Impact of Aircraft Size on Airport Terminal Infrastructure and Operation

Description: In recent years airlines and aircraft manufacturers have been discussing the future need for a new, larger aircraft in the New Large Aircraft (NLA) flame category capable of carrying between 500 and 1,000 passengers (FAA, 1998). This new need should have serious impacts on the design, organization and dynamics of airport operations. The growth in aircraft size coupled with capacity expansion and the provision of new flights results in the need for increased airport structure areas, including passenger terminals, aircraft yards, taxiways and runways. The passenger terminal requires special attention, as the characteristics of the aircraft play an important role in its planning that reflects on the efficiency of the entire airport system. Almost every aspect of terminal planning is affected by the size and capacity of the aircraft. Barros and Wirasinghe (1997) identify some of these aspects: number of gates, courtyard geometry, passenger processing and lounge area. Other aspects can also be identified, such as the occurrence of a higher concentration of passengers in short periods of time that require larger departure lounges, for example. In addition, the new distance between the gates creates the need to review connection times as a function of the longer time spent by the passenger to walk. In this context, the objectives of this research are: – To identify and measure the impacts of NLA in the current airport passenger terminals that already receive these aircraft; – Given that the intensity of impacts may vary depending on the layout concept and geometry adopted at the passenger terminals, it is intended to evaluate the correlations between impacts according to the present physical configuration.

Teachers: