Airport Planning and Design

Fundamentally, the airport is a point of connectivity in the transportation system. At the ends of a trip the airport provides for the change of mode from a ground to air mode or vice versa. As such, the airport is often analyzed using the schematic of Figure. 4.1, with the airport’s airside consisting of approach airspace, landing aids, runways, taxiways, and aprons, all leading to the gate where the passenger (or cargo) passes through; and the airport’s landside consisting of the areas where the passenger (or cargo) is processed for further movement on land: the arrival and departure concourses, baggage handling, curbsides, and access to parking lots, roads, and various forms of transit. Most design aspects of the airport must reflect the composite understanding of several interrelated factors. Factors include aircraft performance and size, air traffic management, demand for safe and effective operation, the effects of noise on communities, and obstacles on the airways. Various disciplines of engineering are called into use in airport planning and design.

Master Plan Airport

An airport master plan is a concept of the ultimate development of an airport. This plan is not simply the physical form of the airport development but a description of stage development of the entire airport area, both for aviation and non aviation demand and land use adjacent to the airport, while involving both financial implications and physical studies. The components of a typical airport system are shown in ---. The major components of the system are air side and and side. The terminal building is the major interface between the two components. Following are the objectives of the airport master plan

Ø Developing the physical facilities of an airport and future land used in the vicinity of the airport.

Ø Establishing schedule of priorities for the implementation of the phase development and improvement proposed in the plan.

Ø Establishing the techno-economic and financial feasibility of the proposed development. This should include environmental concerns of the airport operations as well

Ø Documenting policies and future aeronautical demand with reference to spending, depth incurrence and land use control.

The salient features of ICAO guidelines for a master plan are enumerated in the Table 5.1

The individual airport master plan is the cornerstone of the continuing, comprehensive, and cooperative planning process [FAA, 1975]. The master plan reflects the complexity and size of the airport. Frequently, the master plan is aimed at solving a specific problem, such as repairing runways, evaluating obstructions, or improving the navigation or terminal landing aids. Physical improvements such as added or extended runways, taxiways, and apron expansion are also identified in the master plan.