Source - Vi.potsdam.ny.us - Potsdam

Potsdam Municipal Airport - Master Plan – Phase 1 Report
CHAPTER 3 - FORECASTS OF AVIATION
DEMAND
Aviation demand forecasts are a key element in airport planning studies. Demand
forecasts, based upon the desires and needs of the service area, provide a basis for
determining the type, size and timing of aviation facility development and a platform
upon which this master planning study will be based. Consequently, these forecasts
influence all phases of the planning process.
The aviation demand forecasts will serve four purposes in the development of the
master plan. Specifically, they provide for:
• Determining the necessary capacity of the airfield, apron, and ground access
system serving the Airport.
• Determining the Airport's role and resulting size and type of facility
development.
• Evaluating the potential environmental effects, such as noise, due to the
Airport's development and operation, and
• Evaluating the financial feasibility of alternative airport development
proposals.
Data is available from the New York State Department of Transportation and the
FAA in the form of the New York State Aviation Activity Forecasts (NYSAAF)
Study, the New York State Aviation System Plan (SASP), the National Plan of
Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), and the FAA Terminal Area Forecasts (TAF).
This information serves as a comparative basis of forecasting aviation demand at
Potsdam Municipal Airport for the planning period. Specific portions of these
statewide and federal planning studies will be referenced, compared, and adjusted to
more accurately reflect the present and expected future conditions at the Airport.
Forecasts of aviation demand require the evaluation of the following variables:
• Based aircraft by category
• Fleet mix by aircraft type
• Aircraft operations (itinerant and local)
• Peak period activity
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