“Customers of the A380 will carefully plan their future international air operations based on the hub and spoke system to ensure the most effective use of the aircraft and to gain competitive advantage,” notes Frost & Sullivan (http://www.aerospace.frost.com) Research Analyst Kamila Zlobinska in a recent study on World Airports Markets – Impact of the A380. “Airports will need certification from civil aviation authorities on their ability to support the operations of these super-jumbo aircrafts.”
Costs incurred to prepare airport facilities to handle the A380 derive from the anticipation of the multiple advantages that its future operations will confer. The most important driver will be the enhanced efficiency of airport operations and the prospect of boosting the number of passengers, even while maintaining the same number of aircraft movements. This will be particularly important considering the restricted number of slots at airports and the rapidly expanding volume of air passenger traffic.
“Airlines can, in turn, take advantage of the A380 to not only increase their cost efficiency but also to differentiate their services from their competitors”, adds Ms. Zlobinska. “Such differentiation could be achieved through enlarged seat space per passenger, impressive jet configuration as well as additional services and entertainment during the flight.”
Although the A380 brings high expectations for the future, it represents a considerable challenge for the industry today, particularly for airports. For instance, airports willing to accommodate the A380 will need to adjust their facilities to meet the required standards for operations of an airplane code F, such as the A380. As most existing international airports have facilities to handle only aircraft code E, the total market investment needed to prepare for the super jumbo will be very high.
“The main safety regulation on operations of code F aircraft at airports is related to the airfield,” explains Ms. Zlobinska. “Airports will need to enlarge runways and taxiways and meet the standards for distance between different facilities.”
Currently, the total cost of airfield-related work is twice as high as investments in terminals. Airports will have to install A380-compliant gates to handle the jet. However, due to high costs, many major airports are likely to have only two, instead of the ideal three, passenger-boarding bridges.
“Based on their current position in existing international air traffic, airports will adopt different attitudes to the required A380 adjustments,” says Ms. Zlobinska. “While some airports will have no choice but to implement the necessary changes to remain competitive, others will have the option to make cost-advantage evaluations to decide on whether or not to accommodate the A380.”
Furthermore, certain airports will make voluntary adjustments to attract new airlines operating the A380. The fourth group of airports, mainly secondary international airports, will remain open to the possibility of making modifications related to the A380. They will, however, wait for sufficient demand to justify the investment.
