A

Seminar Report
On

DESIGN OF MODERN AIRPORTS

In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of

Bachelor of Engineering
In
Civil Engineering

Under the Guidance of: SUBMITTED BY:

Mr Sabilesh Singh Rishabh Parihar (16BCIN031)
Yash Devra (16BCIN029)
Kandarp Somani (16BCIN034)
Harsh Kumar (16BCIN040)
Mohit Singh
Parihar(16BCIN009)

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

JECRC UNIVERSITY
Jaipur-303905
 CERTIFICATE

Certified that seminar work entitled “DESIGN OF MODERN AIRPORTS”

is a bonafide work carried out in the sixth semester by Rishabh Parihar,
Yash Deora, Kandarp Somani, Harsh Kumar and Mohit Singh
Parihar in partial fulfilment for the award of Bachelor of Technology in
Civil Engineering from JECRC University Jaipur during the academic year of
2018-2019.

Under the Guidance of:

Mr Sabilesh Singh

(Dept. of Civil Engineering)

 Table of content

S.No Topic Page No

1 Certificate
2 Table of content
3 Abstract
4 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
5 Chapter 2: GREEN TERMINALS
6 Chapter 3: A CASE STUDY OF NEW DELHI AIRPORT
 Noise Monitoring
 Air Quality Management
 Water Management
7 Chapter 4: A CASE STUDY OF HYDERABAD AIRPORT
 Project Plan
 HIAL’s Promoters and Contractual Structure
 Funding Arrangements
 Implementation Process
 Airside and Landside (ALS) Works Contract
 Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTB) Contract
 Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Contract
 Obstacles of the Project
 Strengths and Success Factors
8 Chapter 5: A CASE STUDY OF CHANGI INTERNATIONAL,
SINGAPORE
9 Chapter 6 : TRAPEZOIDAL DRAINAGE GROOVE
 Drainage
 Tire Drainage
10 Chapter 7 : APPROACH INDICTORS ON RUNWAYS
11 Chapter 8 : ACCIDENT PREVENTION ON RUNWAYS
 Engineered Materials Arresting System
 EMAS Arrestment
12 Chapter 9 : RUNWAYS OF THE FUTURE
 Sulphur Extended Asphalt
13 Chapter 10 : SUMMARY
14 Chapter 11 : REFERENCES
 Abstract
Modern airports can be defined by the following characteristics:-

• Ability to handle huge traffic: Due to high cost, the use of

airports was restricted to the executive class of society in earlier days.
However, this scenario has changed and there has been significant
increase in airport travel worldwide. To cope up with such demand of air-
travel, there is a need for airports to be equipped with ability to handle
huge traffic.

• Land use diversity: The airports now-a-days aren’t just used

for boarding and de-boarding flights, they have evolved into multi-
functionality structures that harbour workplaces, shopping centres,
restaurants and clubs.

• Integration of Intermodal transport system: To make

airports more accessible, they have to be integrated with existing
transport system in the city which includes railways, bus transport system
and metro-rails.

• Environmental Sensitivity: Airports generally occupy very

large space. By taking care of rainwater harvesting, treatment and re-use
of sewage water, green landscape and use of natural sources for power
generation and power optimization, the environmental impact of aircrafts
can be reduced.

• Enhanced Safety: Airport safety means preventing injury to

people or damage to aircraft, vehicles or infrastructure due to human
error or technical failure.
 CHAPTER – 1
INTRODUCTION
A look at the early airports, aircraft factories, and airliners themselves,
reveals that their design vocabulary reflected designers' efforts to
encounter society's feelings of ambivalence and insecurity toward this
new mode of transportation. This design proposes a new generation
terminal which does not exist today.

The objectives of this report are to:

1. Create and design a totally new terminal which can be used on any kind
of airport site in the future. Most current airports are designed and
restricted to the area, location, and terrain of the airport land itself. Thus,
to create and design a new terminal, free from any restriction listed
above, is the priority of this study.

2. Design the terminal to be easily expanded in the future when

necessary. An existing airport might alter its design and original structure
as necessary in the future. The goal of this thesis study is to retain the
existing terminal building.

3. Shorten the time and improve the process for passengers from check-in
to boarding without undermining the airport, aircraft and airline security.

4. Create a more humanistic, more convenient and more thoughtful

environment for passengers. Frequently, those passengers who are re-
boarding from large to small aircraft, or from international to domestic
flights, need to face unfavourable weather conditions because there is no
enclosed access between aircraft and terminal. If the weather condition is
unsatisfactory such as windy, raining, snowing, or hot, passengers have
no choice but to bear it without any protection.

5. Most important part of this thesis study, airport design, is to create a

new generation of airport terminal building. Passengers will experience
the same humanistic, convenient, and thoughtful environment to access
the aircraft, regardless of size or location.
 CHAPTER - 2
GREEN TERMINALS
As airports across the globe look to find new ways to reduce their carbon
footprints, countless sustainable projects have been undertaken, including
renewable energy projects, recycling programs, emission reduction
efforts, and green building techniques.

Airports generally occupy very large space. By taking care of rainwater

harvesting, treatment and re-use of sewage water, green landscape and
use of natural sources for power generation and power optimization, the
environmental impact of aircrafts can be reduced.

Airports should seek to prevent, reduce or offset significant

adverse effects on the environment and enhance positive
effects by:

 Reducing contribution to climate change and adapting

to its effects.
The growth of aviation and avoiding dangerous climate change is not a
zero sum game. Both can be achieved through technological
advances, low carbon fuels and more efficient operations supported by
aviation's participation in open emissions trading.

 Preventing, limiting or reducing adverse effects on air

and ground noise.
Most of the noise generated by airports activities is produced by
aircraft approaching or taking-off, taxiing along runways and by engine
testing.
By designing the runways in orientations that lead almost directly into
 the sea (An example of such design is Changi International Airport,
Singapore) or over a portion of land which has been designated for
non-residential use, the impact of noise generated at an airport, on
people and surrounding environment, can be reduced.

 Preventing, limiting or reducing adverse effects on air

quality.
Air quality is often an issue for people living in urban areas. Burning
fossil fuel to create energy for vehicles, housing and industry emits
pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particles.

 Increasing recycling and minimizing waste.

Large hub airports generate considerable volumes of waste,
predominantly from aircraft cabin cleaning, cargo handling and flight
catering. Construction waste can also be significant during building and
refurbishment.

 Managing water consumption efficiently and

effectively.
Large hub airports generate considerable volumes of waste,
predominantly from aircraft cabin cleaning, cargo handling and flight
catering. Construction waste can also be significant during building and
refurbishment.

Environmental effect of waste generated at airports can be minimized

by recycle and re-use of waste water and installation of sewage
treatment plants.

 Protecting and enhancing our rich biodiversity.

Airports cover very large areas. As well as runways, terminals and
aircraft stands, the airports should include grassland, other landscaped
areas and a variety of natural habitats including Standing Water,
Ponds, Rivers and Streams, Dry Lowland Grassland, Lowland, Wet
Grassland and Scrubs.
 CHAPTER – 3
A case study of environment-friendly features of
New Delhi Airport
1. North facing glazed walls to improve natural lighting while minimizing
heat due to sunlight.
2. Rain-water harvesting wells installed
3. 15 mild is capacity of sewage treatment plant, presently 7.5 mild of
water is being treated for re-use.
4. Although airport has saline groundwater, it’s served to passengers and
staffs– after being treated with reverse osmosis.
5. Treated water used for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC)
system, toilet flushing, and construction activities.
6. Entire civil structure (except reinforcement steel) was procured
regionally.
7. 17 lakh sq. ft. of green landscape on air side.
8. World’s first terminal to receive LEED’s (Leadership for Environmentally
Efficient Design) gold certification.
9. Integration of intermodal transport – metro line.

A more detailed version of the case study is as below:-

Noise Monitoring: DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) works in
various fields to minimize the environmental impact of its operations.
Noise abatement is one of the key areas the airport is focusing on. The
followings are the various noise mitigation steps taken by DIAL:

Ambient noise monitoring is being conducted regularly at different

locations in and around the airport including the areas under the takeoff
and landing funnels. All equipment operating within the airport is
maintained in good working condition to reduce ground noise in the
premises. The terminal buildings as well as all the offices within the
airport boundary are acoustically treated.

DIAL is an integral part of the ‘working group on airport noise’ (WGAN)

formed by Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This group is
exploring various possibilities and developing feasible measures to reduce
excessive noise in the vicinity of IGI Airport.

DIAL is also in the process of establishing an 'aircraft noise monitoring

systems'(ANMS) in order to develop a database of aircraft noise.
Monitoring of noise levels and tracking the aircraft will help in formulating
measures to mitigation of aircraft generated noise.

Air quality management: It is one of the major focus areas in IGI

Airport; DIAL has taken various initiatives on Air quality management after
takeover of IGIA from Airports Authority of India (AAI). To manage the air
quality at IGIA, DIAL monitors air quality inside & outside the airport on
regular basis. Air quality monitoring is done for parameters such as
Suspended Particulate Matter(SPM), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Oxides of
Nitrogen (NOx), Hydrocarbon (HC) and Carbon Monoxide (CO). DIAL also
initiated Green House Gas inventory program to establish the emission
data for mobile and ground vehicles. It also facilitates employees to
reduce their carbon foot print by carpool network initiative.

DIAL new integrated terminal 3 which is highly energy efficient

building with features like:-

 Natural day lighting

 Use of construction materials & interior finishes with high recycled
content
 Use of environmental friendly vehicles

Other Air quality improvement initiatives taken by DIAL are:

 Establishment of a CNG filling station inside the airport.

 Usage of battery operated vehicles for transferring passengers from
one terminal to another.
 Use of dust screens and water sprinklers at construction area to
prevent gusting dust

Water Management: Currently IGIA manages its water

requirement from ground water source & municipal supply. Though
the IGIA has saline ground water sources it serves the well treated
drinking water to passengers after treating by reverse osmosis (RO)
membrane plant and the quality of water is being monitoring as per
IS 10500 standard requirement. To manage the ground water
resource at IGIA, DIAL has already installed rainwater harvesting
structures spread across the airport areas. The effectiveness of
these structures is measured for their infiltration ability. Wastewater
reutilization is one of the key activities of DIAL water management.
Presently DIAL has sewage treatment plant (STP) operating round
the clock. To manage the IGIA up-graduation requirements, DIAL has
constructed modern STP with advanced tertiary treatment viz. ultra
filtration and RO technique and latest water treatment equipment to
achieve zero water discharge plan. The entire treated water is being
utilized for air-condition cooling i.e. Heating, Ventilating, and Air
Conditioning (HVAC), toilet flushing, horticulture and construction
activities.

CHAPTER – 4
A Case study on Rajiv Gandhi International
Airport, Hyderabad
Hyderabad International Airport Limited (HIAL) is a joint venture company
sponsored by the GMR Group in partnership with Malaysia Airports
Holdings Berhad (MAHB), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Government
of Andhra Pradesh. The Company was incorporated to finance, design,
build and operate a world class airport at Hyderabad, India.

The airport has been designed to ultimately cater to about 40 million

passengers per annum. The first phase of the airport was commenced in a
record time of 31 months in March 2008 with a preliminary capacity of 12
million passengers per annum and 100,000 tons of shipment handling
capacity per annum. The airport has the greatest taxiway and runway in
the country with a length of 4260m (Hyderabad International Airport Ltd,
2005).

The airport is the second PPP Project in the Indian airport infrastructure.
The project is bided out on Built Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model
and the concession period for the project is 30 years. The Bidders were
selected through International Competitive Bidding (ICB) basis.

 This is the first venture in the country to have been rewarded the
Leadership Energy and Environment Design, silver grading for its eco-
friendly design. The total cost of the first phase of the project is INR 24780
million. This airport was opened to the commercial traffic in March 2008,
provides world class service and infrastructure in concurrence with
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.

Project Plan - The first phase consists of construction of a 105,300

square meters terminal building, designed to handle about 12 million
passengers per annum. The terminal building contains 12 contact and 30
remote stands for aircraft parking. The other buildings include Air Traffic
Control Tower (ATC), Technical Building, Cargo Section, Maintenance
Repair and Overhaul (MRO), CFR (Crash, Fire and Rescue) Station and
services having a total area of about 35,000 square meters. The project
was constructed on a total area of about 5,495 acres (Salish, 2005).

HIAL’s Promoters and Contractual Structure - In the year

2003, a Special Project Vehicle (SPV) was launched by the Government of
Andhra Pradesh and the Civil Aviation Ministry of India and the under the
name of HIAL. As the bid was won by GMR Group, MAHB, this project was
fundamentally a Joint Venture (JV) between GMR Group (63%), MAHB
(11%), Government of Andhra Pradesh (13%) and the Airports Authority of
India (13%) (Net Resources International, 2007).GMR Group: GMR group is
one of the best growing infrastructure organisations in the country with
interests in Highways, Airports, and Urban Infrastructure and Energy
sectors. Employing the PPP model, the Group has productively
implemented various infrastructure projects in India. Malaysia Airports
Holding Berhad: MAHB was incorporated in 1991 in the Malaysian
Parliament. The major activities of the company include the management,
operation and maintenance in addition to development of airports, with
primary significance being placed on the operational competence, cargo
and aircraft operations, safety and security of passengers.

Funding Arrangements - The total worth of the project for the first
phase is INR 24780 million .The financial instruments used in this project
that is the debt/equity ratio was kept at 84:16. The means of finance and
percentage of share are given in the table below (PPP India database,
2008).

Implementation Process - For the initial phase construction, HIAL

used international competitive tender method for EPC (Engineering
Procurement Construction) tenders for awarding the various contracts.
Responses were received from 34 companies from 11 countries.
Ultimately in the selection of tenders, seven companies were succeeded
for ALS works and six for PTB works. The total construction time is 30
months, of which 27 months is for construction and 3 months is for airport
functioning trials and certification. The following are the three types of
contract which were implemented in the project (Net Resources
International, 2007).

Airside and Landside (ALS) Works Contract - The contract

for the ALS works had been awarded to M/S Larsen and Toubro (L&T)
Limited. The range of works for this contract includes construction of
runways, taxiways to handle wide bodied aircrafts. Besides, L&T also
constructed roads, aviation hydrant system, security fence and gates,
drainage system, cargo terminal building and various other buildings.

Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTB) Contract - The contract

for the PTB works was awarded to the Hong Kong based China State
Construction Engineering (CSCE). The scope for the PTB works include the
erection of the operational terminal building over 100,000 square metres
in addition to construction of the building structures, Air Traffic Control
Tower (ATC), all civil and finishing works and passenger boarding bridges.

Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Contract - Reliance

Industries Limited (RIL) was awarded the contract to operate and maintain
India’s first elite model of open access of developing the fuel farm inside
the HIAL.The Accor Group and Novatel Group were awarded the contract
to operate and maintain a Five Star Business hotel to cater to the desires
of the transit and business passengers.

Obstacles of the Project - The difficulties faced by the HIAL during

the construction and operation of the project are described below.

Land acquisition for the project was severely opposed by the public as it
resulted in depriving a set of people the quality of life and their livelihood.
During the process of land acquisition total information about the area of
land required was kept hidden from the civic. HIAL faced a variety of risks
such as revenue and regulatory risks. The revenue risk was due to
demand suspicions and pricing (Balaraman and Malhotra, 2008).The
regulatory risks were due to uncertainty in licensing, tariff fixation and
revenue sharing.

The other problems faced by HIAL is that several private Airlines were not
fascinated in moving to the new airport from the old airport, but
ultimately the officials from the Department of Civil Aviation have
proclaimed that the old airport would be closed totally for Civil Aviation
operations. In addition there was a delay in the construction of elevated
express way which connects to the new airport and resistance from the
public for increasing the user charges (Bradley, 2008; Lilith, 2009).

Strengths and Success factors - The following are some of the

strengths and success factors which were identified from the project
(Balaraman and Malhotra, 2008; Kurmanath, 2009; Vogt, 2009).

This project being the first Greenfield airport project in India, the SPV used
the EPC Contract method by which the project was finished in record time
of three years.

Modern and inventive strategies were utilized to conquer the operational

challenges and the rising Air Turbulence Fuel (ATF); three mega storage
tanks for the fuel storage were constructed on the lines of an Open Model
Fuel Farm.

To cancel out the rising costs due to the design changes, HIAL used
External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) and obtained another debt of
amount INR 7180 million.

World Renowned plans were employed in building the maintenance, repair

and overhaul (MRO) facility to service airplanes. By welcoming the
Lufthansa Technik and Indian Airlines to operate the MRO, extra costs of
taking the aircrafts abroad was evaded. This facility can be employed by
the airlines operating in other international airports of India, thus,
becoming a source of additional income.

HIAL anticipates that the passenger traffic growth would rise by 20 to 25

percent in the first year. The number of passengers is expected to go up
from existing 8 million to 9.4 million per annum.
HIAL has received VAT (Value added tax) relief from the Andhra Pradesh
Government. This Schedule includes a list of 51 goods that do not attract
the tax. This would benefit travellers both at the domestic and
international terminals.

CHAPTER – 5
 A Case Study on Changi International Airport,
Singapore
As airport systems become increasingly complex in terms of design and
technology, the integration of different airport systems naturally becomes
more challenging. Furthermore, each and every airport has its own
specific requirements due to load factor, size and functions etc. hence a
‘one-size-fits-all’ solution for the integration of airport systems is not
possible. Every airport therefore requires a trusted solutions integrator
that not only understands the design and technology of disparate airport
systems, but is also able to integrate these systems in a holistic manner
to meet the individual needs of different airports in terms of operational
readiness and efficiency.
CNA has amassed a sound knowledge of airport systems and an extensive
understanding of airport operations, needs and challenges. As a system
integration specialist, CNA can install and integrate a full spectrum of
airport systems such as building facilities and aviation. Under our system
integration, disparate and standalone systems can now link up and inter-
operate, leading to the creation of a “Connected Airport”. This ‘Connected
Airport’ framework improves an airport’s operational efficiency by
reducing downtime, waiting time and delays.
To achieve a high level of automation to achieve high efficiency of
business operations, it is increasingly important for airport components to
freely exchange data; this is achieved by promoting and following
international interface standards to the airports. CNA’s key role as a
system integration specialist, we have the knowhow to collect and
manage integration requirements as well as to establish the conceptual
integration system architecture used to guide the physical system
architecture design and enhance airport business evolution. It is within
our core strength in middleware integration and development of
application program interfaces that enables defined disparate interfaces
to pull together all different applications into a single, streamlined system
with a common set of procedures and control methodology. This
framework governs the smooth evolution of integrated airport automation
systems
CNA’s in-depth knowledge and vast experience at managing high level
integration with multiple vendors has proved to be effective for many
international airports, including Singapore’s Changi Airport, New Doha
International Airport, the Philippines’ Niño Aquino International Airport and
Thailand’s New Suvranabhumi International Airport.
A thriving multicultural city-state rooted in the island
archipelagos of Southeast Asia, Singapore is far more
globally relevant than its size would foretell. With a
burgeoning economy, a stable political environment, and
highly attractive investment climate, Singapore is able to
exert a degree of fiscal and social leadership over its region.
Despite this international prominence, the richness of
Singapore’s culture of innovation was not reflected in the
city-state’s primary commercial airport. Changi International
Airport is amongst the busiest air travel hubs in the world,
but to fulfil its potential as the preeminent cultural gateway
to Southeast Asia for international travellers, the look and
feel of its brand new Terminal 4 needed a spark.
 CHAPTER – 6
Trapezoidal Drainage Groove
Trapezoidal drainage grooves have been found to have a lot of
advantages over the conventional rectangular grooves. Pavement grooves
have been scientifically proven to minimize aircraft hydroplaning during
both take-off and landing operations under rainfall conditions and have
performed well when installed in both rigid (Portland cement concrete)
and flexible (hot mix asphalt) pavements. Saw-cut grooves deteriorate
over time from repeated interaction with aircraft traffic, as well as from
additional interaction with pavement maintenance activities such as
rubber removal, sweeping, and snowplowing operations. The advantages
of using the trapezoidal-shaped groove configuration on runways were
reviewed very closely by FAA (Federal Aviation Administration)
researchers. It was expected that the trapezoidal-shaped grooves would
resist rubber accumulation, closure, and collapse better than the standard
grooves, especially in heavily trafficked areas. The most critical runway
areas for rubber contamination are the aircraft touchdown zone and the
braking zone. In these areas, aircraft tires first come in contact with the
pavement when landing or when the aircraft brakes heavily. In both cases,
the repeated tire skidding in these areas leads to heavy deposits of rubber
that can build up on the inner walls of the groove and decrease the width
of the opening in the grooves. Although surface cleaning can alleviate this
condition, rubber deposits accumulate again within just a few weeks.
Portland cement and asphaltic concrete runways are equally susceptible
to the rubber deposits. Physical movement or “shoving” of the runway
surface can also cause damage to runway grooves, as heavy loading can
cause the grooves to close from a condition of collapse. Extreme heat can
also soften asphaltic concrete and, when combined with heavy loading,
can make this problem even more pronounced. The proposed
configuration consists of a trapezoidal-shaped groove shape, 1/2 in. at the
top, 1/4 in. at the bottom, and spaced 2 1/4 in. centre to centre. The
conventional groove configuration is a 1/4-in. - by 1/4- in.-square groove,
spaced at 1 1/2 in. centre to centre. Grooves are installed across the
runway surface; transversely to the runway length and perpendicular to
the runway centreline.
 Advantages of trapezoidal drainage groove over
standard groove

 Improved water evacuation capability.

 Greater resistance to rubber contamination.
 Improved longevity

Disadvantage of trapezoidal drainage groove over

standard groove

 Costs 15-20% more than standard groove.

A broad clarification of advantages provided by use of

trapezoidal groove is as follows:-

DRAINAGE: The primary factor in providing water drainage from a

runway surface during rainfall conditions is the transverse slope (or
crown) of the runway. The slope generally runs between 1% to1.1/2 %
down from the crown of the runway at the centreline. Grooves make a
secondary contribution to drainage by being able to accommodate some
water that would otherwise be standing on the surface as a measurable
water depth. In other words, what would be standing water at a given
location on a non-grooved runway would simply be a wet surface on a
runway grooved with either of the two groove configuration. Standing
water on a grooved runway would likely occur only during a period of
heavy rainfall or when the grooves were closed or otherwise blocked by
debris, rubber, or sand.

TIRE DAMAGE: In the unsolicited proposal, reference was made to the

advantage of physical engagement of the tire to the pavement surface
with trapezoidal-shaped grooves because it is wider compared to the
standard, and there were fewer grooves per linear square foot of runway.
Likewise, the greater angle at the top edge of the trapezoidal-shaped
groove, 117° versus 90°, could also be a mitigating factor in reducing tire
damage. In early research, damage was noted in aircraft tires when
grooves were first introduced on runways. Tire damage usually occurred
at the touchdown zone of the runways where aircraft tires were impacting
the runway the hardest. Small cuts were noted in some aircrafts tires;
however, these cuts did not appear to progress nor were they reported to
shorten the life of the tires. Manufacturers subsequently reformulated the
materials that they incorporated into their tire construction, and the
damage was no longer noted. Other factors also lessened the concern.
Continued touchdown operations were found to wear the sharpness of the
upper edges of the grooves. Additionally, rubber deposits lessened the
possibility of tire damage.

CHAPTER – 7
Approach Indicators on Runways
Both a typical VASI (Visual Approach Slope Indicator) and a typical PAPI
(Precision Approach Slope Indicator) simply consist of light boxes with two
or four lights in each box and metal dividers such that which light you can
see depends upon whether pilot’s line of sight is above or below the
divider.

In a typical VASI installation, pilots will see both lights white if the aircraft
is too high, both lights red if the aircraft is too low, and one red and one
white if the aircraft is on the glide path. There may be additional lights to
provide an upper glideslope (for larger planes) and a lower glideslope.

In a typical PAPI installation, the pilot will see four white lights if the
aircraft is very high (.5 degree or more) and four red lights if the aircraft is
very low (.5 degree or more). If aircraft is within .2 degrees of the
glideslope, the pilot will see two red lights and two white lights. Slightly
low will be three red, one white. Slightly high will be three white, one red.

In this way, PAPI system has better accuracy as compared to the

conventional VASI system.
In a typical PAPI installation, the pilot will see four white lights if the
aircraft is very high (.5 degree or more) and four red lights if the aircraft is
very low (.5 degree or more). If aircraft is within .2 degrees of the
glideslope, the pilot will see two red lights and two white lights. Slightly
low will be three red, one white. Slightly high will be three white, one red.
In this way, PAPI system has better accuracy as compared to the
conventional VASI system.

CHAPTER – 8
Accident Prevention on Runways

Engineered Materials Arresting System

Aircraft can and do overrun the ends of runways, sometimes with
devastating results. An overrun occurs when an aircraft passes beyond
the end of a runway during an aborted take-off or while landing. Data on
aircraft overruns over a 12-year period (1975 to 1987) indicate that
approximately 90% of all overruns occur at exit speeds of 70 knots or less
and most come to rest between the extended runway edges within 1000
feet of the runway end.

An engineered materials arresting systems (EMAS) is designed to

stop an overrunning aircraft by exerting predictable deceleration forces on
its landing gear as the EMAS material crushes. It must be designed to
minimize the potential for structural damage to aircraft, since such
damage could result in injuries to passengers and/or affect the
predictability of deceleration forces. An EMAS should be design for a 20-
year service life.

The EMAS technology improves safety benefits in cases where land is not
available, or not possible to have the standard 1,000-foot overrun. A
standard EMAS installation extends 600 feet from the end of the runway.
An EMAS arrestor bed can be installed to help slow or stop an aircraft that
overruns the runway, even if less than 600 feet of land is available.

EMAS is composed of a bed of cellular cement blocks encased in a

protective cover positioned after a „setback distance‟ which begins
immediately after the end of the paved runway surface. The blocks crush
reliably and predictably under the weight of an aircraft and thus facilitate
a rapid but nevertheless gentle and consistent deceleration. Each
lightweight block is secured to the EMAS base with hot asphalt and the
seams between blocks are then taped at their upper surface to prevent
water penetration. The depth of the EMAS bed gradually increases with
increasing distance from the runway, typically from around 25cm up to
75cm.

EMAS Arrestment
Till November 2011, there have been eight incidents where EMAS has
safely stopped overrunning aircraft with a total of 235 crew and
passengers aboard those flights.

CHAPTER – 9
 Runways of the Future
As a matter of fact, Airbus A380 has maximum landing weight of 386,000
kg!

And, Heathrow Airport operates 385,000 flights a year. That’s 1 flight

landing or taking off every minute, throughout the year!

To meet such high demand of traffic and huge loads, the future runways
have to be made durable enough.

Sulphur Extended Asphalt

Sulphur-extended asphalt has been used in dense-graded mixtures with
sulphur/asphalt binder mass ratios from 20/80 to 40/60, and at times even
up to 50/50. The emulsified portion of sulphur performs as an asphalt
extender while any excess sulphur performs as a mix filler or stabilizer.
The allowable sulphur concentration in the binder depends on the
properties of the asphalt. On a long-term basis, approximately 20 per
cent of the sulphur remains dissolved and/or dispersed as part of the
binder. Free sulphur, above approximately 20 per cent by weight,
solidifies to a crystalline state.

The replacement of asphalt with sulphur is made on an equivalent volume

basis, and an accounting for the higher specific gravity of sulphur is
needed to maintain existing standards for mix impermeability and
durability.
Advantages of Sulphur Extended Asphalt

 Increased load bearing capacity

 Increased Stiffness Modulus
 Reduced structural deformation
 Increased fatigue life
 Reduced thermal cracking.

Environmental Concerns
When hot sulphur paving mixtures are kept below 149 c, the Hydrogen
Sulphide, Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphur Trioxide emissions are within safe
limits.

Care should be taken in maintaining screed temperature control. It is not

necessary to excessively heat the screed to obtain good paving results
because of the reduced viscosity of the mix obtained with SEA. In
addition, higher screed temperatures also increase the level of
undesirable emissions (SO2).
 CHAPTER – 10
SUMMARY
Over the last half of the century, air travel has become commonplace
around the world. As a result, today's airports have become more than
utilitarian hubs.

With air travel expected to be more frequent in coming years, airports are
facing several challenges like handling the increasing number of
passengers, freight, and baggage in an efficient and cost-effective way as
well as creating environment friendly solution.

Hence, there is a need for airport authorities to ensure that today’s

airports are durable, comfortable, greener and safer enough to
accommodate the upcoming demands in terms of airport traffic, aircraft
loads and environmental sustainability.

By ensuring installation of rainwater harvesting wells, sewage treatment

plants and energy efficient designs, the effect of emissions caused by
aircrafts on environment can be minimized.

At the same time, the airports should be connected to intermodal

transport system of the city to facilitate easier approach.

Also, the landing approach on runways can be made more precise by the
use of Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) system instead of the
conventional Visual Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) system.

Moreover, the runways itself should be made durable enough to sustain

heavy loads of modern aircrafts. Sulphur Extended Asphalt as binder has
been found to increase the wear capability of runway pavements and use
of trapezoidal grooves instead of standard square grooves have proved to
be more efficient.

Casualties and damage caused by runway accidents like overshooting of

the aircraft due to human or mechanical error can be reduced to a great
extent by installation of Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at
the ends of runway to provide controlled deceleration to aircrafts in case
of over-run.
 CHAPTER – 11
REFERENCES
1. The Modern Airport Terminal by Brian Edwards

2. http://www.newdelhiairport.in/fact-sheet.aspx

3. Faa.gov

4. Shell.com

5. Wikipedia.org

6. www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/asphalt/pubs/hif12037.pdf

7. http://www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/community-
andenvironment/sustainability/environment

8. http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=12497

9. http://www.newdelhiairport.in/environment.aspx