A

Seminar Report
On

DESIGN OF MODERN AIRPORTS

In partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Engineering
In
Civil Engineering

Under the Guidance of: SUBMITTED BY:

Mr Rakesh Kumar Verma
Rishabh Parihar (16BCIN031)
Yash Devra (16BCIN029)
Kandarp Somani (16BCIN034)
Harsh Kumar (16BCIN040)
Mohit Singh
Parihar(16BCIN009)

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

JECRC UNIVERSITY
Jaipur-303905
 CERTIFICATE

Certified that seminar work entitled “DESIGN OF MODERN AIRPORTS” is a

bonafide work carried out in the sixth semester by Rishabh Parihar, Yash Deora,
Kandarp Somani, Harsh Kumar and Mohit Singh Parihar in partial fulfilment for
the award of Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from JECRC University
Jaipur during the academic year of 2018-2019.

Under the Guidance of:

Mr Sabilesh Singh

(Dept. of Civil Engineering)

 Table of content

S.No Topic Page No

1 Certificate
2 Table of content
3 Abstract
4 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
5 Chapter 2: GREEN TERMINALS
6 Chapter 3: A CASE STUDY OF NEW DELHI AIRPORT
 Noise Monitoring
 Air Quality Management
 Water Management
7 Chapter 4: A CASE STUDY OF HYDERABAD AIRPORT
 Project Plan
 HIAL’s Promoters and Contractual Structure
 Funding Arrangements
 Implementation Process
 Airside and Landside (ALS) Works Contract
 Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTB) Contract
 Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Contract
 Obstacles of the Project
 Strengths and Success Factors
8 Chapter 5: A CASE STUDY OF CHANGI INTERNATIONAL,
SINGAPORE
9 Chapter 6 : TRAPEZOIDAL DRAINAGE GROOVE
 Drainage
 Tire Drainage
10 Chapter 7 : APPROACH INDICTORS ON RUNWAYS
11 Chapter 8 : ACCIDENT PREVENTION ON RUNWAYS
 Engineered Materials Arresting System
 EMAS Arrestment
12 Chapter 9 : RUNWAYS OF THE FUTURE
 Sulphur Extended Asphalt
13 Chapter 10 : SUMMARY
14 Chapter 11 : REFERENCES
 Abstract
Modern airports can be defined by the following characteristics:-

• Ability to handle huge traffic: Due to high cost, the use of airports was
restricted to the executive class of society in earlier days. However, this scenario has
changed and there has been significant increase in airport travel worldwide. To cope
up with such demand of air-travel, there is a need for airports to be equipped with
ability to handle huge traffic.

• Land use diversity: The airports now-a-days aren‟t just used for boarding
and de-boarding flights, they have evolved into multi-functionality structures that
harbour workplaces, shopping centres, restaurants and clubs.

• Integration of Intermodal transport system: To make airports more

accessible, they have to be integrated with existing transport system in the city which
includes railways, bus transport system and metro-rails.

• Environmental Sensitivity: Airports generally occupy very large space.

By taking care of rainwater harvesting, treatment and re-use of sewage water, green
landscape and use of natural sources for power generation and power optimization,
the environmental impact of aircrafts can be reduced.

• Enhanced Safety: Airport safety means preventing injury to people or

damage to aircraft, vehicles or infrastructure due to human error or technical failure.
 CHAPTER – 1
INTRODUCTION
A look at the early airports, aircraft factories, and airliners themselves, reveals that
their design vocabulary reflected designers' efforts to encounter society's feelings of
ambivalence and insecurity toward this new mode of transportation. This design
proposes a new generation terminal which does not exist today.

The objectives of this report are to:

1. Create and design a totally new terminal which can be used on any kind of airport
site in the future. Most current airports are designed and restricted to the area,
location, and terrain of the airport land itself. Thus, to create and design a new
terminal, free from any restriction listed above, is the priority of this study.

2. Design the terminal to be easily expanded in the future when necessary. An

existing airport might alter its design and original structure as necessary in the future.
The goal of this thesis study is to retain the existing terminal building.

3. Shorten the time and improve the process for passengers from check-in to
boarding without undermining the airport, aircraft and airline security.

4. Create a more humanistic, more convenient and more thoughtful environment for
passengers. Frequently, those passengers who are re-boarding from large to small
aircraft, or from international to domestic flights, need to face unfavourable weather
conditions because there is no enclosed access between aircraft and terminal. If the
weather condition is unsatisfactory such as windy, raining, snowing, or hot,
passengers have no choice but to bear it without any protection.

5. Most important part of this thesis study, airport design, is to create a new
generation of airport terminal building. Passengers will experience the same
humanistic, convenient, and thoughtful environment to access the aircraft, regardless
of size or location.
 CHAPTER - 2
GREEN TERMINALS
As airports across the globe look to find new ways to reduce their carbon footprints,
countless sustainable projects have been undertaken, including renewable energy
projects, recycling programs, emission reduction efforts, and green building
techniques.

Airports generally occupy very large space. By taking care of rainwater harvesting,
treatment and re-use of sewage water, green landscape and use of natural sources
for power generation and power optimization, the environmental impact of aircrafts
can be reduced.

Airports should seek to prevent, reduce or offset significant adverse

effects on the environment and enhance positive effects by:

 Reducing contribution to climate change and adapting to its

effects.
The growth of aviation and avoiding dangerous climate change is not a zero sum
game. Both can be achieved through technological advances, low carbon fuels
and more efficient operations supported by aviation's participation in open
emissions trading.

 Preventing, limiting or reducing adverse effects on air and

ground noise.
Most of the noise generated by airports activities is produced by aircraft
approaching or taking-off, taxiing along runways and by engine testing.
By designing the runways in orientations that lead almost directly into the sea (An
example of such design is Changi International Airport, Singapore) or over a
portion of land which has been designated for non-residential use, the impact of
noise generated at an airport, on people and surrounding environment, can be
reduced.

 Preventing, limiting or reducing adverse effects on air quality.

Air quality is often an issue for people living in urban areas. Burning fossil fuel to
create energy for vehicles, housing and industry emits pollutants such as nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) and particles.

 Increasing recycling and minimizing waste.

Large hub airports generate considerable volumes of waste, predominantly from
aircraft cabin cleaning, cargo handling and flight catering. Construction waste can
 also be significant during building and refurbishment.

 Managing water consumption efficiently and effectively.

Large hub airports generate considerable volumes of waste, predominantly from
aircraft cabin cleaning, cargo handling and flight catering. Construction waste can
also be significant during building and refurbishment.

Environmental effect of waste generated at airports can be minimized by recycle

and re-use of waste water and installation of sewage treatment plants.

 Protecting and enhancing our rich biodiversity.

Airports cover very large areas. As well as runways, terminals and aircraft stands,
the airports should include grassland, other landscaped areas and a variety of
natural habitats including Standing Water, Ponds, Rivers and Streams, Dry
Lowland Grassland, Lowland, Wet Grassland and Scrubs.
 CHAPTER – 3
A case study of environment-friendly features of New Delhi
Airport
1. North facing glazed walls to improve natural lighting while minimizing heat due to
sunlight.
2. Rain-water harvesting wells installed
3. 15 mild is capacity of sewage treatment plant, presently 7.5 mild of water is being
treated for re-use.
4. Although airport has saline groundwater, it‟s served to passengers and staffs–
after being treated with reverse osmosis.
5. Treated water used for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) system,
toilet flushing, and construction activities.
6. Entire civil structure (except reinforcement steel) was procured regionally.
7. 17 lakh sq. ft. of green landscape on air side.
8. World‟s first terminal to receive LEED‟s (Leadership for Environmentally Efficient
Design) gold certification.
9. Integration of intermodal transport – metro line.

A more detailed version of the case study is as below:-

Noise Monitoring: DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) works in various

fields to minimize the environmental impact of its operations. Noise abatement is one
of the key areas the airport is focusing on. The followings are the various noise
mitigation steps taken by DIAL:

Ambient noise monitoring is being conducted regularly at different locations in and

around the airport including the areas under the takeoff and landing funnels. All
equipment operating within the airport is maintained in good working condition to
reduce ground noise in the premises. The terminal buildings as well as all the offices
within the airport boundary are acoustically treated.

DIAL is an integral part of the „working group on airport noise‟ (WGAN) formed by
Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This group is exploring various
possibilities and developing feasible measures to reduce excessive noise in the
vicinity of IGI Airport.

DIAL is also in the process of establishing an 'aircraft noise monitoring

systems'(ANMS) in order to develop a database of aircraft noise. Monitoring of noise
levels and tracking the aircraft will help in formulating measures to mitigation of
aircraft generated noise.

Air quality management: It is one of the major focus areas in IGI Airport; DIAL
has taken various initiatives on Air quality management after takeover of IGIA from
Airports Authority of India (AAI). To manage the air quality at IGIA, DIAL monitors air
quality inside & outside the airport on regular basis. Air quality monitoring is done for
parameters such as Suspended Particulate Matter(SPM), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2),
Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Hydrocarbon (HC) and Carbon Monoxide (CO). DIAL also
initiated Green House Gas inventory program to establish the emission data for
mobile and ground vehicles. It also facilitates employees to reduce their carbon foot
print by carpool network initiative.

DIAL new integrated terminal 3 which is highly energy efficient building with
features like:-

 Natural day lighting

 Use of construction materials & interior finishes with high recycled content
 Use of environmental friendly vehicles

Other Air quality improvement initiatives taken by DIAL are:

 Establishment of a CNG filling station inside the airport.

 Usage of battery operated vehicles for transferring passengers from one terminal
to another.
 Use of dust screens and water sprinklers at construction area to prevent gusting
dust

Water Management: Currently IGIA manages its water requirement from ground
water source & municipal supply. Though the IGIA has saline ground water sources
it serves the well treated drinking water to passengers after treating by reverse
osmosis (RO) membrane plant and the quality of water is being monitoring as per IS
10500 standard requirement. To manage the ground water resource at IGIA, DIAL
has already installed rainwater harvesting structures spread across the airport areas.
The effectiveness of these structures is measured for their infiltration ability.
Wastewater reutilization is one of the key activities of DIAL water management.
Presently DIAL has sewage treatment plant (STP) operating round the clock. To
manage the IGIA up-graduation requirements, DIAL has constructed modern STP
with advanced tertiary treatment viz. ultra filtration and RO technique and latest
water treatment equipment to achieve zero water discharge plan. The entire treated
water is being utilized for air-condition cooling i.e. Heating, Ventilating, and Air
Conditioning (HVAC), toilet flushing, horticulture and construction activities.
 CHAPTER – 4
A Case study on Rajiv Gandhi International Airport,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad International Airport Limited (HIAL) is a joint venture company sponsored
by the GMR Group in partnership with Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB),
Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Government of Andhra Pradesh. The Company
was incorporated to finance, design, build and operate a world class airport at
Hyderabad, India.

The airport has been designed to ultimately cater to about 40 million passengers per
annum. The first phase of the airport was commenced in a record time of 31 months
in March 2008 with a preliminary capacity of 12 million passengers per annum and
100,000 tons of shipment handling capacity per annum. The airport has the greatest
taxiway and runway in the country with a length of 4260m (Hyderabad International
Airport Ltd, 2005).

The airport is the second PPP Project in the Indian airport infrastructure. The project
is bided out on Built Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model and the concession
period for the project is 30 years. The Bidders were selected through International
Competitive Bidding (ICB) basis.

This is the first venture in the country to have been rewarded the Leadership Energy
and Environment Design, silver grading for its eco-friendly design. The total cost of
the first phase of the project is INR 24780 million. This airport was opened to the
commercial traffic in March 2008, provides world class service and infrastructure in
concurrence with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
Project Plan - The first phase consists of construction of a 105,300 square meters
terminal building, designed to handle about 12 million passengers per annum. The
terminal building contains 12 contact and 30 remote stands for aircraft parking. The
other buildings include Air Traffic Control Tower (ATC), Technical Building, Cargo
Section, Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO), CFR (Crash, Fire and Rescue)
Station and services having a total area of about 35,000 square meters. The project
was constructed on a total area of about 5,495 acres (Salish, 2005).

HIAL’s Promoters and Contractual Structure - In the year 2003, a Special

Project Vehicle (SPV) was launched by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the
Civil Aviation Ministry of India and the under the name of HIAL. As the bid was won
by GMR Group, MAHB, this project was fundamentally a Joint Venture (JV) between
GMR Group (63%), MAHB (11%), Government of Andhra Pradesh (13%) and the
Airports Authority of India (13%) (Net Resources International, 2007).GMR Group:
GMR group is one of the best growing infrastructure organisations in the country with
interests in Highways, Airports, and Urban Infrastructure and Energy sectors.
Employing the PPP model, the Group has productively implemented various
infrastructure projects in India. Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad: MAHB was
incorporated in 1991 in the Malaysian Parliament. The major activities of the
company include the management, operation and maintenance in addition to
development of airports, with primary significance being placed on the operational
competence, cargo and aircraft operations, safety and security of passengers.

Funding Arrangements - The total worth of the project for the first phase is INR
24780 million .The financial instruments used in this project that is the debt/equity
ratio was kept at 84:16. The means of finance and percentage of share are given in
the table below (PPP India database, 2008).

Implementation Process - For the initial phase construction, HIAL used

international competitive tender method for EPC (Engineering Procurement
Construction) tenders for awarding the various contracts. Responses were received
from 34 companies from 11 countries. Ultimately in the selection of tenders, seven
companies were succeeded for ALS works and six for PTB works. The total
construction time is 30 months, of which 27 months is for construction and 3 months
is for airport functioning trials and certification. The following are the three types of
contract which were implemented in the project (Net Resources International, 2007).

Airside and Landside (ALS) Works Contract - The contract for the ALS
works had been awarded to M/S Larsen and Toubro (L&T) Limited. The range of
works for this contract includes construction of runways, taxiways to handle wide
bodied aircrafts. Besides, L&T also constructed roads, aviation hydrant system,
security fence and gates, drainage system, cargo terminal building and various other
buildings.

Passenger Terminal Buildings (PTB) Contract - The contract for the PTB
works was awarded to the Hong Kong based China State Construction Engineering
(CSCE). The scope for the PTB works include the erection of the operational
terminal building over 100,000 square metres in addition to construction of the
building structures, Air Traffic Control Tower (ATC), all civil and finishing works and
passenger boarding bridges.

Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Contract - Reliance Industries

Limited (RIL) was awarded the contract to operate and maintain India‟s first elite
model of open access of developing the fuel farm inside the HIAL.The Accor Group
and Novatel Group were awarded the contract to operate and maintain a Five Star
Business hotel to cater to the desires of the transit and business passengers.

Obstacles of the Project - The difficulties faced by the HIAL during the
construction and operation of the project are described below.

Land acquisition for the project was severely opposed by the public as it resulted in
depriving a set of people the quality of life and their livelihood. During the process of
land acquisition total information about the area of land required was kept hidden
from the civic. HIAL faced a variety of risks such as revenue and regulatory risks.
The revenue risk was due to demand suspicions and pricing (Balaraman and
Malhotra, 2008).The regulatory risks were due to uncertainty in licensing, tariff
fixation and revenue sharing.

The other problems faced by HIAL is that several private Airlines were not fascinated
in moving to the new airport from the old airport, but ultimately the officials from the
Department of Civil Aviation have proclaimed that the old airport would be closed
totally for Civil Aviation operations. In addition there was a delay in the construction
of elevated express way which connects to the new airport and resistance from the
public for increasing the user charges (Bradley, 2008; Lilith, 2009).

Strengths and Success factors - The following are some of the strengths
and success factors which were identified from the project (Balaraman and Malhotra,
2008; Kurmanath, 2009; Vogt, 2009).

This project being the first Greenfield airport project in India, the SPV used the EPC
Contract method by which the project was finished in record time of three years.

Modern and inventive strategies were utilized to conquer the operational challenges
and the rising Air Turbulence Fuel (ATF); three mega storage tanks for the fuel
storage were constructed on the lines of an Open Model Fuel Farm.

To cancel out the rising costs due to the design changes, HIAL used External
Commercial Borrowing (ECB) and obtained another debt of amount INR 7180
million.

World Renowned plans were employed in building the maintenance, repair and
overhaul (MRO) facility to service airplanes. By welcoming the Lufthansa Technik
and Indian Airlines to operate the MRO, extra costs of taking the aircrafts abroad
was evaded. This facility can be employed by the airlines operating in other
international airports of India, thus, becoming a source of additional income.
HIAL anticipates that the passenger traffic growth would rise by 20 to 25 percent in
the first year. The number of passengers is expected to go up from existing 8 million
to 9.4 million per annum.

HIAL has received VAT (Value added tax) relief from the Andhra Pradesh
Government. This Schedule includes a list of 51 goods that do not attract the tax.
This would benefit travellers both at the domestic and international terminals.
 CHAPTER – 5
A Case Study on Changi International Airport, Singapore
As airport systems become increasingly complex in terms of design and technology,
the integration of different airport systems naturally becomes more challenging.
Furthermore, each and every airport has its own specific requirements due to load
factor, size and functions etc. hence a „one-size-fits-all‟ solution for the integration of
airport systems is not possible. Every airport therefore requires a trusted solutions
integrator that not only understands the design and technology of disparate airport
systems, but is also able to integrate these systems in a holistic manner to meet the
individual needs of different airports in terms of operational readiness and efficiency.
CNA has amassed a sound knowledge of airport systems and an extensive
understanding of airport operations, needs and challenges. As a system integration
specialist, CNA can install and integrate a full spectrum of airport systems such as
building facilities and aviation. Under our system integration, disparate and
standalone systems can now link up and inter-operate, leading to the creation of a
“Connected Airport”. This „Connected Airport‟ framework improves an airport‟s
operational efficiency by reducing downtime, waiting time and delays.
To achieve a high level of automation to achieve high efficiency of business
operations, it is increasingly important for airport components to freely exchange
data; this is achieved by promoting and following international interface standards to
the airports. CNA‟s key role as a system integration specialist, we have the knowhow
to collect and manage integration requirements as well as to establish the
conceptual integration system architecture used to guide the physical system
architecture design and enhance airport business evolution. It is within our core
strength in middleware integration and development of application program
interfaces that enables defined disparate interfaces to pull together all different
applications into a single, streamlined system with a common set of procedures and
control methodology. This framework governs the smooth evolution of integrated
airport automation systems
CNA‟s in-depth knowledge and vast experience at managing high level integration
with multiple vendors has proved to be effective for many international airports,
including Singapore‟s Changi Airport, New Doha International Airport, the
Philippines‟ Niño Aquino International Airport and Thailand‟s New Suvranabhumi
International Airport.
A thriving multicultural city-state rooted in the island archipelagos of
Southeast Asia, Singapore is far more globally relevant than its size would
foretell. With a burgeoning economy, a stable political environment, and highly
attractive investment climate, Singapore is able to exert a degree of fiscal and
social leadership over its region. Despite this international prominence, the
richness of Singapore’s culture of innovation was not reflected in the city-
state’s primary commercial airport. Changi International Airport is amongst the
busiest air travel hubs in the world, but to fulfil its potential as the preeminent
cultural gateway to Southeast Asia for international travellers, the look and
feel of its brand new Terminal 4 needed a spark.
 CHAPTER – 6
Trapezoidal Drainage Groove
Trapezoidal drainage grooves have been found to have a lot of advantages over the
conventional rectangular grooves. Pavement grooves have been scientifically proven
to minimize aircraft hydroplaning during both take-off and landing operations under
rainfall conditions and have performed well when installed in both rigid (Portland
cement concrete) and flexible (hot mix asphalt) pavements. Saw-cut grooves
deteriorate over time from repeated interaction with aircraft traffic, as well as from
additional interaction with pavement maintenance activities such as rubber removal,
sweeping, and snowplowing operations. The advantages of using the trapezoidal-
shaped groove configuration on runways were reviewed very closely by FAA
(Federal Aviation Administration) researchers. It was expected that the trapezoidal-
shaped grooves would resist rubber accumulation, closure, and collapse better than
the standard grooves, especially in heavily trafficked areas. The most critical runway
areas for rubber contamination are the aircraft touchdown zone and the braking
zone. In these areas, aircraft tires first come in contact with the pavement when
landing or when the aircraft brakes heavily. In both cases, the repeated tire skidding
in these areas leads to heavy deposits of rubber that can build up on the inner walls
of the groove and decrease the width of the opening in the grooves. Although
surface cleaning can alleviate this condition, rubber deposits accumulate again
within just a few weeks. Portland cement and asphaltic concrete runways are equally
susceptible to the rubber deposits. Physical movement or “shoving” of the runway
surface can also cause damage to runway grooves, as heavy loading can cause the
grooves to close from a condition of collapse. Extreme heat can also soften asphaltic
concrete and, when combined with heavy loading, can make this problem even more
pronounced. The proposed configuration consists of a trapezoidal-shaped groove
shape, 1/2 in. at the top, 1/4 in. at the bottom, and spaced 2 1/4 in. centre to centre.
The conventional groove configuration is a 1/4-in. - by 1/4- in.-square groove,
spaced at 1 1/2 in. centre to centre. Grooves are installed across the runway
surface; transversely to the runway length and perpendicular to the runway
centreline.
Advantages of trapezoidal drainage groove over standard groove

 Improved water evacuation capability.

 Greater resistance to rubber contamination.
 Improved longevity

Disadvantage of trapezoidal drainage groove over standard groove

 Costs 15-20% more than standard groove.

A broad clarification of advantages provided by use of trapezoidal

groove is as follows:-

DRAINAGE: The primary factor in providing water drainage from a runway

surface during rainfall conditions is the transverse slope (or crown) of the runway.
The slope generally runs between 1% to1.1/2 % down from the crown of the runway
at the centreline. Grooves make a secondary contribution to drainage by being able
to accommodate some water that would otherwise be standing on the surface as a
measurable water depth. In other words, what would be standing water at a given
location on a non-grooved runway would simply be a wet surface on a runway
grooved with either of the two groove configuration. Standing water on a grooved
runway would likely occur only during a period of heavy rainfall or when the grooves
were closed or otherwise blocked by debris, rubber, or sand.

TIRE DAMAGE: In the unsolicited proposal, reference was made to the

advantage of physical engagement of the tire to the pavement surface with
trapezoidal-shaped grooves because it is wider compared to the standard, and there
were fewer grooves per linear square foot of runway. Likewise, the greater angle at
the top edge of the trapezoidal-shaped groove, 117° versus 90°, could also be a
mitigating factor in reducing tire damage. In early research, damage was noted in
aircraft tires when grooves were first introduced on runways. Tire damage usually
occurred at the touchdown zone of the runways where aircraft tires were impacting
the runway the hardest. Small cuts were noted in some aircrafts tires; however,
these cuts did not appear to progress nor were they reported to shorten the life of the
tires. Manufacturers subsequently reformulated the materials that they incorporated
into their tire construction, and the damage was no longer noted. Other factors also
lessened the concern. Continued touchdown operations were found to wear the
sharpness of the upper edges of the grooves. Additionally, rubber deposits lessened
the possibility of tire damage.
 CHAPTER – 7
Approach Indicators on Runways
Both a typical VASI (Visual Approach Slope Indicator) and a typical PAPI (Precision
Approach Slope Indicator) simply consist of light boxes with two or four lights in each
box and metal dividers such that which light you can see depends upon whether
pilot‟s line of sight is above or below the divider.

In a typical VASI installation, pilots will see both lights white if the aircraft is too high,
both lights red if the aircraft is too low, and one red and one white if the aircraft is on
the glide path. There may be additional lights to provide an upper glideslope (for
larger planes) and a lower glideslope.

In a typical PAPI installation, the pilot will see four white lights if the aircraft is very
high (.5 degree or more) and four red lights if the aircraft is very low (.5 degree or
more). If aircraft is within .2 degrees of the glideslope, the pilot will see two red lights
and two white lights. Slightly low will be three red, one white. Slightly high will be
three white, one red.

In this way, PAPI system has better accuracy as compared to the conventional VASI
system.

In a typical PAPI installation, the pilot will see four white lights if the aircraft is very
high (.5 degree or more) and four red lights if the aircraft is very low (.5 degree or
more). If aircraft is within .2 degrees of the glideslope, the pilot will see two red lights
and two white lights. Slightly low will be three red, one white. Slightly high will be
three white, one red. In this way, PAPI system has better accuracy as compared to
the conventional VASI system.
 CHAPTER – 8
Accident Prevention on Runways

Engineered Materials Arresting System

Aircraft can and do overrun the ends of runways, sometimes with devastating
results. An overrun occurs when an aircraft passes beyond the end of a runway
during an aborted take-off or while landing. Data on aircraft overruns over a 12-year
period (1975 to 1987) indicate that approximately 90% of all overruns occur at exit
speeds of 70 knots or less and most come to rest between the extended runway
edges within 1000 feet of the runway end.

An engineered materials arresting systems (EMAS) is designed to stop an

overrunning aircraft by exerting predictable deceleration forces on its landing gear as
the EMAS material crushes. It must be designed to minimize the potential for
structural damage to aircraft, since such damage could result in injuries to
passengers and/or affect the predictability of deceleration forces. An EMAS should
be design for a 20-year service life.

The EMAS technology improves safety benefits in cases where land is not available,
or not possible to have the standard 1,000-foot overrun. A standard EMAS
installation extends 600 feet from the end of the runway. An EMAS arrestor bed can
be installed to help slow or stop an aircraft that overruns the runway, even if less
than 600 feet of land is available.

EMAS is composed of a bed of cellular cement blocks encased in a protective cover

positioned after a „setback distance‟ which begins immediately after the end of the
paved runway surface. The blocks crush reliably and predictably under the weight of
an aircraft and thus facilitate a rapid but nevertheless gentle and consistent
deceleration. Each lightweight block is secured to the EMAS base with hot asphalt
and the seams between blocks are then taped at their upper surface to prevent
water penetration. The depth of the EMAS bed gradually increases with increasing
distance from the runway, typically from around 25cm up to 75cm.
EMAS Arrestment

Till November 2011, there have been eight incidents where EMAS has safely
stopped overrunning aircraft with a total of 235 crew and passengers aboard those
flights.
 CHAPTER – 9
Runways of the Future
As a matter of fact, Airbus A380 has maximum landing weight of 386,000 kg!

And, Heathrow Airport operates 385,000 flights a year. That‟s 1 flight landing or
taking off every minute, throughout the year!

To meet such high demand of traffic and huge loads, the future runways have to be
made durable enough.

Sulphur Extended Asphalt

Sulphur-extended asphalt has been used in dense-graded mixtures with
sulphur/asphalt binder mass ratios from 20/80 to 40/60, and at times even up to
50/50. The emulsified portion of sulphur performs as an asphalt extender while any
excess sulphur performs as a mix filler or stabilizer. The allowable sulphur
concentration in the binder depends on the properties of the asphalt. On a long-term
basis, approximately 20 per cent of the sulphur remains dissolved and/or dispersed
as part of the binder. Free sulphur, above approximately 20 per cent by weight,
solidifies to a crystalline state.

The replacement of asphalt with sulphur is made on an equivalent volume basis, and
an accounting for the higher specific gravity of sulphur is needed to maintain existing
standards for mix impermeability and durability.
Advantages of Sulphur Extended Asphalt

 Increased load bearing capacity

 Increased Stiffness Modulus
 Reduced structural deformation
 Increased fatigue life
 Reduced thermal cracking.

Environmental Concerns
When hot sulphur paving mixtures are kept below 149 c, the Hydrogen Sulphide,
Sulphur Dioxide and Sulphur Trioxide emissions are within safe limits.

Care should be taken in maintaining screed temperature control. It is not necessary

to excessively heat the screed to obtain good paving results because of the reduced
viscosity of the mix obtained with SEA. In addition, higher screed temperatures also
increase the level of undesirable emissions (SO2).
 CHAPTER – 10
SUMMARY
Over the last half of the century, air travel has become commonplace around the
world. As a result, today's airports have become more than utilitarian hubs.

With air travel expected to be more frequent in coming years, airports are facing
several challenges like handling the increasing number of passengers, freight, and
baggage in an efficient and cost-effective way as well as creating environment
friendly solution.

Hence, there is a need for airport authorities to ensure that today‟s airports are
durable, comfortable, greener and safer enough to accommodate the upcoming
demands in terms of airport traffic, aircraft loads and environmental sustainability.

By ensuring installation of rainwater harvesting wells, sewage treatment plants and

energy efficient designs, the effect of emissions caused by aircrafts on environment
can be minimized.

At the same time, the airports should be connected to intermodal transport system of
the city to facilitate easier approach.

Also, the landing approach on runways can be made more precise by the use of
Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) system instead of the conventional Visual
Approach Slope Indicator (VASI) system.

Moreover, the runways itself should be made durable enough to sustain heavy loads
of modern aircrafts. Sulphur Extended Asphalt as binder has been found to increase
the wear capability of runway pavements and use of trapezoidal grooves instead of
standard square grooves have proved to be more efficient.

Casualties and damage caused by runway accidents like overshooting of the aircraft
due to human or mechanical error can be reduced to a great extent by installation of
Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) at the ends of runway to provide
controlled deceleration to aircrafts in case of over-run.
 CHAPTER – 11
REFERENCES
1. The Modern Airport Terminal by Brian Edwards

2. http://www.newdelhiairport.in/fact-sheet.aspx

3. Faa.gov

4. Shell.com

5. Wikipedia.org

6. www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/asphalt/pubs/hif12037.pdf

7. http://www.heathrowairport.com/about-us/community-
andenvironment/sustainability/environment

8. http://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=12497

9. http://www.newdelhiairport.in/environment.aspx