AIRLINE BUSINESS

* Airline industry III

Prepared by: Arthur Digman II

*AIRPORT

• An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land.

• Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport.

• An airport consists of at least one surface such as a runway for a plane to take off and land, a helipad, or water for takeoffs and landings, and often includes buildings such as control towers, hangars and terminal buildings.

• Larger airports may have fixed base operator services, seaplane docks and ramps, air traffic control, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. A military airport is known as an airbase or air station.

*AIRPORT

*Airport

Airport Distribution, 2008

*AIRPORTINFRASTRUCTURE

• Smaller or less-developed airports—which represent the vast majority—often have a single runway shorter than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Larger airports for airline flights generally have paved runways 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or longer. Many small airports have dirt, grass, or gravel runways, rather than asphalt or concrete.

• In the United States, the minimum dimensions for dry, hard landing fields are defined by the FAR Landing And Takeoff Field Lengths. These include considerations for safety margins during landing and takeoff. Heavier aircraft require longer runways.

• The longest public-use runway in the world is at Qamdo Bangda Airport in China. It has a length of 5,500 m (18,045 ft). The world's widest paved runway is at Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport in Russia and is 105 m (344 ft) wide.

• As of 2009, the CIA stated that there were approximately 44,000 "... airports or airfields recognizable from the air" around the world, including 15,095 in the US, the US having the most in the world.

*AIRPORTAirports are divided into landside and airside areas. Landside areas include parking lots, public transportation, train stations and access roads.

Airside areas include all areas accessible to aircraft, including runways, taxiways and ramps.

Access from landside areas to airside areas is tightly controlled at most airports. Passengers on commercial flights access airside areas through terminals, where they can purchase tickets, clear security check, or claim luggage and board aircraft through gates. The waiting areas which provide passenger access to aircraft are typically called concourses, although this term is often used interchangeably with terminal.

*AIRPORT

The area where aircraft park next to a terminal to load passengers and baggage is known as a ramp (or "the tarmac").

Parking areas for aircraft away from terminals are called aprons.

Airports can be towered or non-towered, depending on air traffic density and available funds. Due to their high capacity and busy airspace, many international airports have air traffic control located on site.

Airports with international flights have customs and immigration facilities. However, as some countries have agreements that allow travel between them without customs and immigrations, such facilities are not a definitive need for an international airport. International flights often require a higher level of physical security, although in recent years, many countries have adopted the same level of security for international and domestic travel.

*AIRPORTSome airport structures include on-site hotels built within or attached to a terminal building. Airport hotels have grown popular due to their convenience for transient passengers and easy accessibility to the airport terminal. Many airport hotels also have agreements with airlines to provide overnight lodging for displaced passengers.

"Floating airports" are being designed which could be located out at sea and which would use designs such as pneumatic stabilized platform technology.

*AIRPORTPRODUCTS & SERVICES

Most major airports provide commercial outlets for products and services. Most of these companies, many of which are internationally known brands, are located within the departure areas. These include clothing boutiques and restaurants.

Apart from major fast food chains, some airport restaurants offer regional cuisine specialties for those in transit so that they may sample local food or culture without leaving the airport.

Major airports in such countries as Russia and Japan offer miniature sleeping units within the airport that are available for rent by the hour. The smallest type is the capsule hotel popular in Japan. A slightly larger variety is known as a sleep box.

*AIRPORTTOP 10 AIRPORTS OF THE WORLD

2013(SKYTRAX)

10. LONDON HEATHROW AIRPORT LHR9. TOKYO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HND11. VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT YVR12. ZURICH AIRPORT ZRH13. MUNICH AIRPORT MUC5. BEIJING CAPITAL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT PEK14. HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT HKG15. AMSTERDAM SCHIPHOL AIRPORT SPL16. INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ICN1. SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT SIN