This week's aviation insights: LAX’s Automated People Mover (APM) train, holistic airport management and the luxury travel evolution
International Airport Review
The leading resource for airport professionals worldwide.
Welcome to this week's edition of the International Airport Review newsletter, your go-to source for the latest in aviation. This week, we discover cutting-edge developments shaping airport management and air traffic control. Explore the transformative power of AI, cybersecurity and urban air mobility through our in-depth articles and a compelling podcast episode featuring Simon Hocquard, Director General of CANSO.
?? Latest podcast episode: Listen now! The Future of Air Traffic Management
Join us for a journey into the heart of air traffic management as we sit down with Simon Hocquard, the Director General of CANSO, to discuss the dynamic themes that shaped the Airspace World 2024 conference which took place in Geneva.
In this episode, we delve into the transformative power of artificial intelligence, the critical importance of cybersecurity, urban air mobility and the ever-evolving landscape of safety and capacity in our skies.
"To be truly collaborative you have to think bigger than yourself, if you are a company you need to think of other companies and if you a country you need to think regionally.”
???Latest articles: Dive into our Editor’s picks
??LAX train expected to be in service from January 2026
The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners have approved an agreement, setting a construction completion date of 8 December 2025, for Los Angeles International Airport’s (LAX) Automated People Mover (APM) train.
The train will begin operations in January 2026. It will be available to passengers with tickets and airport employees for no extra charge and is expected to carry 30 million passengers a year. This may result in an estimated 42 million fewer vehicle miles annually.
“This project is going to reduce traffic on our freeways and our local streets while bringing good paying union jobs to Los Angeles,” said Mayor Karen Bass. “This train will make a direct connection to the Metro system to ensure LAX welcomes Angelenos and visitors from across the globe in a truly world-class way.”
LAX’s train will operate 24/7, with trains arriving at stations every 2 minutes during peak hours (from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.). Running on 2.25 miles of elevated guideway, it will connect to six stations: three inside the Central Terminal Area, one at LAX’s Economy Parking facility, one connecting to Metro’s LAX/Metro Transit Center station (with transfers to the C and K lines) and one at LAX’s Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility. Total end-to-end travel time will be 10 minutes with a top speed of 47 miles per hour.?
The construction completion date is part of an agreement with the train’s developer, LAX Integrated Express Solutions (LINXS). The Board and LINXS also agreed that LINXS will be paid an additional $550 million, largely to cover already completed extra work dating back to August 2018 and a longer than anticipated construction timeline. The agreement also appropriates an additional $50 million for contingencies. The construction of LAX’s train has created nearly 10,000 jobs to date.
A holistic approach: Airport management, design and construction
Here, Mace’s Global Head of Aviation, Carl Dainter, explains how firms responsible for building and enhancing airports can aid a sense of consistency, providing passengers with a pleasant and frictionless, yet bespoke, experience throughout their journey.
How can we approach airports in the future? Passenger numbers at airports around the world are regularly breaking records again. While this is, of course, positive for airlines and the airports themselves, as well as the ecosystem that makes an airport tick, it puts into sharp focus the need to maintain and enhance the infrastructure that makes flying a pleasant and efficient process for passengers around the globe.
There are few places that provide a greater sense of familiarity around the world than airports. It is this consistency that, in large part, enables passengers to follow understood processes to enhance their own experience, whatever country they are in. People and processes are important, but how we build airports has a considerable influence too.
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‘Gold route service,’ luxury travel experience at BIA
For International Airport Review, Dr Sumith de Silva, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka), details how Bandaranaike International Airport’s ‘Gold Route’ service is elevating the airport experience for the luxury traveller.
Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL), launched the ‘Gold Route’ fast track service in August 2022 to provide a premium airport experience for passengers travelling through Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). We’re pleased to report its remarkable success, generating a total income of over US$400,000 (over LKR 124 million).
Following the global pandemic, we have seen considerable growth and resurgence in the travel industry across the world. Research conducted to explore the factors affecting luxury travel have highlighted increased affluence, millennial travel, traveller desire for new experiences, the need for privacy and security, the growth of online platforms, travel to exotic destinations, and so on.
?? VIDEO: The year of reclaiming titles: Toronto Pearson International Airport
Watch this exclusive interview in which International Airport Review Editor, Holly Miles caught up with Deborah Flint, CEO of Greater Toronto Airport Authority (GTAA).
2024 has been a year of reclaiming titles and Deborah explained what has been key for them in regaining their prestigious ranking as ‘Best airport over 40 million passengers in North America’ which has been giving passengers better quality information, predictability and control over their experience.
Deborah said that they have sped up processing with a number of highly adopted tools, such as YYZ Express which allows you to book your place in the security line, or pre-fill your U.S. Customs Declaration through mobile passport control, so the digital customer experience was very much enhanced.
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Smaller stations, big impact: Optimising airline operations
Smaller stations in an airline’s network play an important role as feeders, funnelling passengers to major hubs. But they have smaller teams and tighter budgets, forcing managers to wear many hats, covering tasks that might be spread across multiple positions at a major hub. How do you offer decision support for the gate and staff management which is on par with your hubs?
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