Airport Engineering Course

Airport Planning & Design

Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Starting point is the country’s economic and
social development plans; NITI Aayog has a
Transport Planning division/section.
 India is planning to build 100 airports by 2024!
 UDAN programme under the Regional
Connectivity plan is a driving force in this
regard;
 Economic and social development plans and
transport sector are closely linked together.
 Development of An Airport Master Plan
National National Aviation Regional/State Air
Transportation Plan Transportation Plan
Master Plan

Airport Master Plan

Systematic Approach
Short-,medium- and
for safe and efficient
long term
air transport
requirements

Permits phased Identifies all essential

development In line with components of a
traffic demands Master Plan
Development of an
Airport Master Plan
Capacity
Nation’s/Region’s requirement Environmental
economic policies (RWY capacity planning
vital)

Need for air Result: A

Phased
transport comprehensive
development
system master plan

Traffic Funding and

forecasts at financial
different levels strategy

Nat’l/Regional/
Land
State airport
availability
network
A complete airport layout & phased
development
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 An Airport Master Plan:
 Identifies the general location and characteristics of
a new airport or extent of development of existing
facility;
 Identifies airport’s role in the multi-mode transport
system;
 Optimises land-use and airspace use while providing
a safe airport system;
 Minimises environmental impact through appropriate
feasibility studies;
 Access from nearby city while providing for future
expansion;
 Technical feasibility, economic and financial viability.
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 A well-defined master plan indicates a systematic
approach to providing safe and adequate facilities
for the near term as well as the future needs;
 Such a master plan facilitates:
 identifying the extent of land required;
 safeguarding it through appropriate land zoning laws;
and
 getting the government approval and funds;
 With a good master plan, it is possible to plan a
phased development to match the extent of
development with the available funds and traffic
needs.
Developing an Airport Master
Plan – Traffic forecasting and
planning
 Factors that drive the need for an airport must
be established. Here are some:
 Regional economic development and growth;
 Tourism potential;
 Need for accessing other cities and countries with
minimal delays
 Business and pleasure travel
 Education and international sports activities
 Country’s aviation development plans
 Long term requirements considering traffic growth
and projection up to 25 years.
 First steps of an Airport Master
Plan – Traffic forecasting
Market survey of current needs and growth
potential

Estimate traffic demands for different

time frames

Traffic growth based on economic

development plans

Time frames – 5-10years, 10-15 years &

20-25 years

Traffic forecast to be robust and

realistic
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Next steps:
 Carry out a market survey of the needs and potential for
growth;
 Develop an estimate of the current traffic and its needs;
 Project the current traffic based on other growth indicators
e.g. economic growth of the area, government’s industrial
and commercial development plans etc.
 Generally, the first milestone will be the first five-year traffic
demands;
 Long term traffic growth over 10-15 years and 25-30 years
time frames should be estimated;
 Need to be realistic in preparing the traffic estimates and
projected rates.
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Traffic estimates are based on current needs and
projected using one of the following methods:
 Quantitative analysis (Time series analysis, econometric
analysis)
 Qualitative analysis (Delphi techniques) and
 Decision analysis (Market research and industry surveys)
 Two types of forecasting – Aggregate forecasting
(country/region/state’s total aviation activities) and
Disaggregate forecasting (airport-specific traffic
figures)
 Traffic forecast method used must fairly accurately
predict future needs.
Airport Master Plan Development

Runway is the spinal cord of an airport

– the most important element
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 The Master Plan must clearly identify the locations
and heights of various facilities (buildings and other
installations) including the aircraft parking apron
configurations vis-à-vis the runway – the most vital
and important element of an airport;
 No runway, no airport!
 Land side access to the passenger terminal building
and cargo facilities for ease of use;
 Air traffic capacity and management
 Airport security requirements must be included in
the Master Plan.
 Components of an Airport Master Plan

Site location Plan

Runways, Taxiways and Aprons

Passenger Terminal Building(s)

Cargo terminal
ATC Tower Landside facilities
Aircraft Maintenance Access road, Car pa

Water and Power Supply

Airport Emergency Services

Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Components of an airport master plan:
 Site location plan
 Aircraft movement areas (Runway(s), Taxiways and Parking
Apron(s))
 Passenger terminal building
 Landside facilities
 Air Traffic control facility
 Cargo facility
 Aircraft maintenance areas (Hangars, engine-testing
areas)
 Airport Emergency Service and operational issues
 Associated Utility services – Adequate primary power
supply, water supply, sewage disposal etc.
Airport Master Plan
Development

 As Runway is the “spinal

cord” of an airport all
other facilities and
services are located This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

with reference to the

runway centre line;
Why?
 Aircraft movement area
and air space above to
be free of obstacles as
dictated by obstacle
restriction and control
regulations

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

Airport Master Plan Development –
Concept showing essential elements

Typical layout only

Developing an Airport Master
Plan
 The Master Plan must be based on the operational
requirements of the most demanding airplane
expected to operate during the plan period;
 It must also be based on the airport’s operational
needs and capacity enhancement plans for the
duration of the plan;
 Identified land must be acquired and protected to
prevent unwanted encroachments and adverse
impact on airport’s operational safety;
 Attention must be given to assessing the terrain in
the approach and take-off areas of each runway,
as the runway is the “spinal cord of an airport”.
Approach and Take-off
Climb Areas
Note: Take-off climb surface length to ensure 300 m vertical
clearance at its end.
Runway and Obstacle Limitation
Surfaces, permissible heights of
buildings
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 The type of operations and other factors envisaged over the
long-term master plan dictates the total extent of the airport
site;
 The various factors are:
 Number, orientation, size and type of runway(s);
 Number of taxiways and layout and impact on ground
movement capacity;
 Design aircraft’s data – size, weight, passenger carrying capacity
and volume of cargo that can be transported;
 Sizes of passenger terminal and cargo terminal buildings;
 If an airline hub, aircraft maintenance facilities – hangars, engine
run-up bays etc.
 Utility services – Aviation fuel farm, Aerodrome emergency
service, power supply, water supply etc.;
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 An Airport Master plan must be realistic and the
potential site chosen and identified must be
adequate to meet all the safety requirements for
the eventual expansion;
 The Master Plan must also have cost indicators that
define economic viability and technical justifiability
of the development;
 Phased development is normal, and the various
phases identified should be compatible with the
traffic data for the near term-, medium term- and
long-term development stages.
Airport Development
planning
 A Master Plan would identify a potential location where
the airport could be developed;
 The site must be free from tall obstacles, difficult terrain
and other potential hazards;
 The planned airport must be within a reasonable
distance from the nearby city that it is serving to minimise
commuting time for both passengers and those who
work at the airport;
 At the same time, the applicable safety requirements for
the smooth functioning of the airport must also be taken
into account;
 So the Master Plan must identify the need for good
connectivity and safe and economical transport system.
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 A Techno-economic analysis of the Master Plan is
an essential item to justify the proposed project;
 This is in the form of a Cost-Benefit analysis
supported by an assessment of benefits of the
development to the local population (job
opportunities etc.), for the people who use the
airport in terms of saving of time and cost to reach
the destination safety and swiftly; and contribution
to the local economy etc.
 Also, part of the study would be an assessment of
the impact on the local ecological systems and
conformance with the environmental protection
programmes of the government;
Development of Airport
Master Plan
 The Master Plan must also take into consideration the
existence of any military airfield or such security-sensitive
installations nearby;
 Alternative locations may need to be identified to arrive
at a final solution;
 Access to and from the city it would be serving needs
careful consideration for the airport to be functional and
user-friendly while taking into account the safety needs;
 The location and layout must be cleared by the
Defence establishment of local government first;
 If the planned airport is likely to be a joint civil-military use
airport, all operational requirements and preconditions
must be addressed clearly.
Airport Development
Planning
 An Airport Master Plan must be accepted and
approved by the government as meeting the
National Airport Development Plans and the
government’s vision on aviation development
and connectivity;
 The Master Plan must be reviewed to ensure
technical viability and to ensure that it has
flexibility to develop in stages depending on
funds availability;
 Therefore, a comprehensive techno-economic
analysis of the project proposal is necessary.
Airport Development
Planning
 Components of technical evaluation:
 The traffic forecast and projection that are based on
sound principles and accepted practices;
 Generally, the concerned government office (Ministry
of Civil Aviation) would have the acceptable traffic
forecasting methods and may even have their own
forecasts which would be helpful;
 Depending on the traffic forecasts over short-term,
medium-term and long-term periods, the airport
master plan would be divided into reasonable phases
that meet the traffic forecasts;
Airport Development
planning

 Cost estimates:
 Broad but realistic cost estimates for each of
the components of the Master Plan should
be prepared;
 Possible
cost inflation due to time span
between submission of Master Plan for
approval to its implementation must be
provided for to ensure realistic figures;
 Costestimates based on established
schedule of rates or market rates
Airport Development
planning
 Airport project funding:
 One source is the Government funding where
the airport is wholly owned, operated and
managed by a government entity;
 For an airport developed on BOT or similar
concept, the private entity must raise its own
funds through long-term bank loans, or sell
bonds/shares in public;
 The funds available dictate how the airport will
be developed – in phases or in one go.
 As the government allocates the land and is the
landowner, this land ownership under the PPP
model translates to approximately 25-30% stake
in the airport.
Airport Development
planning
 Regular revenue is generated once the airport is
commissioned into operations by collecting landing
and parking fees from the operating airlines. This is
called Aeronautical revenue;
 Additionally, airlines overflying the airspace above
also pay prescribed charges;
 Non-aeronautical revenues are those from non-
aeronautical activities such as from leasing
shopping areas within the terminal building(s), office
spaces for users, transit hotels (day rooms) for transit
passengers, land side leasing for hotels, car parking
etc.
Airport Development
planning
 Site Selection for a new airport:
 Accessibility from the city;
 Availabilityof a good, fast and reliable ground
transportation system (road and rail) for
passengers and other users;
 Reasonably flat terrain to minimise earthwork and
drainage costs;
 Not too close to mountainous or hilly terrain so
that the obstacles are few and manageable
and not hazardous;
Airport Development
planning
 Site Selection for a new airport (Cont’d):
 Must preferably be not near any large bodies of
water or difficult terrain in the approach and
take-off climb areas;
 Should avoid areas with small rivers or ponds
inside the boundaries as they require extra
operational safety measures;
 Existence of local zoning laws to prevent
development of land around an airport that
could be hazardous to aircraft operations;
 Ease of land acquisition (both cost and time-
wise).
Airport Development
planning
 Site Selection for a new airport (Cont’d.):
 Availabilityof adequate reliable power supply,
preferably from more than one source;
 Availability of potable water supply;
 Sewerage and drainage systems
 Availability
of telecommunication facilities, police
and hospital/medical facilities to deal with
emergencies;
 Land for future expansion(s) of the airport.
Airport Development
planning
 Soil and subsoil conditions to minimise soil
improvement needs and costs thereof;
 Environmental planning and assessment of
impact on local flora and fauna;
 Check for possibility of flooding of the area;
 Proximity to existing schools, hospitals and
other noise-sensitive establishments to assess if
the runway orientation and therefore the
approach and take-off climb areas have an
impact; and
 Proximity to existing airports – civil and military.
Developing an Airport Master
Plan
 Meteorological data for the potential site(s) to
decide on the feasibility of the site for ensuring
regular, continuous operations;
 Use of wind rose diagram for fixing runway
orientation(s);
 Check for obstacles in the approach and take-off
climb areas as well as lateral extent of free land for
locating buildings etc.
 All buildings and other infrastructure must be
located to be clear of the runway’s safety areas
(obstacle limitation surfaces);
 Only the Air Traffic Control tower is permitted to
have the height necessary for unobstructed view of
the entire aircraft movement areas.
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Taxiways linking the runway with the Terminal
Building(s) and associated aircraft parking areas or
Aprons developed in line with the applicable safety
regulations;
 Landside facilities:
 Access road(s)
 Car parking
 Mass transit systems (buses/trains)
 Adequate primary power supply
 Adequate water supply and sewage disposal
systems
 Airport drainage systems
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Aviation security requirements including isolated
aircraft parking stand
 Airplane operational safety requirements:
 Airport emergency services
 Wildlife/bird strike hazard removal and control
 Outside airport obstacle control and removal
 Medical facilities for dealing with emergencies
 Disabled aircraft removal
 Security fencing, roads & lighting
 Aviation fuel supply, storage and distribution
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Obstacle removal and restriction:
 Checking for obstacles in the approach and take-off
climb areas must be for the final extended runway(s);
 Similarly, laterally too, the checks must be for the final
network of taxiways and aprons beyond which the
terminal buildings and other required infrastructure
should be located.
 So, the distance from the runway and the height
restrictions must be taken into account at the Master
Planning stage so that there is no need to relocate
them later.
 Importance of zoning laws, monitoring and
enforcement
Airport Obstacle Limitation
Surfaces – Typical Plan view
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Depending on the meteorological conditions,
expected traffic intensity and safety needs, the
Master Plan must also identify the air navigation
equipment and type of operations;
 Additionally, the airport’s emergency response
capabilities and other operational safety
aspects must be identified.
 An airport may also serve as a hub for an airline
which means there would need for aircraft
maintenance facilities etc.
 The Master Plan must be tailored to the type
and size of airport envisaged in the country’s
aviation development plans.
Developing an Airport
Master Plan
 Aviation is a global community that touches the
lives of numerous persons directly – as fare-paying
passengers, aviation professionals and stakeholders.
Participation in the global community requires
respect for and compliance with the applicable
laws, also known as safety specifications!
 Remember this while planning, designing and
constructing an airport;
 Resilience, constructability and sustainability are key
factors;
 Safety of the end users is of paramount
importance.