Ignite the engine and take to the sky: A Departure from Traditional Airport Master Planning..

The breakneck growth of passenger volumes is powering airports to change course and review the ability of their available infrastructure and focus on terminal capacity enhancement, operational efficiency, process improvements, new revenue streams and offer world-class services to attract global passengers whilst controlling physical and cyber security. According to the Airports Council International, air passenger numbers are predicted to exceed 22 billion by 2040, a near tripling of the 7.6 billion air travellers in 2016. Traveller behavior has changed since we took a 2-year one-way ticket to the pandemic, and now passengers expect a whole off-the-wall travel experience than they had before 2020. In the time to come, airports will need to respond to and accommodate the emerging trends in digitization and sustainability. To cope with the increased demand for air travel, the aviation industry will need to stopover and embrace these processes and technologies.

Airports are evolving. They are no longer just transporting travellers to different geographic locations; they are hubs of global connectivity and community. They have matured into airport cities, inextricably linked to their external surrounding community, as well as focused on providing passengers with the best possible experience. There’s no point circling around the fact that air travel is vital to the global economy and planning for future growth is essential to ensure that airports can adapt appropriately in the years to come. Airports are like connecting flights for people, bridging the world together, and therefore it is necessary that they are designed to be convenient, environment-friendly and flexible to the evolving demands.

Airports can yield significant social and economic benefits for communities, but before we reach there, they need to be carefully thought-out and organized. And the journey begins with an amazing master plan. So, fasten your seatbelts as we take off into the wild, wild expedition to dynamic Master Planning. The pandemic was a testimony of the impact unanticipated events can have on the planning process. Thus, the master plan needs to ascend to a living document that can adapt to unanticipated events or external factors as they occur. A solid airport master plan must meet the airport’s users’ demands while simultaneously allowing a boarding pass to flexibility for future changes in the airport’s mission, new technologies, and evolving business models. To get on the runway to the future, we need to master the “Master Plan”.

The forecasting of future traffic volumes as well as the composition of these traffic volumes is turbulent, and so are the master plans based on it. The only way of dealing with these choppy conditions in airport planning is to have different planning models and technological solutions around passenger mobility. That will include conducting a comprehensive study of passenger projections for the next 20 years, airport capacity, and emerging trends and technologies. Many airports such as Dubai Airports are currently reviewing their long-term master plans to ensure infrastructure development takes full advantage of emerging technologies, responds to consumer trends and preferences and optimizes investment to grow its already significant contributions to Dubai's economy. According to its latest masterplan, Heathrow airport aims to have a third runway, up and running by 2026. Glasgow Airport as part of its 2040 master plan is gambling on a digital toolset, and recently introduced its first A380 service to and from Dubai – within the framework of its future expansion efforts. Tampa International Airport is also considering its post-pandemic future, with plans to incorporate emerging technologies such as electric air taxis, self-driving vehicles, facial recognition and contactless equipment.

Master planning isn’t only about where new terminals and runways will go or demand and facility requirement: it’s also the forward planning of land development opportunities and incorporating technological changes to streamline and enhance passenger experiences. It?is time to prepare the already our breathless airports for a billion more passengers than they currently handle. Planning airports used to be primarily concerned with safely transporting passengers from one place to another. But now, comfort and aesthetics are equally vital. The new goal is to make the process' less?pragmatic and alleviate the stress that travellers feel when confronted with challenges beyond their control, including weather-related delays or tight?connections. The master plan's aim?should be to?make the typically tense airport experience delightful, in part through offering enticing sensory experiences. Airport planners need to check-in these passenger service improvements into the master plan.

The use of biometrics and facial recognition technology to link baggage and speed up check-in, hence reducing stress throughout the drop-off and pick-up process. By adopting electronic RFID tagging and connecting it to the check-in procedure, some airports are already sectioning?travellers and their luggage. The needs of the customer must be integrated into the terminal design. There are a few airports, piloted by Singapore’s Changi Airport, who are setting the gold?standard of?traveller experiences?by adding amenities like quiet zones, sleep pods, and multigenerational entertainment spaces that can aid in passenger?stress reduction.

Pressure in the cabin is dropping as changes in the economy, airline industry, and passenger preferences render the master plan feeble footed. Airport planners need to incorporate infrastructure upgrades and expansion plans while managing a variety of stakeholders and expectations in order to stay afloat while planning to fulfil the anticipated future growth projections. Particularly, it is important to take into the account?the community and neighbourhood. Airports need to ponder how residents will commute, work, and live in the surroundings?as well as how they might encourage and support local economic growth. They must harmonize with?the surrounding area and act as a stimulus for high-value employment, economic growth?related to aviation, and regional competitiveness. Airports have the potential to transform from being merely a functional and commercial transit hub to offering an?engaging, high-quality experience for passengers and residents alike.

Additionally, planners need to home in on?strengthening of environmental review in airport master plans. The master planning and terminal planning procedures must now take environmental sustainability, greenhouse gas reduction, pandemic resistance, and climatic risk into account. A climate risk study for the airport should be part of the master plan by looking at potential threats posed by climate change. This includes approach and landing minimums, the risk of flooding, and effects on building performance. The secret ingredient?is to discover plausible flaws and potential mitigation strategies. As another illustration, some airports are analysing how a lengthy pandemic might affect passenger processing and?spatial requirements and necessitate alterations to the functional program of the terminal expansion, including provision for more queuing space, expanded departure hold room areas, and contactless restroom facilities. Airports are under pressure from more demanding local operating environments?as a result of the COP21 conference in Paris?2015 in addition to other environmental regulations, where operating permits and passenger preferences are increasingly predicated on satisfying the?local sustainability objectives. Moreover, the airport's biggest energy consumers are the terminal buildings, which house equipment for handling bags, lighting, cooling, and IT infrastructure. Airport master plans will need to be ready for take-off and incorporate sustainable, energy-saving designs by designing for more robust utility operations via improved energy storage technology, smart metering, and smart grids.

The airport planning context has changed and it’s time to bid adieu to the good old days of the air travel industry’s traditional engineering-driven, linear approach to airport master planning. We’re flying through an air pocket of?profound change,?disruptions and?many future unknowns on the horizon, master planning should be a matter of business strategy – and treated with a holistic, iterative process that can turn complexity into opportunity. Airports can benefit from significant opportunities with enhanced infrastructure, technological integration, and non-aviation revenue if they nosedive into a spot-on master planning strategy.