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First Airbus a380 embarks on its final journey
The first ever A380 to enter scheduled service, and also the first ever to be retired, now as a new edition of especially rare Aviationtags.
Micro Nav awarded new installation at AirNav Indonesia
AirNav Indonesia selected Micro Nav to provide a new approach and radar simulator in Jakarta.
Leave at the top
The president and CEO of Flughafen München (FMG), Dr Michael Kerkloh, has experienced a long and successful career in aviation; under his watch, Munich Airport has been bestowed with the title of ‘Best in Europe’ 12 times. As he prepares to step down from the role he has held since 2002, he talks to Grace Allen about his successes at Munich, the changes he has witnessed and his expectations for the future of the industry.
The finer details
Even in vast and architecturally striking spaces such as airports, successful and passenger-friendly design often depends on the details: lighting, furniture choices, surface materials and so on. Abi Millar discusses the process that goes into creating intelligent and unified interior concepts with Kristian Gilroy of Cinimod Studio and Peter Farmer of Chapman Taylor.
Blue skies above, green grass below
Between rushed check-in and gruff security staff, taking a flight is rarely relaxing. Drab airport design that brings to mind a shopping centre in a warehouse hardly helps. But a new type of airport design is finally changing all that by bringing plants and flowers into the terminal. Andrea Valentino talks to Marion Town, environmental director at the Vancouver Airport Authority, about how green design can help the environment and make passengers feel more comfortable.
Food for thought
Airport food and beverage (F&B) is a monumental business and there is plenty of room for waste. However, as airport operations continue to expand and passengers become increasingly environmentally aware, bosses are turning towards greener policies. Andrea Valentino talks to Jeremy Webb, aviation environmental programme manager at the Port of Seattle, and Ben Crowley, head of F&B at Heathrow, about how airports are making their F&B operations more sustainable – and how passengers have a crucial role to play too.
Worker drones
Stories of disruption caused by illicit drone activity have appeared regularly over recent months. However, despite the technical challenges their presence causes, legitimate drones have much to offer airport operations. Philip Hall, chair of the IEEE-USA Committee on Transportation and Aerospace Policy and CEO of RelmaTech, explains their benefits and how to coordinate drone activity with air traffic management.
Eye on efficiency
The implementation of satellite communication promises to have a significant impact across air traffic management systems, allowing for increased accuracy, security and efficiency. The European Space Agency (ESA)’s Iris Data Link Service (DLS) satellite system is now in its final stages of development. Andrew Barnett asks Paolo Burzigotti, acting Iris project manager at the ESA, about the technology.
Electric starter
Electric vehicles are emerging for a wide variety of airport operations, providing green credentials as well as efficiency. Grace Allen discusses strategies for their introduction and potential speedbumps along the way with Dave Lees, CEO of Bristol Airport, and Patrick Lammerding, deputy executive director of planning and development at Hollywood Burbank Airport.