Unit I

INTRODUCTION &
AIRPORT PLANNING

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 Part A
INTRODUCTION

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Advantages of Air Transport
• Improves accessibility
• Provides continuous connectivity as there are no
physical barriers
• Relief work in emergency condition
• Saves productive time
• Increases tourism; adds to foreign reserves
• High speed

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Limitations of Air Transport
• Continuous requirement of large amount of
funds; right from construction – operation –
maintenance
• Weather dependent
• Requires high sophisticated machinery
• Specific demarcations on flight paths and
territories is essential; if neglected can accident
• Greater risk
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Aeroplane components

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 Important technical terms
1. Airport: It is a location where aircrafts and/or helicopters
land, take-off, are parked and maintained. It has minimum
one runway and/or helipad, terminal building, ATC tower
and hangar.
2. Airfield: Place where aircraft can take-off and land
3. Beaufort scale: It is an empirical measure that relates wind
speed to observed condition at sea or on land. It is denoted
numerically from 0 to 12.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale
4. Aerodrome: It is an area on land/water used wholly or
partly for arrival, departure and movement of aeroplanes.
5. Aerodrome elevation: It is elevation of highest point on 7
landing area.
Important technical terms
6. Apron: Area on land aerodrome to accommodate
aircraft for loading, unloading passenger and/or cargo,
refueling, parking and maintenance.
7. Clearway: It is defined as a rectangular area beyond
the runway not less than 500 ft. wide and not longer
than 1000 ft. in length, centrally located about the
extended centerline of the runway, and under the
control of the airport authorities.
8. Holding bay: It is an area where aircraft is held for
by-passing
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Organizations related to Air
Transportation
1. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

2. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

3. International Air Transport Association (IATA)

4. Aviation Authority of India (AAI)

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1. International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO)
• It is a UN specialized agency, established by States in 1944 to
manage the administration and governance of the
Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago
Convention).
• ICAO works with the Convention’s 192 Member States and
industry groups to reach consensus on international civil
aviation Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and
policies in support of a safe, efficient, secure, economically
sustainable and environmentally responsible civil aviation
sector.
• Vision: Achieve the sustainable growth of the global civil
aviation system.
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1. International Civil Aviation Organization
(ICAO)
• Objectives:
i. Safety: Enhance global civil aviation safety. This Strategic Objective is
focused primarily on the State's regulatory oversight capabilities.
ii. Air Navigation Capacity and Efficiency: Increase the capacity and
improve the efficiency of the global civil aviation system. Although
functionally and organizationally interdependent with Safety, this
Strategic Objective is focused primarily on upgrading the air
navigation and aerodrome infrastructure and developing new
procedures to optimize aviation system performance.
iii. Security & Facilitation: Enhance global civil aviation security and
facilitation. This Strategic Objective reflects the need for ICAO's
leadership in aviation security, facilitation and related border
security matters.
iv. Economic Development of Air Transport: Foster the development of
a sound and economically-viable civil aviation system. 11
v. Environmental Protection: Minimize the adverse environmental
effects of civil aviation activities.
2. Federation Aviation Administration (FAA)

• The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United

States is a national authority with powers to regulate all
aspects of civil aviation. These include the construction and
operation of airports, air traffic management, the
certification of personnel and aircraft, and the protection of
U.S. assets during the launch or re-entry of commercial
space vehicles.
• FAA’s mission is to provide the safest, most efficient
aerospace system in the world.

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2. Federation Aviation Administration (FAA)
• Roles:
• Regulating U.S. commercial space transportation
• Regulating air navigation facilities' geometric and flight
inspection standards
• Encouraging and developing civil aeronautics, including new aviation
technology
• Issuing, suspending, or revoking pilot certificates
• Regulating civil aviation to promote transportation safety in the
United States, especially through local offices called Flight Standards
District Offices
• Developing and operating a system of air traffic control and
navigation for both civil and military aircraft
• Researching and developing the National Airspace System and civil
aeronautics 13
• Developing and carrying out programs to control aircraft noise and
other environmental effects of civil aviation
 2. Federation Aviation Administration (FAA)
• The FAA is divided into five "lines of business" (LOB). Each LOB has a
specific role within the FAA.
1. Airports (ARP): plans and develops projects involving airports,
overseeing their construction and operations. Ensures compliance
with federal regulations.
2. Air Traffic Organization (ATO): primary duty is to safely and
efficiently move air traffic within the National Airspace System. ATO
employees manage air traffic facilities including Airport Traffic
Control Towers (ATCT) and Terminal Radar Approach Control
Facilities (TRACONs).
3. Aviation Safety (AVS): Responsible for aeronautical certification of
personnel and aircraft, including pilots, airlines, and mechanics.
4. Commercial Space Transportation (AST): ensures protection of U.S.
assets during the launch or reentry of commercial space vehicles.
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5. Safety & Hazardous Materials Safety (ASH): ensures aviation safety,
supports national security and promotes an efficient airspace
system.
3. International Air Transport Association
(IATA)
• International Air Transport Association is a trade
association of the world’s airlines.
• Consisting of 290 airlines, primarily major carriers,
representing 117 countries, the IATA's member airlines
account for carrying approximately 82% of total available seat
miles air traffic.
• IATA supports airline activity and helps formulate industry
policy and standards.
• Vision: Working together to shape the future growth of a safe,
secure and sustainable air transport industry that connects
and enriches our world
• Mission: IATA’s mission is to represent, lead, and serve the 15
airline industry.
 3. International Air Transport Association
(IATA)
• Some of IATA’s main priorities for 2019 were set by the association’s
Board of Governors during their December 2018 session.​
1. Improve the Regulatory & Legal Environment
• Value of Aviation
• Smarter Regulation
• Consumer Protection
• Unruly Passengers
• Airport slots
2. Reduce Airport & ANSP Charges, Fuel Fees and Taxes
3. Remove Barriers to the Commercialization of Sustainable Aviation Fuels
(SAF)
4. Push the Adoption of Distribution, Payment, Baggage & Data Standards
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5. Continue the transformation of safety audits
4. Airports Authority of India (AAI)

• The Airports Authority of India or AAI is a statutory body

(created through the Airports Authority of India Act, 1994)
working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation is responsible for
creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation
infrastructure in India.
• It provides Air traffic management (ATM) services over
Indian airspace and adjoining oceanic areas.
• It also manages a total of 125 Airports, including 11
International Airports, 8 Customs Airports, 81 Domestic Airports
and 25 Civil enclaves at Military Airfields.
• Mission: To be the foundation of an enduring Indian aviation
network, providing high quality, safe and customer oriented 17
airport and air navigation services thereby acting as catalyst for
economic growth in the areas we serve.
4. Airports Authority of India (AAI)

• Roles & Responsibilities:

• Adopt and facilitate the use of contemporary air
navigation services
• Upgrade and develop airport infrastructure
• Improving air connectivity at unserved and under served
airports
• Focus on profitable operation at major airports through
continuing efforts on cost reduction and enhancing non-
aeronautical revenue

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 Part B
AIRPORT PLANNING

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Aircraft characteristics
1. Engine type & Propulsion
• Piston engine, Jet Engine (Turbo Jet, Turbo propulsion,
Ram Jet, Rocket engine)
• Speed of 500kmph, 800kmph, 1280 to 2400kmph,
3700kmph and > 4600kmph
• It decides size & speed of aircraft, length of runway,
range carrying capacity, maintenance facility, noise
control measures required

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Aircraft characteristics
2. Size of aircraft
• Fuselage length, gear tread, height, width of tail, wheel
base, wing span
• It decides load carrying capacity, size of apron, terminal
areas
• Wing span decides taxiway & runway width, width of
hanger
• Length decides widening of taxiway required on curves,
size of aprons & hangers

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Aircraft characteristics
3. Aircraft weight & wheel configuration
• Maximum ramp weight
• Maximum gross take-off weight
• Maximum structural landing weight
• Zero fuel weight
• Payload
• Operating empty weight
• Fuel for journey
• Reserve fuel
(For definitions, refer class notes) 24
Aircraft characteristics
• Wheel configuration
• Aircraft currently operating in the world’s civil use airports have
been designed with various configurations of their landing gear.
• Most aircrafts are designed with one of three basic landing gear
configurations; the single-wheel configuration, defined as a main
gear of having a total of two wheels, one on each strut, the dual-
wheel configuration, defined as a main gear of having a total of
four wheels, two on each strut, and the dual-tandem
configuration, defined as two sets of wheels on each strut.

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Aircraft characteristics
• Wheel configuration
• The landing configurations of the largest of commercial service
aircraft have become more complex than the simple
configurations shown in previous slide. For example, the Boeing
747, Boeing 777, and Airbus A-380 landing gear configurations
are shown below:

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Aircraft characteristics
4. Minimum Turning Radius
Tip of the wing

Angle of Rotation
(50 to 60o)

Minimum
Turning Radius
Main gears
Nose gear

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Point/centre of rotation
Aircraft characteristics
• Minimum Turning Radius is the line joining centre of
rotation and the farthest tip of the wing of an aircraft
• It decides radius of curve on the taxiways, area of the
apron, spacing of the gates
5. Minimum Circling Radius
• It is the radius in space required for the aircraft to take a
smooth turn
• It depends on type of aircraft, air traffic volume, weather
condition
• It decides minimum separation required between two
nearby airports, airport capacity, zoning laws 28
Aircraft characteristics
6. Speed
• Airspeed is the speed with which aircraft travels in air. It
is of two types:
• True airspeed: It is approximately 2% greater of the
indicated airspeed (for every 1000ft above msl)
• Indicated airspeed: Speed indicated by instruments in
aircraft
• Airspeed = Ground speed ± Wind speed
• It decides the journey time of an aircraft and the
frequency of the aircraft which has to be considered for
finding the airport capacity 29
Aircraft characteristics
7. Capacity
• Number of passengers and/or amount of cargo an
aircraft can carry
• It depends on size of aircraft, propulsive power of aircraft
and speed of the aircraft
• It decides passenger & cargo handling capacity of an
airport and terminal buildings, size of aprons,
instruments needed in the airport

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Selection of site for airport
Factors taken into consideration

1. Availability of adequate area: Not only immediate

requirement but also considering future scope of
upgradation and expansion
2. Accessibility: Away from built-up area to avoid nuisance of
noise but not too far as travel time from city to airport
would increase considerably
3. Topography, soil condition & drainage
4. Availability of construction materials
5. Cost of development: Comprises of
i. Land acquisition cost
ii. Construction cost
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iii. Cost of utilities such as electricity, gas, water, sewerage
6. Cost of maintenance
Selection of site for airport
Factors taken into consideration

7. Traffic volume and type of traffic

8. Cross wind component
9. Proximity of airways
10. Expected revenue generation

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Surveys for selection of site
1. Topographical: It is the most important and basic survey
whose outputs will be used to prepare contoured map of
the area
2. Soil: Sub soil conditions govern design of runways and other
structures
3. Drainage
4. Meteorological: Collection of data about prevailing winds,
rainfall, pressure, fog, frost and snowfall
5. Natural resources: Material survey
6. Approach zone: Area beyond proposed airport area is also
surveyed to establish elevation of tops of objects above
ground level 33
 Drawings for airport planning
AIRPORT MASTER PLAN

A. Layout plan

B. Airport land-use plan

C. Terminal area plan

D. Airport access plan

(Components to be shown in each plan are discussed through diagram

titled “Components of Airport System” drawn in class notes)

Apart from the above drawings which are airport specific,

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topographical plan, obstruction map and drainage plan are also
required.
 Air Travel Demand Forecasting
• Need:
• Plans for the development of the various components of the
airport system depend to a large extent on the activity levels
which are forecast for the future.
• Since the purpose of an airport is to process aircraft, passengers,
freight, and ground transport vehicles in an efficient and safe
manner, airport performance is judged on the basis of how well
the demand placed upon the facilities within the system is
handled.
• To adequately assess the causes of performance breakdowns in
existing airport systems and to plan facilities to meet future
needs, it is essential to predict the level and distribution of
demand on the various components of the airport system. 35
 Air Travel Demand Forecasting
• Future travel demand is the basic requirement in developing the
airport master plan or an airport system plan
• The principal items for which estimates are usually needed
include:
• The volume and peaking characteristics of passengers, aircraft,
vehicles and cargo
• The number and types of aircraft needed to serve the above
traffic
• The number of general aviation aircraft and the number of
movements generated
• The performance and operating characteristics of ground
access systems 36
 Levels of Forecasting
• Aggregate forecasting and disaggregate forecasting are the two levels
at which forecasting is done in aviation industry.
• From the inception of the planning process for an airport consideration
is given at both levels. In airport planning, the designer must view the
entire airport system as well as the airport under immediate
consideration.
• Aggregate forecasts are forecasts of the total aviation activity in a large
region such as a country, state, or metropolitan area.
• Typical aggregate forecasts are made for variables such as the total
revenue passenger-miles, total enplaned passengers, and the number
of aircraft operations, aircraft in the fleet, and licensed pilots in the
country.
• Disaggregate forecasts deal with the activity at individual airports or on
individual routes. Disaggregate forecasts for airport planning determine
variables such as number of originations, passenger origin-destination 37
traffic, the number of enplaned passengers, and the number of aircraft
operations by air carrier and general aviation aircraft at an airport.
Forecasting methods
1. Time series method: Time series analysis essentially
involves extrapolating or projecting existing historical
activity data into the future.

2. Market share method: Market share forecasting is a

simple top-down approach, where current activity at
an airport is calculated as a share of some other more
aggregate measure for which a forecast has been made
(typically a regional, state, or national forecast of
aviation activity).
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Forecasting methods
3. Econometric modeling:
• Econometric modeling is a multistep process in which
a casual relationship is established between a
dependent variable (the item to be forecast) and a set
of independent variables that influence the demand
for air travel.
• Once the relationship is established, forecasts of
independent variables are input to determine a
forecast of the dependent variable.
• These techniques can also be referred to as a bottom-
up forecast. 39
 Forecasting methods
4. Simulation modeling:
• Simulation models are often used when one needs very
detailed estimates of aircraft, passengers, or vehicles.
• These models impose precise rules that govern how
passengers, aircraft, or vehicles are routed, and then aggregates
the results so that planners can assess the needs of the
network or a component of the airport to handle the estimated
demand.
• Typically the outputs from the other forecasting methods are
used as inputs to simulation models.
• Forecasts from simulation models represent snapshots of how a
given amount of traffic flows across a network or through an 40
airport, rather than a monthly or annual estimate of total
traffic.
 Airport classification by ICAO
• The airport classification aims at achieving the uniformity in
the design standards. The classification by ICAO is based in
the following two ways:

1. The code letters A to E are used, as shown in table 1, to

indicate basic runway length, width of runway
pavement and maximum longitudinal grade.

2. The number 1 to 7 are mentioned, as shown in table 2

to indicate single isolated wheel load and tyre pressure. 41
 Airport classification by ICAO
Table 1
Basic Runway Length (m) Width of Maximum
Airport
Runway longitudinal
Type
Maximum Minimum Pavement (m) grade (%)

A Over 2100 2100 45 1.5

B 2099 1500 45 1.5

C 1499 900 30 1.5

D 899 750 22.5 2.0

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E 749 600 18 2.0

Airport classification by ICAO
Table 2
Single Isolated Wheel Tyre Pressure
Code No.
Load (kg) (kg/cm2)

1 45,000 8.5
2 34,000 7.0
3 27,000 7.0
4 20,000 7.0
5 13,000 6.0
6 7,000 5.0 43

7 2,000 2.5
Airport classification by ICAO
Example
Thus, an airport classified as B-2 would have basic
runway width between 1500 m to 2099 m and
would be capable of handling single isolated wheel
load of 34,000 Kg with a tyre pressure of 7 kg/cm2.

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