Tackling airport design

The Middle East is currently undergoing strong growth in the aviation industry. But what challenges does this present from an operations perspective? Anke Matijssen explains.

“Deerns Consulting Engineers are trained to design in such a way that the systems fit in to the architectural design whilst maintaining the opportunity for future developments”
-Anke Matijssen

Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Cairo and Kuwait are all in the process of significant expansion. Such upscaling means not only an increase of resources such as power and water, but also an increase in staff. People are necessary to support specific airport operations such as passenger processing, baggage handling and servicing aircraft, and also for retail purposes and cleaning, and all those people need to be trained for the task they have been appointed – not least because they will be working in areas where only screened passengers are allowed.

This is not so very different from other parts of the world, but finding the right people in a region where the dependency on expatriate labour is already quite high increases the challenge, especially where specific skills are required.

After finding the right people, the challenge becomes one of how to set up a programme to guarantee all employees are properly prepared to do their jobs – starting on the opening day. One option is to consider how staff numbers can be reduced without affecting the operation of the airport. Balance must be found between relying on automated processes (which is often not the case before the airport is modernised) and incorporating self-service systems that don't leave passengers with the impression that staff is not visibly involved. One example is the presence of self-service kiosks where passengers can choose to check themselves in and drop their baggage or go to a check-in desk; another is the use of biometric immigration gates next to conventional ones.

Behind the screens there are many other ways to limit the required amount of staff. Take CCTV, where it is technically possible to mount cameras throughout the complete public area to collect information and monitor it at a central location. The monitoring job is a huge one if this information is not filtered in any way. Deerns Consulting engineers develop concepts in which the requirements of the airport and stakeholders are taken into account with regard to the monitoring task. If necessary, solutions such as video analytics are applied to reduce the number of staff and make the job more easy to execute.

Another aspect of the modernisation and expansion of an airport is the legacy of existing systems, combined with the need to keep updated on the latest technology. For example, the equipment for security and airport operations the airport uses before modernisation might not be at the end of its lifetime at the moment the expansion becomes operational. Basically, there are three options: 1) replace the equipment, which is possibly a large disinvestment; 2) extend the existing equipment, meaning the equipment is outdated from the outset and increasing the risk of early replacement; or 3) use new equipment in combination with old equipment, which is not favourable from an operational point of view.

None of these solutions are ideal, but if the problem is identified at an early stage of the design process then measures can be taken, disinvestments can be avoided and the latest technology can be applied.

The design schedule can influence an airports' ability to have the latest technology on opening day. Starting with a program of requirements and going through several design stages before construction can even start is time-consuming; add to that the period it takes to have the building ready from a security and operational standpoint and you could be looking at as much as five years from design to opening. And considering the speed at which technology develops, the specified equipment could already be out-of-date before it has even been installed.

Deerns Consulting Engineers are trained to design in such a way that the systems fit in to the architectural design whilst maintaining the opportunity for future developments. The timing for the procurement of the systems must be right; sufficient time is required for installation, configuration and testing and for staff training. On the other hand, it must be late enough that you can incorporate the latest technology.

The combination of having legacy systems in the already operational airport and the long lag between design and actual installation results in the need to approach the design process with both the existing situation and the new concept in mind. The solution must be found, in collaboration with both the client and its stakeholders.

Anke Matijssen is currently manager of the airports department at Deerns Consulting Engineers. Deerns is based in the Netherlands and has wide experience in airport systems design.