Development of airport infrastructure has lagged behind travel growth. Traffic at some major airports is already exceeding planned capacity while other airports are starting to experience congestion. With airport infrastructure under massive pressure, preparation is crucial. To understand what this means, we reached out to several people across the industry. Here’s what they had to say.
Have you ever heard the phrase, ”getting there is half the fun”? The right airport can complement a great travel experience by making it easy for passengers to make their way through check-in, bag drop and security to their departure gate. The right airport also provides good opportunities to eat, shop and relax along the way.
The expectation? An airport that elevates both the passenger experience while maximizing revenue potential. That’s why the infrastructure surrounding an airport – the roads, parking spaces, walkways and transit facilities – and the infrastructure underneath the airport, such as the utilities and drainage, are so important. They are often the first things that passengers experience and that make a big impact, and a lasting one, on first impressions.
The reality? For passengers, it is one of frustration, with crowded terminal concourses, increasingly common flight delays, long queues for take-off, and circling of aircraft in stacks prior to landing. The growing scarcity of suitable landing and take-off slots is leaving airports unable to cope with further expansion. This, in turn, is having a knock-on effect on airlines, with nowhere for them to operate their newly delivered aircraft.
Source: iso.org
