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Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International reported a 15% increase in passengers
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol reported 47.4 million passengers
Singapore Changi handled a record 37.7 million passengers
Port Columbus Rickenbacker Airport saw a 10.5% drop
John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., will welcome Virgin America

ATW's Airports Today, March 2009, p.6

Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen International reported a 15% increase in passengers last year to 4.3 million. Airport officials credited the growth to the addition of new routes, frequencies and carriers. A new terminal, which will increase overall capacity to 25 million, will be completed in October, making SAW a major gateway for both Turkey and Eurasia.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol reported 47.4 million passengers in 2008, a 0.8% reduction from the previous year. Cargo also experienced a downward trend, dipping 1.4% to 1.6 million tons. Airport officials called the declines "a direct result of the global financial crisis."

Singapore Changi handled a record 37.7 million passengers in 2008, up 2.7% over the previous year. However, airfreight dipped 2% to 1.86 million tons. Six carriers began service into Changi last year, adding nine new city links. As of Jan. 1, some 83 airlines were operating 4,670 weekly flights out of the airport.

Port Columbus Rickenbacker Airport saw a 10.5% drop in passengers to 6.9 million in 2008. It moved nearly 200 million lb. of freight, a 9% drop from 2007.

John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif., will welcome Virgin America service starting April 30 with five daily flights between SNA and the VX home base in San Francisco. This marks the ninth destination of the startup that began service in the US in August 2007.

Development and Construction

JFK set to begin runway improvement project

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey approved $376.5 million for a runway project designed to help alleviate delays at busy JFK International. Construction is scheduled to begin in June and be completed in 2011. It will include reconstructing and widening Runway 13-31 and adding access points on taxiways and will ease access from taxiways to terminal gates.

All of the work is geared toward saving time on the ground for passengers, according to the PA. Runway 13-31 is 14,572 ft. long and handles about one-third of JFK's annual operations, including more than half of all departures. The project calls for an overlay of 18 in. of concrete on the runway, which will be widened from 150 ft. to 250 ft. to accommodate the A380.

During construction, airlines are adjusting schedules and operations to mitigate delays and the airport's three remaining runways will be fully utilized. The renovation project is expected to support 2,500 jobs, according to the PA.

The money for the project is from the airport's capital budget, not from the recently enacted federal stimulus program, a PA spokesperson told AT. "It's too early to say what funding will come from the stimulus program. But we can't sit around and wait on certain items," he said. "This will help with our delay reduction program."

Dominican airport expands to match tourism

Punta Cana International kicked off an ambitious expansion project in January that will add a new terminal with 40 stands and introduce technology that includes the first Doppler weather radar system in the Dominican Republic.

Funding for the project is being provided by Grupo Puntacana, which owns the airport and is responsible for development of much of the real estate and resort areas that surround it.

"We were getting long lines and crowding within the terminal so we decided we wanted to provide better service, and with the projected growth we know that we are going to have increased demand and even more tourists in the area," Airport Director Walter Zemialkowski told AT. About 2 million passengers use the airport each year and the number continues to grow, he said, with tourism accounting for some 98% of the traffic.

As part of the project, the airport is planning to extend its runway, expand existing taxiways and add a new control tower. It handles 80 daily flights from 55 domestic and international carriers.

Oslo Gardermoen will expand to include a new terminal and pier along with extensive remodeling of airside and landside facilities. The new T2, which will be part of the existing terminal, will include 36 check-in desks and a concession area. Buro Happold, part of Narud Stokke Wiig Architects and Planners, recently was awarded a contract for design work. Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2010.

Plattsburgh International is planning to expand, just 18 months after it began passenger operations. The upstate New York airport evolved from the former Plattsburgh AFB with a $20 million passenger terminal and related improvements. Located about an hour south of Montreal, it features a 12,000-ft. runway and 12-million-sq.-ft. apron. In its first year of operation, it attracted service from Allegiant Air, Direct Air and Cape Air. "We are already bursting at the seams, with a third parking lot expansion recently completed and a fourth set for this spring," said Garry Douglas, president of the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce. "And 85% of our passengers come from Canada, mainly from the Montreal region but also from Quebec City and even Ottawa."

TPS, an architectural and engineering design firm in the UK, was selected to design a new airport in Kigali, Rwanda. TPS will be responsible for design of all infrastructure needed to support aircraft operations, along with all the buildings and operational items required. The remote site lacks utilities so the design work must include provisions for electricity, fuel and water.

Contracts and products

Chicago Dept. of Aviation signed an agreement with Aeroterm US to begin contract negotiations to develop more than 55 acres of land and 750,000 sq. ft. of building space for cargo facilities in the northeast area of O'Hare. The project will be developed in four phases and will include facilities to accommodate freighter aircraft as large as a 747-8, cargo processing facilities, truck docks, parking and expansion of an existing fuel farm. Construction of the first phase is expected to begin in 2010. The 35-year ground lease for the development is projected to generate $350 million for Chicago. Total capital investment of the Aeroterm proposal is approximately $160 million.

Halifax International Airport Authority said construction of a new full-service Sheraton adjacent to the terminal at Halifax Stanfield is on hold for up to 12 months because of "current economic conditions." The hotel was being developed in a partnership with the Airport Authority, New Castle Hotels LLC and Southwest Properties Ltd.

Bahrain International signed a five-year, $3.2 million contract with SITA for its Professional Mobile Radio service. The dedicated wireless network provides voice and data communication functions for all of the airlines and ground handlers at the airport.

Incheon International Airport Corp. signed an agreement valued at $31.5 million to provide consultancy services to the Erbil International Airport Authority. The airport is managed by the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq.

Denver International began a pilot program to compost organic materials generated at the Jeppesen Terminal and Airport Office Building.

Airport Development Group will open a new office in Lawrence, Kan. Denver-based ADG provides design, planning, engineering and marketing/public relations services to US airports.

BAA Cleveland signed a 10-year contract to manage food and beverage concessions at Cleveland Hopkins International.

Cavotec MSL, a global engineering group, won two orders for ground support systems and associated equipment from Shanghai Hongqiao International and Guangzhou Baiyun International in China.

NAV Portugal selected Sensis Corp.'s Multistatic Dependent Surveillance for surface surveillance at Lisbon.

Westfield Concession Management installed new digital monitors listing the location of all 60 dining, retail and duty free concessions at Miami International.

Washington Dulles International contracted with PASSUR Aerospace for its Delayed Aircraft Assistance Program that enables airports to manage lengthy onboard delays through coordination and communication with airline partners.

AvRamp Wireless Vehicle Management System was selected by American Eagle to manage a fleet of ground support equipment at Dallas/Fort Worth International.

Names in the News

Timothy Prouty was appointed chairman of the Tucson Airport Authority. Prouty, a mortgage and real estate broker, has served as a member of the authority since 2001.

Jane Calderwood is the new VP-government and political affairs for ACI-NA. She previously worked for a lobbying group in Washington and served as a legislative director for US Sen. Olympia Snow (R-Mass.).

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