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Transcript of Airport World, Issue 6, 2013
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In the spotlight: People/Human resources
Airports: Bahrain, San Francisco & Sydney
Special report:Retail innovation
Plus:IT trends, security & the environmen
People power
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OPIN
In todays highly competitive environmentwhere a good airport experience could
make the difference between a visitor
buying something from a shop/restaurant
or ultimately ever returning, the role played
by frontline staff cannot be underestimated.
A friendly smile and welcome at check-in
is always a good start, but how many times
have you disappointingly been met by a
seemingly overworked member of staff who
cannot get rid of you quick enough?
Next comes the part of the journey
that many find most stressful partly
down to the attitude of staff security.
And if this takes forever or is punctuated
by perceived rudely made demands to
do this or do that by employees who
appear to be relishing their position of
power, the airport experience is suddenly
not so enjoyable.
Other areas where airports often let
themselves down in terms of customer
service is immigration and customs
control, where long queues, lack ofinformation and then expressionless
officers behind desks make the entire
process extremely unfriendly. Although
airports have no direct say in these
processes as they are invariably carried
out by government agencies, surely it
doesnt have to be this way, and more can
be done to make things more welcoming?
I suppose the point I am trying to make
here is whether airports are truly aware of
the key role airport employees play in
peoples journeys, or that staff are arguably
their most important asset?
I honestly dont know the answer but I am
are beginning to recognise and reward staff
that go the extra mile for the customer.
They include Singapore Changi, Dubai
International Airport, Hong Kong and
Aroports de Montral (ADM), all of whichhave introduced awards that recognise staff
excellence. Indeed, Dubais include the Mega
Star Performer (annual), Star Performer
(quarterly) and Shooting Star (on the spot)
awards which recognise outstanding
employee achievements and dedication.
Another to recognise the huge impact
staff behaviour can have on the airport
experience is Copenhagen, which has
transformed its airport security experience
by insisting on a more friendly style of
screening that involves staff making eye
contact with passengers and actually
striking up a conversation!
While on a bigger scale, Gatwick has
totally transformed its corporate culture
since being bought by Global Infrastructure
Partners (GIP), and now claims to be more
passenger focused and aware of cultural
differences than ever before.
Individual efforts like these are, of course,
supported by ACI World in terms of its global
training programmes and initiatives such asthe Airport Service Quality (ASQ) customer
satisfaction programme and its newly
launched PassengersPlus initiative, which is
specifically designed to promote global
service excellence.
You can read about most of the above in
this people/human resources themed
issued ofAirport World, where we also learn
more about leadership challenges and
reflect on staff participation in a number of
charity events/fun days.
Finally, as it is our last issue of 2013,
I would like to take this opportunity to wish
you seasons greetings and all the best for a
Airport World
E tor Joe Bates +44 (0) 20 8831 [email protected]
Deputy E tor
Caroline Cook +44 (0) 20 8831 [email protected]
Des gn, Layout & Pro uct onMark Draper +44 (0) 20 8831 [email protected]
Andrew Montgomery +44 (0) 20 8831 [email protected]
Erica [email protected]
We s te Des gn & Pro uct onJos Cuenca +44 (0) 20 8831 7517
Sa es D rectorJonathan Lee +44 (0) 20 8831 [email protected]
A vert s ng ManagerKalpesh Vadher +44 (0) 20 8831 [email protected]
Andrew Hazell +44 (0) 20 8831 [email protected]
Su scr pt onsLauren Murtagh +44 (0) 20 8831 7512
Published by Aviation Business Media Ltd26-30 London RoadTwic en am, TW1 3RW, UKFax: +44 (0) 20 8891 0123
Managing DirectorJonat an Lee
Airport Worldis published six times a yearor t e mem ers o ACI. T e op n ons an
v ews expresse n rpor or are t oseof the authors and do not necessarilyreflect an ACI policy or position.
ISSN: 1360-4341The content of this publication i s copyright of
Aviation Business Media and should not be
copie or store wit out t e express permission
o t e pu is er.
USA Mailing Agent, Clevett Worldwide Mailers, 19 Route 10
East, Bldg 2 Unit 24, Succasunna, NJ 07876. Subscription
price $125. Periodicals postage paid at Dover, NJ 07801.
Postmaster please send address changes to Airport World,
19 Route 10 East Bldg 2 Unit 24, Succasunna, NJ 07876.
Printed in the UK by
The Magazine Printing Company
sing onl paper from FSC/PEFC s ppliers
Airport Worldeditor, Joe Bates,
reflects on the important role
frontline staff play in helping
determine an airports image
and reputation.
People
power
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Take your piece of Viennas cake:Millions of Hungarian, Czech,Slovak and Austrian passengers.
http://www.viennaairport.com/cakehttp://www.viennaairport.com/cakehttp://www.viennaairport.com/cakehttp://www.viennaairport.com/cake -
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3 Opinion
8 News
10 ACI News
13 View from the topDirector general, Angela Gittens, reflects on the 100th anniversary of commercial
flight, training initiatives and the fact that aviation is a people business.
14 Fantastic journeySan Francisco International Airports long-serving boss, John Martin, talks to Joe Bates about
infrastructure development, traffic growth and his gateways impressive green credentials.
20 Busy BahrainCaroline Cook spoke to Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah, CEO of Bahrain Airport Company,
about the airports development plans.
22 Ready and willing
While the politicians are talking about a new airport for Sydney, Kerrie Mather, CEO ofthe existing one, is getting down to the business of running Australias busiest gateway.
Lucy Siebert reports.
24 Culture ClubTina Oakley, HR director of London Gatwick, talks to Sarah McCay about the airports
new corporate culture and its positive impact on the passenger experience.
26 Learning curveACI Worlds training programmes are designed to develop airport employees from top
management to frontline staff, writes Kevin Caron.
28 Spotlight on leadershipDr Richard Plenty and Terri Morrissey reflect on the highlights and lessons learned from
the third annual Airport Leadership and Change Management Forum in Bologna
Issue 6Volume 18
In this issue
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30 Putting the passenger firstCaroline Cook finds out more about the launch of a new global initiative designed to
showcase the efforts airports are making to improve the passenger experience.
33 Being charitableMore airports are raising funds for good causes with fun runs and plane pulls.Caroline Cook rounds up this years best charitable events.
34 Popping up everywhereMalgorzata Lach takes a closer look at the evolution of pop-up retail and F&B
outlets at airports.
36 Airport Marketing ExchangeSimpliFlyings David McMullen and Shubhodeep Pal discuss the rise of airport
investment in social media.
39 Investing in ITAirport Worldreviews the highlights of the 2013 Airport IT Trends Survey.
40 Cash convertersHow do airports around the globe increase retail revenues without incurring extr
capital expenditure? Steve Messenger offers some guidance.
42 Smart thinkingJoe Bates and Justin Burns round up the highlights of the recent SMART Airports
Conference at inter airport Europe in Munich.
45 Sniffing out dangerDavid Stockton explains why, in todays high-tech world, airports across theglobe still rely on dogs to help perform key security tasks.
47 Project watchNacala Airport.
48 Environment news
51 ACIs World Business Partners
53 ACI traffic trends
54 The last wordHeathrow Expresss managing director Keith Greenfield talks to Justin Burns
D rector GeneraAnge a Gittens
Chair
Yiannis Paraschis (Athens, Greece)
Vice ChairFredrick J Piccolo (Sarasota, USA)
Imme ate Past C a r Max Moore-Wilton (Sydney, Australia)
TreasurerLouis E Miller (Atlanta, USA)
ACI WORLD GOVERNING BOARD
DIRECTORS
Africa (3)
Dalil Guendouz (Casablanca, Morocco)Pascal Komla (Lom, Togo)Robinson Misitala (Livingstone, Zambia)
Asia-Pacific (8)Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)VP Agrawal (Delhi, India)Ghanem Al-Hajri (Sharjah, UAE)Dennis Chant (Gold Coast, Australia)Zhiyi Dong (Beijing, China)Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore)Kerrie Mather (Sydney, Australia)Kosaburo Morinaka (Tokyo, Japan)
Europe (7)Declan Collier (London, UK)
Michael Kerkloh (Munich, Germany)Yiannis Paraschis (Athens, Greece)Tonci Peovic (Zagreb, Croatia)Ad Rutten (Amsterdam, Holland)Stefan Schulte (Frankfurt, Germany)Jos-Manuel Vargas (Madrid, Spain)
Latin America & Caribbean (3)Philippe Baril (Quito, Ecuador)Fernando Bosque (Guadalajara, Mexico)Hctor Navarrete Muoz (Merida, Mexico)
North America (7)Thella Bowens (San Diego, USA)David Edwards (Greenville, USA)Frank Miller (San Antonio, USA)
Reg K Milley (Edmonton, Canada)Fredrick J Piccolo (Sarasota, USA)Mark Reis (Seattle, USA)Maureen Riley (Salt Lake City, USA)
Regional Advisers to theWorld Governing Board 7Larry Cox (Memphis, USA)Stephen Gichuki (Nairobi, Kenya)Seow Hiang Lee (Singapore)Bongani Maseko (Johannesburg, South Africa)Barry Rempel (Winnipeg, Canada)Earl Richards (Jamaica)Miguel Southwell (Miami, USA)
O server
Wor Business Partner Boar C airpersonRandy Pope (Burns & McDonnell)
Correct as of December 11, 2013
CONTE
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EWS
News in briefFears that some of Finlands smaller gateways mayhave to close in the future were raised by FinaviasCEO, Kari Savolainen, during a think tanksession at the recent Global Airport Developmentconference in Nice. When asked what keeps himawake at night, Savolainen admitted that it wouldbe difficult for Finnish airport operator, Finavia, tocontinue to operate all 25 of the nations gatewaysin the long-term almost entirely from the profits ofHelsinki Airport.
The long-awaited opening of Dohas new
Qatar is set to undergo a soft opening at thestart of 2014. In its first phase, the airportwill be served by 10 passenger airlines thatwill utilise one of the longest commercialrunways in the world at 4,850 metres.
Perth Airport has opened the first phase of itsnew international arrivals area and claims thatfeedback on the facility part of its A$750 millionredevelopment has been overwhelminglypositive. CEO, Brad Geatches, said: Wevecompletely changed how people arrive into Perth
Kannuris set to become the fourth internationalairport in the southern Indian state of Kerala,after Kannur International Airport Limited(KIAL) awarded the contract for its engineering,procurement and construction to Larson & TubroLimited (L&T).
The Hillsborough County Aviation AuthorityBoard has awarded Austin Commercial thedesign-build contract for a new consolidatedrental car facility and automated peoplemover at Tampa International Airport.
Curaao spaceportCuraao International Airport has revealed it will open its
own Spaceport in 2014, in a move designed to help boost its
non-aeronautical revenues.
XCor Aerospace is expected to launch commercial space flights
within the next 12 months and more than 250 people have already
signed up for sub-orbital flights from the Caribbean airport.
The creation of the spaceport is part of operator Curaao Airport
Partner/Curaao Airport Holding NVs bid to transform the airport
into the worlds first regional, self-sufficient green airport city,
powered by solar energy and cooled by a seawater air
conditioning system.
It will include 200 hectares of land set aside for commercial, retail,
residential and research development, offering over one million square
metres of rentable space for manufacturing and retail shops, logistics,
offices, hotels, restaurants, R&D laboratories and warehouses.
Curaaos ambitious development plan is believed to come with
a $1.8 billion price tag, based on annual investments of $30 million
over the next few decades.
It will create around 1,400 jobs, which is not bad for a small island
with a population of under 150,000 people, says Simon Kloppenburg,
commercial developer for airport development.
DAAs global ambitionsThe newly created international business arm of Irish airport operator DAA is actively
looking for investment partners to form joint ventures to help it achieve its goal of
operating airports in emerging markets such as Brazil, Japan and the Middle East.
Subsidiary, daa international, ideally wants to operate an airport as part
of a consortium comprising itself and one or more partners who are prepared
to make the equity investment necessary to buy the gateway or secure a
management contract.
It wants to work with institutional funds and infrastructure developers
willing to invest in airport assets in emerging markets, and use its experience
of operating Irelands Dublin, Cork and until recently Shannon airports to
develop and grow the gateways.
Chief executive of daa international, Colm Moran, says: We formed daa
international because we see an opportunity to leverage the expertise and skill
base of our people at what we do best running airports. We are primarily
looking at the emerging markets and are not looking to make an equity
investment at this stage.
New concessionairesought for SantiagoWith the clock running down to September 2015, and the end of the current
concession, Chile has issued a prequalification call to international investors
interested in operating and developing Santiagos Arturo Merino Bentez
International Airport (SCL).
The successful consortium will be expected to construct and manage the new
international terminal (Terminal 2), and upgrade, expand and operate the domestic
terminal in return for a 20-year concession with an option for a five year extension.
Chiles Ministry of Public Works claims that the upgrade will cost $720 million,
triple the airports capacity to 30mppa by 2030, and ensure that Santiago
remains one of Latin Americas most modern and passenger friendly airports.
The Chilean government is insisting that the new airport operator must hold
at least a 25% stake in the winning consortium and be able to demonstrate that
it has operated/managed an airport handling in excess of 20mppa for a
minimum of five years.
Designed by Stantec, Terminal 2 will initially be around 200,000sqm in size
and equipped to accommodate 14mppa.Concessions coordinator, Carlos Plass Wahling, told Airport Worldthat current
concessionaire, SCL Terminal Areo Santiago SA Sociedad Concesionaria which
boasts Canadas Vantage Airport Group as a stakeholder would be invited to
tender for the concession.
Bella, bella!The shape of things to come? An artists impression of the new West Hub
at RomeFiumicino Airport. According to The Design Solution, the
11,000sqm Avancorpo extension will transform the passenger
experience for more than 15mppa. It is scheduled to open in 2016.
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Terminal velocityThe final months of 2013 saw the opening ofnew state-of-the-art terminals in Prishtina
(Kosovo), Shenzhen Baoan (China),
St Petersburg (Russia) and Burgas (Bulgaria).
The new140 million terminal at Prishtina
(above, left) has more than doubled the airports
annual capacity from 2mppa to 5mppa.
Turkeys Limak Group, which operates
Prishtina International Airport with consortium
partner Aroports de Lyon, claims that the
facility is the most intelligent, technologicallyadvanced, passenger- and eco-friendly terminal
in the Balkans.
Boasting a manta ray type design and
unique double honeycomb skin, the new
5.3 million sq ft Terminal 3 at Shenzhen Baoan
International Airport (above, centre) is expected to
quickly become a new icon for the Chinese city.
According to architect Studio Fuksas,
standout features of the interior design include
stylised white trees that serve as air
conditioning vents and distinctive white conical
supporting columns that rise to touch the roof at
a cathedral-like scale.
Already the largest public building in Shenzhen,
the 63-gate complex will initially increase the
airports capacity by 60% to 45mppa.Meanwhile, St Petersburg-Pulkovos new
Terminal 1 (above, right) opened for business
on December 4. All flights will be gradually
transferred to the new 700 million Pulkovo
Terminal by the end of January 2014.
When the project is fully completed in
2016 it will increase the capacity at Russias
fourth largest airport from 8.4 million
to 17mppa.
Sergey Emdin, director general of Northern
Capital Gateway, says: We are now close to
the incarnation of plans for Pulkovo to become
a major hub in the Baltic region.
Burgas Airports new 21,000sqm terminal
(not pictured), designed by the British-based
Halcrow Group and Pascall+Watson inpartnership with SavantElbul, opened in
late December.
Next up is the expected January
2014 opening of Qatars new Hamad
International Airport.
TAV to invest in rivalIstanbul airport?TAV Airports is remaining tight-lipped about speculation linking it with a potential
bid to buy GMR Infrastructures 40% stake in Istanbuls Sabiha Gken Airport.
The global airport operator already counts Istanbuls Atatrk Airport in its
portfolio and has made no secret of its intention to add more gateways, although
few industry commentators would have predicted a bid for its rival Istanbul airport.
Located on the Asian side of the city, Sabiha Gken handled 15.7 million
passengers in the first 10 months of 2013.
Its current shareholders are Malaysia Airports (20%), Turkish firm Limak (40%)
and GMR Infrastructure (40%) and the possibility of the former buying out the
latter arguably remains the most likely scenario if the Indian airport operator
decides to sell.
The consortium acquired the operating rights to the airport for 20 years for
1.93 billion in 2007. TAV declined to comment on the speculation.
master plan a $943 million series of projectsthat will create 8,000 jobs in the Tampa Bay area.
Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, hascommissioned the construction of anew $654 million terminal at the JomoKenyatta International Airport. Thetwo-phased construction work is expectedto start immediately and deliver a 20mppafacility by 2017.
Vanderlande Industries has been awarded
build the new baggage handling systemat Luis Muoz Marin International Airportin Puerto Rico. The project is part ofoperator Aerostars $1.4 billion 40-yearinvestment enhancement programme atthe San Jose gateway.
Phnom Penh International Airport is oneof Asias top gateways, according to a surveycarried out by hotel booking site, Agoda.com.Customers ranked the Cambodian gateway10th in the survey of the continents best
The retail concession at Brazils ViracopInternational Airport has been awarded travel retailer, Nuance. The ten-year contrawith a possible five year extension expected to deliver a lifetime turnover more than $450 million. It is Nuances fientry into the South American market.
The Myanmar government has put half tAsian countrys airports up for sale, accordingThe Myanmar Times. It claims that the Minisof Transportation will open tenders in Janua
For daily news updates, visit www.airport-world.com
Brazilian airport salesThe Aeroportos do Futuro group spearheaded by Odebrecht
and Singapores Changi Airport Group has paid $8.3 billion
for the 25-year concession to run and expand Rio de
Janeiros Galeo Airport.
The deal is part of Brazilian president Dilma Rousseffs
programme to modernise infrastructure in Brazil ahead of the
FIFA World Cup next year and Olympic Games in 2016.
Galeo Airport handles about 22mppa and is set to have
26 new gates added alongside expanded cargo storage.
Elsewhere in Brazil, Aerobrasil group comprising
construction company CCR and the operators of both
Munich and Zurichs airports has paid $840 million for the
30-year concession to run Belo Horizontes Confins Airport.
Brazils state-run management company Infraero will
retain a 49% stake in both airports.
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A
irports Council International (ACI) extends its warmest congratulations
to the newly elected president of the Council of ICAO, Dr Olumuyiwa
Benard Aliu.
Dr Alius election was confirmed on November 18 when the 36 States that
comprise ICAOs Governing Council registered their unanimous agreement
during the Councils 200th Session.
His three-year term will take effect on January 1, 2014, and end on
December 31, 2016. Nigeria presented his candidature on March 8, 2013.
Dr Aliu is an outstanding diplomat and civil aviation leader with a great
talent for consensus building and a passion for advancing aviation policy and
practice, enthused director general of ACI World, Angela Gittens.
He has always impressed me with his seamless development and
integration of strategic objectives, policies and programmes, as well as his
warm and open personal style and talent for drawing together people to forge
collaborations and partnerships.His 30 years of exceptional service to international civil aviation and
extensive academic background have garnered the full confidence of ACI that
relies on the Council to advance issues of great importance to the worlds
airports. I look forward to working with him over the next triennium and
congratulate him on his historic appointment.
He is the fifth president of the ICAO Council in its almost 70-year history and
its first president from the Africa region. Prior to his election, Dr Aliu served for
eight years as the ICAO Councils Nigerian Representative (2005-2013), director
of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authoritys Air Transport Regulation Directorate
(2000-2004), and chairman for the formulation of African Civil Aviation Policy
under the African Union (2009-2011).
Dr Alius election to president follows the announced retirement of Roberto
Kobeh Gonzlez (2006-2013), who served as president of the ICAO Council for
two consecutive terms.
ACI held a retirement luncheon for him in November to pay homage to the
tremendous contributions that he has made to the sustainable development of
the international civil aviation industry.The luncheon was held in collaboration with the Civil Air Navigation Services
Organisation (CANSO) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Global traffic trendsThe latest ACI traffic results show that global passenger numbers continued
along its growth path for the month of October increasing by 4.9% from the
previous year.
With global passenger growth in the realm of 3% year-on-year for the
last 12 months, October represented a banner month for passenger traffic,
as airports in advanced economies bounced back with strong gains heading
into the third quarter of 2013.
The Middle East continues to achieve the highest month-on-month
Double-digit growth rates continue to persist for airports across the region.
Dubai (DXB) and Abu Dhabi (AUH) grew by 15.1% and 15.8%, respectively.
ACI Worlds economics director, Rafael Echevarne, commented: While
there is a revived sense of optimism based on the latest traffic figures, it is
still early to adopt the view that we are completely out of the woods.
Nevertheless, key emerging aviation markets, such as Dubai, Istanbul
and So Paulo, continue to post strong gains in passenger traffic in spite of
the downside risks For the month of October only three out of the top
CI WORLD NEWS
ACI congratulates Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu on his election as president of the Council of ICAO.
World in motion
Pictured left to right: CANSOs Jeff Poole; ACI Worlds Angela Gittens; ICAOs Roberto Kobeh Gonzlez and his successor,
Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu; and IATAs Tony Tyler.
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ACI WORLD NE
ACI officesACI World
Angela Gittens
Director General
PO Box 302
800 Rue du Square Victoria
Montral, Quebec H4Z 1G8
Canada
Tel : +1 514 373 1200Fax : +1 514 373 1201
www.aci.aero
ACI Fund for Developing
Nations Airports
Angela Gittens
Managing Director
c/o Geneva,
Switzerland
Tel: + 1 514 373 1200
Fax: +1 514 373 [email protected]
ACI Asia-Pacific
Patti Chau
Regional Director
Hong Kong SAR, China
Tel: +852 2180 9449
Fax: +852 2180 9462
www.aci-asiapac.aero
ACI Africa
Ali Tounsi
Regional Secretary
Casablanca, Morocco
Tel: +212 619 775 101
www.aci-africa.aero
ACI Europe
Olivier Jankovec
Director General
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (2) 552 0978
Fax: +32 (2) 502 5637
www.aci-europe.org
ACI Latin America & Caribbean
Javier Martinez Botacio
Director General
Quito, Ecuador
Tel: +593 2294 4900
Fax: +593 2294 4974
www.aci-lac.aero
ACI North America
Deborah McElroy
Interim President
Washington DC, USA
Tel: +1 202 293 8500
Fax: +1 202 331 1362
www.aci-na.org
ACI represents 573 members operating 1,751 airports in 174 countries and territories, which in 2012 handled 5.7 billion passengers, 92.5 million
tonnes of cargo and 79 million aircraft movements ACI is the international association of the worlds airports It is a non-profit organisation
March 12-14
Airport Economics &
Finance Conference &
Exhibition
London, UK
2014 2014
May 26-28
ACI World Annual
General Assembly
ACI Asia-Pacific
Regional Conference
Seoul, South Korea
2014
June 16-18
ACI Europe General
Assembly, Congress
& Exhibition
Frankfurt, Germany
2014
April 29-30
ATAG Aviation &
Environment Summit
Geneva, Switzerland
2014
February 26-28
The Trinity Forum
Bangkok, Thailand
ACI events
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Dear colleagues, a century ago, on January 1, 1914, the first
commercial flight travelled between St Petersburg and Tampa in
the state of Florida in the United States.
Its first passenger, the Mayor of St Petersburg, Abraham C Pheil,sat on a wooden seat next to the pilot. Around 3,000 spectators and a
music band witnessed the sound of the wooden open-air seaplane
start its six-cylinder engine and take flight to an altitude of five feet
above water. The world would never be the same.
The St Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line became the worlds first
scheduled winged airline service in history. After only three months of
operations, the airline ceased operation when a city subsidy ran out
and left the airline unprofitable!
As we head into 2014, the image of a wooden aircraft without a
windshield or seatbelts can serve to remind us of the tremendous
gains in safety performance the industry has made.
With ICAO at the global level, civil aviation commissions at the
regional level, civil aviation authorities at the national level, and
industry groups, such as the Flight Safety Foundation, IATA, ACI, CANSO
and ICCAIA, aviation has become the safest form of transportation.
What started as a retrospective activity, reviewing the causes of
accidents and endeavouring to eliminate or mitigate the conditions
found to contribute, matured into the study of incidents that could
lead to an accident. And now, marked by the release of ICAO Annex
19, the Integrated Management Section of The Convention on
International Civil Aviation, we are evolving to a proactive approach
where safety vulnerabilities are sought out and mitigated. Annex 19
exemplifies the concept of a safety culture, which refers to the attitudeand actions of people.
As much as civil aviation is about technology, the conquest of
gravity, the muscle of machinery, the massiveness of infrastructure, it
is still a business of people serving people. When we are conducting
research or speaking in technical terms, we refer to human factors
and the human in the loop.
And just as manufacturers and governments have invested in
scientists and engineers to improve materials and machines,
operators and governments invest in the range of human skills it takes
to make our industry safe, secure, customer-friendly and economically
and environmentally sustainable.
ACI, working through our committees, assists airport managers to
get the best from their human resources. We offer an extensive suite of
skills development programmes classroom and online for all levels of
curriculum is dynamic, its development guided by the current and
emerging needs of airports as they attempt to recruit and retain the
skills they need in all areas of the business.
In this increasingly competitive airport environment, our newest
online set of courses, the Airport Operations Diploma, allows airports
to cross-train staff as well as allows staff to broaden their skill-set as
the modern airport breaks down the silos within. The Spanish
language version of the course will begin in 2014.
I am also pleased to announce the publication of a significant new
best-practice guide, The ACI Guide to Airport Security Assessment of
Human Factors in Checkpoint Security. This document is intended to
help airports and airport security managers assess their organisation
across a range of human factors and organisational effectiveness
attributes that have been identified as having a potential impact on
security screening performance.
This is a groundbreaking document, the fruit of a successful
collaboration with LeighFisher. There is no other guidance document quite
like it and it is our intention to develop complementary case studies and
further guidance to help airports achieve these leading practices.
And, of course, we have our Airport Excellence (APEX) in Safetyprogramme which is a hands-on exemplar of the new approach to safety
management, where experts from ACI and Safety Partner airports, along
with friendly inspectors from ICAO or other regulatory bodies,
participate with the Host airport in a review of the Hosts safety
vulnerabilities, in accord with ICAOs Annex 14 (and now, Annex 19).
The review is paired with one or more training courses where that
is necessary and has as one of its outcomes, the establishment of a
runway safety team, to facilitate continuous improvement, the
inculcation of a safety culture and a breaking down of silos among the
players on the airport platform.
The information we derive from the reviews informs our guidance
publication priorities, our training priorities and our feedback to ICAO
on the kinds of recommendations it needs to develop for the States to
help airports improve safety A truly virtuous circle And it all starts
Director general, Angela Gittens, reflects onthe 100th anniversary of commercial flight,training initiatives and the fact that aviation isa people business.
Viewfrom
the top
ACI VIEWPOIN
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RPORT REPORT: SAN FRANCISCO
For many, the highlight of the last 15 years at San Francisco
International Airport (SFO) is likely to be the 2000 opening
of its giant and still eye-catching International Terminal.
The distinct facility with its impressive glass faade, spacious lobby and
rail station is still the largest international terminal in North America and
provides a fitting welcome to San Francisco for nearly one million passengers
that pass through the gateway on international flights each year.
It has stood the test of time well and much better than some of the
rest of us, jokes airport director, John Martin, who oversaw its
construction and opening in the early days of his leadership.Its opening as the major project of a $3 billion construction
programme was a major milestone for the airport. It is a very efficient
building and changed the way we operated and the services we could
provide. The airport has always been good at customer service. When
we opened the international terminal, we became great.
But these days you simply cannot talk about SFO without thinking
about Martin, the airports longest serving aviation director after
clocking up 18 years in the hot seat, its new-look Terminal 2 or
highlighting one or two of its impressive green credentials.
Sense of placeThe modest Martin doesnt often speak about his longevity at SFO
because he doesnt really like talking about himself. It is, however,
something he is very proud of, and his love for the city, culture and its
people clearly came across in my time with him.
Indeed, Martin has gone out of his way to create a sense of place at SFO
and ensure that little pieces of San Francisco can be found throughout his
gateway in the shape of familiar shops, restaurants and services.
These have included opening versions of popular downtown shops
and restaurants in its terminals and encouraging local artists to display
their works as part of its long-established public arts programme.
Martin notes that he is actually a big supporter of pop-up shops,
and reveals that one of the reasons behind this is because he feels thatthey provide an inexpensive way for small, local businesses to come in
and test the market.
It is an ideal way to see if it is right for them before possibly setting
up a permanent outlet, enthuses Martin. We have a retailer who
started out with a little chocolate truck 30 years ago, and now has four
large retail locations across the airport.
This is the sort of thing we want to encourage, as it helps local
businesses and helps create a sense of place.
After car parking and rental car activity, which together make over
$160 million in revenue per annum, concession income is the next
biggest revenue earner for SFO duty free sales bring in $27 million per
annum alone and F&B around $10 million.
In fact, SFOs spend per passenger is one of the highest in
the US with the average customer in Terminal 2 spending around
San Francisco International Airports long-serving boss, John Martin, talks to Joe Bates about
infrastructure development, traffic growth and his gateways impressive green credentials.
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History in the makingTalking briefly about his long association with SFO, Martin says: When I
took the job in 1995, never in the world did I think I would still be here
18 years later! Its been an extraordinary ride with an extraordinary team.
Its the people that keep me here. We have a great culture where
everyone who works at the airport is really committed to providing
service and facilities.
He notes that how he spends his time has changed dramatically
since the early days, when he was preoccupied with construction of the
biggest public works programme in the US [the International Terminal,
extending the Bay Area Rapid Transport (BART) system to SFO and new
parking garages].
The first six years was all about keeping the airport open during
construction. Then came 9/11 and things changed radically, explains
Martin. We suddenly lost 40% of our traffic and the focus was very
much on cost-cutting, maximising our concession revenues while
maintaining customer service levels and getting new air services into
the airport.
Cost-cutting included laying off nearly 30% of his staff at the San
Francisco Airports Commission, about 130 people in total, which Martinsays was a tough but necessary business decision to keep SFOs cost
structure down.
The situation was not helped by United filing for bankruptcy
in the aftermath of 9/11 or the fact that Southwest Airlines had
pulled the plug on services to SFO and moved to Oakland six months
before the terror attacks, citing the airports high costs as the
reason for its exit.
Martin is the first to admit that these were difficult days for
SFO, which had little low-cost carrier traffic at the time, so saw its traffic
figures drop from an all-time high of 41 million in 1999 to
26.5 million in 2002 before starting the long road to recovery.
Attracting low-cost carriers became a huge marketing emphasis for
us and landing Virgin America in 2007, which is headquartered in San
Francisco was a huge deal for the airport in terms of our traffic
Indeed, Martin goes as far as to say that the 2007 arrival of Virgin
America was a game changer for SFO, pointing out that whenever
the carrier enters a new market, airline fees on average drop by around
25% and traffic rises by 22%.
JetBlue and Southwest soon came online, fares dropped and
passenger numbers began to increase. As a result weve been one
of the fastest growing airports in the country in the last five years,
he says.
So, you could say Ive seen the good times, the bad times and
the great times during my time at San Francisco.
Greatest achievementsWhat does he count as SFOs greatest achievements under his leadership?
Without hesitation, Martin states that he is most proud of building a
corporate culture where the employees are dedicated to providing
exceptional service.
Adding: On a physical level, the opening of the International
Terminal which is still very much the centrepiece of the airport
and will be for years to come because of international traffic growth
is the highlight, closely followed by Terminal 2.I am also very proud of our record when it comes to the
environment and sustainable development.
Although he didnt mention it, reducing SFOs costs per enplanement
by 30% over a four year period was also a significant achievement.
He also gets great satisfaction from the recent upturn in
passenger traffic at the airport. In fact, such has been SFOs growth
in recent years that the airport equalled its previous best annual total
of 41mppa in 2011, and handled a record 44.5 million passengers
in 2012.
Green issuesIf Martin is reluctant to talk about himself, he is exactly the opposite
about SFOs environmental record, as he believes that the airport
is one of greenest in the US and a considerate neighbour to
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The gateways environmental roots can arguably be traced back
to 1995 when it decided to build todays AirTrain people mover
system to eliminate the need for rental car buses, and start
introducing CNG-powered ground support vehicles.
He lists the fact that SFO composts 77% of its waste products; that
all new buildings have Gold or Platinum rated Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED) certification; and that the airports
CO2emissions are 34% below its 1990 levels, as the highlights of
SFOs green achievements.
SFOs commitment to the environment extends to insisting that all
door-to-door vans, hotel shuttle buses and taxicabs serving the
airport use green fuels.
And it has shown the way by converting 60% of its own fleet
of vehicles to alternative fuels and is aiming for 100% within the
next few years.
The culture of our organisation is that we want to make net
contributions to the environment. We want to be an environmental
leader and our staff embrace this philosophy and genuinely want togo home and tell their kids that we are a green pioneer, says Martin.
We have been doing this for a long time now, so it is not a
passing fad or something we are doing to win political favour. We also
like to share our environmental knowledge and standards with other
airports so that they can benefit from our experiences.
ACI-NA recently honoured SFO with its Environmental Management
Award for its Climate Action Plan, in recognition of its efforts to reduce
its annual greenhouse emissions.
People powerOn the SFO website, Martin claims that he loves the pride his staff
and the public have in the airport.
This is certainly something that the airport commission has
worked on over the years according to Martin who recognises that
I believe that our people, SFOs airline customers and
concessionaires take real pride in providing exceptional levels of service
to customers and the airports reputation for breaking new ground in
environmental achievements, security and customer service.
We have worked hard to create a sense of passion and
commitment for the mission. We work with our employees to create a
vision for the airport. It is not my vision, it is the vision of the airport
staff and the organisation. The high-level goals are not my goals, they
are ones created by my staff. They have a buy-in, and ownership if you
like, to make the airport truly exceptional.
Strategic planHe is quick to point out that much of SFOs Reaching for No.1
strategic plan is based on feedback from staff during committee
meetings, which looked at best practice initiatives across the
world and how they could be adopted and developed at
the airport.
In Martins words, the catalyst for the plan was the need forSFO to re-envision itself and set a new vision, mission and
goals for passenger services, security, safety and the working
environment for employees.
Basically, our vision is to be an exceptional airport and
service for our community, he tells Airport World. We want to
be one of the worlds top rated airports for customer service.
We want to be a great place to work and an environmental
leader among airports.
Arguably, SFO has already achieved at least one of these goals
after being named The healthiest place to work in San Francisco in a
San Francisco Business Timessurvey, beating mighty competition on
the way such as Oracle and Google.
A key factor of the strategic plan, according to Martin, was the
introduction of a new guest service mentality in a bid to enhance
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He explains: We want to treat passengers as not merely our
customers but as our guests. This has meant learning from the hotel
visitor industry and adapting things that it does well, such as
concierge services, to the airport environment.
It has also meant providing amenities and services that exceed
expectations, such as Terminal 2, which offers the facilities and
services you would expect to find in a trendy hotel in downtown San
Francisco, but not at a busy international airport.
New infrastructureMartin calls the newly renovated Terminal 2, redesigned to fit
the business model of Virgin America and fellow occupant
American Airlines, something special.
Its $383 million upgrade actually resulted in the facility
becoming the nations first LEED Gold-registered terminal and
one of the most modern and sustainable facilities in the US a
remarkable achievement of a complex that originally opened
for business in 1954.
Todays new, improved 640,000sq ft version designed and
built through a partnership between Turner Construction and
Gensler (associate architects are Michael Willis and Hamilton-Aitken)
boasts 14 gates, 30,793sq ft of retail and concession space and thecapacity to handle up to 5.5mppa.
Martin believes that some of the services and facilities that help
T2 break the mould are its local foodcourt with offerings from celebrity
chefs, Tyler Florence and Cat Cora; dozens of works of art from local and
international artists; a childrens play area; luxurious restrooms; free
Wi-Fi and laptop plug-in stations; club-like seating near the gates; and
dehydration stations where visitors can refill water bottles.
He reveals that the challenge ahead for the airport is to do even
better in the soon-to-be completed Boarding Area E expansion of
Terminal 3.
The upgrade of the old American Airlines area of Terminal 3 part
of the next $5 billion development phase at SFO is actually due
for completion in January 2014, allowing for United to move in and
work to start on the phased multi-year remodelling of the rest of
When finished in 2020, the new-look Terminal 3 will become
Uniteds base at SFO and have facilities such as a single new central
security checkpoint, a range of new concessions and some of the
customer friendly facilities found in T2.
Also on the agenda under the 10-year master plan are proposals
to tear down and rebuild Terminal 1, and enhance SFOs appeal to
transit passengers with the construction of a new four-star hotel in
front of the International Terminal.
Like at DFW with the Marriott/Hilton, SFO plans financing and
building the hotel itself and then awarding a long-term operating
lease to a well-known hotel chain. The 10-storey, 450-room facility
will be built on the site of an existing car park.
Another addition will be a new air traffic control (ATC) tower,
which is currently being built between terminals 1 and 2. The complex
is expected to open in 2015 and replace the existing tower on top
of T2 that has served SFO since 1954.
Martin notes that the airport is also planning to improve the retail
and F&B programme in the International Terminal with more unique
offerings, while simple things such as piping music into restrooms is
expected to enhance its overall ambience.
On-time performanceOne thing that isnt on the cards is a new runway Martin
laughingly notes that he tried to get one 15 years ago although
SFO has high hopes that the delays caused by low cloud and fog
on 30% of all mornings will be reduced by the recent introduction of
new FAA-approved arrivals procedures.
Indeed, Martin says the procedures that effectively mean
SFO can still use both parallel runways for landings during
low cloud could eventually boost the airports arrivals capacity
by up to 20%.
He adds that the introduction of NextGen technology should also
help the airport improve its on-time performance record.
Always looking to make improvements clearly goes with the
job, and nobody knows this better than Martin, who appears to
remain as enthusiastic about the challenges ahead as the day he
RPORT REPORT: SAN FRANCISCO
Image courtesy of Gensler/Nic Lehoux.
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RPORT REPORT: BAHRAIN
Its been an interesting year for Bahrain International Airport (BIA),
to say the least. Operated by Bahrain Airport Company (BAC)
since 2010, Gulf Airs main base has shifted its development
plans following the national carriers restructuring over the
past 12 months.
Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah, who replaced Gordon Dewar as
the CEO of BAC in September 2012, tells Airport Worldthat the airport
is in desperate need of more capacity.
The existing infrastructure dates back to 1994, he says. That
was when the terminal building was constructed, designed for four
million passengers.
Now, the airports traffic is more than twice that, seeing
8.47 million passengers in 2012 after reaching close to nine million
in 2010 stretching the terminal beyond its limits.
Problem-solvingAs a result, BAC and its holding company, Bahrain Mumtalakat, have
devised a three-step plan to improve the situation.In the short-term, around $18 million will be invested to renovate
and replace dated infrastructure assets.
Al-Binfalah explains: Weve started a number of tendering
projects and we are about to place some of the orders.
These projects, expected to be completed in 2015, include
installing seven new air bridges; replacing flooring in arrivals; and
implementing security-related infrastructure, including detection
and CCTV equipment.
The next phase aims to invest $1 billion in expanding the terminal
building an additional 40,000sqm could be added and its related
amenities over the next five years.
While plans appear to lack details at the moment, Al-Binfalah says
the development will include capacity for an additional 13.5 million
passengers per year extra car parking state-of-the-art airport
The need to invest in the existing infrastructure is not a luxury.
Its not a vanity. Its a need that has to be fulfilled, he asserts.
Finally, he states the Bahraini government has decided to build
a brand new airport and is deciding between two locations.
The existing capacity constraints require the ambitious plans to
come to fruition by 2030.
Al-Binfalah suggests BIA will suffer if the situation continues for
much longer. Bahrain is known for its efficiency and friendliness and
weve been internationally recognised for this, he notes.
We are currently handling over eight million passengers per
annum, so there is a lot of pressure on all touch points at the airport.
As a result, some of the passenger experience elements are not what
we would like to have.
Filling the gapCurrently, BAC has direct flights to more than 35 destinations, with
some operating as far as Washington DC, London and Hong Kong.
In 2012, the airport welcomed new flights from Felix Airways,Safi Airways and Mihin Lanka Airways, as well as the introduction of
the Boeing 747-8F on British Airways and Cargoluxs freight services.
Additionally, several routes have seen increased frequencies, such
as Jet Airways Bahrain-Kochi operations, which commenced third
weekly flights in October 2012.
The most significant developments this year have come from
Bahrains national carrier, Gulf Air.
After announcing a major restructuring last December, the airline
has seen alterations throughout its network, fleet and workforce.
Following the resumption of flights to Iraq in September 2012,
Gulf Air has increased services to several destinations in the past year,
including Sanaa, Chennai, Jeddah and most recently Pakistan.
The restructuring further saw the cancellation of several
financially unviable routes from Bahrain including Colombo
Caroline Cook spoke to Mohamed Yousif Al-Binfalah, CEO of Bahrain Airport Company, about
the airports development plans.
Busy
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Al-Binfalah comments: We are expecting to add at least three
new destinations next year. We would like to focus on Asia and the Far
East, moving forward.
We are picking up on a new strategy to try and attract airlines to
serve the discontinued destinations.
He continues: We are also talking to airlines in China, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Thailand and India and maintain a constant dialogue with
home carrier, Gulf Air, about developing their network. In terms of
Gulf Air, we are particularly interested in exploring how they can serve
new destinations in Asia.
When asked if BAC sought destinations to the west, Al-Binfalah replies:
Its very difficult to attract services when the three major carriers Etihad,
Emirates and Qatar Airways are quite aggressive in serving them.
Nevertheless, we have connectivity to the US through United;
to Europe through British Airways, KLM and Lufthansa; and we are
still in dialogue with other carriers to explore how we can attract them
to Bahrain.
There is no denying that Al-Binfalah and his team have high hopes
for BAC and the future of BIA, despite the fact that the airports
long-term future lies on a new site elsewhere.
Indeed, BACs determination to ensure that service standards
at the existing gateway dont suffer in the meantime has resulted
in a big push to raise customer satisfaction levels at the airport.
And the initiative appears to be paying off, as Bahrain has been
named among the top five airports in the Middle East for the last two
years in ACIs Airport Service Quality (ASQ) customer satisfaction survey.
Furthermore, its employees were voted as the Best Airport Staff
in the Middle East in the 2013 SKYTRAX World Airport Awards
earlier this year.According to Al-Binfalah, the SKYTRAX award recognises BIA as a
world-class airport providing efficient, secure, safe and comfortable
travel experiences within friendly surroundings.
He insists that both honours are a testament to the professionalism
of BACs staff and its partners in providing excellence in passenger
services in line with the companys mission to offer passengers an
exceptional travel experience.
We are located in a part of the world which is known for its warmth
and hospitality and therefore take customer service very seriously,
enthuses Al-Binfalah.
We may not be the biggest or best-known airport in the world but this
doesnt stop us from aiming to lead the way in terms of customer service.
Sounds like an ambition that is bound to win favour with the
ever-increasing number of passengers that are set to pass through
AIRPORT REPORT: BAHR
We are expecting to add at least
three new destinations next year.
We would like to focus on Asia
and the Far East, moving forward
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RPORT REPORT: SYDNEY
It is not often that airports feature in election campaigns, but in
a year that Australia had no less than three prime ministers,
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport found itself at the heart of local
and federal politics.
The debate about whether Sydney needs a brand new 24-hour
airport and where that might be located has been around for
years, but it shot back towards the top of the political agenda
during 2013.
Supporters of a new airport argue that Sydneys growth means
the current airport, which operates under an 11pm6am curfew and
a restriction of 500,000 aircraft movements a year, will be unable to
meet demand in the coming decades.
The location of any new airport is always a political hot potato,
but the current front runner is Badgerys Creek, 51km west of
Sydneys Central Business District (CBD).
Supporters of the project argue that the area could use the jobs
boost a new airport would bring, and handily, the government already
owns the land there on which a new gateway could be built. Prime
Minister, Tony Abbott, has publicly backed the Badgerys Creek site.
Now, it is believed that Australias Transport Minister, Warren
Truss, is aiming to make a decision on any proposed new airport in
early 2014. Truss has been widely quoted in the media as saying he
believes a 24-hour airport will be required before 2027.
A different viewWhile some Australian politicians might be backing a new airport
project, the operator of Kingsford Smith, Sydney Airports
Corporation (SAC), which also has the right to operate any new
gateway, believes the current airport has plenty of scope for growth
and expansion. It argues a new gateway would not be required for
another three decades.
The operator submitted its master plan to the government in
December, outlining its belief that it will be able to service Sydneys
air transport needs until 2045.
The master plan forecasts passenger numbers rising to
74mppa by 2033, with aircraft movements increasing to close
to 410 000 The airport operator argues this is well within its
Sydney Airport CEO, Kerrie Mather, is quick to point out the
facilitys scope for future growth.
Weve got capacity to serve the very strong growth potential
we are seeing here in the market. There has been a lot of
misinformation about our capacity, given the debate around the
second airport, but a number of government studies have been
done in recent years confirming Sydney Airport has capacity for the
foreseeable future, Mather tells Airport World.
We have a number of operational restrictions that were put in
place to alleviate noise they were put in place 20 or 30 years ago
well before new-generation aircraft that are having a very
favourable outcome on noise. They dont reflect modern aviation,
she adds.
Industry changesThe CEO, who has headed up the listed Sydney Airport Holdings Limited
since 2002 and has been managing director and chief executive of
Sydney Airport since June 2011, believes structural changes in the
industry have transformed the way the gateway operates.
Mather says new-generation aircraft will allow Sydney to meet
demand, even with current restrictions in place, well into the future.
The way our capacity is being used at the airport is fundamentally
different to the way it was used five years ago, or even 10 years ago. It
is unique because we are an O&D market, she says.
We are not a hub we are the end of the line of major long-haul
routes. If you look at those operation restrictions, we have close to
500,000 movements per year, and we are using about 320,000 of
those. That hasnt varied a lot over the past 10 years because those
new-generation aircraft and the low-cost carriers are carrying
While the politicians are talking about a new
airport for Sydney, Kerrie Mather, CEO of the
existing one, is getting down to the business
of running Australias busiest gateway.
Lucy Siebert reports.
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AIRPORT REPORT: SYD
Highlighting this is the fact Sydney was the first airport to
receive a commercial A380 service in 2007 with Singapore
Airlines, and it now handles 120 super jumbo services a week.
Mather says this type of investment from the airports airlines
bring major benefits for all stakeholders.
The airlines are all investing significant amounts in this
new-generation technology, which is driving better outcomes for
them with more fuel-efficient operations; for passengers, its driving
great product experience; and for the community, it leads to better
noise outcomes, she says.
Mather continues by pointing out the impact that the growth in
low-cost carriers, including Jetstar, Tigerair Australia and AirAsia X,
are having on Sydneys operations.
Meanwhile the QantasEmirates partnership has also altered
scheduling at Sydney, with the Flying Kangaroo now hubbingthrough Dubai instead of Hong Kong or Singapore.
Once upon a time, when Heathrow via Asia was a major hub,
most of our growth was into our peak, but we are finding that is
moving throughout the day. And the LCCs are increasing their
operations in the off-peak as they are serving the markets at
different times of day, she says.
Expansion plansWith Sydney Airport Corporation in no doubt Kingsford Smith
has sufficient capacity to meet the medium-term demand,
its master plan includes a number of proposed schemes aimed
at expanding facilities and improving the airport experience
for passengers.
The main one of these is integrating the domestic and
Mather explains: The concept creates two integrated precincts
each accommodating international, domestic, regional and
freight. It is actually a mixing of international and domestic, and
will improve the airport experience and make our operations
more efficient.
She adds that the plan is possible as there is no overlap
between the three busiest international hours and the four busiest
domestic hours of the day.There are significant periods of the day the airport is relatively
empty so the mixing of terminals provides a better balance of
activity between the two precincts, she adds.
Transport headachesWhile the city of Sydney is known for its sweeping harbour views
and beach-side living, it is also famous for its transport woes.
The airport is no exception. While it is just eight kilometres
from the CBD and its fast and efficient airport rail link is
popular with passengers, the gateway still suffers from road
transport congestion and delays.To address this, the master plan foresees the creation of an
integrated ground transport system and an upgrade of major
roads and intersections around the airport.
We are working closely with the government on some of
the issues to improve the traffic flow to the airport. The government
has now prioritised Sydney Airport in terms of ensuring the
transport links, investment in and expansion of the major
intersections are one of the highest priorities, says Mather.
Under the plan, there will be a new one-way ring road for
the T2 and T3 precinct, and a new free-flowing road through the
T1 precinct, as well as a new city-bound exit by 2018.
The airport claims this will increase green light time at key
intersections by up to a third. There will also be a new bus and
multipurpose parking facilities.
Ongoing investmentAnd despite the uncertainty surrounding the future of
Sydneys airport system, Mather points out the operator
has continually made significant investments over the
past decade.
Weve invested A$2 billion in capacity and improved
facilities over the past 10 years and we will continue to invest
significantly in enhancements, she enthuses.The investments in recent years include the significant
expansion of Terminal 1, which completed in 2010, and
a significant capacity expansion of nearly 30% at
Terminal 2.
And during December it opened a new domestic two-level
car park, creating an additional 964 car parking spaces.
This brings total car parking across the airport to 16,700.
So while there are question marks around what the future might
hold for Sydney Airport, Mather is adamant that the current
gateway will continue to play its central role in Australias
economy for years to come.
Every airport plays a vital role in the economy but Sydney
has a particularly vital role in facilitating tourism and providing
all the associated infrastructure for tourism and growing the
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SPECIAL REPORT: PEOPLE/HUMAN RESOURCES
When you have a staff of 2,600 made up of 40 nationalities
working to serve every nationality under the sun, the
importance of recognising and respecting cultural
differences could not be higher.
This is an average day for London Gatwicks staff. The challenges faced
by them are many and unpredictable, but the airport is going all out to
ensure its team is well equipped to cope.
Since leaving the BAA stable in 2009 after its purchase by Global
Infrastructure Partners (GIP), London Gatwick has upped the ante on staff
training and HR issues as it competes head-to-head with LondonHeathrow to become Londons airport of choice.
GIPs results-driven approach has seen London Gatwick develop a stronger
corporate culture and adopt a new, more customer-focused philosophy.
Leading the change in terms of staff approach is Tina Oakley,
appointed as HR director of London Gatwick in September 2010. She
joined the airport from P&O Ferries where she was HR director, but is no
stranger to the unique nuances of the aviation sector, having clocked up
26 years working for British Airways in a variety of operational, customer
service, commercial and HR roles.
Since coming onboard at London Gatwick, Oakley has introduced new
staff training schemes, a new look and helped the airport define its vision
and ambition for the future.
The philosophy we have here is about treating every customer and
employee as an individual and recognising that everyone is different;
their reasons for travelling and working will be different, Oakley stresses.
Turn It UpLondon Gatwick introduced its Turn It Up staff training programme to
frontline security teams last autumn, with a view to making the journeythrough security less stressful and more human.
Our Turn It Up training focused on helping our people to recognise the
individual differences of customers. We taught them to look for body language
and read individual needs. Its about altering your style, Oakley explains.
Turn It Up proved such a success that London Gatwick is now rolling it
out elsewhere, including to those that work with passengers with reduced
mobility, car park staff, and even third party providers.
Since the GIP buy-out, staff training has been a core element of London
Gatwicks pursuit of improved operations and key performance indicators.
Tina Oakley, HR director of London Gatwick, talks to Sarah McCay about the airports new
corporate culture and its positive impact on the passenger experience.
Culture club
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SPECIAL REPORT: PEOPLE/HUMAN RESOURCES
When GIP first took over, the focus was on operational excellence.
Now we have that as a bedrock, we are looking more at the passengerexperience, reveals Oakley.
London Gatwick is now a very energetic, fast-paced environment
focused on competing and wanting to win. We are very performance-based.
All of our staff now have an appraisal twice a year and get messages on how
they are performing that was a first for London Gatwick.
As well as the new appraisals system and the Turn It Up programme,
London Gatwick also operates an on-the-job mentoring scheme.
Frontline staff are assigned to a team leader who offers support in terms
of development and needs for the business. Reinforcement, while it might
happen in a training facility, also happens on the job, Oakley explains.
Her team also works closely with third party service providers. The
airports Rhythm of Gatwick programme is about putting our values out
across the airport with third parties, enthuses Oakley.
Their staff are key to making sure everyone is in tune with where
Gatwick wants to be. Retail operators also want us to run the Turn It Up
programme for them. We are taking it step by step across the campus.
Language barrierCommunication is key and all members of the London Gatwick team have
to speak a high level of English. Some members of the concierge staff can
speak up to 30 languages.
Technology is another tool used to help overcome the language barrier
and some frontline staff now carry iPads.Weve got iPads around the building and people can self-serve; but
we also feel strongly that you do need that people element, so it is a
combination of the two, explains Oakley. The iPads are used in certain
circumstances, but the human element is key. We like to think that we are
able to host our passengers as guests as they come through.
London Gatwick also has Google Maps for the airport and a lot of
the passengers who are tuned into technology use these to help them
navigate around.
New lookIn addition to a new staff ethos, London Gatwick has also unveiled a new
wardrobe of staff uniforms, inspired by employee feedback.
Stylish but designed to be fit for purpose, the new 21-piece collection
was designed to stand out and give staff and passengers the feel of
The new uniform is teal and purple in colour and designed to look
more approachable, less like a security uniform, says Oakley. Namebadges have been added to maximise the approachability of all staff.
The new uniform is the result of a 12-month project that gained the
feedback of 1,400 airport employees who were asked for their comments
on their clothing needs and invited to vote on their favourite designs.
Investors in peopleLondon Gatwicks HR success can be easily seen throughout the terminal.
However, if further evidence was required of how the new corporate
culture is working then the airports recent Investors in People (IiP) 2013
status is a testament to how programmes such as Turn It Up are
contributing to the success of the organisation.
When I first arrived, there was a survey that showed our relationship with
our people was slightly wanting, admits Oakley. After getting that information
we put a real focus on people leadership and making that a way of life, so when
we came to be benchmarked we were successful in getting accreditation, but
more delighted to have changed our relationship with our people.
The IiP standard is defined and set by business leaders, based on
39 must-haves that organisations measure up against. IiP accreditation
covers everything from business planning and leadership, to
management effectiveness and performance measurement.
However, now London Gatwick has IiP status, it is not sitting back. In fact,
Oakley and the team are now going for the Best Companies survey to benchmar
again. The aim is to keep moving the bar further and further, admits Oakley.London Gatwick also uses events such as the London 2012 Olympics
as a spearhead for change and improvement.
We had eight different organisations working together as a team to
make sure those coming through [for the Olympics] had a great
experience. It was great to be part of that, she says.
Afterwards, we look at the whole picture and learn from it so we are even
better the next time. We are good at looking forward here. There are always
other things around the corner and so we look at the next challenge.
Looking ahead, London Gatwick has its eyes on the prize and HR is to play
a central role in achieving its ambitions, says Oakley.Todays London Gatwick
is change-focused, energetic and very competitive with a strong vision of
where we are going. I think most people would say its a very exciting time at
Gatwick as there is literally so much happening, she muses.
Our focus is on people We recognise that customers do have a
SPECIAL REPORT: PEOPLE/HUMAN RESOURCES
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8/13/2019 Airport World, Issue 6, 2013
26/26
Airport World 6 2013
Now available online
>
The magazine of the Airports Council International
In this issue
In the spotlight:People/Human resources
Airports:Bahrain, San Francisco & Sydney
Special report:Retail innovation
Plus:IT trends, security & the environment
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