Dublin Airport Research Articles

On the use of the intermittency ratio for the assessment of aircraft noise during the night

This paper explores the possibility of using the intermittency ratio as a novel metric for evaluating aircraft noise during nighttime periods. Using Dublin airport as a test case, the paper presents an analysis of nighttime flight patterns and corresponding noise data. It outlines the limitations of using a simple Lnight indicator to capture the temporal variation of noise. Similar limitations are observed with the use of a Noise Quota System. It is proposed that such assessments should be complemented with additional indicators that consider how many noise events (and noise induced awakenings) occur throughout the nighttime period. One indicator that has been suggested may be appropriate for use is the 'Intermittency Ratio', and as such this study investigates how the intermittency ratio might capture the temporal variations in noise emissions around Dublin Airport. Results suggest that while the metric offers some additional insight into the acoustic climate in the environs of an airport, it is not (yet) suitable for distinguishing between scenarios that can yield similar Lnight values, but significantly different temporal changes. The findings underscore the need to use additional indicators in the assessment of nighttime noise from aircraft.

Re-surging airport noise: understanding aircraft noise dynamics during and after the COVID-19 pandemic at Dublin airport

This paper explores the dynamics of aircraft noise patterns, examining the transformative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on flight numbers and noise contours during the years 2021, 2022, and 2023 at a European airport. Focused on both peak and low flight months, the study explores how the aviation landscape experienced shifts during the pandemic and post-pandemic scenarios. As a transport hub for an island nation Dublin Airport is a key piece of national infrastructure but as the global travel restrictions took effect, the airport witnessed a substantial reduction in flight numbers, resulting in a notable decrease in airport noise and subsequent lower population exposure to environmental noise. This paper analyzes the trends in noise contours and flight frequencies during this period, shedding light on the immediate effects of the pandemic on aviation-related noise. Furthermore, as the restrictions gradually lifted, the study investigates the extent to which flight numbers and associated noise contours rebounded in the post-pandemic era. This comprehensive examination provides insights into the evolving environmental soundscape, capturing not only the changes during the pandemic but also the subsequent rise in flight numbers. The potential impact on societal expectations of aircraft noise is discussed.

The future of airport noise: a comprehensive analysis of population exposure at Dublin airport 2023 to 2030

There are conflicting trends in the impact of aircraft noise as increased air traffic is offset by advancements in low noise aircraft technology. This paper considers the case of Dublin Airport and projects the noise impact of operations over the timeline to 2030. The airport projects an (Average Annual Growth Rate) of 1.2 %, translating to an estimated rise in annual air traffic movements from over 212736 flights in 2023 to around 244635 flights in 2030. This estimated increase poses not only logistical challenges for airports but also an escalation in noise pollution in the surrounding areas. The most significant challenge in predicting future airport noise exposure lies in the shifts in aircraft fleet distribution and the adoption of technology in newer generations of aircraft. This paper evaluates the most likely combination of fleet distribution and technology uptake. In 2023, the noise footprint is projected to affect a population of approximately 105762 people with Lden ≥ 55 dB. By 2030, this exposure increases to 168267 people. The increase in air traffic numbers also leads to a notable increase in nighttime flights, bringing nighttime noise exposure Ln ≥ 50 dB from 127720 in 2023 to 189376 in 2030.

Embedding net zero ambition at Dublin Airport : A world to connect and a future to protect

Irish legislation on climate change has driven transformative measures across the public sector in Ireland. For Dublin Airport, this has pushed sustainability to the forefront of how we operate our airport and the impact it has had on our ability to grow. This paper explores how Dublin Airport has adapted its capital investment plans and strategy to achieve these new climate action targets as well as its plans to invest in sustainability to achieve its ambition to facilitate the growth of passengers while also meeting its net zero target by 2050. The paper takes a deep dive into the airport’s carbon footprint, providing detail on Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, evaluating the current challenges of decarbonisation across each scope and the opportunities for collaboration with key stakeholders to reduce Scope 3 emissions.

Predicting airport noise impact to 2040: Traffic growth and technology uptake

While the volume of air traffic continues to rise, there are concurrent shifts in aircraft fleets and advancements in technology aimed at enhancing aircraft efficiency, sustainability, and minimizing noise footprints. These simultaneous developments contribute to the complexity of forecasting airport noise associated with future air traffic. This study presents various scenarios of technology adoption for the years 2030 and 2040 at a European airport, namely Dublin Airport, encompassing changes in fleet distribution. Aircraft are classified into different generations to reflect their technological advancements. Projections indicate an anticipated growth in the wide body fleet at Dublin Airport from 2023 to 2040, while the shares of narrow body, regional jet, and turboprop fleets are expected to decline. Each forecast year showcases three distinct technology uptake scenarios, with noise contour lines at Lden = ▪(A) and Lnight = ▪(A) being compared. To assess the impact of these changes on airport noise, the study evaluates alterations in area and population exposure. In general, the findings suggest a trend of increasing population exposure coinciding with the rise in air traffic. Nevertheless, the increase of wide body aircraft at Dublin Airport further increases the noise impact in 2030. Anticipated growth sees new generation 2 aircraft reaching up to ▪ by 2040, leading to a reduction in 2040 noise contour lines compared to 2030—though not returning to the levels observed in 2023.

Noise impact of changing flight routes: from planning to reality

The economic importance of air travel is predicted to lead to significantly increased air traffic in the future. From 1988-2007 the average annual flight growth rate was at 4 %. The total growth of flight numbers in Europe is estimated at 19 % to 76 %. In the Irish context, the forecast is an increase in flight numbers from 18.6 % to 55.8 %. To accommodate this increasing air traffic at Dublin Airport a new runway (North Runway) was built and opened in August 2022. This paper investigates population noise exposure before and after the North Runway was opened. It is noted that currently flown routes differ from the planned flight paths. This leads to a change in the aircraft noise-affected population from both the previous existing and the planned exposure. This paper reports on a case study of how flight path choices affect exposed communities and investigates potential mitigation measures.

A review of a proposed noise quota system for Dublin Airport

In 2007, the airport authority for Dublin Airport (DAA) was granted planning permission to build a new runway. This permission included several planning conditions, including operating restrictions during the night-time due to noise considerations. The plans were then put on hold due to the economic downturn, but in 2016, with increasing passenger numbers, the plans were revived. In the intervening years, the planning and legislative environment related to aircraft noise changed in Ireland, particularly with the implementation of Regulation 598/2014 and the establishment of the Aircraft Noise Competent Authority (ANCA). Then, in December 2020 the DAA submitted a planning application to the Planning Authority seeking to amend those 2007 conditions associated with night-time operating restrictions. The application was referred to ANCA for an assessment of the associated noise impact, and in November 2021 they issued a draft regulatory decision report. This report proposes a number of mitigation measures for Dublin airport, including the introduction of a noise quota system. This paper reviews the proposed noise quota system.

Forecasting Day-Ahead Traffic Flow Using Functional Time Series Approach

Nowadays, short-term traffic flow forecasting has gained increasing attention from researchers due to traffic congestion in many large and medium-sized cities that pose a serious threat to sustainable urban development. To this end, this research examines the forecasting performance of functional time series modeling to forecast traffic flow in the ultra-short term. An appealing feature of the functional approach is that unlike other methods, it provides information over the whole day, and thus, forecasts can be obtained for any time within a day. Within this approach, a Functional AutoRegressive (FAR) model is used to forecast the next-day traffic flow. For empirical analysis, the traffic flow data of Dublin airport link road, Ireland, collected at a fifteen-minute interval from 1 January 2016 to 30 April 2017, are used. The first twelve months are used for model estimation, while the remaining four months are for the one-day-ahead out-of-sample forecast. For comparison purposes, a widely used model, namely AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), is also used to obtain the forecasts. Finally, the models’ performances are compared based on different accuracy statistics. The study results suggested that the functional time series model outperforms the traditional time series models. As the proposed method can produce traffic flow forecasts for the entire next day with satisfactory results, it can be used in decision making by transportation policymakers and city planners.

The use of biometric technology at airports: The case of customs and border protection (CBP)

Biometrics in an airport environment can provide a contactless way of identity verification. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been trialling and implementing the Biometric Entry Exit Program at U.S. Customs and Border Control (CBP). Using the Traveller Verification System (TVS), the program biometrically confirms the traveller's identity and their entry or exit, with an increased ability to detect fraudulent documents and visa overstays. This paper assesses the Biometric Exit Program to analyse the use of biometrics at airports and identify the challenges faced. An analysis is conducted on the Entry Exit Program at Dublin Airport, including facial recognition boarding gates. Pilot test results from Dublin Airport and other U.S. airports are used to identify challenges. These included a gap in stakeholder support, low biometric matching rate, infrastructure and network connectivity issues, privacy concerns amongst travellers, and heavy reliance on airlines. Recommendations and solutions for advancement are provided.

Caught in a crossfire: Front-end decision-making in airport expansion programmes

This paper revisits the main factors and considerations that drive the decision to invest in major capital projects in airport infrastructure, specifically airport expansion programmes.To this end, the paper explores how governments, operators and investors have navigated the project front-end considerations (strategic assessment, business justification, option decision, investment decision) in the planning of Heathrow, Schiphol and Dublin Airport expansion programmes. Through inductive research on publicly available material, professional conference reports, planning documentation and exploratory interviews with key personnel involved in the selected projects, the study compares and contrasts the three projects and contributes to the current debates on the role that governments have into fostering economic growth whilst taking into account environmental restriction and climate change. The goal of the study is to inform the upcoming restructuring and transformation of business models in air travel as a response to the Covid-19 crisis.

Bayesian spatial extreme value analysis of maximum temperatures in County Dublin, Ireland

SummaryIn this study, we begin a comprehensive characterization of temperature extremes in Ireland for the period 1981–2010. We produce return levels of anomalies of daily maximum temperature extremes for an area over Ireland, for the 30‐year period 1981–2010. We employ extreme value theory (EVT) to model the data using the generalized Pareto distribution (GPD) as part of a three‐level Bayesian hierarchical model. We use predictive processes in order to solve the computationally difficult problem of modeling data over a very dense spatial field. To our knowledge, this is the first study to combine predictive processes and EVT in this manner. The model is fit using Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms. Posterior parameter estimates and return level surfaces are produced, in addition to specific site analysis at synoptic stations, including Casement Aerodrome and Dublin Airport. Observational data from the period 2011–2018 are included in this site analysis to determine if there is evidence of a change in the observed extremes. An increase in the frequency of extreme anomalies, but not the severity, is observed for this period. We found that the frequency of observed extreme anomalies from 2011 to 2018 at the Casement Aerodrome and Phoenix Park synoptic stations exceed the upper bounds of the credible intervals from the model by 20% and 7%, respectively. Using predictive processes made possible a fourfold increase in the domain considered, while still allowing all data across the grid to be used to inform the posterior distributions.

Overcoming Culture Shock: Journal reflection

From Syria via Turkey and Greece to ultimately Ireland, it has been a very long journey full of ups and downs, tears of frustration and dismay, the odd glimmer of hope. Eleven months on roads and cross country, living in tents and the odd night under a proper roof, it was a long and tortuous road that finally took me and 129 other Syrians to Dublin. It was December 2016 when we landed at Dublin airport, cheerful and hopeful and greatly relieved. It was the beginning of the honeymoon phase in Ireland as new arrivals - or at least it was for me. [...]

Connecting globally and engaging locally: Devising and implementing a programme of financial support for community-led initiatives at Dublin Airport

In 2016, Dublin Airport sought to formalise and further develop its existing programme of support for community-led initiatives in the vicinity of the airport. The need for such a programme was influenced by the imminent delivery of one of the airport’s, and Ireland’s, largest infrastructural projects, that of a new parallel runway known as North Runway. This paper discusses the new approach, which was developed following detailed desktop and field research, incorporating feedback from internal and external stakeholders. The paper considers the result of this - the successful launch of the Dublin Airport Community Fund in June 2017, a programme of community funding that utilises best practice methodologies to allocate funding in a clear and transparent manner.

Airport slots: Can regulation be coordinated with competition? Evidence from Dublin airport

Slot regulations have implications for airport efficiency and for competition in aviation; this paper analyses the relationship between slot regulation and aviation competition drawing on the experience of the application of the EU slot rules at Dublin airport. It concludes the best way to promote competition in aviation is to avoid choosing an administrative basis of slot allocation, especially when a new airport is being developed, opting instead for market-compatible mechanisms, whether slot trading or runway charges that are differentiated by scarcity value.

Daily weather in Dublin 1716–1734: the diary of Isaac Butler

A summary of daily weather in Dublin was recorded in a diary between 1716 and 1734 by Isaac Butler. Frequencies of wet days during the summer months and for each year have been calculated. Annual numbers of days with frost, snow and hail are shown, as well as the longest frost‐free periods in each year. These totals are compared with those for the present‐day climate, using weather observations from Dublin airport between 1981 and 2010. Notable climatic events are highlighted, including a prolonged drought (May–October 1723) and frosts in June 1728. This diary is of particular interest as it provides one of the earliest records of daily weather in Ireland.

AVIATION SAFETY REGULATION IN THE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER ENVIRONMENT OF AN AIRPORT

Safety is at the heart of the aviation system, accident rates are on a steady downward trend with 2.1 accidents per million departures in 2016, representing the lowest annual aviation accident rate. It is predicted that globally the airline industry will grow, expecting 7.2 billion passengers to travel in 2035 (IATA, 2016). The airport domain is a complex socio technical environment where an airline receives a range of services and is the focal point for the convergence of ground activities, part of its role is creating the ‘safety picture’ and a ‘safety space’ for its industry customers to provide these services to aircraft operators. All operators (excluding ground-handling service providers) at European Union (EU) airports are regulated by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations and now all have Safety Management Systems in place. Using Dublin Airport as a case study, the paper explores safety culture and safety challenges amongst operators in the multi stakeholder context of Dublin airport’s airside operations. In particular, the paper argues that (i) the attitudes of airport stakeholders on the effectiveness of Safety Management Systems were positive with good indicators of an engaged safety culture, (ii) operators strive for safe airport operations as well as achieving compliance operations and (iii) attitudes towards multi stakeholder safety management depend on the primary relationship held by each party. Finally, the paper recommends strategies to be adopted to enhance and improve multi stakeholder safety culture at Dublin Airport.

Analysis and Prediction of Air Pollution in the Dublin Area

Smoke and sulphur dioxide (S02) levels recorded at 16 sites in Dublin during the period 1982–1987 were analysed and correlated with the weather observed at Dublin Airport. Background smoke levels were found to have changed significantly at many of the sites over the six year period; in some areas there is evidence of a substantial increase (e.g. 100% in Ballyfermot) but in others the levels appear to have fallen. In industrial and non-residential areas daily smoke levels were found to be typically 10–25% lower over weekends, a possible indication of die contribution made by traffic and industry to the pollution load. Both smoke and SO2 levels were found to depend on wind direction to some extent but me effects are generally small and probably arise from differences in local exposure or from cross contamination between sites. A forecast model for smoke pollution is described and its performance during the 1987/88 winter season evaluated.

Commercialisation and airport performance: The case of Ireland's DAA

Airport performance has been the subject of an increasing volume of empirical research in recent years. This paper bridges a gap in the existing literature through an in-depth case study analysis of the process of commercialisation in the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Ireland's state-owned airport company, and the corresponding impact on performance over the 1994–2014 period. We use a model of commercialisation to examine changes in the DAA's internal and external environments that show evidence of a more commercial focus. The DAA's economic performance is then analysed using total factor productivity (TFP) and labour productivity indicators, as well as basic financial indicators. Our analysis highlights the significant internal and external changes experienced by the DAA over the past two decades that have driven a continuous process of commercialisation. While TFP growth was positive or stable in half of the years that we examined, the overall level of TFP declined over our timeframe of analysis. Much of this decline was due to two considerable programmes of investment in long-lived infrastructure assets where a return in the short-term would not be expected.

Practical Difficulties in Airport Benchmarking - The Case of Dublin Airport

This chapter provides an overview of some of the practical issues facing a regulatory office seeking to use benchmarking to set a price cap at an airport. The focus is on operating costs, rather than commercial revenues (under a single till) or capital costs. Top­down as well as bottom­up approaches are considered. To focus on the practical, the chapter describes and seeks to draw lessons from the specific experience of Dublin airport regulation, where many different approaches to benchmarking have been investigated over the years. For reasons of space, the chapter concentrates on the particular difficulties of introducing benchmarking for the first time (Dublin in 2001) before turning to a more recent set of investigations (Dublin in 2014). It is concluded that benchmarking is possible, though not straightforward, provided that data can be assembled, that parties engage on the evidence, and that the economists working on the project have learned the lessons of regulatory gaming implied by the incentives facing parties to a price cap review.

Delivering a first class travel experience for passengers

Airport travel has become a great contradiction. Airport managers find themselves at the helm of an operation that has the potential to create great joy and excitement among passengers at one moment and engender frustration and stress at another. In a complex, multifaceted airport experience and in an era where technology is changing rapidly, where safety and security challenges arise constantly and where passengers tread this knife edge of positive and negative emotions, how can airport managers hope to deliver a ‘first class travel experience’? This paper provides some insight into how one airport in Dublin, Ireland, has taken on this task. From a comprehensive research and feedback programme, monitoring performance statistics as well as wider trends influencing passengers, to a strategy based on passenger needs, Dublin Airport has substantially turned the dial in terms of passenger satisfaction. Leveraging available data and online and mobile channels with innovation in its thinking and approach, Dublin Airport has implemented a range of helpful solutions for its passengers. These initiatives are wrapped up in a service promise that has real people at its core and a positioning that recognises that ‘value for money’ and ‘value for time’ are key features of a ‘first class travel experience’.