BLOGS

Designers and authors Adam Scott and Dave Waddell extol the virtues of Munich Airport, pioneers in the design and management of the experience-led ‘always-meanwhile’ airport. In the often extremely long-term world of capital works programmes, so-called ‘meanwhile-state’ planning is the temporary use of land earmarked for development. At it’s very best, it’s where key stakeholders […]

Recent changes to federal funding programmes in the United States are dramatically widening the scope of airport expansion plans throughout the country, writes Mary Scott Nabers. In the fall of 2022, the FAA announced the availability of $1 billion during 2023 for airport expansion projects, and over the next several weeks, it will release its […]

Aviation plays a huge role in both the United States and international infrastructure, from transporting people for leisure and business trips to moving cargo both domestically and internationally, writes Filipe Silva. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handles over 45,000 flights a day in the US alone, with international flight traffic increasing 150.6% from July 2021 […]

Aviation as an industry has suffered more than most because of the pandemic, writes Alpha Aviation’s founder and executive director, Bhanu Choudhrie. Indeed, airlines around the world have lost more than $200 billion, with the effects of travel bans and border closures eradicating nine years’ worth of profits. Any potential recovery has been hit further […]

Airport charges, a much-debated topic between airport and airline industry bodies, have again come to the forefront as the industry rebuilds from the upheaval of the last few years. ACI World strongly advocates for the shift from heavy-handed regulation, arguing that cost-based pricing should be supplemented by responding to market signals and the competitive landscape. […]

Last November, President Biden signed the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill into law, roughly doubling the current infrastructure funding levels to give US airports an unprecedented opportunity to make significant facility reinvestments for the future. With the appropriation of $25 billion of aviation infrastructure funds to be distributed over the next five years, $5 billion […]

Ian Littell from Axis Communications, considers the challenges of providing effective airport perimeter protection, and discusses the latest developments in security and safety measures. Airports are an important part of our critical national infrastructure. As such, it’s imperative that they are protected by a comprehensive security solution which is able to provide continual year-round surveillance […]

From frequent flight delays or cancellations to an increase in the number of unruly passengers the rebound in air travel this summer came with significant challenges, writes James Pacansky, CFO of Erie Regional Airport Authority. The Delta variant has already injected more uncertainty into the future of travel, while the forecast is unclear about the […]

After a summer of chaotic scenes at the UK’s airports and ever-changing travel restrictions, many in the aviation sector are longing for business to return to ‘normal’ and hankering for the pre-pandemic days, writes Randel Darby, CEO and co-founder at Airportr. However, in my opinion, returning to its old ways, is the worst thing that […]

The COVID pandemic has triggered one of the most disruptive periods on record for air travel. As a result, many carriers have had to make dramatic spending cuts over the past year and the economic impact has put a significant strain on the liquidity buffers of airline companies. On top of this, it will come […]

Enhanced wireless networks are key to enabling the digitalisation of airports and taking performance and safety to the next level, writes Nokia’s global aviation practice lead, Richard van Wijk. Given its reliance on the movement of people, it is little wonder the aviation industry was among those hit hardest by the pandemic. Countries locked down, […]

As restrictions begin to ease in the UK and with many hoping that more countries will be added to the government’s green list, online searches for flights are increasing, writes Entec Si’s Eman Al-Hillawi. While this is positive news for airports, many of which have struggled during the pandemic, it is crucial that they put […]

In 2019, the UK became the first major economy to put Net Zero carbon emissions into legislation, writes Atkins’ James Domone and Matt Wills. Aviation currently accounts for 12% of emissions from transport sources (with road vehicles amounting to 74%), and 2% of all global emissions. Refining accounts for 40% of the Green House Gas […]

Air travel has undoubtably been one of the hardest-hit industries during the COVID-19 pandemic. With flight cancellations, grounded fleets and border closures, IATA has estimated that airlines will lose more than $300 billion due to the outbreak. Across the industry, there have been unparalleled job cuts from major airlines across the globe, while the European […]

Most frequent fliers are already familiar with the concept of offsetting the climate emissions caused by their travel, writes, Eron Bloomgarden. At checkout, you are offered the opportunity to balance your portion of the flight’s emissions by supporting some sort of emission reduction programme, like tree planting. Such programmes are voluntary and have proved popular […]

Like many other industries across the globe, with the pandemic still in full swing, airports around the world continue to add enhanced layers of protection to ensure the safety and wellbeing of passengers, and optimising the ventilation systems in terminals to improve the air quality is one of them. Here are some ways airports are […]

Terri Morrissey and Richard Plenty share their thoughts on some of the early lessons learned from COVID-19. In our last ‘People Matters’ column, we focused on how to build and sustain resilience in a crisis situation. Crises occur suddenly, require immediate responses, and are generally of short duration. Not so this one. This crisis has […]

Outgoing ACI World director general, Angela Gittens, reflects on the growth and development of Airports Council International over the past 12 years and highlights the importance of some ongoing initiatives. After twelve years of leading ACI World, I will step down as director general on June 30, 2020, and hand the reins over to Luis […]

Despite IATA’s warning that passenger demand will not fully recover until 2024, flight data consolidator OAG is reporting green shoots of recovery, writes Veovo’s marketing manager, Siobhan Boyle. Travel lockdowns are easing in many regions, with over sixty airlines relaunching services in June. As air traffic ramps up, airports face daunting capacity planning challenges. Pre […]

Cast your mind back to February and a typical busy airport scene – the packed check-ins; passengers sitting shoulder-to-shoulder at gate lounges; jostling crowds at baggage carousels; hugs and handshakes at arrival halls. So much has changed in such a short time. With the rapid spread of COVID-19, airport terminals have gone from bustling hubs […]

Though COVID-19 has severely crippled global air travel, the industry will rebound, write HOK director of aviation and transportation, Robert Chicas, and regional aviation and transportation leader, Matt Needham. Past epidemics and pandemics such as SARS, swine flu, MERS, Ebola and Zika virus disrupted global air travel to different degrees. But the severity of COVID-19 […]

The aviation industry has certainly felt the hit of COVID-19 – turning the green numbers into red in a matter of weeks or even days. With that said, this pandemic also reminds us of moments in history like 9/11, SARS, or financial recessions, when aviation took a hard hit, but returned from crisis and recovered […]

The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has sent aviation industry into a nosedive. With project revenue losses for airlines in 2020 estimated to be around $252 billion, for some the future of the industry may look bleak, writes Aviation Solution’s Gediminas Ziemelis. The novel coronavirus has shaken up airlines’ schedules all around the globe. Lufthansa Group […]

Research clearly shows that in businesses like ours, one of the first steps to delivering enhanced customer experience is to engage employees and energise them by recognising and sharing examples of great service delivery and positive customer feedback, writes ABM Aviation’s David Wheeler. A 2017 report from CX experts the Medallia Institute highlighted the importance […]