Friday, September 10, 2010

Opening / Activating a new airport terminal (ACRP Synthesis Report 20)

ACRP Synthesis Report 20 (click here) addresses the activation of a new Airport Terminal.

"TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 20: Airport Terminal Facility Activation Techniques explores lessons learned during terminal activations at 13 domestic and international airport facilities. The report is designed to help identify effective airport terminal facility activation practices."

The most recent case study that can be looked at is the opening of Delhi Airport Terminal 3 in India. It opened with the shifting of International flights there in late July 2010. The Domestic flights were to shift there shortly after. This has since been delayed till after the Commonwealth Games in Oct 2010.

Having traveled through Delhi Terminal 2 before, I must say that the opening of Terminal 3 is a good thing. As always, there are teething problems which I am sure will be worked out in due course.

Problems at the newly opened Delhi Airport Terminal 3.

1. Power Supply
2. Water Supply
3. Road Congestion

4. Baggage issues
5. Shops which have not opened
6. Directions/wayfinding to the new terminal

Personally, I think it is still a great achievement that the terminal (48 contact gates, 502,000sqm or 5.4million sqft) has been opened before the Commonwealth Games. The Terminal opened in July 2010, just barely 4 years after the signing of the agreement (in Apr 2006) for a private operator GMR to operate New Delhi Airport.


Useful Resources / Applied Research Reports for Airport Planners - ACRP Reports

These are the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) reports which, in my view, are of greater interest to airport planners.  The ACRP is part of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and is funded to the tune of US$10-15million a year by the United States Federal Government.

Each report answers a specific problem which the US Airport industry is facing (Applied Research) and takes about 2-3 years of research.  Each report costs between $300,000 to $400,000.  However, because it is federally funded and their aim is the widest dissemination possible, the pdf files are available for free at their website.

The synthesis reports cost less and take a shorter time to publish because it not new research but a collection of what's out there on a particular airport topic in one report.

Click here to go to the ACRP report library. I have also added hyperlinks for each of the reports listed below. (updated Dec 7, 2010)

Report 16 Managing Small Airports (useful for overview of airports in general)


Synthesis Report 1 Innovative Finance
Synthesis Report 2 Forecasting
Synthesis Report 5 Ground Access choice
Synthesis Report 14 Airport Systems Planning
Synthesis Report 19 Revenue Diversification
Synthesis Report 20 Airport Terminal Activation
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