Canadian Airport Research Articles

Genomic surveillance of Canadian airport wastewater samples allows early detection of emerging SARS-CoV-2 lineages

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has shown wastewater (WW) surveillance to be an effective means of tracking the emergence of viral lineages which arrive by many routes of transmission including via transportation hubs. In the Canadian province of Ontario, numerous municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) participate in WW surveillance of infectious disease targets such as SARS-CoV-2 by qPCR and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport (Toronto Pearson), has been participating in WW surveillance since January 2022. As a major international airport in Canada and the largest national hub, this airport is an ideal location for tracking globally emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). In this study, WW collected from Toronto Pearson’s two terminals and pooled aircraft sewage was processed for WGS using a tiled-amplicon approach targeting the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome. Data generated was analyzed to monitor trends of SARS-CoV-2 lineage frequencies. Initial detections of emerging lineages were compared between Toronto Pearson WW samples, municipal WW samples collected from the surrounding regions, and Ontario clinical data as published by Public Health Ontario. Results enabled the early detection of VOCs and individual mutations emerging in Ontario. On average, the emergence of novel lineages at the airport preceded clinical detections by 1–4 weeks, and up to 16 weeks in one case. This project illustrates the efficacy of WW surveillance at transitory transportation hubs and sets an example that could be applied to other viruses as part of a pandemic preparedness strategy and to provide monitoring on a mass scale.

Identification of physically fatiguing tasks performed during aircraft open-basket ground de-icing activities.

Airplane de-icing technicians work from either an open-basket or closed-basket. The objective of this study is to identify the tasks that have an influence on the physical fatigue of open-basket aircraft de-icing technicians. In a Canadian airport during the winter of 2016-2017, a field study was conducted in which the heart rate of 12 volunteer participants was collected. The data was analyzed along with the 22 tasks that make up the activity of open-basket aircraft de-icing. For each participant, the mean absolute cardiac cost per task was compared. The evolution of the cardiac signal based on the resting heart rate and steady state limit was also characterized. According to the cumulative results fatigue occurs for periodic tasks as well as double tasks. More precisely, the most physically fatiguing tasks are spraying de-icing and anti-icing fluids, moving the basket and truck, as well as tactile control and de-icing quality control at ground level. Similar studies would need to be conducted in other aircraft de-icing facilities to improve the generalization of the results.

Count Models to Represent the Impacts of Weather and Infrastructure on Flight Disruptions

This paper explores the application of count models to represent the relationship between flight disruptions and weather. Throughout the world, flights are regularly disrupted by delays at airports and in the terminal airspace, and less frequently by diversions and cancelations. Many delay studies have been conducted for large American and European airports, in part due to the availability of high-quality data. However, such high-quality data is not as readily available for other airports throughout the world. In this study, excess-zero count models are built using a publicly available dataset for Iqaluit Airport (YFB) in Northern Canada, to determine the influence of different weather components on disruption counts. Visibility and crosswind speeds are shown to have the largest influence on flight disruptions. The models are also applied using Aviation System Performance Metrics (ASPM) flight data for Anchorage Airport (ANC) in Alaska; the data is systematically degraded to match completeness of the Iqaluit data to test the models. The results verify that an excess-zero model using incomplete data yields results similar to that of a count model with complete data, demonstrating that an excess-zero model can overcome data incompleteness to yield acceptable results. Although count models have been applied extensively in the transportation literature, the authors believe this to be the first application to flight disruptions, and the first quantitative model of operations at a northern Canadian airport. This paper demonstrates that challenges in data availability—the case for most airports throughout the world—can be addressed with novel statistical modeling applications, and thus, delay studies can be conducted for almost any airport.

Bioaccumulation of Zwitterionic Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Earthworms Exposed to Aqueous Film-Forming Foam Impacted Soils.

Critical knowledge gaps remain regarding the fate and effects of zwitterionic, cationic, and anionic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including assessment of their bioaccumulation potential. Here, biota soil accumulation factors (BSAFs) were assessed in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) exposed to soil microcosms amended with zwitterionic fluorotelomers and anionic perfluoroalkyl acids. The 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamidoalkyl betaine (6:2 FTAB) bioaccumulated in earthworms [BSAF ∼ 2.5-5.4 (gdw,worm/gdw,soil)-1] but to a lesser extent than perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS: BSAF ∼ 21-29). The BSAF of perfluorocarboxylates increased from ∼2.0 for C4-C6 analogues to ∼92 for perfluorotridecanoate (C13). In earthworms exposed to Ansulite and Arctic Foam aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs), the BSAF was related to perfluorinated chain length for n:3 fluorotelomer betaines (FtBs), n:1:2 FtB, and n:2 FTAB. Earthworms were also collected in situ from a fire-equipment testing site at a major Canadian airport. Summed PFAS concentrations were between 65 000 and 830 000 ng g-1 wet weight, possibly the highest burden recorded in terrestrial biota. Fluorotelomer sulfonates (6:2 FTS, 8:2 FTS, and 10:2 FTS) and FtB were particularly prevalent. Field worms also displayed elevated concentrations of n:3 acids (n = 3-11), but not those from laboratory microcosms exposed to fluorotelomer-based AFFFs. The findings provide an important confirmation to recent data suggesting that fluorotelomer compounds may accumulate in invertebrate species with limited metabolization.

Aviation deicing workers, global risk assessment of musculoskeletal injuries

Deicing technicians working from open baskets are exposed to ergonomic risks and fatigue. This study aims to assess the global risk of musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) for this type of activity. An ergonomic study was conducted with the workers of a Canadian airport deicing operator during the winter of 2016–2017. Video recordings made it possible to observe the activities during the most intensive work shifts, as well as characterise and quantify (frequency and duration) the movements/postures of twelve human subjects. The resulting risk assessment identified the body structures submitted to exertion, analysed the efforts involved and globally assessed the forces exerted on the spine and upper limbs. This global risk assessment leads to the conclusion that the risks to the upper limbs are preoccupying and must be examined further.

Evaluation of a centralised transportation assistance system for passengers with special needs at a Canadian airport

Transportation assistance for travellers with special needs (e.g., disabled, sick, elderly, unaccompanied minors) is provided at most airports, and the demand for this service is increasing every year. At most airports, air carriers are independently responsible for this service, and they set their own service levels and practices. We expect that a centralised system would increase resource efficiency and passenger satisfaction. We conduct an evaluation of such a centralised system at a Canadian airport using two distinct and independent models: simulation and queuing. We find that consolidating the service produces higher levels of service quality for passengers while, at the same time, uses fewer resources. We also discuss the pros and cons of a centralised system from the perspectives of the airport authority, the airlines, and the passengers. Our methodology may be applied to other airports worldwide to evaluate a centralised transportation assistance system for passengers with special needs.

Evaluation of a centralised transportation assistance system for passengers with special needs at a Canadian airport

Transportation assistance for travellers with special needs (e.g., disabled, sick, elderly, unaccompanied minors) is provided at most airports, and the demand for this service is increasing every year. At most airports, air carriers are independently responsible for this service, and they set their own service levels and practices. We expect that a centralised system would increase resource efficiency and passenger satisfaction. We conduct an evaluation of such a centralised system at a Canadian airport using two distinct and independent models: simulation and queuing. We find that consolidating the service produces higher levels of service quality for passengers while, at the same time, uses fewer resources. We also discuss the pros and cons of a centralised system from the perspectives of the airport authority, the airlines, and the passengers. Our methodology may be applied to other airports worldwide to evaluate a centralised transportation assistance system for passengers with special needs.

Ergonomic Time and Motion Studies of Aircraft De-icing Work

This paper reports results of time and motion studies and ergonomic consequences of aircraft de-icing work. De-icing of aircraft on the ground is extremely important for maximizing technical safety, but also a major challenge for persons performing it. Between December 2016 and March 2017 we carried out video-supported time and motion studies on 11 personnel performing de-icing work in open baskets at a Canadian airport. Total time analyzed was 788 min, during which 1192 individual observations were made. Our observation sessions varied in length from 59 to 96 min, partly for weather reasons. After ascertaining the work systems used by the de-icers and determining the principal factors influencing them, we used REFA methods to perform a hierarchical analysis of work activities. Energy turnovers generated by these activities were calculated. These lie between 4 and 13 kJ/min, depending on weather conditions, air traffic density and individual work patterns of the de-icing personnel. Contributions of the individual activities to total value added were classified. Roughly one third of the de-icing activities made a direct contribution. The remaining two thirds made only indirect contributions or none at all. Stresses arising from the work were compared with the few findings reported in the literature. Further investigations are needed to understand thoroughly centralized de-icing activities.

Canadian airport security: The privatization of a public good

Economic theory would define airport security as a public good; no different than border control or the military, but this is not how it is treated in many countries. In Mexico, airport security is financed entirely from the public treasury. In the U.S., the cost is split evenly between air passengers and the public treasury. In Canada, air passengers pay the entire cost of airport security. The Canadian case is examined in detail. Forcing air passengers to bear the full cost of airport security creates a number of economic distortions. Air travel in Canada is discouraged by the added cost of security, but worse it encourages travelers to cross the Canada-U.S. border where they can fly from lower cost U.S. airports. The tax losses to the public treasury because of this policy are arguably greater than the total security fees collected.Airport security evolved organically rather than by design because governments were forced to react quickly to escalating threats. As a result, a “user-pay” financing system was put in place in Canada without careful policy analysis.

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.

The Effect of Governance Forms on North American Airport Efficiency: A Comparative Analysis of Airport Authority vs. Government Branch

This paper applies a stochastic cost frontier model to a panel of 54 major airports over 2002-2008 to examine how the two dominant governance forms of publicly owned airports in the United States and Canada, namely, operation and governance by a government (city, county, or state) branch, or by an airport authority, affect airport efficiency performance. Our key findings are (a) airports operated by an airport authority achieve higher cost efficiency (on average, 14% higher technical efficiency) than those operated by a government branch; (b) airports operated by a government branch have lower labor share than those operated by an airport authority; and (c) there is no statistically significant difference in the efficiency performance between airports operated by U.S. airport authorities and Canadian airport authorities.

The Canadian Airport Nowcasting System (CAN‐Now)

ABSTRACTThe Canadian Airport Nowcasting Project (CAN‐Now) has developed an advanced prototype all‐season weather forecasting and nowcasting system that can be used at major airports. This system uses numerical model data, pilot reports, ground in situ sensor observations (precipitation, icing, ceiling, visibility, winds), on‐site remote sensing (such as vertically pointing radar and microwave radiometer) and off‐site remote sensing (satellite and radar) information to provide detailed nowcasts out to approximately 6 h. The nowcasts, or short term weather forecasts, should allow decision makers such as pilots, dispatchers, de‐icing crews, ground personnel or air traffic controllers to make plans with increased margins of safety and improved efficiency. The system has been developed and tested at Toronto Pearson International Airport (CYYZ) and Vancouver International Airport (CYVR). A Situation Chart has been developed to allow users to have a high glance value product which identifies significant weather related problems at the airport. New products combining observations and numerical model output into nowcasts have been tested. Some statistical verifications of forecast products, with comparisons to persistence, covering both a winter (2009/2010) and summer (2010) period have been made. Problems with the prediction of relative humidity and wind direction are outlined. The ability to forecast categorical variables such as ceiling, visibility, as well as precipitation rate and type accurately are discussed. Overall, for most variables, the nowcast systems can outperform persistence after the first 1 or 2 h, and provide more accurate forecasts than individual Numerical Weather Prediction models out to 6 h.

Integrating NWP Forecasts and Observation Data to Improve Nowcasting Accuracy

Abstract This study addresses the issue of improving nowcasting accuracy by integrating several numerical weather prediction (NWP) model forecasts with observation data. To derive the best algorithms for generating integrated forecasts, different integration methods were applied starting with integrating the NWP models using equal weighting. Various refinements are then successively applied including dynamic weighting, variational bias correction, adjusted dynamic weighting, and constraints using current observation data. Three NWP models—the Canadian Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) regional model, the GEM Limited Area Model (LAM), and the American Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) model—are used to generate the integrated forecasts. Verification is performed at two Canadian airport locations [Toronto International Airport (CYYZ), in Ontario, and Vancouver International Airport (CYVR), in British Columbia] over the winter and summer seasons. The results from the verification for four weather variables (temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed and gust) clearly show that the integrated models with new refinements almost always perform better than each of the NWP models individually and collectively. When the integrated model with innovative dynamic weighting and variational bias correction is further updated with the most current observation data, its performance is the best among all models, for all the selected variables regardless of location and season. The results of this study justify the use of integrated NWP forecasts for nowcasting provided they are properly integrated using appropriate and specifically designed rules and algorithms.

Parameterization of Runway Visual Range as a Function of Visibility: Implications for Numerical Weather Prediction Models

Abstract A parameterization of runway visual range (RVR) has been developed using relevant meteorological parameters such as visibility (Vk), relative humidity (RH), temperature (T), precipitation intensity (PI), and precipitation type (PT) measured in years between 2009 and 2011 at Toronto Pearson International Airport during the Canadian Airport Nowcasting Project. The FD12P probe measured PI, Vk, and PT. The observed Vk and PT were tested against data reported by hourly surface observations (SAs). The measured Vk has correlated well with the SA with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.76 for Vk < 5 km, but the FD12P underestimated visibility by about 20% with a mean difference (MD) of about 196 m. For Vk < 2 km, the FD12P overestimated visibility by about 7% with an MD of 60 m. The SA reported slightly more snow events—22% as compared to 17%—but the FD12P reported many more snow grain cases than the SA. Both the SA and the FD12P reported rain at similar frequency—4% and 5%, respectively. Using a theoretical approach, a parameterization that can be used to determine RVR as a function of Vk has been developed. Using the observed T, RH, and dewpoint temperature (Td), a new parameterization for predicting Vk/RVR in fog has been also developed. These parameterizations agreed with observations (r ≈ 0.8). The parameterizations have been tested using the Canadian Environmental Multiscale Regional model. The results show that when PI, RH, and T are reasonably predicted and the fog events are correctly diagnosed, the model can be used to forecast RVR.

Ethanol‐Stimulated Bioremediation of Nitrate‐Contaminated Ground Water

AbstractExtensive characterization of a nitrate‐contaminated site at a Canadian airport revealed that natural attenuation of the plume was limited due to aerobic conditions. However, nitrate removal rates as high as 1.4 mg‐N/(L/day) were observed in batch tests carried out under denitrifying conditions with an added carbon source. On the basis of these results, a field denitrification pilot test using a setup of vertical withdrawal and injection wells was carried out. Ethanol was used as a carbon source to stimulate the growth and activity of indigenous denitrifying bacterial populations. Denitrification rates of up to 1.2 mg‐N/(L/day) were achieved during the test. The test confirmed the feasibility of the technology, which uses the indigenous bacterial populations for denitrification and transforms the aquifer into a subsurface bioreactor.

Country of origin, national loyalty and product choice

Addresses the role national loyalty plays in determining international air carrier selection. Based on the literatures in country of origin, consumer ethnocentrism and social identity theory, develops a theoretical model which links social self‐identity with national loyalty and consumer ethnocentrism. Assesses respondent carrier preferences using an ordered probit analysis of a sample of 427 travellers at a large Canadian airport in 1994. The results indicate that national loyalty ranks next to price in terms of influencing the selection of air carrier among the sample of travellers.

Planning of Concessions in Airport Terminals

Concessions generate a fair amount of revenue and are an important key to the financial operation of today's large airports. Location and size are the most important factors that affect concession revenues. To check the validity of a location, the accessibility and visibility of concessions are measured by subjective rating and visibility indices, respectively. Good location along major traffic patterns aids the flow and improves the efficiency of the terminal, whereas a poor location can disrupt the smooth flow inside the terminal. Models used for prediction of revenues from concessions are good as far as a particular airport is concerned. The utilization of the market by concessions can be measured in terms of percentage of idle time that people spend in concessions. The Canadian airport survey shows that only 25% of this idle time is spent in concessions, and the rest is spent waiting. Good planning of concessions requires that planning and design be integrated into the overall planning process of the ...

Technocracy versus Democracy: The Comparative Politics of International AirportsElliot J. Feldman and Jerome Milch Boston: Auburn House, 1982, pp. xlv, 299 - The Politics of Canadian Airport Development: Lessons for FederalismElliot J. Feldman and Jerome Milch Durham: Duke University Press, 1983, pp. xix, 261

Technocracy versus Democracy: The Comparative Politics of International AirportsElliot J. Feldman and Jerome Milch Boston: Auburn House, 1982, pp. xlv, 299 - The Politics of Canadian Airport Development: Lessons for FederalismElliot J. Feldman and Jerome Milch Durham: Duke University Press, 1983, pp. xix, 261 - Volume 17 Issue 2

W. Magnusson and A. B. Sancton (eds.), City Politics in Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1983, 338 pp. Paperback £12.75. - E. J. Feldman and J. Milch The Politics of Canadian Airport Development: Lessons for Federalism, Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 1983, 261 pp, Hardback £24.25.

W. Magnusson and A. B. Sancton (eds.), City Politics in Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1983, 338 pp. Paperback £12.75. - E. J. Feldman and J. Milch The Politics of Canadian Airport Development: Lessons for Federalism, Duke University Press, Durham, North Carolina, 1983, 261 pp, Hardback £24.25. - Volume 4 Issue 2

The Politics of Canadian Airport Development: Lessons for Federalism. By Elliot J. Feldman and Jerome Milch. (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1983. Pp. xix + 261. $28.50.)

The Politics of Canadian Airport Development: Lessons for Federalism. By Elliot J. Feldman and Jerome Milch. (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1983. Pp. xix + 261. $28.50.)