Early last year, Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) opened Cerulean Aviation and joined the growing ranks of commercial airports that run their own fixed base operators (FBOs). The South Carolina airport took the strategy one step further by also opting to provide cargo handling and ground support services for commercial charter flights.
A project to install 27 electric charging stations at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) is among the recent examples of the ongoing shift to zero-emissions fleets of airside vehicles such as baggage tugs, belt loaders and pushback tractors. The Alabama airport installed 13 dual-port chargers and one single-port charger to support electric ground service equipment purchased by Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The charging stations and supporting infrastructure, installed in 2016, are located on concourses A and C.
Commercial airports that were originally built as military airfields are often a mixed bag to operate. Costly infrastructure elements such as runways and buildings are already in place, but they weren't designed to accommodate modern civilian traffic. Casper/Natrona County International Airport (CPR), in central Wyoming, is a prime example. Ever since the U.S. Army turned over its airfield along the North Platte River to Natrona County in 1949, CPR has used several World War II-era buildings to serve an evolving mix of commercial airlines, private aircraft operators and cargo carriers.
When Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) was built, it was the largest airport construction project of the time. Today, the airport is continuing that legacy with the single largest ground support project in the history of the United States.
"Why did the chicken cross the road'" is always good for some giggles on the schoolyard. But it's no laughing matter when a deer, coyote or goose crosses a runway or flightpath to get to the other side. In the most serious cases, it can be a matter of life or death.
When infrastructure constraints preclude loading and unloading aircraft at the terminal, airports need to get creative. Mobile boarding ramps and airside buses are two options operators are using to keep passengers safe and comfortable as they enter and exit planes on the tarmac.
Amid billions of dollars in passenger-oriented enhancements occurring inside Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), substantial improvements are also occurring for airlines out on the ramp-especially in Terminal 7, which is used exclusively by United Airlines.
The firm that operates Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) faced a unique challenge last year: It would soon have four carriers flying Airbus 380s into the terminal, and only two gates were equipped to handle the double-decker aircraft.
Getting a new facility approved, funded and built is typically a daunting task. But every now and then, things just seem to fall into place. That was the case for Mark Day, director of engineering and maintenance at Blue Grass Airport (LEX).
Ever since the heyday of Mississippi steamboats, the Quad Cities that straddle the mighty river have been a hub of agricultural, industrial and commercial activity. With Bettendorf and Davenport on the Iowa side of the river, and Moline and Rock Island on the Illinois side, transporting goods and people is a historic and current key to the area's prosperity.
