Heathrow is Official London Olympics Airport

 

Full confirmation has now been given that London Heathrow will be the official London 2012 Olympic Games airport. Similarly, it will be the official host airport for the subsequent Paralympic Games, too.

Consequently, it's now anticipated that the 13 August 2012 - the day after the Olympic Games - will be busier than any other day in Heathrow's history. Never before will Heathrow have handled over 200,000 bags over a 24 hour period and the actual figure could exceed even that, beating the current 160,00-bag record.

Heathrow's expected to be the airport of choice for close to 80 per cent of all Olympic-related passenger traffic, including officials, spectators, reporters and, of course, the athletes themselves. That's not to say that other London airports won't figure at all but Heathrow will certainly more active than anywhere else.
 
London Olympics Airport  
The predicted levels of passenger traffic come, in part, from discussions held between BAA officials and those involved in operating other airports which have previously acted as Olympic host sites. According to one representative, it was these that indicated that London Olympics airport travel volumes would spike immediately after the event had finished.

"We expect people will arrive in dribs and drabs but they will all want to leave on the same day", the representative explained.

Typically, says BAA, passengers passing through Heathrow bring with them one-and-a-half items of luggage, on average. Where Olympic participants are concerned, this figure can be expected to increase three-fold. Additionally, large items of luggage will make up a significant percentage of the overall Heathrow Olympic Games traffic - objects such as vaulting poles, canoes and bikes that are too bulky to be processed in the usual way.
 
Olympic Games: Heathrow  
It's clear that, in general, the Olympic Games will give Heathrow a number of challenges, but solutions are being sought. One possibility being looked into is a dedicated Olympic terminal, which would be erected before the event and dismantled as soon as it's over.

"We are tremendously proud to be the host airport of the London 2012 Games", Colin Matthews, the Chief Executive of BAA, said, in a statement published on the official Heathrow Airport website.

"Heathrow will be the first and last impression of the London 2012 Games for thousands of people. London 2012 will be Heathrow's greatest challenge. Every part of the airport is working together so we can give the world's greatest athletes the world's greatest welcome."

By: Progress On 00:38

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Go-ahead for Vietnam's Largest Airport

 

A proposed layout for the largest airport in Vietnam's history has been unveiled, paving the way for its construction to begin in four years time.

Just over two months ago, formal approval for Long Thanh International Airport's go-ahead was given by the Vietnamese Prime Minister. Now, a plan's emerged for the massive new hub, which will ultimately be able to handle 100m passengers per annum. That 100 million passenger level however, won't be reached until 2035, when the final construction phase, out of three, has been finished.

The expectations for Vietnam's Long Thanh International Airport are considerable. Over $10bn is being invested into it and it's predicted to become a major South East Asian gateway. With Ho Chi Minh City - the country's largest - approximately 40 kilometres away, the new Vietnamese airport will be developed in line with a tourist influx that's already happening and increasing by up to 20 per cent each year, as more and more visitors journey to the area.
 
Long Thanh International Airport  
Long Thanh International Airport will cover a 50 square kilometre area and boast no less than four runways, each of them 4,000 metres in length. Complementing its passenger capacity, the site will also process a maximum of five million metric tonnes of cargo every 12 months.

Its initial phase development - slated for 2015-2020 -will see the first pair of runways laid down and associated infrastructure added around them. This will give the site an initial operating capacity of 25m passengers per annum - a figure that will effectively double once phase 2's added a third runway in 2030.
 
Vietnam's Largest Airport  
Once the fourth runway's in place, and the 100m passenger level reached, Long Thanh will be Vietnam's largest airport.

Ho Chi Ming City's presently served by Tan Son Nhat International Airport, but that site has now become seriously overloaded, handling 15-and-a-half million passengers last year.

As reported by Airport International, Vietnam opened a brand new airport at the very start of 2011. Can Tho International Airport's not a development on the same scale as Long Thanh but will still handle a considerable five million passengers a year.

By: Progress On 00:36

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Competition Commission Forces BAA Stansted Sale

 

BAA, the British airport operator, is now compelled to sell London Stansted Airport and one out of Edinburgh or Glasgow airports, as dictated by the Competition Commission.

Re-stressing a preliminary decision announced in March, in response to an appeal made by BAA's controlling group, Spanish firm Ferrovial, the commission has now given its final word on the matter.

Now, a two-year battle has been brought to an end, with BAA the losing party. In March 2009, BAA was the position of owning no less than seven airports in the UK. However, the commission said this was, in effect, unfair, and, shortly afterwards, London Gatwick airport was sold to GIP (Global Infrastructure Partners) through a £1.5bn deal. 
 
BAA Airport Sale  
That same message of enhancing competition opportunities within the airport industry, for the benefit of both carriers and passengers, was asserted again today by the CC in its ultimate 
BAA airport sale announcement.

"The CC has concluded that the sale of the airports is fully justified and that passengers and airlines would still benefit from greater competition with the airports under separate ownership, despite the current government's decision to rule out new runways at any of the London airports", it stated, adding: "The sales process will start in three months' time, or sooner if undertakings are accepted from BAA in the meantime."

BAA itself has hinted at the possibility of legal action and, in its statement, said that the CC's sale verdict would "...damage our company which is investing strongly in UK jobs and growth."
 
Stansted Airport Sale  
"We have a responsibility to protect our shareholders' investment and we will now consider a judicial review of the Competition Commission's decision", it explained, adding that 2009's and 2011 market conditions are quite different but that's not, apparently, evident to the CC. "A new government has changed aviation policy to rule out any new runway capacity in the south east [of England] and BAA has sold Gatwick Airport. Both are significant changes to the airport market", BAA said, in further comments on the proposed Stansted Airport sale.

According to the CC, London Stansted Airport should be the first to go, with one of the pair of Scottish hubs following thereafter.

By: Progress On 00:32

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US Airport Passenger Image Scan Upgrades

 

The US government agency charged with ensuring the safety and security of airport passengers in the United States is changing the way passengers are scanned at tens of sites across the country.

The original introduction of full-body scanners, which capture in-depth images of travellers in the search for concealed weapons, potentially explosive devices and other material, generated much controversy. Now, says the Transport Security Administration, all millimetre wave scanners deployed at US airports will have their software upgraded. As a result, the images that are studied by TSA officials working there will not represent the actual passengers being scanned but, rather, portray them generically.

So-called AIT (Advanced Imaging Technology) scanners made their airport debut in 2007. To this day, they're not a compulsory measure, but passengers that refuse them can expect to be rigorously patted-down, instead.
 
Generic Airport Passenger Image Scans  
In a statement on the new generic airport passenger image scans, the administrator of the TSA, John Pistole, emphasised that while travellers' privacy concerns should now be alleviated, the security aspect would remain as robust as ever.

"Our top priority is the safety of the traveling public, and TSA constantly strives to explore and implement new technologies that enhance and strengthen privacy protections for the traveling public", he stressed. "This software upgrade enables us to continue providing a high level of security through advanced imaging technology screening, while improving the passenger experience at checkpoints."
 
US Airport Scanner Upgrades  
Along with the altered image, one more major change will result from the US airport scanner upgrades, too. From now on, passengers will be permitted to look at the images themselves whereas, at present, that option isn't available and is solely restricted to TSA workers positioned in isolated areas.

The generic passenger images will still indicate the presence of potentially non-secure items in a standard way. If threats are detected, the passengers responsible for presenting them will be subjected to extra screening. If, however, it's an all-clear, the AIT system will display an ‘OK' message.

The full-body scanner software upgrade was developed through a collaboration between TSA and the Science and Technology Directorate - the US Department of Homeland Security's R+D offshoot organisation.

By: Progress On 00:25

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Finnish Airport Trials Bluetooth Passenger Tracking

 

Finland’s largest airport is putting everyday communications technology to a new use in a programme intended to speed up the travel experience for passengers. And it’s the passengers themselves that are helping to make it work.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport’s new passenger tracking system involves Bluetooth signals generated by mobile phones. While Bluetooth is typically used to send data from one communications platform to another, it can also serve as a status indicator.

In the airport’s case, it’s being used to track passengers passing through security. It can show how quickly security and screening are being carried out simply by doing what it normally does but the really clever part is that the results are highlighted on a prominent display screen.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport passengers viewing this screen, which shows the average waiting time associated with particular queues, then have the option to relocate to another queue. On that basis, it’s a system that benefits airlines and passengers alike, not to mention the airport itself.

Bluetooth Airport Passenger Tracking  
Right now, the Bluetooth airport passenger tracking system is being put through trials but, so long as it’s successful, it’s set to be introduced permanently later on in the summer.

Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is operated by state-owned Finavia and it’s been in operation since the 1950s. In 2010, it was used by close to 13 million passengers: of the airports based in Northern European nations, only Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm-Arlanda were busier.

The new tracking measure is comparable to pre-existing systems installed at Oslo Airport, Copenhagen Airport and London Heathrow in recent times.

Finnish Airport Bluetooth Trial  
“The method is currently in the testing phase, but by the end of next month, passengers will be able to see the average queuing times on security control monitors”, Finavia’s airliners and passengers head, Pirjo Lähteelä, explained in a press release on the Finnish airport Bluetooth trial.

“Presenting queuing times is part of a project, in which Finavia is working to improve the smoothness and customer service of its security control operations.”
“Last spring, queuing times were significantly reduced by restructuring queue management”, he added.

Helsinki Airport officials have stressed that the Bluetooth passenger tracking solution doesn’t represent a security compromise, since personal data such as the name assigned to each device, or its mobile number, aren’t detected.

By: Progress On 00:21

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Upgraded Biometric Passenger Scans at Heathrow

 

Heathrow Airport is pressing upgraded biometric passenger security technology into service, following 18 months of trials.

According to airport operator BAA, the system will be in place in Heathrow Terminal 1 and Heathrow Terminal 5 from September 2011 onwards. As a result, all passengers using these terminals at the UK's flagship airport will be scanned twice, in between arriving at the hub and getting on their aircraft.

The devices will be delivered to Heathrow via a tie-up between security firm Atkins and biometric software organization Aurora and there will be 82 of them in total.

They're based on the PASS2 (Passenger Authentication Scanning System) produced by Atkins that's been deployed at Heathrow for the past three years but incorporate AIR (Aurora Imaging Recognition) to supply a brand new capability, previously unseen at any other airport.
 
Biometric Passenger Scans  
Air's attributes include the ability to capture biometric passenger scans in a variety of different lighting conditions and to identify individual subjects at a maximum range of approximately 36 inches.

"Previous facial recognition technology has always been highly susceptible to changes in light", Aurora's chief executive Hugh Carr-Archer told the Evening Standard.

"We use near infra-red light which bathes the face in constant lighting. It's the first time this system has been used by an airport for passenger processing."
 
Upgraded Heathrow Biometrics  
Trials carried out since the start of 2010 have shown that, on average, the upgraded Heathrow biometric system can carry out a single verification in under five seconds. Once the system's up and running, these biometric scans will be performed both around the check-in facilities and in the departure lounge areas.

"In line with UKBA [UK Border Agency] requirements we are introducing technology that will enable us to more accurately reconcile images of passengers flying domestically", a BAA representative explained in a company statement.

"For passengers this means a faster journey through ticket presentation and use of lounge facilities, which previously would only have been accessible to international travelers."

By: Progress On 00:17

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New Chinese Airport Passenger Terminals

 

North West China's largest airport is set to gain a third passenger terminal.   
Once completed, Xi'an Xianyang International Airport's Terminal 3, joined by a second runway, will give the site the capacity to handle up to 26 million passengers per annum.

This runway will be constructed to sit alongside the existing, 3,000 meter-long runway. Once it's put into service, it'll be used in combination with the current one, bringing parallel runway operations to Xi'an Xianyang International Airport for the first time.

Xi'an Xianyang International Airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and lies 1,572 feet above sea level.
 
New Chinese Airport Terminal  
The new Chinese airport terminal will cover an area of 170,000 square meters, of which 11,400 square meters will accommodate retails units - 88 of them, in total. That's according to The Design Solution - the firm responsible for planning the commercial aspects of the new Chinese airport terminal.

The retail side of the expansion will be delivered in two waves. The first element opens to passengers in March 2012 and the second, potentially in 2014.
 
Chinese Airport Passenger Terminal  
‘The character of the space has been designed to be contemporary and elegant, but with a number of elements that reflect the local history, culture and character', The Design Solution explained, in a statement on the Chinese airport passenger terminal concept.

‘There will be 3m-high custom-made 'Chinese' lanterns along the full length of the departure lounge and a media feature at the center. The elevations have been broken into modules defined by arches, with textured recesses illuminated by subtly changing colored LED's.

‘Xi'an will set new standards in China, in terms of planning and design of the commercial areas.'

In related news, another new Chinese airport terminal opened for business earlier in July.
Changsha Huanghua International Airport's Terminal 2 boost that site's passenger capacity to 15.2 million and covers an area of 212,000 square meters.

Per hour, it's expected to be able to handle 40 flights, or 4,000 passengers, at peak times.

By: Progress On 00:04

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