Business Travel Executive, January 2018

Meanwhile over on the Continent as of this writing Berlins new Brandenburg Airport languishes It was to have opened in 2011 No date has been yet set to open the star struck aerodrome By the Numbers The squadrons of new long haul jets and the airports that handle them will sorely be needed in the coming couple of decades A recent forecast by the International Air Transport Association projects by 2036 passenger traffic will almost double IATA believes some 78 billion fliers will travel each year nearly double the 4 billion who took wing in 2017 New airports new terminals and more runways arent the only solutions to the challenges IATA foresees In Europe especially the environment is Issue Number One Increasing demand will bring significant infrastructure challenge says Alexandre de Juniac IATAs director general and chief operating officer The solution he contends does not lie in more complex processes or building bigger and bigger airports but in harnessing the power of new technology to move activity off airport streamline processes and improve efficiency De Juniac goes 30Business Travel Executive JANUARY 2018 SPECIAL REPORT Rethink the World A recent forecast by IATA projects by 2036 passenger traffic will almost double That 100 milion mark will put Beijings new megahub on par with Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International which just unveiled plans to spend 6 billion to upgrade the field The 20 year capital improvement venture will see a sixth runway a new concourse and a 400 room hotel replete with a travel plaza ATL General Manager Miguel Southwell says Not only will these projects be transformational for the airport they will enable the needed expansion to accommodate growing demand In Europe the Dutch are busy laying the groundwork for a major new terminal at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Slated for debut in 2023 it will allow AMS to handle some 14 million additional passengers each year The new facility will be an expansion of Schiphols existing terminal and will adjoin Departure Hall 1 and Arrival Hall 1 That means the airport keeps its one terminal concept As the Turks the Chinese the Dutch and the Americans build the British seem bollixed once again about the timing of a critical upgrade to what is arguably Europes most important airport London Heathrow Even though the government has given the green light for a much needed and long awaited third runway at LHR the planning process for the environmentally contentious strip probably wont be over until 2020 The Airports Commission decided against a plan to build out London Gatwick this even though LGW recently processed a record number of passengers on to say that partnerships between industry governments and organizations such as IATA are the key to sustainable growth This sustainable ascent is especially important in the five fastest growing markets over the coming twenty years Heres a snapshot China will handle 921 million new passengers per year for a total of 15 billion The United States is projected to accommodate 401 million new fliers each year for a total of 11 billion India should process 337 million additional passengers each year for a total of 478 million Indonesia is forecast to handle 235 million new fliers per year for a total of 355 million Turkey is expected to take care of 119 million additional passengers a year for a total of 196 million Its hard to say precisely how many of these passengers will make their journey via 787s and A350s but Boeings latest Current Market Outlook is instructive The bottom line More and more airlines are shifting to small and medium large airplanes like the 787 With 41000 new airliners set to take wing over the ensuing two decades 5050 of them are in the small widebody category Another 3160 aircraft are in the medium large widebody category Taken together this is 787 and A350 territory If you havent flown one of these productivity enhancing superjet beauties yet just wait a while Your longest hauls await in the wings BTE