br />
being returned to its<br />
lessor in 2011.<br />
The departure<br />
lounge can become<br />
crowded at times<br />
and amenities are<br />
limited.<br />
Stateowned<br />
MIAT<br />
Mongolian Airlines<br />
connects ULN<br />
with international<br />
destinations<br />
including Berlin and<br />
Frankfurt in Germany,<br />
using the carrier’s<br />
two Boeing 767-<br />
300s – including<br />
767-3W0 JU-1011<br />
(c/n 28149).<br />
(All photos author)<br />
www.airportsworld.com 67
FEATURE<br />
MONGOLIA<br />
The MIAT<br />
Mongolian Airlines<br />
headquarters at the<br />
airport is fronted by<br />
an Antonov An-2,<br />
MONGOL-258.<br />
Hunnu Air’s pair<br />
of Airbus A319-112s,<br />
including JU-8888<br />
(c/n 1706), have<br />
been returned to<br />
the lessor, meaning<br />
the airline has had<br />
to reduce its route<br />
network.<br />
Historic<br />
Mongolian leaders<br />
are exhibited on<br />
the terminal wall,<br />
reflecting the<br />
importance they<br />
still have in the<br />
country today.<br />
at the same time.<br />
Arriving passengers use the lower level<br />
of the terminal and, after picking up their<br />
bags and clearing customs and immigration,<br />
proceed outside where buses and taxis<br />
await. The only way into the city is by<br />
car or bus. Depending on traffic (which<br />
can be quite congested), the trip can take<br />
anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes.<br />
Airlines<br />
State-owned carrier MIAT Mongolian<br />
Airlines dominates at ULN and connects<br />
Ulaanbaatar to various Asian hubs –<br />
including Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong<br />
Kong – with its fleet of Boeing 737-800s and<br />
767-300s. An Antonov An-2 sits in front of<br />
its head office, just across the street from<br />
the terminal.<br />
Late last year the carrier launched a new,<br />
twice-weekly link to Singapore/Changi via<br />
Beijing. It has also served Berlin for many<br />
years, usually via Moscow/Sheremetyevo,<br />
catering to the demand of the many<br />
Mongolians living in both cities as well as<br />
increasing numbers of German tourists.<br />
MIAT also runs a seasonal summer route to<br />
Frankfurt, flown non-stop by a 767-300 twice<br />
a week. The route has been a significant<br />
addition as Frankfurt is one of Europe’s<br />
largest hubs, offering onward connections<br />
around the world. The carrier also runs<br />
charter flights to destinations in Japan, such<br />
as Shizuoka and Tokyo/Haneda, Pyongyang<br />
in North Korea, the South Korean island of<br />
Jeju, Vietnam and Myanmar.<br />
International carriers at ULN include<br />
Air China, with a daily flight from Beijing;<br />
Aeroflot, daily from Moscow; Korean Air,<br />
six times a week from Seoul; and Turkish<br />
Airlines, three times a week from Istanbul<br />
(since 2012) with an intermediate stop in<br />
68 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
MONGOLIA<br />
Air China Boeing 737-89L B-5423 (c/n 36742) parked at one<br />
of the airport’s four airbridges after a flight from Beijing.<br />
Turkish Airlines added Ulaanbaatar to its network in August 2012<br />
and offers three-times-a-week flights from its hub in Istanbul. The<br />
carrier’s Boeing 737-8F2 TC-JVA (c/n 40988) has just landed.<br />
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The airline holds<br />
traffic rights between Ulaanbaatar and<br />
Bishkek, making it the only carrier to fly<br />
between both countries.<br />
Domestic market<br />
Although MIAT ran domestic flights in the<br />
past using Antonov turboprops, it has not<br />
done so recently which has opened up the<br />
small market to several private carriers.<br />
As Mongolia’s economy expanded in the<br />
past decade, so did demand for domestic<br />
flights – but now, with slower economic<br />
growth, it has declined.<br />
As of early <strong>2015</strong>, there are two airlines<br />
flying domestic routes – Hunnu Air (see<br />
Airliner World, December 2014) and Aero<br />
Mongolia. Another privately-owned<br />
carrier, Eznis Airways, stopped flying its<br />
Avro RJ85s, Saab 340s and Bombardier<br />
Dash 8-Q400s in August last year. Aero<br />
Mongolia serves six destinations: Khovd,<br />
Dalanzadgad, Altai, Ulgii, Ulaangom and<br />
Oyutolgoi, between two and four times a<br />
week. It also connects with the Chinese city<br />
of Hohhot, six times a week; and Irkutsk in<br />
Russia, three times a week.<br />
Hunnu Air, which started services as the<br />
Mongolian Airlines Group in 2012 (changing<br />
its name to avoid confusion with the stateowned<br />
Mongolian Airlines) flying domestic<br />
routes, soon it added a pair of Airbus A319s<br />
to fly to regional destinations such as Hong<br />
Kong and Tokyo, and offered flights to Paris<br />
in summer 2014. When the airline had to<br />
return the A319s to the lessor recently, most<br />
of its international routes were suspended<br />
– except to the Chinese cities of Erenhot,<br />
Hailar and Manzhouli, which are served<br />
by Fokker 50s. Flights to the domestic<br />
destinations of Murun, Khovd, Choibalsan,<br />
Ulaangom and Uliastai use the same type.<br />
Another Mongolian carrier, Blue Sky<br />
Aviation, provides charter flights using<br />
Cessna Caravans.<br />
Challenging topography<br />
The topography and weather conditions<br />
at ULN can be real obstacles. The airport<br />
has a single paved 10,170ft (3,100m) runway<br />
(14/32) capable of handling most aircraft<br />
types. Next to it is a short grass strip<br />
(15/33) occasionally used by light aircraft.<br />
But there are a number of limiting factors.<br />
With very few exceptions (occasional<br />
arriving turboprops), landings and takeoffs<br />
can only be made from and towards the<br />
north because of mountains to the south<br />
of the airport – which can be a problem in<br />
southerly winds.<br />
Other factors are the runway’s 2.5% slope<br />
and poor visibility during the cold winter<br />
months, when Ulaanbaatar becomes one<br />
Passengers<br />
board a Hunnu<br />
Air Fokker 50 prior<br />
to departure to<br />
Murun, one of the<br />
carrier’s domestic<br />
destinations.<br />
Aero Mongolia<br />
has a fleet of four<br />
Fokker 50s, among<br />
them JU-8251 (c/n<br />
20251), which<br />
is taxiing to the<br />
departure runway<br />
in front of some<br />
beautiful Mongolian<br />
scenery.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 69
FEATURE<br />
MONGOLIA<br />
A Boeing 727<br />
tail in front of MIAT<br />
Mongolian Airlines’<br />
maintenance<br />
hangar; a reminder<br />
that the carrier once<br />
flew the type.<br />
One of Hannu<br />
Air’s two A319-<br />
112s – prior to<br />
them being returned<br />
to the lessor –<br />
prepares to depart<br />
to Paris/Charles de<br />
Gaulle, a route the<br />
carrier no longer<br />
serves.<br />
The terminal’s<br />
architecture<br />
follows traditional<br />
Mongolian lines,<br />
although its internal<br />
layout is not the<br />
Scheduled Airlines<br />
Aero Mongolia<br />
Aeroflot<br />
Air China<br />
Hunnu Air<br />
Korean Air<br />
Turkish Airlines<br />
of the most polluted cities in the world:<br />
many Mongolians fire up their old coal<br />
stoves, thick smoke from which sits in the<br />
air and makes it hard to breathe. It also<br />
reduces visibility significantly.<br />
Ulaanbaatar is the only airport in Mongolia<br />
with aircraft maintenance facilities.<br />
Mongolian Airlines uses its own, and before<br />
it ceased flying Eznis Airways set up a<br />
smaller hangar next door.<br />
While some of Mongolia’s small domestic<br />
airports have seen upgrades in recent years,<br />
the two nearest suitable diversion airfields<br />
for Ulaanbaatar are outside Mongolia –<br />
Ulan-Ude and Irkutsk in Russia, which have<br />
better infrastructure.<br />
New airport<br />
Capacity issues at ULN were unlikely to have<br />
been behind the decision to build a new<br />
airport as the terminal can easily handle<br />
current traffic levels. While reasonably<br />
pleasant to use, ULN is clearly outdated<br />
and, as Mongolia’s economy improved,<br />
building a larger, more capable airport<br />
for the capital became a priority. The<br />
Mongolian Government deciding in 2008<br />
to go ahead with its construction.<br />
Japan provided the country with a loan to<br />
finance the project and work on the New<br />
Ulaanbaatar International Airport (NUBIA)<br />
began in a valley 34 miles (54km) south of<br />
the city in 2013. Expected to open next year,<br />
it will have two runways and a passenger<br />
capacity three times the 600,000 ULN was<br />
originally designed to handle.<br />
More information about the new airport<br />
can be found on the project website:<br />
www.nubia.mn<br />
Until the new facility opens next year,<br />
passengers will continue using ULN, which<br />
is closer to the city, but not the most<br />
impressive of international airports. Its<br />
replacement on the other hand, should<br />
provide the opportunity to vastly improve<br />
the passenger experience, and keep pace<br />
with the steadily increasing flow of<br />
tourists eager to explore this fascinating<br />
country.<br />
70 airports of the world
UK VISITORS<br />
GALLERY<br />
London/Heathrow<br />
Bournemouth<br />
London/Heathrow<br />
This section contains<br />
a selection of images<br />
of visiting aircraft from<br />
airports around the UK.<br />
For the most part, they are<br />
commercial, but almost all<br />
of them are either unusual<br />
types, wearing new or<br />
unique liveries, or first visits<br />
by an airline or airliner to<br />
a particular airport. So if<br />
you are out and about and<br />
see something out of the<br />
ordinary, please send in<br />
your photos. As most of<br />
the world now works with<br />
digital media, photos<br />
can be sent by e-mail<br />
to mark.nicholls@<br />
keypublishing.com. Please<br />
ensure that you provide<br />
details with any images,<br />
especially the relevant<br />
date, location, airline<br />
names and aircraft identity.<br />
Kenya Airways<br />
Boeing 777-36ER<br />
5Y-KZY (c/n 41819)<br />
arrived at London/<br />
Heathrow on January<br />
19 after being diverted<br />
from Amsterdam/<br />
Schiphol due to fog.<br />
(A J Best)<br />
Former Monarch Airlines<br />
Airbus A320-214 G-ZBAA (c/n<br />
5526) was noted at Birmingham<br />
on February 8 prior to delivery<br />
to new owner Frontier Airlines as<br />
N228FR. (Charles Cunliffe)<br />
Ukraine Air Alliance Antonov<br />
An-12B UR-CAK (c/n 6343707)<br />
departs London/Stansted bound for<br />
Algeria on January 17. (Ben Luck)<br />
Icelandair’s<br />
colourful Boeing<br />
757-256 TF-FIU (c/n<br />
26243), made its first<br />
appearance at London/<br />
Heathrow wearing<br />
its stunning Aurora<br />
Borealis scheme on<br />
December 20, 2014.<br />
(A J Best)<br />
Worldwide<br />
Aircraft Holding Boeing<br />
747SP-21 VP-BAT<br />
(21648) departs<br />
Bournemouth Airport for<br />
Doha as ‘World Wide<br />
One’ on January 20.<br />
The aircraft is based<br />
at Bournemouth and<br />
registered in Bermuda,<br />
but is expected to be<br />
replaced by a 747-8I<br />
(VQ-BSK).<br />
(Charles Cunliffe)<br />
London/Stansted<br />
Birmingham<br />
www.airportsworld.com 71
UK VISITORS<br />
GALLERY<br />
Kalstar Aviation<br />
Embraer E195 G-FBEA<br />
(c/n 19000029 –<br />
ex-Flybe) at Exeter<br />
on December 25,<br />
2014. The aircraft<br />
had arrived back from<br />
Norwich Airport after<br />
being repainted.<br />
(Ian Simpson)<br />
Exeter<br />
Enter Air Boeing<br />
737-4Q8 SP-ENA<br />
(c/n 26320) departs<br />
from Cardiff on a<br />
positioning flight<br />
to Birmingham on<br />
December 16, 2014.<br />
It had performed<br />
a ‘Santa’ flight to<br />
Enontekio in Lapland<br />
two day previously.<br />
(Phil Woods)<br />
TAM Linhas Aéreas<br />
Airbus A330-223<br />
PT-MVS (c/n 1112)<br />
was used on the<br />
carrier’s flight from<br />
São Paulo to London/<br />
Heathrow on January<br />
19 in place of the<br />
usual Boeing 777-<br />
300ER. (Tom Smith)<br />
Cardiff<br />
London/Heathrow<br />
Lasham<br />
East Midlands<br />
Former Ikar Boeing<br />
757-2Q8 VQ-BBT<br />
(c/n 29443), wearing<br />
Pegas markings,<br />
arrived at Lasham for<br />
storage on December<br />
28, 2014. Due to the<br />
worsening situation<br />
for several Russian<br />
carriers five other<br />
757s were already<br />
stored at Lasham<br />
and two more from<br />
Nordwind joined<br />
them two days later.<br />
(Richard Vandervord)<br />
Immaculate Vulkan<br />
Air Antonov An-26B<br />
EW-378TG (c/n<br />
37313306) parked in<br />
the sunshine at East<br />
Midlands on February<br />
9 (it arrived on the<br />
5th). (Karl Nixon)<br />
72 airports of the world
UK VISITORS<br />
GALLERY<br />
London/Luton<br />
Glasgow/Prestwick<br />
MNG Airlines Airbus A300B4-<br />
622R(F) TC-MCC (c/n 734) touches<br />
down at London/Luton on December<br />
24, 2014. Although not a unusual,<br />
they are rarely seen in daylight at<br />
Luton. (Richard Vandervord)<br />
Iraqi Airways Boeing 737-81Z<br />
YI-ASQ (c/n 40079) passed through<br />
Glasgow/Prestwick on delivery to<br />
the carrier on December 24, 2014.<br />
(Michael McQuade)<br />
Birmingham<br />
Denim Air Fokker 100 PH-LND<br />
(c/n 11320) at Birmingham on<br />
December 24, 2014. It was taking<br />
violinist and conductor André Rieu<br />
and the Johann Strauss Orchestra to<br />
Maastricht in the Netherlands after<br />
a performance at the LG Arena the<br />
previous evening. (Ian Johnson)<br />
London/Heathrow<br />
Air India Boeing 747-<br />
437 VT-EVA (c/n 28094)<br />
comes in to land at London/<br />
Heathrow on December 14,<br />
2014. Something of a rarity<br />
in the UK since the carrier<br />
acquired its 777s.<br />
(Andrew Whitaker)<br />
Manchester<br />
The first visit to<br />
Manchester by a HOP!<br />
Embraer 170 took place on<br />
February 5 when F-HBXP<br />
(c/n 17000036) arrived<br />
with a rugby charter.<br />
(Nik French)<br />
www.airportsworld.com 73
Abu Dh<br />
Airport-in-W<br />
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
ABU DHABI<br />
74 airports of the world
abi<br />
aiting<br />
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
ABU DHABI<br />
With the opening of Abu Dhabi International’s new<br />
midfield terminal two years away, Luigi Vallero pays a visit<br />
to see what’s being done to manage demand until then.<br />
The Abu Dhabi <strong>Airports</strong> Company<br />
(ADAC) has continued to invest in<br />
Abu Dhabi International Airport’s<br />
(AUH’s) existing infrastructure to<br />
meet rapidly increasing demand, even<br />
though its futuristic 30mppa Midfield<br />
Terminal Complex (MTC) is due to be<br />
finished in 2017.<br />
United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based ADAC<br />
reported an impressive 23.9% growth in<br />
passenger numbers during September<br />
2014 compared to the same month the<br />
previous year, registering 1,696,651.<br />
Aircraft movements rose by 14.9% yearon-year<br />
to 13,070. Doha, London, Bangkok,<br />
Manila and Mumbai were the busiest routes,<br />
accounting for 15% of traffic.<br />
Most of this has been driven by the<br />
rapidly expanding Etihad Airways (see the<br />
<strong>March</strong> issue of Airliner World) which has<br />
recently introduced the Airbus A380 and<br />
the Boeing 787 to its fleet. The carrier has<br />
established an impressive list of partner<br />
airlines, which is strengthening its vast<br />
route network on top of new destinations<br />
it plans to serve.<br />
Meeting demand<br />
The first buttress for the main structural<br />
steel arches of the MTC were placed in<br />
October 2013 and work is progressing<br />
rapidly in the desert (see the February<br />
issue of Airliner World). The vast project,<br />
currently the largest construction job in the<br />
Middle East, is a clear indication of ADAC’s<br />
intent to rival its neighbour Dubai, but more<br />
capacity will be required at the existing<br />
airport until the MTC opens.<br />
To achieve this ADAC established the<br />
Capacity Enhancement Programme to enable<br />
AUH to handle more passengers through<br />
continuous enhancements to the existing<br />
facilities, such as a new arrivals hall, which<br />
opened at the beginning of 2013. Further<br />
construction includes the remodelling of<br />
Terminal 1, which is being modified and<br />
expanded to help to accommodate an<br />
anticipated 20mppa by 2017.<br />
To improve the shopping experience for<br />
passengers and the communities living<br />
close to the airport, the range of customer<br />
services in the Skypark Plaza beside<br />
Terminal 3 has been supplemented by new<br />
tenants. Among the new amenities are<br />
more services and retail options, including<br />
a spa, souvenir shop, optical and hair<br />
dressing services, fashion and accessories<br />
outlets and even a supermarket. Retail<br />
space has also been reserved for the<br />
Khalifa Fund for Development to provide<br />
support and retail space for Emirati<br />
entrepreneurs.<br />
Commenting on the Skypark Plaza,<br />
Mohammed Al Bulooki, ADAC’s Chief<br />
Commercial Officer, said: “Abu Dhabi<br />
<strong>Airports</strong> is delighted to welcome Starter<br />
Supermarket to Skypark Plaza. The team<br />
believes there’s a growing demand for<br />
quality convenience shopping in this<br />
location to serve the local community<br />
and so, in line with the company’s strategy<br />
to expand Abu Dhabi International<br />
Airport’s retail offering and enhance its<br />
customers’ experience, we’re progressing<br />
with a variety of new ideas, concepts and<br />
improvements.”<br />
The supermarket is open between 06:00<br />
and midnight, seven days a week, and is<br />
stocked with a full range of items, fresh<br />
produce, frozen foods and has its own<br />
bakery. It is accessible to the public from<br />
the Terminal 3 car park.<br />
The Skypark Plaza<br />
beside Terminal<br />
3 has welcomed<br />
new tenants and<br />
now offers a wide<br />
range of services<br />
as well as retail and<br />
refreshment options.<br />
(All photos author<br />
unless stated)<br />
Etihad Airways<br />
is poised for rapid<br />
expansion at AUH<br />
once the new MTC<br />
opens in July 2017.<br />
Airport operator<br />
ADAC has upgraded<br />
existing facilities<br />
to cope until then.<br />
(AirTeamImages.<br />
com/BaoLuo)<br />
Construction<br />
work is well under<br />
way on the sevenstorey<br />
main terminal<br />
building, which<br />
will be larger than<br />
London/Heathrow’s<br />
T5 when finished.<br />
With passenger<br />
numbers rising at<br />
more than 20% a<br />
year, the current<br />
infrastructure has<br />
struggled to cope.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 75
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
ABU DHABI<br />
The renovated Al<br />
Reem Lounge was<br />
unveiled in T1 on<br />
October 28 last year.<br />
The on-airport<br />
Premier Inn<br />
offers good value<br />
for money and<br />
excellent views from<br />
its pool deck.<br />
One of the first<br />
projects in the<br />
airport’s expansion<br />
programme was the<br />
distinctive crescentshaped<br />
air traffic<br />
control tower.<br />
The Skypark Plaza is a pleasant place to<br />
shop and pass the time and has a modern<br />
yet distinctly Arabic feel. Dining options<br />
include a McDonald’s, a Hatam traditional<br />
Iranian food outlet and an O’Brien Irishstyle<br />
fast food establishment.<br />
Upgrades<br />
Airport operator ADAC has entered a<br />
partnership with Hong Kong-based Plaza<br />
Premium Lounge Management Limited<br />
(PPLML) for the renovation, management<br />
and running of AUH’s airside hotel and<br />
its lounges in T1 and T2. The newly<br />
renovated Al Reem Lounge in T1 was<br />
unveiled as part of the deal on October<br />
28 last year.<br />
The completely redesigned 4,500 sq<br />
ft (418m 2 ) lounge has a contemporary<br />
look defined by designer Kinney Chan<br />
of KCA Associates and occupies three<br />
levels. Providing comfort and convenience<br />
to travellers and aiming to deliver a<br />
luxurious ambience, the PPLML team<br />
has introduced detailed touches, such as a<br />
large chandelier. An improved buffet area<br />
offers meals ranging from freshly prepared<br />
Arabic, Asian and Continental dishes. The<br />
lounge also features free Wi-Fi, laptops<br />
on request and a fully-serviced shower<br />
room, and mainly caters for Business<br />
Class passengers.<br />
Elsewhere the Al Dhabi and Al Ghazal<br />
Lounges and the airside hotel will be<br />
given a complete facelift. With continuous<br />
improvements aimed at satisfying even the<br />
most demanding passengers’ requirements,<br />
the ‘Abu Dhabi Travellers Welcome’<br />
advertising campaign aims to live up to<br />
its claim.<br />
Airlines at AUH<br />
(summer 2014)<br />
Aegean Airlines<br />
Air Astana<br />
airBaltic<br />
airberlin<br />
Air France<br />
Airblue<br />
Air India<br />
Air India Express<br />
Air Serbia<br />
Air Seychelles<br />
Alitalia<br />
Azerbaijan Airlines<br />
Biman Bangladesh<br />
Airlines<br />
British Airways<br />
Cathay Pacific<br />
Airways<br />
EgyptAir<br />
Ethiopian Airlines<br />
Garuda Indonesia<br />
Gulf Air<br />
Hainan Airlines<br />
Jet Airways<br />
Kenya Airways<br />
Kish Air<br />
KLM<br />
Kuwait Airways<br />
Lufthansa<br />
Middle East Airlines<br />
Nas Air<br />
Oman Air<br />
Pakistan<br />
International Airlines<br />
Philippine Airlines<br />
Qatar Airways<br />
Rotana Jet<br />
Royal Jordanian<br />
S7 Airlines<br />
Saudia<br />
Shaheen Air<br />
International<br />
SriLankan Airlines<br />
Sudan Airways<br />
Turkish Airlines<br />
Turkmenistan<br />
Airlines<br />
Uzbekistan Airways<br />
Virgin Australia<br />
Yemenia<br />
76 airports of the world
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE<br />
ABU DHABI<br />
Hotel<br />
Directly connected to Skypark, T1 and T3,<br />
a three-star Premier Inn Hotel opened in<br />
December 2013 under the watchful gaze of<br />
ADAC Chairman His Excellency Ali Majed Al<br />
Mansoori. The 300-room property features<br />
food and beverage outlets – including a<br />
Costa coffee shop and a Mediterraneanstyle<br />
restaurant – conference and meeting<br />
rooms for up to 75 people plus leisure<br />
facilities including an outdoor swimming<br />
pool on the seventh floor and a gym. Free<br />
Wi-Fi is available in guest rooms and the<br />
hotel is well appointed, despite offering<br />
budget prices.<br />
Another plus is the hotel’s close proximity to<br />
Yas Island, home to the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand<br />
Prix and several tourist attractions as well as<br />
the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. The Abu<br />
Dhabi Corniche recreation and shopping<br />
area can be reached in less than half an<br />
hour using a free hotel shuttle bus or by taxi.<br />
On the opening day of the hotel chain’s fifth<br />
property in the region, Darroch Crawford,<br />
Managing Director of Premier Inn in the<br />
Middle East, said: “We’re delighted to<br />
be opening the first major hotel at Abu<br />
Dhabi International Airport and drive<br />
further growth for, and in collaboration<br />
with, Abu Dhabi <strong>Airports</strong>. Premier Inn’s<br />
successful formula, offering a hotel<br />
service in prominent locations at valuefor-money<br />
prices, will ensure our customer<br />
base, which includes both business and<br />
leisure travellers, will continue to increase<br />
dramatically in the region.”<br />
Although the hotel rooms don’t offer<br />
direct views across the airport apron – the<br />
main building, being perpendicular to the<br />
runway, affording only limited views of<br />
the airport – the seventh floor swimming<br />
pool is the perfect location for the aviation<br />
enthusiast. Here, in comfort and with no<br />
worries regarding security issues, you have a<br />
superb view of AUH’s apron and runway and<br />
can spend time watching the comings and<br />
goings while enjoying a swim or a cool drink.<br />
The pool opens between 07:00 and 22:00,<br />
meaning night shots are also possible –<br />
though a sturdy tripod is recommended.<br />
Using a 300mm (or larger) lens, good<br />
action shots can be taken of aircraft taking<br />
off from Runway 12R/30L or 13R/31L, the<br />
stunning crescent-shaped control tower<br />
providing a dramatic backdrop. Morning<br />
hours (between 08:00 and 12:00) or late<br />
afternoon (17:00 to 21:00) are best as<br />
they coincide with the two main Etihad<br />
movement ‘waves’ providing almost<br />
uninterrupted landing and take-offs. The<br />
afternoon is usually very quiet.<br />
The author found the hotel excellent value<br />
for money with great, friendly service –<br />
offering the aviation enthusiast and traveller<br />
alike a high standard at a fraction of the<br />
cost normally associated with airport hotels<br />
– as low as 250 AED (€45) per night for a<br />
twin room booked in advance. For more<br />
details visit: www.premierinn.ae<br />
Rebirth<br />
Other major infrastructure work has<br />
already been completed. In 2009 the<br />
13,450ft (4,100m) northern runway opened,<br />
capable of handling aircraft up to the size<br />
of an Airbus A380. The same year saw T3<br />
finished, giving Etihad Airways a dedicated<br />
terminal able to accommodate 5mppa.<br />
In 2010, ADAC undertook a ten-month<br />
refurbishment of T1 to improve the<br />
customer experience and align its design<br />
and operations closer to those of T3. A<br />
year later, a new 360ft-tall (110m) air traffic<br />
control tower was commissioned.<br />
Preparatory work for the MTC, such as<br />
piling and laying foundations, was finished<br />
in 2011 and construction on the terminal<br />
began in August 2012. Since then the<br />
primary structure has risen from the desert.<br />
Building work has progressed rapidly,<br />
with around 15,000 personnel on the site<br />
working split shifts of up to 20 hours per<br />
day. The central part of the terminal is<br />
advancing quickly and the steel framework<br />
for the four piers is now in place.<br />
Once finished the terminal will be larger<br />
than T5 at London/Heathrow; it will have<br />
165 conventional check-in counters, 48<br />
self-service kiosks and is designed to handle<br />
8,500 passengers per hour. The piers will<br />
have 47 aircraft gates, giving the terminal<br />
an overall capacity to handle up to 65 jets<br />
at one time with an additional 14 remote<br />
parking stands. Final fitting-out is<br />
scheduled for 2016 followed by extensive<br />
testing prior to opening on July 17, 2017.<br />
Abu Dhabi and Etihad Airways will then<br />
have a world-class facility with which to<br />
compete in the Middle East aviation market<br />
– arguably the world’s most affluent.<br />
An impression of<br />
the new MTC at Abu<br />
Dhabi International,<br />
scheduled to open<br />
on July 17, 2017.<br />
(ADAC)<br />
www.airportsworld.com 77
FEATURE<br />
GUAYAQUIL<br />
Ecuadorian<br />
Swansong<br />
Sebastian Schmitz reports from Guayaquil’s José Joaquín de Olmedo International<br />
Airport, a few years before its replacement by a new out-of-town facility.<br />
AeroGal is now<br />
known as Avianca<br />
Ecuador and is one<br />
of three carriers<br />
competing on the<br />
lucrative route Quito.<br />
The airline’s Airbus<br />
A319-112 HC-CKL<br />
(c/n 1866) is<br />
prepared for its next<br />
flight. (All photos<br />
author)<br />
Ecuador<br />
Peru<br />
Airport Statistics<br />
ICAO Code:<br />
IATA Code:<br />
Location:<br />
Elevation:<br />
Runway:<br />
SEGU<br />
GYE<br />
02° 09.26’ S, 79° 53.00’ W<br />
19ft (6m)<br />
03/21 9,154 x 151ft<br />
(2,790 x 46m)<br />
Frequencies: ATIS: 115.9<br />
Tower: 118.3<br />
Ground: 121.9<br />
Approach: 119.3<br />
Website: www.tagsa.aero<br />
Colombia<br />
Brazil<br />
Guayaquil is Ecuador’s largest<br />
city, a major commercial centre<br />
and a hub for transportation,<br />
although it is yet to achieve<br />
tourist attraction status. Yet, during a visit<br />
to the country, travellers are likely to make the<br />
acquaintance of Guayaquil’s José Joaquín de<br />
Olmedo Airport (GYE) and even more likely<br />
to find it a very pleasant experience.<br />
A strong second place<br />
Follo wing major upgrades, Ecuador’s second<br />
busiest airport (after the new Quito Airport<br />
which opened in 2013) is one of the most<br />
modern in Latin America, with a wellappointed<br />
terminal and offering a wide range<br />
of domestic and international connections. It<br />
is just over 3 miles (5km) from the city centre<br />
so extremely convenient. However, as it is<br />
surrounded by homes and industry it cannot<br />
grow at the current location. Plans for a new<br />
airport outside the city are already in place<br />
and construction is set to start in 2019 with<br />
a planned opening five years later. By that<br />
time, in spite of its impressive new terminal,<br />
GYE will probably be operating beyond its<br />
design capacity.<br />
Corporación América, an Argentinean<br />
holding company, was awarded the<br />
concession to run the airport in 2004. The<br />
firm has stakes in more than 50 airports<br />
around the world, including Argentina,<br />
Uruguay and Armenia. A separate company<br />
was established to run Guayaquil Airport –<br />
TAGSA (Terminal Aeroportuaria de Guayaquil<br />
SA) and construction of the new terminal<br />
began immediately after the concession<br />
contract was signed. In 2008, the deal<br />
was extended from 15 to 20 years, and now<br />
runs until 2024 when the new facility is<br />
due to open.<br />
Today’s airport<br />
The modern terminal opened in July 2006<br />
and replaced a much smaller structure at<br />
the southern end of the airport, which was<br />
subsequently converted into an exhibition<br />
centre. To coincide with the new terminal<br />
inauguration, the airport’s name was<br />
changed from ‘Simón Bolívar’ to ‘José<br />
Joaquín de Olmedo’, a famous Guayaquilborn<br />
Ecuadorian poet and driving force<br />
behind the country’s fight for independence<br />
from Spain (which occurred in 1830) and<br />
who later became the Ecuadorian president.<br />
Although the terminal is already eight<br />
years old, the building still has a ‘brand<br />
new’ feel to it.<br />
78 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
GUAYAQUIL<br />
Last August an extension of the domestic<br />
part of the terminal opened, adding 107,642sq<br />
ft (10,000m 2 ) of floor space to the previous<br />
538,213sq ft (50,000m 2 ) and increasing<br />
capacity to 7mppa. Three airbridges were<br />
added, bringing the total to ten.<br />
Inside, passengers will find one big<br />
departure hall with check-in to the right<br />
for domestic flights and left for international<br />
destinations. Both sections have their own<br />
security screening points and internationally<br />
bound travellers pass through passport<br />
control and the well-stocked duty free shop<br />
before reaching the departure lounge. Both<br />
landside and airside, the airport offers a<br />
wide selection of cafes, restaurants and<br />
shops. Plentiful full-height glazing provides<br />
excellent views of the taxiway and runway<br />
and good opportunities for photographers.<br />
For passengers arriving late in the evening<br />
or early in the morning, there is a Holiday<br />
Inn Hotel available just a few steps from<br />
the terminal, although it also has a<br />
complimentary shuttle bus.<br />
Airlines and traffic<br />
The airport welcomed 3.88 million<br />
passengers in 2013, an increase of around<br />
80,000 compared with the previous year.<br />
Of this number, about two million travelled<br />
domestically (most of them to and from<br />
the capital Quito). While domestic traffic<br />
has declined during the past few years,<br />
international passenger numbers have<br />
risen steadily to just over 1.8 million in 2013.<br />
Apart from scheduled flying, General<br />
Aviation plays an important role at GYE.<br />
Several flying schools are based at GYE<br />
to take advantage of the predominantly<br />
stable weather conditions, however, small<br />
General Aviation types have to share the<br />
single runway with commercial arrivals and<br />
departures – as well as executive jets. The<br />
Ecuadorian Air Force has its Simón Bolívar<br />
Air Base on the opposite side of the runway<br />
from the passenger terminal. The base<br />
generates the occasional movement with<br />
light aircraft and helicopters, but also<br />
During the early<br />
morning the checkin<br />
area gets very<br />
busy although the<br />
departure hall is<br />
spacious enough to<br />
never feel crowded.<br />
American Airlines<br />
is the only US carrier<br />
flying to Guayaquil.<br />
One of its Boeing<br />
737-823s, N944AN<br />
(c/n 29535) is<br />
pushed back before<br />
leaving for Miami.<br />
One of three<br />
ATR 42-500s used<br />
by TAME Express,<br />
HC-CMB (c/n 849)<br />
is used on thinner<br />
domestic routes<br />
within Ecuador.<br />
The airport’s<br />
modern terminal,<br />
from the nearby<br />
Holiday Inn Hotel,<br />
gives a good idea<br />
of how GYE is<br />
surrounded by urban<br />
development.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 79
FEATURE<br />
GUAYAQUIL<br />
One of the<br />
souvenir shops in the<br />
departure lounge.<br />
TAME Airbus<br />
A319-132 HC-CGT<br />
(c/n 2659)<br />
awaits its last few<br />
passengers before<br />
departing to Quito,<br />
Ecuador’s busiest<br />
air route.<br />
The<br />
domestic departure<br />
lounge is often quite<br />
busy, particularly<br />
with passengers<br />
flying to Quito.<br />
(Not for airborne or<br />
operational use –<br />
Navtech Aerad)<br />
larger aircraft such as Boeing 737-200s or<br />
Hawker Siddeley 748s.<br />
All Ecuadorian scheduled airlines serve GYE<br />
with numerous daily flights. The undisputed<br />
trunk route is to Quito and between the three<br />
main carriers – TAME, LAN and AeroGal (now<br />
Avianca Ecuador) – there are up to 25 flights<br />
a day, most by Airbus 320 Family aircraft.<br />
Another very busy route is to the Galápagos<br />
Islands (see <strong>Airports</strong> of the World, issue 53,<br />
p38), just under two hours’ flying from GYE,<br />
and one of the top tourist attractions in South<br />
America. Flights to the Galápagos, although<br />
often originating in Quito, usually stop in<br />
Guayaquil and up to six a day are available to<br />
the islands’Baltra Airport, and up to three a<br />
day to the less busy facility at San Cristobal.<br />
TAME is the only domestic carrier with<br />
flights to destinations other than Quito or the<br />
Galápagos Islands – it flies to Cuenca three<br />
times on weekdays, Loja twice and the cities<br />
of Latacunga and Esmeraldas once a day.<br />
Internationally, Madrid and Amsterdam<br />
are the two best connected European<br />
destinations. Iberia used to be a daily<br />
visitor to Guayaquil, flying a triangular<br />
Madrid-Quito-Guayaquil-Madrid route. Nonstop<br />
departures to Europe were not possible<br />
from Quito’s old airport, which prompted<br />
the eastbound return flight to come via<br />
Guayaquil. However, since the new Quito<br />
Airport opened, Iberia is able to fly non-stop<br />
and so just four out of seven weekly flights<br />
now use GYE. LAN complements Iberia’s<br />
Spanish connection with three 767 services<br />
a week to Madrid.<br />
However, Netherlands flag carrier KLM has<br />
stuck with the triangular routing through<br />
Quito to Guayaquil and back to Amsterdam<br />
using a 777 on a daily flight. The busiest route<br />
to North America is to New York, where a<br />
large Ecuadorian diaspora lives. LAN offers<br />
a daily 767 link to New York/John F Kennedy<br />
Airport, while in competition TAME launched<br />
A LAN Airbus<br />
A320 parked<br />
at one of the<br />
domestic gates,<br />
not all of which<br />
are equipped with<br />
airbridges.<br />
One of the few TAME aircraft still wearing the<br />
carrier’s old colours – Embraer 190 HC-CGF (c/n<br />
19000137) – prepares to depart to Panama City.<br />
80 airports of the world
FEATURE<br />
GUAYAQUIL<br />
widebody flights last year using its first A330<br />
on its daily flight to JFK. There was talk of<br />
moving this service to Quito, but for now it<br />
continues to depart from GYE.<br />
A second link between Guayaquil and the<br />
US is provided by American Airlines’ two<br />
daily flights to Miami. Depending on the<br />
season these can use either a 737-800<br />
or a 767. Until recently, AeroGal offered<br />
widebody flights to the US using 757s and<br />
767s. When the airline was acquired by<br />
Avianca in 2009, the decision was made to<br />
route all long-haul services through Bogota,<br />
Columbia and strengthen the carrier’s main<br />
hub. Avianca also serves its secondary hubs<br />
in Lima and San Salvador with a daily flight.<br />
A fierce competitor of Avianca, Copa<br />
Airlines, offers four daily links to its hub<br />
in Panama City and provides numerous<br />
connections from there. The Peruvian capital<br />
Lima is served daily by LAN, as are Santiago<br />
de Chile (one flight a day) and Buenos Aires’<br />
Ezeiza Airport with five flights. There are<br />
currently no direct flights from GYE to Brazil.<br />
New airport<br />
The growth rates of GYE in recent years<br />
mean it is only a matter of time before it<br />
reaches its limits in terminal space and<br />
runway capacity. Surrounded by urban<br />
development, there is very little room for<br />
expansion and so a site has been identified<br />
for an entirely new airport for the city. The<br />
new facility will be built in Daular,<br />
approximately 20 miles (32km) to the<br />
southwest of central Guayaquil. In a first<br />
phase, it will have two parallel runways, the<br />
longest measuring 13,451ft (4,100m). Until<br />
it is available for commercial flights, GYE’s<br />
operator TAGSA will continue to invest in<br />
the existing airport to ensure it remains<br />
modern and easy to use – two of the reasons<br />
it is still one of Latin America’s most<br />
popular airports.<br />
Panama hats (first developed in Ecuador) are popular<br />
with tourists and are on sale in several airport shops.<br />
Charging stations for mobile<br />
phones and other electronic<br />
devices can be found<br />
throughout the terminal.<br />
www.airportsworld.com 81
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Celebrating 80 years<br />
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MAY – JUNE <strong>2015</strong> ISSUE ON SALE APRIL 23 rd*<br />
We explain some of the abbreviations and<br />
acronyms that regularly appear in the pages of<br />
<strong>Airports</strong> of the World. These details will be updated<br />
and added to as necessary.<br />
dB<br />
DfT<br />
DME<br />
EASA<br />
Decibel<br />
Department for Transport (UK)<br />
Distance-Measuring Equipment<br />
European Aviation Safety Agency<br />
IACA<br />
IAP<br />
IATA<br />
ICAO<br />
International Air Carrier Association<br />
International Airport<br />
International Air Transport Association<br />
International Civil Aviation Organization<br />
NATO<br />
NBAA<br />
NBC<br />
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation<br />
National Business Aircraft Association (US)<br />
Nuclear, Biological and Chemical<br />
(warfare)<br />
AAIB Air Accidents Investigation Branch (UK)<br />
ACAS Airborne Collision-Avoidance System<br />
ACI <strong>Airports</strong> Council International<br />
ADR Accident Data Recorder<br />
AG Aktiengesellschaft (German: joint stock company)<br />
ALPA Air Line Pilots Association (US)<br />
ANS Airborne Navigation System<br />
APU Auxiliary Power Unit<br />
ATA Air Transport Association (US)<br />
ATC Air Traffic Control<br />
ATP Advanced Turbo-Prop (BAe)<br />
ATS Air Traffic Service<br />
BAe British Aerospace (now renamed BAE Systems)<br />
CAA Civil Aviation Authority (UK)<br />
CDA Continuous Descent Approach<br />
CEO Chief Executive Officer<br />
CIS Commonwealth of Independent States<br />
c/n<br />
Construction Number<br />
combi Aircraft which routinely carries both passengers<br />
and cargo at same time<br />
COO Chief Operating Officer<br />
CVR Cockpit Voice Recorder<br />
ERAA<br />
EROPS<br />
ETOPS<br />
ETS<br />
FAA<br />
FAI<br />
FAR<br />
FBO<br />
FDR<br />
European Regions Airline Association<br />
Extended-Range OPerationS<br />
Extended-range Twin-engine OPerationS<br />
Emissions Trading Scheme<br />
Federal Aviation Administration (US)<br />
Féderation Aeronautique Internationale<br />
Federal Aviation Regulations<br />
Fixed Base Operator<br />
Flight Data Recorder<br />
FL<br />
Flight Level (usually expressed in hundreds of feet)<br />
FOD Foreign Object Damage<br />
GA<br />
General Aviation<br />
GAO General Accounting Office (US)<br />
GAPAN Guild of Air Pilots And Navigators<br />
GDP Gross Domestic Product<br />
GECAS General Electric Commercial Aviation Services<br />
GmbH Gesellschaft mit beschraenkter Haftung<br />
(German: limited liability company)<br />
GMT<br />
GNS<br />
GPS<br />
GPU<br />
HQ<br />
Greenwich Mean Time<br />
Global Navigation System<br />
Global Positioning System<br />
Ground Power Unit<br />
Headquarters<br />
IFALPA International Federation of Air Line Pilots<br />
Associations<br />
IFR<br />
Instrument Flight Rules<br />
ILFC<br />
ILS<br />
IMC<br />
INS<br />
JAA<br />
LCC<br />
LCD<br />
LED<br />
localiser<br />
LORAN<br />
MD<br />
MLS<br />
MLW<br />
MoD<br />
MoU<br />
MPPA<br />
MRO<br />
MTOW<br />
NASA<br />
International Lease Finance Corporation<br />
Instrument Landing System<br />
Instrument Meteorological Conditions<br />
Inertial Navigation System<br />
Joint Aviation Authorities (European)<br />
Low-Cost Carrier<br />
Liquid Crystal Display<br />
Light-Emitting Diode<br />
Steering guidance element of an LS system<br />
Long Range Aid to Navigation<br />
Managing Director<br />
Microwave Landing System<br />
Maximum Landing Weight<br />
Ministry of Defence<br />
Memorandum of Understanding<br />
Million Passengers Per Annum<br />
Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul<br />
Maximum Take-Off Weight<br />
National Aeronautics and Space<br />
Administration<br />
OFT<br />
PAPI<br />
PAR<br />
pax<br />
P&W<br />
PPL<br />
PR<br />
RAF<br />
RFP<br />
RVR<br />
SARS<br />
SID<br />
STOL<br />
TCAS<br />
TSA<br />
UN<br />
VASI<br />
VFR<br />
VMC<br />
VOR<br />
WTTC<br />
Office of Fair Trading (UK)<br />
Precision Approach Path Indicator<br />
Precision Approach Radar<br />
Passenger<br />
Pratt & Whitney<br />
Private Pilot’s Licence<br />
Public Relations<br />
Royal Air Force<br />
Request for Proposals<br />
Runway Visual Range<br />
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome<br />
Standard Instrument Departure<br />
Short Take-Off & Landing<br />
Traffic alert and Collision-Avoidance<br />
System<br />
Transportation Security Administration<br />
United Nations<br />
Visual Approach Slope Indicator<br />
Visual Flight Rules<br />
Visual Meteorological Conditions<br />
VHF omni-directional range<br />
(radio beacons)<br />
World Travel and Tourism Council<br />
82 airports of the world<br />
*UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that overseas deliveries are likely to occur after this date. Contents subject to change.
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one handy place! Once you have<br />
the app, you will be able to<br />
download new, out of print<br />
or archive specials<br />
for less than the<br />
iTunes<br />
cover price!<br />
IN APP ISSUES<br />
£3.99<br />
SEARCH<br />
AVIATION NEWS<br />
FREE APP<br />
with sample issue<br />
IN APP ISSUES £3.99<br />
Available on PC, Mac, Blackberry, Windows 8 and kindle fire from<br />
SEARCH<br />
AIRLINER WORLD<br />
FREE APP<br />
with sample issue<br />
IN APP ISSUES £3.99<br />
How it Works.<br />
Simply download the <strong>Airports</strong> of the World app<br />
and receive your sample issue completely free. Once<br />
you have the app, you will be able to download new or<br />
back issues (from September/October 2010 onwards) for less<br />
than newsstand price or, alternatively, subscribe to save even more!<br />
Don’t forget to register for your Pocketmags account.<br />
This will protect your purchase in the event of a damaged or lost device.<br />
It will also allow you to view your purchases on multiple platforms.<br />
PC, Mac &<br />
Windows 8<br />
Requirements for app: registered iTunes account on Apple iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4S, 5, 6, iPod Touch or iPad 1, 2 or 3. Internet connection required for initial download.<br />
Published by Key Publishing Ltd. The entire contents of these titles are © copyright <strong>2015</strong>. All rights reserved. App prices subject to change.<br />
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