Paper Outline

Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Prepared for:

1.1 INTRODUCTION

Page 1 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

An airport is an infrastructure specially designed for the handling and use of aircraft, as
well as providing services related to the air transport of passengers and cargo from one
destination to another. These represent an important point for all countries because
they are essential for the connectivity and progress of modern societies. Among the
reasons of importance are that they represent global connections with the countries of
the world, it boosts the economy since they generate direct and indirect employment
and, finally, it is a critical point for tourism and the operations of a country since it
facilitates the arrival from one place to another and in a faster and safer way than any
other means of transport.

Therefore, if required, it is important to be up to date with what an airport requires to

carry out its functions properly in order to have operational efficiency to be able to
manage a greater volume of operations and passengers in a faster and more fluid way.
In addition, it is also very important that these improvements made in favor of the airport
include improvements for the safety and security of an airport and thus improve the
experience and quality of the trip for passengers.

In this project we will study the construction of an airport in Santiago, the capital of the
province of Veraguas in Panama. Where we will take into consideration key points for
the optimal use of this place.

Page 2 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

1.2 HOURLY CAPACITY

CAPACITY WORKSHEET – SHORT-RANGE PLANNING

HOURLY
CAPACITY
CAPACITY T&G EXIT HOURLY
FIGURE MIX TOUCH
RUNWAY-USE AIRCRAFT MIX RUNWAY EXITS BASE FACTOR FACTOR CAPACITY
NO. INDEX % ARRIVALS AND
DEMAND C* T E CxTxE
DIAGRAM NO. VFR IFR %A %B %C %D (C+3D) % GO % LOCATION NO.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
72 ------- 4 3-5 42 44 11 3 20 60 8.3 2 95 1.03 0.90 88.07
--------
41 ------- 4 3- 12 54 29 5 44 40 0 1 68 1.0 0.96 65.28
45
--------

72 ------- 7 3-8 42 44 11 3 20 60 8.3 2 140 1.02 0.91 130

--------
41 ------- 7 3- 12 54 29 5 44 40 0 1 80 1.0 0.97 77.6
47
--------

72 ------- 11 3- 42 44 11 3 20 60 8.3 3 145 1.04 0.92 138.7

10
--------
41 ------- 11 3- 12 54 29 5 44 40 0 2 98 1.0 1.0 98
50
--------

Page 3 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Hourly capacity analysis

Configuration #4:
VFR: 88.07
IFR: 65.28
In the comparison of both capacities, we can see a difference between VFR and IFR
since having only one runway to land requires a greater amount of time depending on
the type of aircraft that is transiting.

Configuration #7:
VFR: 130
IFR: 77.6
Here we can see a larger capacity on both sides, VFR and IFR, since the configuration
suggests that the two runways are used for landing and one for take-offs, the capacity
here is in an even better position.

Configuration #11:
VFR: 138.7
IFR: 98
As we can see in the configuration, both runways are used for take-off and landings, so
here the capacity of the runways is bigger because it is taken its full advantage in its
posibilities.

Page 4 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

1.3 HOURLY DELAY

DELAY WORKSHEET – SHORT RANGE PLANNING

AVER.
RWY-USE DELAY Demand
DEMAND Arrival Delay Depart. Delay DELAY HOURLY
CONFIGURATION FIG. NO. D/C PERCENT MIX Profile
CAPACITY (MINUTES) DELAY
RATIO ARRIVALS INDEX Factor
15 Index Factor Index Factor (MINUTES)
SKETCH NO. VFR IFR HOURLY DDF ARR. DEP.
MIN. ADI ADF DDI DDF
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
------- 4 3- 88.07 72 35 0.82 60 20 1.0 0.82 0.3 0.25 48.6 8.8 1.5 423.36
74
--------
------- 4 3- 65.28 41 20 0.62 40 44 1.00 0.62 0.45 0.28 48.7 3 1 73.8
92
--------

------- 7 3- 130 72 35 0.55 60 20 0.75 0.41 1.00 0.55 48.6 1.6 2.4 138.24
75
--------
------- 7 3- 77.6 41 20 0.52 40 44 1.00 0.52 0.95 0.49 48.7 2.2 2.4 95.12
93
--------

------- 11 3- 138.7 72 35 0.52 60 20 1.0 0.52 0.28 0.15 48.6 2.7 0.5 99.36
73
--------
------- 11 3- 98 41 20 0.42 40 44 1.00 0.42 0.49 0.21 48.7 1.6 0.7 43.46
95
--------

Page 5 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Hourly delay analysis

Configuration #4:
VFR: 423.36
IFR: 73.8
Here, in this configuration we can see a big hourly delay because the airport is receiving
more aircrafts than it can handle, also depending on the usage of the runway it can
change for better or worse.

Configuration #7:
VFR: 138.24
IFR: 95.16
In the configuration #7, we see smaller number because hourly capacity is lower and so
is the hourly delay.

Configuration #11:
VFR: 99.36
IFR: 43.46
In comparison of the other two configurations, here the hourly capacity and the hourly
delay is the lowest between them. All these, according of the usage of the runways,
because as we can see here, we took the maximum advantage for this configuration.

Page 6 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

1.4 ANNUAL SERVICE VOLUME

ASV WORKSHEET - SHORT RANGE PLANNING

OPERATING CONDITION PERCENT HOURLY PERCENT WEIGHTING

MIX OF YEAR CAPACITY MAXIMUM FACTOR PxW PxWxC
NO. WEATHER RWY-USE DIAGRAM
INDEX (P) (C) CAPACITY (W)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
4 VFR ------- 20 65 88.07 63 20 13 1144.91

--------
4 IFR ------- 44 3 65.28 47 16 0.48 31.33

--------

7 VFR ------- 20 65 130 94 1 0.65 84.5

--------
7 IFR ------- 44 3 77.6 96 12 0.36 27.93

--------

11 VFR ------- 20 65 138.7 100 1 0.65 90.15

--------
11 IFR ------- 44 3 98 71 8 0.24 23.52

--------

Page 7 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Annual service volume analysis

Daily demand ratio (D)= Annual Demand (Whole Year)/ Average Daily Demand (Peak
Month)

210000
Daily demand ratio=
665

Daily Demand Ratio= 330

Hourly demand ratio (H)= Average Daily Demand (Peak Month)/ Peak-Hour Demand
(Peak Month)

665
Hourly demand ratio=
39.5

Hourly Demand Ratio= 17

Weighted hourly capacity (CW)= [n1=PWC + n2=PWC…]/ [n1= PW + n2=PW…]

1144.91+31.33+84.5+ 27.93+90.15+23.52
Weighted hourly capacity=
16.25+0.48+0.65+ 0.36+0.65+ 0.24

1402.34
Weighted hourly capacity=
18.63

Weighted Hourly Capacity= 75.27

Annual service volume (ASV)= Daily demand ratio x Hourly demand ratio x weighted
hourly capacity

Annual service volume= 330 x 17 x 75.27

Annual Service Volume= 422264 operation/year

For 2040 it is forecasted 220000 operations, in comparison with the annual service
volume that is 422264 operation per year, the forecast is about 52% of the capacity of
the annual service volume, which means that it is not necessary yet to do any changes.

Page 8 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

1.5 SITE SELECTION STUDY

1.5.1 Site selection #1

Page 9 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

This site selection covers an area of 80,859,925 square feet (7.51 km 2) and a perimeter
of 41,134 feet (12.53 km). This site selection is 13 minutes away from the center of the
city.
- Convenience to population: This site selection is ideal for mobilization of the
population because the main entrance of the airport is located very near to the
main road.
- Airspace: Panama's airspace covers an area of 319,823.9 km2, including its
insular territory, so there are no problems when performing any type of
operations on this site selection.
- Surrounding obstruction: In the surrounding obstructions we have some buildings
at the Southeast and Noreast that needs to be relocated and two elevation zone
located at the Southwest of the map.
- Availability for expansion: Expansions can be made to the north and east of the
airport, thus making the most of the space they have and without the need to
make major changes to the land and nearby buildings.
- Availability of utilities: This site selection as the same as all the district of
Santiago has access to potable water, electricity and telecom signal all day long.
In addition, this site is near the main road where you can find public and selective
(taxi) transportation.
- Meteorological conditions: Santiago is located at an altitude of 331.36 feet (101
m) above sea level. It has a tropical climate and is characterized by being hot
and humid throughout the year. The average temperature varies between 24 °C
and 30 °C. The rainy season runs from May to November. During these months,
abundant rainfall can be expected. Annual precipitation in the region is
considerable, averaging around 2,000 mm (6.56 feet).
- Environmental impact and noise impact: In this case, it is not necessary to do
many changes in terms of environmental impact so it will not affect a lot in the
environment. Noise will not be a problem too since there are just a few houses
nearby.

Criteria Site selection 1

Site selection and 3,000,000.00
environmental studies
Land Acquisition 21,000,000.00
Obstruction removal 8,000,000.00
Environmental 6,000,000.00
Mitigation
Construction -Airport 45,000,000.00
Construction - Facilities 5,000,000.00
88,000,000.00

Page 10 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

1.5.2 Site selection #2

Page 11 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

This site selection covers an area of 79,030,458 square feet (7.34 km 2) and a perimeter
of 40,018 feet (12.19 km). This site selection is 24 minutes away from the center of the
city.
- Convenience to population: This site selection is near a town that is near the
main road.
- Airspace: Panama's airspace covers an area of 319,823.9 km2, including its
insular territory, so there are no problems when performing any type of
operations on this site selection.
- Surrounding obstruction: In the surrounding obstructions of this site selection, we
have six (6) obstructions located in the north, northeast, south and southeast that
need to be relocated. Also, located at the northeast of the map, we can see an
elevation zone.
- Availability for expansion: Expansions can be made to the west and east of the
airport, to the north and south of the location we find a church and a school
respectively, so changes cannot be made in those directions.
- Availability of utilities: This site selection as the same as all the district of
Santiago has access to potable water, electricity and telecom signal all day long.
In addition, this site is near a town where you can find public (buses to the center
of the city) and selective (taxi) transportation.
- Meteorological conditions: Santiago is located at an altitude of 331.36 feet (101
m) above sea level. It has a tropical climate and is characterized by being hot
and humid throughout the year. The average temperature varies between 24 °C
and 30 °C. The rainy season runs from May to November. During these months,
abundant rainfall can be expected. Annual precipitation in the region is
considerable, averaging around 2,000 mm (6.56 feet).
- Environmental impact and noise impact: In this case, it is necessary to do a lot of
changes in terms of environmental impact, because it is a zone that is almost
completely covered by trees. Noise can be a potential problem since there are
just a located a church and school located in the north and the south of the
location respectively which could be affected.

Criteria Site selection 1

Site selection and 4,125,000.00
environmental studies
Land Acquisition 17,500,000.00
Obstruction removal 13,000,000.00
Environmental 9,250,000.00
Mitigation
Construction -Airport 47,000,000.00
Construction - Facilities 6,000,000.00
96,875,000.00
1.5.3 Site selection #3

Page 12 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Page 13 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

This site selection covers an area of 75,307,858 square feet (6.99 km 2) and a perimeter
of 40,155 feet (12.23 km). This site selection is 7 minutes away from the center of the
city.
- Convenience to population: This site selection is ideal for mobilization of the
population because the main entrance of the airport is located very near to the
main road.
-

- Airspace: Panama's airspace covers an area of 319,823.9 km2, including its

insular territory, so there are no problems when performing any type of
operations on this site selection.
- Surrounding obstruction: In this case, we face an entire neighborhood that needs
to be relocated in the southeast, as well as a building near the neighborhood. By
the other hand, in the northwest zone we have another building that needs to be
moved and in the southwest there is an elevation zone.

- Availability for expansion: Expansions can be made to the north and east of the
site, since there is more space and taking into consideration that the
neighborhood is moved to a far area.
- Availability of utilities: This site selection as the same as all the district of
Santiago has access to potable water, electricity and telecom signal all day long.
In addition, this site is near the main road where you can find public and selective
(taxi) transportation.
- Meteorological conditions: Santiago is located at an altitude of 331.36 feet (101
m) above sea level. It has a tropical climate and is characterized by being hot
and humid throughout the year. The average temperature varies between 24 °C
and 30 °C. The rainy season runs from May to November. During these months,
abundant rainfall can be expected. Annual precipitation in the region is
considerable, averaging around 2,000 mm (6.56 feet).
- Environmental impact and noise impact: In this case, it is not necessary to do
many changes in terms of environmental impact so it will not affect a lot in the
environment. Noise could be a little problem because there is a university
crossing the main street and some houses nearby.

Criteria Site selection 1

Site selection and 3,125,000.00
environmental studies
Land Acquisition 20,000,000.00
Obstruction removal 9,050,000.00
Environmental 6,250,000.00
Mitigation
Construction -Airport 46,000,000.00
Construction - Facilities 4,500,000.00
88,925,000.00

Page 14 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Comparison of alternatives

Criteria Site selection 1 Site selection 2 Site selection 3

Convenience to population 4 3 4
Airspace 5 5 5

Surrounding obstructions 4 2 3
Availability for expansion 3 3 3
Availability of utilities 5 4 5

Meteorological conditions 4 4 4
Environmental and Noise impacts 4 1 3
Cost comparisons of alternatives 3 2 3

32 27 30
Ratings:
1> Poor, 2>Satisfactory, 3>Good, 4>Very good, 5>Excellent

Comments:
- I choose to put 5 in airspace since it is something that coincide in all three cases and cannot be changed easily,
also because none of them have any restriction of the area and neither the district nor the province in which this
site selections are made.
- I choose to put 4 in meteorological conditions because Veraguas, the province has the same climate all over its
territory, and it is something that cannot be changed by the human, but despite everything are good conditions to
fly during the year.
- Adding all the factor that I choose to compare to make the final decision of the comparison of alternatives; the site
selection chosen for this airport is the site selection #1.

Page 15 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

1.6 RECOMMENDATIONS

My recommendation would be directed to the first site selection.

- First of all, I would prefer to be used the configuration #11, because in my
opinion is the one that best takes advantage of it since airplanes can take-off and
land in both runways, so it will increase the capacity of the operation in general
and will affect directly in the hourly capacity, hourly delay, and annual service
volume, this, in a good way, making thus better numbers and also, extending the
need to start with a new master plan for this airport.
- Another recommendation is to, when possible, expand, do it or at least buy some
land. Because it is a good area near the center of the city with so many utilities
that in some years this place can be filled and surrounded with more building, so
it is important to have something else assure.

Page 16 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

REFERENCES

- https://earth.google.com/web/

- https://www.google.com/maps/

- https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/150_5060_5.pdf

- https://www.inec.gob.pa/Archivos/P2741dato_general.pdf

- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Veraguas

COLABORATIONS

APPENDIX

Page 17 of 18
Paper Outline
Veraguas Regional Airport – Demand/Capacity Analysis & Site Selection Study

Mix index
Aircraft Class Number of Aircraft Operations
VFR IFR
Number of Percentage Number of Percentage
operations of operations of
operations operations
A 30 42 5 12
B 32 44 22 54
C 8 11 12 29
D 2 3 2 5
72 41

VFR Mix index: C + 3D = 11 + 3(3) = 20

IFR Mix index: C + 3D = 29 + 3(5) = 44

This airport´s operation are mostly general aviation operations.

Touch and go
Touch and Go Operations
Year Number of Touch & Go Operations
VFR IFR
2025 3 0

VFR Percentage: 6/72 = 8.3 percent.

IFR percentage: 0/41 = 0 percent.

Page 18 of 18