Airport Policy Research Articles

Customer perception of service quality: The role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) at airport functional areas

The increase of passengers and flights require airports operators invest in improving the comfort for users. In this regard, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) represent one of the key issues to take into account. This paper aims to assess service quality in an airport environment and examining how ICTs services affect passenger's perception about the quality of service at airport functional areas. The empirical results, based on a survey conducted by the Chilean aviation authority during April 2013 among the travellers of Santiago de Chile's Airport, suggest that airports should improve mainly the way of communicating flight information to users and the location of the different airport's utilities. Implications for airport managers and policy makers are drawn from the empirical findings and future research lines are suggested.

Effects of noise exposure of other people on aircraft noise tolerability using a reference point approach

Reactions to aircraft noise resulting from an airport development vary considerably among individuals. This paper examines whether the noise level tolerated by individuals is affected when they compare their own situation to the situations of other people who are more severely affected by the noise. We modeled the individual noise tolerability by adopting the reference point concept and the value function of prospect theory. A questionnaire assessed different levels of noise-affected zones at a hypothetical airport. Individual noise tolerable level was measured by a prerecorded aircraft noise presented via headphones. Decision-making associated with the reported satisfaction level regarding the changes in operational flight frequency settings at the airport. An interview survey was conducted with residents near Manila airport in the Philippines. We applied genetic algorithm to jointly estimate the parameters for noise tolerability model and the value function. Results showed that individuals tolerated more overhead flights when they considered the situations of other people worse affected by the noise than they were. The tendency of noise tolerability increased with the severity of noise exposure situations of other people, but lower reactions to noise escalation. We also observed diminishing sensitivity to changes in noise relative to the noise tolerable level. The aircraft noise tolerability and the consideration of noise exposure situations of other people appeared to be a vital aspect to be considered in airport noise management and policy.

DEMAND ESTIMATION FOR A NEW AIR ROUTE

Network connectivity is core competitiveness of the aviation industry and opening a new route is one of critical ways to enhance network competitiveness. As many airport operators are becoming more interested in attracting airlines, there are vast needs to discuss the methods for estimating (predicting) potential demands for a new flight route or by increasing flight frequencies in existing routes.This study explores demand estimation models for a new air route. Similar to previous studies, this study classified potential demand for a new air route into four types (Local, Beyond, Behind and Bridge). Explanatory variables are identified and constructed for each type of demand, including distance, relative capacity compared with adjacent airports and detour ratio as main independent variables. One of the strengths of the suggested demand models can distinguish the generated demand from the converted or re-distributed demand. Based on this, the model is meaningful for an airport operator to develop an airport policy such as airport-usage charges and incentives to attract airlines.On the other hand, because of the strong recognition that demand estimation for a new air route is the area of airlines that decide on whether or not to introduce a new route, simply developing demand estimation models from the perspective of an airport operator is not sufficient. Therefore this study is considered as the initial step for an airport operator in its efforts to attract airlines and market new air routes to enhance network connectivity of its airport.

The evolving low-cost business model: Network implications of fare bundling and connecting flights in Europe

In a context of limited organic growth, some low-cost airlines have considered business strategies that are changing two key principles of the low-cost airline business model: fare unbundling and point-to-point operations. Using a multivariate analysis we identify the influence of several route characteristics on the share that European pure low-cost and hybrid low-cost carriers have on the routes they operate. Results show that, from a network perspective, the distance between the archetypical low-cost carrier business model and the adapted low-cost carrier business model with a hybrid approach is widening. Differences are also clear between hybrids offering connecting services and hybrids offering fare bundling. The results are also important from an airport policy perspective, since secondary airports and legacy airports in transition could be able to reduce the gap between them and the main hub airports.

Clear Skies or Ongoing Turbulence? Canadian Airport Policy between Airport Operators, Airlines, and the Federal Government

Using the case of Canada’s airport policy, this dissertation seeks to give an account of long-lasting conflicts between key actors of a policy sector who otherwise do not challenge the core policies and orientations of their sector and share the same core representations. The argument of this dissertation offers a response to the paradoxical outcome where a long-lasting policy has remained stable over time, despite engendering momentous conflicts and tensions between actors (to the point of threatening the stability of the policy sector) and being attacked by virtually all actors. This objective is sought by analyzing the Canadian airport sector and its four main platforms: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. The Canadian airport sector is highly puzzling, since long-lasting conflicts over the airport rent, the access to airport infrastructure and the funding and administration of airport screening have polluted the relations between the key stakeholders for years, while none of the key actors involved has challenged the main policy orientations and policy instruments used to regulate the sector. The study of the Canadian airport sector with a refocused and amended cognitive analysis of public policy framework developed by Muller and Jobert is really fruitful: it results in a comprehensive analysis of the conflicts, their nature, the possible ways to solve them, and it also considerably expands the explanatory power of the cognitive analysis of public policy.

Low-cost carriers and secondary airports: Three experiences from Italy

Abstract The paper analyses the relationship between low-cost carriers and secondary airports in Italy, resulting from the deregulation process and from the changes in the internal market due to the weak situation of the former flag carrier Alitalia. To do that, the paper discusses the incentive schemes used by airports to attract airlines. The paper begins by providing a general framework for incentives, supporting the analysis by means of three case studies (Aeroporti di Puglia, Alghero׳s airport, and Emilia-Romagna׳s airports). Findings from the study show that discounts on landing and/or terminal charges, revenue-guarantee schemes, and co-marketing agreements are the instruments most often used in Italian airports. The majority of them are publicly owned, entailing the use of public money to cover losses regardless of the real impacts of these strategies in economic and tourism terms. Therefore, to strengthen their role, airport policies need to be carefully defined and be included in a wider strategy aimed at promoting destinations and local development, rather than simply promoting air traffic.

Combining a theoretical approach and practical considerations for establishing aircraft noise charge schemes

This research has developed a systematic aircraft noise charge scheme, based on noise social costs, with a view to its application in Taiwan. The paper starts with a brief review of current structures and applications of noise charges, a market-based measure, in mitigating aircraft noise worldwide. The evaluation of aircraft noise social cost is an attempt at putting noise nuisance into monetary terms. The total and average noise social cost per flight at one airport is clearly different from another, depending mainly on the size of the noise contour and the number of residents affected. This research estimates the average noise social costs at various airports, using nine Taiwanese airports as case studies. Depending on the marginal impact of a flight and the mixture of aircraft types at each airport, the noise social cost per landing and take-off is then estimated for different aircraft types. The results of this study can inform airport, airline and local administration policies for taking environmental concerns into account when setting up noise charges, revising noise insulation schemes, and developing strategies for airport expansion and airline operations.

Canada’s air transportation policy case study: The greater Moncton international airport

Airports are a major economic engine for the region that it serves. In today's fast paced global economy, easy access to world markets is crucial to companies seeking to expand and take full advantage of business opportunities. This paper will explore how changes to Transport Canada's air policy, from divestiture in 1994 to proposed amendments to the National Airports Policy in 2003, have impacted the Greater Moncton International Airport. An analysis of the policy reveals that while the devolution of Canada's national airport system to local control has been a success, the proposed amendments will negatively affect the way the Greater Moncton Airport Authority serves the public, airport users and, most importantly, the local community. Keywords : Greater Moncton International Airport, divestiture, airport policy

Analysis of environmental benefits resulting from use of hydrogen technology in handling operations at airports

Airports and nearby areas are currently facing an increasing pollution due to the growth of air transport traffic. Airport air pollution is produced not only by aircraft during landing and take-off cycles but also by the ground support equipment (GSE) during the airport handling activities. This paper investigates the potential of hydrogen as an alternative fuel for GSE vehicles to mitigate the airport air pollution. For this purpose, a methodology is developed to assess the environmental benefits attainable with the introduction of hydrogen technology for GSE vehicles powered by proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. This methodology compares, for a given scenario, the direct emissions produced by fuel combustion and the indirect emissions related to fuel production for both diesel and hydrogen technologies. Steam methane reforming and electrolysis technologies are investigated for the production of gaseous hydrogen at the airport. The pollutants investigated comprise carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, particulate matter and volatile organic compounds. The main inputs for the methodology are the number of air transport movements, the aircraft fleet mix, the turnaround times for handling operations, the type of GSEs used, and the ratio of GSE vehicles converted to hydrogen (type, power installed, etc.). A preliminary cost analysis of a ground power unit powered by PEM fuel cells is also presented. The airport planners and policy makers can use this study to define a feasible environmental policy based on the use of new technologies such as hydrogen.

Regional and remote airports under stress in Australia

Australia's airline industry was born on connecting regional communities to major cities, but almost a century later, many regional and remote communities are facing the prospect of losing their air transport services. The focus of this paper is to highlight key issues and concerns surrounding remote, rural and regional airports in Australia using a network governance framework. Contributions are focused towards regional and remote airport managers, decision makers, and policy makers to stimulate further discussion towards retaining regional and remote services to communities.

Changing Frames of Reference and Regulatory Structures: French Airport Policy in Transition

AbstractChanges in the regulatory state, the privatization of network industries in Europe and in air transport have led to a redefinition of how airports are regulated. The French model of state ownership and regulation of airports became progressively out of step with a broader European market-oriented frame of reference. A new French sectoral frame of reference was developed and became public policy in 2005. A cognitive analysis identifies the key factors and actors responsible for this shift. This article explores the nature of the changes made to adapt the French model to a European framework and examines the influence of foreign models of regulation on the design of the French model. Finally, it suggests that features of the European frame of reference for regulatory structures have been adapted within France.

Is liquid hydrogen a solution for mitigating air pollution by airports?

This paper investigates the potential of LH 2 (Liquid Hydrogen) as an alternative fuel for achieving more sustainable long-term development of large airports in terms of mitigating their air pollution. For such purpose, a methodology for quantifying the potential of LH 2 is developed. It consists of two models: the first model enables the estimation of the fuel demand and the specification of the fuel production and storage capacity needed to satisfy that demand at a given airport under given conditions; the other model enables assessment of the effects of introducing LH 2 on mitigating air pollution at that airport. The main inputs for the methodology are scenarios of the long-term growth of air traffic demand at the airport in terms of the annual number of ATM (Air Transport Movements), i.e. flights and related LTO (Landing and Take-Off) cycles and their time characteristics, the aircraft fleet mix, characterized by the aircraft size and proportions of conventional and cryogenic aircraft, the fuel consumption per particular categories of aircraft/flights; and specifically, the fuel consumption and related emission rates of particular air pollutants by these aircraft during LTO cycles. The output from the methodology includes an estimation of the long-term development of demand at a given airport in terms of the volume and structure of ATM, which depend on: the scenarios of traffic growth and introduction of cryogenic aircraft, the required production and storage capacity of particular fuel types, the fuel consumed, and the quantities of related air pollutants emitted during LTO cycles carried out during the period concerned. The airport planners and policy makers can use the methodology for estimating, planning, design, and managing the fuel production and storage capacity, as well as for setting a cap on the air pollution depending of the circumstances.

The costs of peak-load demand: An application to Gran Canaria airport

Many airports suffer from peak-load demand problems. To meet unconstrained demand at peak periods, they often invest in extra capacity that may be under used at other times. We use data from the airport in Gran Canaria to illustrate that costs associated with the peak-load problem are not only those related to the new investment. This paper provides a methodology for analyzing the costs arisen due to the peak-load demand, to explore alternative airport policies and to illustrate the problem of congestion at airport terminals. The results suggest that a situation in which airports differentiate charges by peak and off-peak days would be much desirable.

Development and Demonstration of a Modeling Framework for Airport Terminal Planning and Performance Evaluation

Airport stakeholders and policy makers involved in airport strategic planning, design, and operations have a vested interest in assessing how their decisions on alternative terminal layout concepts and operational policies affect overall airport terminal system performance. A considerable amount of research has been devoted to modeling airport terminal operations and performance evaluation. However, no aggregate model provides the capability of supporting strategic decision making while addressing the modeling requirements of a generic model that can capture the complexity of airport terminal processes and a flexible model that can be easily customized to reflect the configuration and operational characteristics of any airport terminal. The objective of this research was threefold: ( a) to demonstrate the need for adopting a new approach for airport terminal modeling and performance analysis; ( b) to present the overall methodological framework followed for the development of the proposed model, with discussion of the conceptual framework adopted, the airport terminal domain ontology developed, and the model architecture and design; and ( c) to demonstrate the model capabilities through modeling and analyzing the Athens, Greece, International Airport terminal case under two alternative traffic demand scenarios.

Heathrow Terminal 5: gaining permission

When Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow airport opened on 27 March 2008, it was almost 23 years since the publication of the 1985 Airports Policy White Paper that had encouraged its development. This paper explains the challenges inherent in trying to deliver a major infrastructure project through the UK planning system, and describes how the absence of clear and updated government policy contributed to the record 525 days spent at the planning enquiry before consent for the £4·3 billion airport expansion could be granted. It also recognises that the project involved issues of national importance that affected many thousands of people, particularly those living under the flight paths.

Heathrow Terminal 5: gaining permission

When Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow airport opened on 27 March 2008, it was almost 23 years since the publication of the 1985 Airports Policy White Paper that had encouraged its development. This paper explains the challenges inherent in trying to deliver a major infrastructure project through the UK planning system, and describes how the absence of clear and updated government policy contributed to the record 525 days spent at the planning enquiry before consent for the £4·3 billion airport expansion could be granted. It also recognises that the project involved issues of national importance that affected many thousands of people, particularly those living under the flight paths.

UK Airport Policy: Does the Government Have Any Influence?

This article explores the UK government's influence on shaping and directing airport policy. UK air travel has increased five-fold over the past 30 years and is projected to increase by between two and three times current levels by 2030. In order to accommodate this growth the government published a new UK airports policy in 2003. The issues surrounding UK airports policy have been brought into the public eye by the takeover of BAA by the Spanish Ferrovial Group and the Office of Fair Trading's announcement that it was looking into the UK airports market (OFT, 2006).

Airport capacity vs. demand: Mismatch or mismanagement?

Since well-publicized congestion and delay problems encountered by European and US airports entered the political arena, there is an unprecedented pressure experienced by policy makers upon investigating and adopting strategies for managing demand and allocating scarce airport capacity. During the last few years, there is an ongoing policy debate within the European Community to undertake further work for a drastically revised regulatory framework aiming to deal with the scarcity of airport capacity through the efficient allocation of airport slots. One of the primary policy concerns lies on the compatibility of alternative slot allocation strategies in different airport settings. The objective of this paper is threefold: (i) to develop and apply a methodological framework for the multi-criteria evaluation and selection of the most compatible slot allocation strategy with respect to policy criteria and priorities in various airport settings, (ii) to examine the applicability of policy compatibility results in various airport settings and their potential acceptability from different industry stakeholders, and (iii) to provide policy recommendations for European airport policy making and planning.

EU airport policy: Recent developments

This paper summarises the ‘airport package’ presented by the European Commission on 24th January, 2007. The package consists of the Communication on Airport Capacity, Efficiency and Safety in Europe, the Proposal for a Directive on Airport Charges, and a report on the implementation of the Directive on groundhandling. It also outlines the importance of efficient slot allocation at European airports. The action plan described in ‘Airport Capacity, Efficiency and Safety in Europe’ aims to identify areas where EU member states can work together to meet future challenges on airport capacity, and outlines five measures to improve the capacity of the European airport system. The measures are built upon existing EU initiatives such as the Single European Sky programme to reform the architecture of European air traffic control, and the European navigation satellite system, Galileo. The Proposal for a Directive on Airport Charges will structure the discussions on airport charges between airlines and airports. The Proposal is based on three ICAO-principles: non-discrimination, transparency and consultation. The report on groundhandling confirms that the Directive on groundhandling has improved the functioning of the market in groundhandling services at European airports. Slot allocation will continue to play an important role in accommodating the forecast increase in traffic at European airports.

Airports policy: Who is in charge and what do they want?

Airports policy: Who is in charge and what do they want?