UK aviation minister Baroness Sugg and security minister Ben Wallace will hold a meeting with airport bosses
By Neil Lancefield
January 10 2019 7:26 AM
Airports say they are stepping up measures to stop drones grounding flights after the latest incident at Heathrow.
Departures at the west London hub were suspended for around an hour on Tuesday night after a drone was spotted.
This came three weeks after drone sightings caused chaos at Gatwick in the run-up to Christmas, affecting the travel plans of 140,000 passengers as the runway was closed.
Police have appealed for information to help them trace the owner and operator of the Heathrow drone, and said “the criminal investigation continues”.
UK aviation minister Baroness Sugg and security minister Ben Wallace will hold a meeting with airport bosses on Thursday to discuss plans to crack down on the problem of drone misuse near airports.
The Department for Transport said the Government is working with the aviation industry to explore technical solutions.
A spokesman for the Airport Operators Association, a trade association representing UK airports, said: “In light of events at Gatwick and Heathrow, airports are working together, as well as with Government and the police, to see what lessons can be learnt.
“This includes looking at what technology is available and what deterrent action, such as increased police patrols, can be taken.”
The group is reviewing whether it wants the Government to introduce legislation which would make it mandatory for drones to be fitted with geo-fencing technology to stop them entering no-fly zones, such as airports.
Heathrow would not be drawn on what action it is taking to stop drone incursions, but the airport recently said it is investing millions of pounds in equipment to prevent future flight disruption.
The police and Government were criticised during the Gatwick incident by some passengers who felt they were too slow to ground the drones or apprehend their operators.
Devices which detect, track and ground drones have been installed at the West Sussex airport.
The Anti-Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Defence System was developed by three UK-based firms and has been pictured in use on the roof of Gatwick’s South Terminal.
Drone flying instructor Mitchell Apple warned that a lack of “personal responsibility” is a factor in drone misuse.
Speaking from the show floor of the CES technology show in Las Vegas, he said the devices are “just another tool” which can be used “however a person wants to”.
He added: “You could use a car to drive somebody to a hospital, or you can use a car to drive into somebody and send them to a hospital.”
The military was brought in on Tuesday night to assist with the anti-drone operation at Heathrow.
Commander Stuart Cundy, of the Metropolitan Police, said “significant resources” had been deployed to monitor the airspace and “quickly detect and disrupt any illegal drone activity”.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “We are deploying specialist equipment to Heathrow Airport at the request of the Metropolitan Police.”
A Heathrow spokeswoman said the airport would “continue to work closely with the Metropolitan Police on their ongoing investigations”.
Following the end of the initial drone-related disturbance at Gatwick, Mr Wallace said: “I can say that we are able to now deploy detection systems throughout the UK to combat this threat.”
On Tuesday, the Government announced a package of measures designed to give police extra powers to combat drones.
The exclusion zone around airports will be extended to approximately a 5km-radius (3.1 miles), with additional extensions from runway ends.
Ministers also announced that from November 30, operators of drones weighing between 250g and 20kg will be required to register and take an online drone pilot competency test.
Police will also be able to issue fixed-penalty notices for minor drone offences to ensure immediate and effective enforcement of the new rules.
Fines of up to £100 could be given for offences such as failing to comply with a police officer when instructed to land a drone, or not showing their registration to operate a drone.
NEW drone-hunting technology being rolled out at major Australian airports will not be put in place across the Central West.
Commencing this month, drones that breach a 5.5 kilometre exclusion zone around the country’s major airports will be electronically scanned for serial numbers and the owner’s location.
The scanning technology is aimed at thwarting drone attacks and comes in the wake of the closure of Britain’s Gatwick Airport after drones infiltrated the restricted airspace.
Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) spokesman Peter Gibson told The Sydney Morning Herald that the industry faced a growing risk that collisions with drones could bring down passenger planes.
Despite this, the technology will not be rolled out to the Central West.
Parkes Shire councillor Alan Ward, who is the Parkes Regional Airport Sub-Committee chair, said flying drones in close proximity to the airport impacted on aviation safety for passenger flights, freight providers and general aviation.
A collision with a drone can cause significant damage to a plane of any size.Parkes Shire councillor and Parkes Regional Airport Sub-Committee chair Alan Ward
“A collision with a drone can cause significant damage to a plane of any size,” he said.
Mr Ward said any breach of CASA’s drone safety rules at Parkes Airport would be reported by council.
“There are significant penalties for breaking these rules, including fines of up to $10,000,” he said.
Mr Ward said Parkes Airport was covered in the ‘Can I Fly Here?’ app which council encouraged all drone users to visit before flying.
“The app uses data from Airservices Australia to illustrate where you are permitted to fly,” he said.
In Bathurst, deputy mayor Bobby Bourke said the use of drones had the potential to cause “substantial issues to aircraft operations around an airport”.
“The use of drones would pose a low risk at Bathurst Airport in comparison to major international airports,” he said.
NO SCANNING: New drone scanning technology will not be installed across the Central West. Photo: FILE
“Most drones have devices installed that restrict their ability to operate within restricted airspace, and these devices automatically shut down when they detect this is the case.”
Meanwhile, a Dubbo Regional Council spokeswoman said a review of drone operations was currently underway.
“Drones are not permitted to operate within a 5.5km radius of the airport under CASA regulations,” she said.
“In the event of a breach the appropriate authorities are notified, such as air services, CASA [and] police.”
While Orange City Council manager of corporate and community relations Nick Redmond said while Orange was not a controlled airport, there were regulations in place which were aimed at keeping drones well away from controlled air space.
“There are also regulations which are aimed at keeping drones well away from aircraft,” he said.
If anyone flying a drone become aware of a nearby plane or helicopter they are required to land as soon as possible.Orange City Council manager of corporate and community relations Nick Redmond
“If anyone flying a drone become aware of a nearby plane or helicopter they are required to land as soon as possible.”
Mr Redmond said CASA’s new requirements for recreational drone users, that are due to start in mid-2019, were a positive step for the community’s safety.
“The move by CASA to expand the requirement for all drones to be registered will increase the amount of skill training and safety awareness by drone pilots,” he said.
New rules for recreational drone users
From mid-2019 a new national registration scheme will determine that all recreational drone users with a device weighing at least 250 grams to complete a safety and training course.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) guidelines are aimed at making it safer for aircraft and also people on the ground. Read more.
Rules for drone flying
You must not fly your drone higher than 120 metres (400 ft) above the ground.
You must not fly your drone over or near an area affecting public safety or where emergency operations are underway (without prior approval). This could include situations such as a car crash, police operations, a fire and associated firefighting efforts, and search and rescue operations.
You must not fly your drone within 30 metres of people, unless the other person is part of controlling or navigating the drone.
You must fly only one drone at a time.
You must only fly during the day and keep your drone within visual line-of sight. This means being able to orientate, navigate and see the aircraft with your own eyes at all times (rather than through a device; for example, through goggles or on a video screen).
You must not fly over or above people. This could include festivals, sporting ovals, populated beaches, parks, busy roads and footpaths.
You must not operate your drone in a way that creates a hazard to another aircraft, person, or property
You must not operate your drone in prohibited or restricted areas.
Approval is generally linked to an approved model flying association and its members
Please respect personal privacy. Don’t record or photograph people without their consent—this may breach state laws.
If your drone weighs more than 100 grams
You must keep your drone at least 5.5 kilometres away from controlled aerodromes (usually those with a control tower)
You may fly within 5.5km of a non-controlled aerodrome or helicopter landing site (HLS) only if manned aircraft are not operating to or from the aerodrome. If you become aware of manned aircraft operating to or from the aerodrome/ HLS, you must manoeuvre away from the aircraft and land as soon as safely possible. This includes: not operating your drone within the airfield boundary (*without approval); and not operating your drone in the approach and departure paths of the aerodrome (*without approval)
Tips for flying within the law
There might be local council and/or national park laws prohibiting drone flights in certain areas.
Research the area you plan to fly and contact your council or national park if you’re unsure.
Don’t operate near emergency services aircraft – if you fly, they can’t.
Want to Enjoy an Easy, Relaxed Airport Experience? It’s All About Waiting.
Waiting in line is considered by some to be almost as bad as torture, but it’s one of life’s inevitabilities. But, what if there was a way to make airport queues move faster and keep the experience more pleasant for those in line? It all comes down to understanding why queuing is so painful, and doing something about it.
No matter how carefully you have planned your business trip or vacation, from arriving early to check in, to paying that little extra for priority boarding, you can’t do anything about bottlenecks, delayed flights or other hold-ups. Next thing you know, you’re stuck between an irritated business traveller who’s worried about being late for a meeting, and a mother with three tired, cranky children who want to go home. And all you can do is stand there.
The pressure is mounting
Long lines are nothing new, but over the last twenty years, things have grown much more pressurised. With more security checks worldwide following 9–11, growth in passenger and flight numbers each year, and limited space to expand their existing infrastructure, modern airports frequently have to contend with lengthy queues of tired, frustrated people.
Airports need to make sure there’s enough staff at various checkpoints, gauge the flow and number of people through the processes and concessions, preferably in real time, and deal with unforeseen events, like delays or serious weather conditions. Add to that the fact that, as passengers, we simply don’t care — it’s not our fault or problem. All of this puts the pressure on airports to revamp the way things are done and come up with better solutions.
The torture of waiting
As a traveller, there are many frustrations you can experience, even before you get there. Traffic delays could mean you arrive feeling frustrated, and worried about missing your flight. Once there, there are all the queues you have to stand in — first check-in, then security, then the interminable queue for boarding, then the whole process in reverse when you land, with lengthy waits at border control, the baggage carousel and taxi rank.
Most international airports have done what they can to minimise these lines, with self-check-in options, self-service bag drop, comfort-lounges, priority boarding and such, but that doesn’t eliminate the need to stand in line. If everything is running smoothly and at top efficiency, things will move reasonably quickly, but when things go wrong, it’s a recipe for extremely agitated passengers.
Just one delayed or late-arriving flight can cause all planning to go completely out of whack. Suddenly, extra people need to be processed by a limited number of staff. Imagine you are one of the people waiting in an unending line, and only two counters are operating, while six, ten, fifteen counters stand unstaffed and inoperative — this leads to immediate irritation and complaints.
Now imagine you have no idea how long this is going to take, and you’re constantly checking the time to see how long it’s been. Even if the queue is moving reasonably efficiently, not knowing how long things will take can be highly frustrating.
It’s not just you
The simple fact is, waiting in line with little to no information and no clear understanding of what’s going on can make you frustrated, angry and stressed, and it isn’t just you. Everyone in that queue is feeling the same pressure and for very good reasons.
Plenty of research has been conducted on the psychology of lines, and most of that research says pretty much the same thing: most of the frustration people experience is caused by boredom and a lack of accurate information. In the case of boredom, having nothing to occupy your mind can make the wait feel much longer than it is. People have been shown to overestimate the length of time spent in a queue by around 36%, which means that boredom changes the way you perceive time.
As for lack of accurate information, when people don’t know how long they can be expected to wait, their frustration immediately increases. They resort to guessing and hoping things will move quickly enough and are caught in a web of uncertainty.
Add in the growing expectation of speedy service, which people have come to expect in the era of instant news, same-day deliveries, and 24-hour service centres, and now impatience has become just as important a factor. People are becoming less willing to wait quietly and patiently, and tend to complain sooner and more frequently than in recent years.
Fortunately, the research has shown two very interesting conclusions. Firstly, by providing some form of distraction, airports can help reduce boredom. Secondly, by providing accurate, up-to-date wait-time information, they help travellers feel more in control, thanks to clear expectations.
Better solutions
One of the major stumbling blocks to providing accurate wait-time information is how to gather that info accurately. By relying on CCTV cameras and a live monitor to try and accurately gauge where bottlenecks could happen, or where staff are needed to help speed things up, they are working reactively. Bottlenecks are only dealt with once they happen, rather than before they happen. At the same time, they can’t give reliable information about wait times.
New technology, however, is taking the guesswork out of airport operations. All it takes is some strategically placed sensors and the ever-present mobile device.
In contrast to the traditional cameras and human monitors used to gather data, mobile device-detecting sensors allow for real-time, seamless measurement of people flow. When using these methods, management can see, at a glance, where bottlenecks could occur, allowing them to quickly allocate staff to areas where they are needed.
But how does it work? Quite simply, by understanding human behaviour. Mobile devices can be found in possession of just about every single person in an airport, and virtually all will have switched on their phone, or taken it out of flight mode, within moments of landing. It makes the mobile device a truly reliable indicator of how travellers are moving, queuing and using facilities. Don’t worry about your privacy being invaded, though — the system doesn’t identify you via your device; it simply recognises your device’s ID, which contains no personal information.
Best of all, it allows the airport to give you the advantage of clear information, as well as faster, more efficient lines. By displaying real-time wait-time information clearly, these systems have helped reduce numbers of complaints, and even increased positive feedback about the passenger experience.
Adopting the tech
Fortunately for today’s traveller, a SITA survey shows that to date, 42% of airports have invested in queue monitoring technology to give them a clear view of wait times at various pinch points.
In 2015, Terminal 4 at JFK Airport in New York was much like all the other terminals — crowded with passengers, busy 24/7, with the tension and stress of national and international travel hovering in the air like a fog. Keen to improve the situation, they implemented BlipTrack sensors to help travellers get a realistic view of TSA and immigration queue times.
“Nobody likes to wait in lines, and signage helps to manage expectations. Not only does it tell passengers how long they’re going to be standing around, but it also alerts employees about bottlenecks developing, which in turn allows them to react to the situation more quickly,” said Daryl Jameson, vice president at the company JFKIAT, which runs Terminal 4 at JFK.
More or less at the same time, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) turned to the same solution to help reduce frustration and complaints resulting from people’s inaccurate perception of time.
“Much of our interest in the public display of wait times was to dispel perception from reality. As the adage goes, ask five people what their actual wait time was, and you’ll get five different answers. Following deployment, complaints are now rare, as the passenger immediately understands the present situation and adapts,” says Brian Cobb, Vice president of Customer Experience at CVG Airport.
Not only have CVG reduced wait-time complaints, but they’ve also been able to use the collected data to recommend TSA staffing adjustments, resulting in a reduction in processing times by one-third.
Auckland Airport has taken the benefits of the technology a step further, by collaborating with road authorities. Besides wait-time information at pinch-point processes, travellers now also get travel time information on the road to and from the airport
Several other airports have followed suit, and have almost universally experienced a reduction in queue times, as well as complaints.
The next time you travel by air, take the time to look around and see whether the airport you are in has invested in wait time displays to make your journey smoother, more efficient, and stress-free.
part of Basel Aero airport holding, has experienced tremendous passenger and baggage growth since 2013 with all the numbers more than doubled since then and exceeded 5 million passengers per year. Optimizing business process and making airports’ infrastructure use more efficient has become a priority for airport’s management to handle rapidly increasing volumes. Sochi International Airport limited by existing terminals dimensions, it was not both physically and economically feasible to install fully automatic Baggage Handling System, and Airport’s management continued to search for a solution being able to enhance Baggage Operations and introduce Baggage Tracking according to IATA Resolution № 753 requirements. Longest Chance has offered a possibility for Sochi International Airport to pilot new innovative RFID-based Baggage Management and Tracking Solution to confirm and measure productivity increase by introducing Baggage Management to airport operations. Among key benefits of Longest Chance Solution identified by International Sochi Airport’s it’s necessary to highlight the following: Longest Chance Solution is fully addressing operational challenges connected to Baggage make-up, Baggage Loading and Offloading on board of an aircraft, gathering full Baggage relate statistics; Provision of Operational Baggage Dashboards, Statistics and Analytics; Baggage Loaders productivity increase exceeding 35%; Full Compliance with IATA Resolution №753 requirements; Elimination of misdirected baggage incidents; Cost saving on expensive Baggage Messaging distribution services subscription. We encourage you to watch a short video report below illustrating Longest Chance system in action in Sochi International Airport.
Sophia, one of the world’s most advanced and perhaps most famous artificial intelligence humanoid robots,
was a big hit at this year’s Information & Communication Technology International Expo in Ethiopia. Visitors, including various dignitaries, were excited to meet the life-like robot as she communicated with expo guests and expressed a wide range of facial expressions. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports
Sophia, one of the world’s most advanced and perhaps most famous artificial intelligence humanoid robots,
was a big hit at this year’s Information & Communication Technology International Expo in Ethiopia. Visitors, including various dignitaries, were excited to meet the life-like robot as she communicated with expo guests and expressed a wide range of facial expressions. VOA’s Mariama Diallo reports.
can play a key role in helping to enhance the passenger experience by facilitating simple, hassle-free processing, while also strengthening security. In the past few years, airports and airlines, government agencies and technology vendors have been investing more and more in the technology. Ahead of Future Travel Experience Global 2018, which will include a conference session dedicated to biometrics technology, FTE spoke to a number of the key protagonists who will be joining us at the event from Miami International Airport, British Airways (BA), U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) and Gemalto to explore the advantages and challenges relating to this technology.
In November last year, Miami International Airport opened its newly renovated Concourse E federal inspection facility for international arrivals. The new facility has allowed the airport to screen as many as 10 passengers per minute.
Miami International is one such airport that already has a strong track record of using biometrics. In November last year, the airport opened its newly renovated Concourse E federal inspection facility for international arrivals. The facility is the first in the US completely dedicated to providing expedited passport screening via facial recognition and is already showing positive results.
Maurice Jenkins, Director Information Systems and Telecommunications, Miami International Airport, explains: “Since launching the facial recognition pilot programme in November, the Concourse E facility has been screening as many as 10 passengers per minute. We have incrementally added flights since the programme began, and are now processing daily flights by six different airlines.”
The facility uses a new technology solution, developed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which verifies the traveller’s identity by matching a traveller to the document they are presenting. In addition to providing the latest in expedited passport screening technology, the new facility also reduces the walking distance for Concourse E and F passengers who previously only had access to the Concourse D passport hall – decongesting the arrivals area in the process as well.
According to SITA, 63% of airports and 43% of airlines plan biometric ID management investment by 2020 and for those who are just taking their first steps into exploring the technology, Jenkins advises that “encouraging a strong collaboration with stakeholders in the airport ecosystem” is essential. He adds: “Also, effectively plan and design POCs (proof of concepts) to best measure effectiveness and manage costs.”
British Airways’ £4.5bn innovation programme
British Airways has trialled Vision-Box’s biometric-enabled e-gates at Los Angeles International Airport.
Meanwhile, British Airways was one of the first airlines to trial self-service biometric boarding gates on international flights out of the US.
As part of the airline’s £4.5 billion investment programme focused on innovation and new technology, BA launched a trial at Los Angeles International Airport (using Vision-Box’s biometric e-gates) last December to improve the boarding process and significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to board an aircraft.
Moreover, earlier this year, BA launched another joint initiative with Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and CBP to implement SITA’s biometric technology on flights between Orlando and London Gatwick airports, which is showing positive results. “British Airways is committed to exploring new and innovative ways to improve the customer experience,” says Raoul Cooper, Digital Airport Design Manager, British Airways.
“Technology plays an important part in this and through the Orlando trials we discovered exactly how this sort of technology helps our customers, and the operation too. We saw that customers really appreciate and value a simple, quick and hassle-free boarding experience. Biometric boarding means they don’t have to present their boarding pass or passport at the departure gate, which leads to less time queuing to get on board. This technology enables us to board flights of almost 240 customers in around ten minutes – that’s such an achievement and half the time it takes using the traditional boarding method.”
BA is now looking ahead to improving the passenger experience at John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 7 using the same technology. “Our intention has always been to trial different camera and gate technologies, to understand what will provide the greatest benefit for customers and colleagues. As we now look ahead to improving the JFK Terminal 7 experience, all these learnings are helping us build the best solution for our customers travelling through New York,” he shares.
Cooper also revealed that BA is working with CBP on a white paper focusing on biometrics, which will be released soon. “We encourage all parties to read this and raise questions or challenge accordingly. It has the potential to really change the industry and so we need to air the contentious areas as well as embrace the clear benefits.”
Solving the security challenge by focusing on the passenger experience
The use of biometrics is growing steadily around the world, and U.S. CBP has an active role in supporting the industry in understanding and implementing the technology. Colleen Manaher, Executive Director, Planning, Program Analysis and Evaluation, Office of Field Operations, U.S. CBP, explains: “CBP meets regularly with airlines, airports and air travel industry associations while also participating in the key aviation events each year like the FTE Global event in Las Vegas to inform this key audience about the biometric exit mandate and partnership opportunities with CBP.”
Traditionally, CBP’s technology systems were based on reading the passenger’s passport. Through testing and stakeholder collaboration, however, CBP realised that once travellers have checked in with the airline, a camera could be used at the gate to quickly verify that the same person boards the plane.
Manaher adds: “As part of CBP’s vision, we built the infrastructure that our airline and airport stakeholders can plug into wherever an identity check is needed, so they can offer additional benefits to their customers. Biometrics are the transformative agent to revolutionising air travel today. Ultimately, CBP’s goal is to make travel easy for those who are compliant but very difficult for those trying to break the law. If each airline and airport tried to build their own systems, it could make travel incredibly complex for everyone.”
Currently, CBP and TSA are working closely together on biometrics efforts and will deploy a pilot at Los Angeles International Airport in August 2018, to test facial biometrics at the security checkpoint.
While the technology has the ability to secure and streamline travel and enhance the overall passenger experience, some have raised privacy concerns surrounding facial recognition. CBP is committed to its privacy obligations and has already taken several steps to safeguard the privacy of travellers. Manaher comments: “CBP is solving this very challenging security mandate by focusing on the traveller experience. For example, we have published several Privacy Impact Assessments, employed strong technical security safeguards, and have limited the amount of personally identifiable information used in the transaction. In addition, CBP works with the DHS Data Privacy Integrity Advisory Committee (DPIAC) and has met with several privacy groups to get their input about the implementation of the biometric Entry/Exit programme.”
Neville Pattinson, Senior Vice President of Federal Government Sales for Gemalto, which will be among the exhibitors at FTE Global, also comments: “Air travel security absolutely cannot be compromised, which makes a reliable, fast and secure identity verification system central to passenger experience improvements.” Gemalto’s latest innovation, which is based on its Live Face Identification System (LFIS), has the potential to successfully tackle this challenge. The company recently took part in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2018 Biometric Rally where Gemalto’s solution proved its worth, recording a 99.44% successful acquisition rate in less than five seconds, compared to the average of 65%.
“As we saw at the rally, this technology speeds up the travel experience, resulting in added convenience,” Pattinson explains. “That remarkably consistent efficiency could save travellers time and stress getting through airports, and could provide a boost to airports’ business by giving travellers more of an opportunity to enjoy restaurants, duty free stores or other amenities.”
Transformational potential of biometrics
While biometrics technology has reached a point where it can transform travel experiences, the change management aspect – from both passenger and process standpoints – will take some time, as will the creation of further collaborations between the various parties involved. Airports, airlines, government agencies, technology vendors and consumers must reach consensus on how to responsibly deploy biometrics, if the benefits of speedy, dependable and secure biometrics are to be fully realised by all.
In the meantime, here at FTE we will continue to bring industry leaders together and provoke meaningful discussions on key topics such as biometrics and secure passenger processing. In fact, the ‘On the Ground’ Conference at FTE Global 2018 (10-12 September, Las Vegas) will include an entire session dedicated to “Implementing advanced passenger processing with automation and biometrics”. Among the high-level speakers confirmed to participate in this session are Raoul Cooper, Digital Airport Design Manager, British Airways; Maurice Jenkins, Director Information Systems and Telecommunications, Miami International Airport; Simon Wilcox, Automation of the Passenger Journey Programme Lead, Heathrow Airport; Colleen Manaher, Executive Director, Planning, Program Analysis and Evaluation, OFO, U.S. CBP; Justin Erbacci, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Los Angeles World Airports; Dr. Bjoern Becker, Senior Director Product Management Ground & Digital Services, Lufthansa Group; Mara Winn, Lead Program Manager, Innovation Task Force, TSA; and Larry Panetta, Direct of Air Exit Implementation, U.S. CBP.
There will also be a “Jump Seat Debate” on the “Future of biometrics in travel” moderated by British Airways, plus dedicated briefing sessions from both U.S. CBP and TSA. Meanwhile, the leading suppliers of biometric technologies will also be present in the FTE Global exhibition. You can view the full agenda here. Early bird registration pricing expires on July 20.
A wave of ultra long-haul routes between distant airports have entered the market this year, offering travellers non-stop flights in aircraft configured especially for flying times of over 17 hours. Given that these routes were phased out in the past due to lack of passenger demand and unsustainable fuel costs, we find out what’s changed.
We also round up the airports that are pushing the boundaries of luxury entertainment into the virtual realm, learn more about Heathrow’s sustainability agenda, and ask whether airports should be doing more to help stranded migrants.
In this issue
Airports tap into virtual reality for passenger entertainment While some airlines have already pioneered in-flight virtual reality, a number of airport lounges are also starting to experiment with the technology. Frances Marcellin looks at the immersive entertainment systems that are taking off in airports. Read the article here.
In it for the ultra long-haul This year has seen the start of a wave of ultra long-haul routes, offering travellers non-stop flights in aircraft configured especially for longer flying times. Given that these routes were phased out in the past, Joe Baker finds out why they’re making a comeback. Read the article here.
Heathrow’s environmental mitigation: does the strategy hold up? After a controversial national debate, Heathrow Airport has received backing for its third runway project. The airport has gone to great lengths to prove it is embarking on a journey to sustainable growth, but is its environmental strategy convincing enough? Eva Grey reports. Read the article here.
Migrant crisis: airports caught in the middle The modern surge of migration, driven by those seeking economic opportunity or fleeing from war or persecution, is a defining geopolitical issue of our time. How are airports affected, and is there a solution? Chris Lo reports. Read the article here.
Will anyone save Detroit Airport? Lying in a perennial state of decay, Detroit airport is the subject of a fierce debate over whether it should remain open. As the city continues its recovery from bankruptcy, Ross Davies considers its future as an aviation hub. Read the article here.
Movers and shakers: tracking the world’s busiest airports Airports Council International recently unveiled its preliminary world airport traffic rankings, highlighting 2017’s busiest airports worldwide. Joe Baker finds out where they are, and what this tells us about global air travel.
Finally, we find out whether Detroit Airport has a future after the city turned down a $4m offer from private investors to build a modern terminal and hangars at the site, and explore the world’s busiest airports – which handled 1.5 billion passengers last year – in a special map feature.
Technology is making life easier for air traffic controllers, with automation set to play a key role. The FAA’s NextGen programme will provide increased automation and decision support tools to ATC
In this issue: The resurgence of ultra long-haul flights, airport lounges adopting virtual reality tech, the role of airports in helping migrants, Heathrow’s sustainability agenda, rescue plans for Detroit Airport, and more.
specialists, which could one day mean they are no longer involved in controlling every flight. We examine major automation projects in the world of ATC and ask what problems automation could solve in the future.
In security, we speak to Unisys about its plans to supply microsegmentation cybersecurity technology across 400 US airports, and find out more about the latest trend of flight sharing, which involves sharing the costs of private flights between a licensed pilot and their passengers.
Finally, we talk to some of the winners of the ACI Airport Service Quality customer satisfaction survey, map out some of the most exciting African airport projects set to drive air industry growth across the continent, and profile Mexico’s new airport, which is set to be the country’s most expensive endeavour in a century.
