Simón Bolívar International Airport is situated in the far north of the Republic of Colombia, 16.5 kilometres from the city of Santa Marta, capital of the department of Magdalena. The region’s main tourist attractions include the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountain range, Tayrona National Park and the cities of Barranquilla and Cartagena, two of the country’s most important conurbations.

Opened some 60 years ago, in recent decades tourism and economic development in the region have caused airport traffic (primarily of domestic origin) to grow from 532,000 passengers in 2009 to 2.4 million in 2019, with a compound annual growth rate of 16.5%. To accommodate this growth, the airport was modernised in 2017 with new facilities such as a control tower, passenger terminal and car park.

In recent decades, tourism and economic development in the region have driven growth in airport traffic, with 2.4 million passengers in 2019

At present, the airport has one runway (01/19), which is 1,700 metres long by 40 metres wide and accessed via two taxiways. There is an apron with six stands for parking commercial aircraft, two general-purpose aviation hangars, and a helicopter pad. The three-storey terminal building covers an area of 14,600 m². There is also an underground car park for cars and motorcycles, and a surface-level car park for taxis and buses. Road access is via the Troncal del Caribe, one of the country’s most important trunk roads.

Despite these improvements, the investments that have been made in the Magdalena region to boost tourism mean that a growth in international traffic is expected over the coming years. This is reflected in the traffic forecasts in the Master Plan drawn up by the UTE APM Simón Bolívar consortium, which is led by Ineco and also includes the Spanish engineering firm Ivicsa. The Plan was approved by Colombia’s civil aviation authority, Aerocivil, in December 2020.

Future plans

The Master Plan is the centrepiece of the planning process for an airport. It sets out the path for development and growth based on different traffic forecasts. Taking the current situation as the starting point, a study is made of potential demand in different time horizons. The aim is to determine what infrastructure and services will be required, in accordance with international safety and quality standards, and when they will be required, along with an estimate of costs.

The Plan also evaluates the impact of the airport’s activities on its surroundings and coordinates actions with the aviation authorities, the local community, and local and regional administrations and public bodies. The final stage is approval of the Plan on the part of the state aviation authority (Aerocivil in the case of Colombia). In order to meet these objectives successfully, a Master Plan must be updated periodically, and whenever changes in demand require it to be modified.

Ineco has over 20 years of experience in the drafting and updating of Master Plans: not only for the Aena network of Spanish airports, but also for countries such as Mexico and Kuwait.

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS. Summary of the developments proposed by the Master Plan, in comparison with the airport’s current boundaries (marked in green). PLAN_UTE APM SIMÓN BOLÍVAR

The first step: predicting the evolution of traffic

In order to draw up the Master Plan, Ineco’s airport experts began by generating short, medium and long-term traffic forecasts for Simón Bolívar Airport, taking into account factors such as the anticipated growth in international tourism. After an exhaustive analysis they defined a number of different traffic horizons: in the short term, a volume of 3.5 million passengers, with 27,400 aircraft movements; in the medium term, 4.5 million passengers, with 35,000 movements; and in the long term, 7.3 million passengers with over 52,000 movements. In light of the investments made in recent years to promote tourism in the Magdalena region, it was estimated that almost 5% of this traffic could be international.

After preparing the traffic forecast, the experts then identified the needs of the existing infrastructure. They found that the length of the existing runway limited the potential for flights to international destinations in the region, and that it would therefore be necessary to extend it. They also concluded that both the terminal and apron were close to saturation; however, the airport’s proximity to the sea prevented expansion in its current location.

Consequently, in order to meet the forecast growth in traffic, the key action would be to extend the runway in order to serve new destinations up to 2,000 nautical miles away (e.g. New York, Mexico City), and to adapt the airfield so that it meets international standards. To achieve this, the Master Plan proposes a number of different expansion options, which have been evaluated using a multi-criteria matrix that takes into account factors such as air navigation and operability, costs and acquisition of land, impacts on urban areas, noise and restrictions due to obstacle limitation surfaces, construction feasibility, and the impacts on other infrastructure and the environment.

Proposed solutions

Once the needs and the different development options had been studied, the Master Plan defined the key actions to be taken with regard to each traffic horizon. The most notable actions comprise the extension of the runway over the sea platform, for which Ineco prepared a design in 2021; and the transfer of the commercial traffic operations to the eastern side of the runway, which would involve the construction of new taxiways, apron, terminal building, car parks, access routes and other facilities.

In total, the Plan aims to improve the airport’s operational safety, meet the forecast demand, enable the development of new activities associated with the airport environment, and facilitate the airport’s potential development even beyond the horizons studied in the Master Plan.

In the airfield area, the plan is to extend the runway towards the south, in order to provide an available take-off run of 2,040 metres. This will make it possible to operate flights to JFK using A320 Neo aircraft without compromising the number of passengers. Additionally, the Plan proposes enlarging the runway strip to a width of 150 metres and adding runway end safety areas (RESAs) at both ends, in accordance with Colombian Aeronautical Regulation RAC 14.

To carry out these works, breakwaters and earthworks will be used to reclaim land from the sea and reroute the railway line that runs close to the current airfield. These works are designed to maximise the current capacity of the facilities –in order to accommodate up to 3.2 million passengers per year–and will be carried out within a short strategic time frame, in order to be able to handle the anticipated levels of traffic in the coming years.

In the medium term, the commercial operations will be moved to the east of the airfield, thereby making it possible to undertake a major expansion of the airport by creating a new apron, terminal building and car parks, in addition to the auxiliary facilities required to enter into operation (rescue and fire-fighting services, power plant, etc.). In the long term, in order to handle 7.3 million passengers it will be necessary to enlarge the apron to provide 13 aircraft parking stands, expand the terminal building to 35,000 m² and enlarge the various surface-level car parks constructed during the previous stages.

The Plan also provides for new road access from the Troncal del Caribe: this, together with the FENOCO (Ferrocarriles Nacionales de Colombia) railway line will enable the development of an intermodal connection, which is of vital importance to the strategic projects being planned for Santa Marta’s district of cultural, historical and tourist interest.

This intermodal connection will also facilitate the development within the airport of an area for complementary activities (e.g. FBOs, specialist logistics, maintenance and cargo facilities). Land has been set aside for this purpose, in line with the strategic national vision of the country’s civil aviation authority. The current facilities to the west of the runway will be used for general aviation operations (FBOs) or other purposes.

The Master Plan also includes an estimate of the investment required, distributed (approximately) as follows: 35% in the short term, 51% in the medium term, and the remaining 14% in the long term.

El Dorado international airport in Bogotá, Colombia, is one of the most important airports in Latin America: it is the third largest in terms of passenger volume, with more than 35 million passengers per year, the second largest in terms of operations, with 315,000 flights, and the largest in terms of the volume of air cargo transported, with around 725,000 tonnes per year, according to 2019 data from the Civil Aeronautics Air Transport office. Expansion plans underway to meet the increase in traffic expected by 2030 include the implementation of an Apron Management Service, or AMS, to improve efficiency and reduce ground movement delays.

Ineco, together with the Colombian engineering company Integral, has carried out the technical, operational, administrative and cost studies for Aerocivil, the Colombian aeronautical authority, to develop and implement an AMS at El Dorado, the first of its kind in the country. To this end, the different possibilities for its implementation and the conditions for the tendering and contracting of the service by Aerocivil have been analysed.

An AMS is an airport service that is specifically dedicated to managing and securing the movement of vehicles and aircraft on aprons. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) recommends the implementation of an AMS when warranted by traffic volume and operating conditions. In Spain, its implementation was gradually introduced, starting in 2011, in airports with an annual traffic of over 250,000 flights, such as Madrid and Barcelona. Until 2017, Ineco was in charge of the transition and provision of the service in Madrid for Aena and provided support to Enaire in Barcelona, where the service was handled by control staff.

MONITORING FROM THE TOWER. It is proposed that the future AMS facility be physically located on the first floor of the control tower. In 2011, Ineco and the Spanish architecture firm GOP were commissioned to study, design and outfit the new tower. / PHOTO_INECO-AEROCIVIL

At the international level, different AMS models exist in Canada, China, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. In the United States, the system is implemented at major airports such as JFK in New York, Chicago and Las Vegas; and in Europe, at Madrid-Barajas, Barcelona-El Prat, Frankfurt, Amsterdam-Schiphol, Munich and Zurich airports.

In Colombia, the Apron Management Service at all airports is carried out through coordinated management between the air traffic services (ATS), the aerodrome administration and the airlines. Specifically, in the case of El Dorado International Airport, the control tower is currently responsible for regulating movement between aprons, controlling the entry of aircraft and ensuring the rapid and safe movement of vehicles, among other activities.

Assigning these functions to an AMS unit will reduce the workload of ground controllers (GND), enabling them to better manage taxiing on the manoeuvring area. The increased specialisation of the AMS in the management of taxiing and reversing on aprons will also help to improve operational fluidity and efficiency.

Operational positions of the AMS: in the centre, the supervisor and on both sides, the operators.

The implementation of the AMS does not necessarily require major investments in new infrastructure, equipment or technology, since the same infrastructures are used as those employed by tower control. In the case of El Dorado, it is proposed to physically locate the service on the first floor of the new control tower. In 2011, Ineco and the Spanish architecture firm GOP were commissioned to study, design and outfit the new tower (see ITRANSPORTE 46).

Thus, the proposal, developed in coordination with Aerocivil’s Directorate of Telecommunications and Air Navigation Aids, will not require major adaptation works, apart from the upgrading of the electrical system and the radio transmitter centre, as well as the establishment of intermediate waiting points on the airfield to identify the traffic transfer points between the control tower and the AMS. Cameras (CCTV) will be installed at the non-visible points of the commercial aprons (T1, T2 and TC), which are the responsibility of the AMS, an area that has been divided into two sectors: north and south. The service will also be supported by an A-SMGCS (Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System), which automatically alerts and resolves potential aircraft and vehicle conflicts regardless of weather conditions), which is being deployed at El Dorado.

A new AMS-specific CCTV system will be installed on the apron to ensure the availability of cameras in areas not directly visible from the tower. / PHOTO_INECO-AEROCIVIL

Project development

This project was developed through the structuring and scope established in the terms of reference defined jointly with the GPA and the Directorate of Air Navigation Services of the Colombian Civil Aeronautics.

Ineco’s multidisciplinary team carried out a field visit and around fifty working groups with the different stakeholders involved throughout the three phases of the project:

Diagnosis of the current situation

The first step was to gather all available information on the airport’s equipment, procedures, infrastructure, operations and human resources, as well as applicable national and international standards and recommendations. The operation of more than 4,000 flights was also sampled for the months of December 2019 to March 2020.

In addition, a benchmarking study of three international airports with an AMS –Madrid-Barajas, Amsterdam-Schiphol and Frankfurt – was carried out to assess implementation alternatives and the AMS model best suited to the needs of El Dorado. Among other conclusions drawn from this comparative analysis were the weight of staff training –between three months and one year, depending on the airport– in service start-up times, the improvement in operational efficiency and costs, and the maintenance of safety levels, since AMS operators receive specific training and provide pilots with exactly the same information and instructions as controllers.

A snapshot of the information-gathering field visit, which also included the analysis of more than 4,000 flights.

AMS proposal

Based on the conclusions of the diagnosis and the benchmarking study, up to six different service implementation alternatives were analysed to identify the most suitable for El Dorado. To this end, aspects such as the distribution of functions between the ATS and the AMS, the physical location of the service, the adaptation of the control and navigation systems (ATM, CNS and MET), the provision model (Aeronáutica Civil will evaluate the implementation model of the project based on the results of these studies), and the definition of the regulations: the establishment of specific conditions in the specifications or changes to the national regulations, the Colombian Aeronautical Regulations (CAR), which are considered the most appropriate.

The proposed functions to be assumed by the AMS at El Dorado airport, which until now were carried out by the control tower, include:

• Providing apron instructions to aircraft and trailers, such as push-back and taxiing instructions to or from the parking stand assigned by the Operations Coordination Centre (OCC), which will communicate this to both apron management and tower control.
• Monitor compliance with TOBT (Target Off-Block Time) and TSAT (Target Start-Up Approval Time) targets. The service will be integrated into the airport’s A-CDM (collaborative decision making) processes.
• Monitoring tarmac vehicle traffic to avoid aircraft hazards and reporting non-compliance.
• The implementation of the service will take place during towing to SPOTs, the painted markings on the pavement of taxiways indicating where aircraft can start taxiing, after taxiing back from the parking position, and the setting of the radio frequencies established for the respective operational coordination.
• Implementing the Low Visibility Procedure (LVP, an action protocol that is activated in the event that visibility is reduced below certain values due to weather conditions).

To this end, local coordination procedures (letters of agreement) have been developed, in coordination with Aerocivil air traffic control staff, covering those functions where responsibility is divided or coordination of the AMS with the
responsible party for the function, such as tower control or the airport manager, is required.

In terms of staffing, a team of six supervisors and 18 AMS operators, who will receive specific training, is proposed. For this, the Centre for Aeronautical Studies (CEA) of Aerocivil, which has developed a specific training programme for AMS personnel, has collaborated in this project.

A security analysis of the procedures and the implementation of the AMS has been carried out, as well as an implementation and operational cost study.

Implementation plan

Lastly, the technical specifications and specifications for a public tender for a turnkey project contract were drawn up, in the event that the Civil Aeronautics Authority should decide to have a third party provide the service: preliminary studies, market analysis, minute of the contract, technical specifications, formats, etc.

The proposed contract duration is six years (12 months of implementation and five years of service provision), which has been deemed the most appropriate period to balance the interests of Civil Aviation and at the same time make the tender attractive to a sufficient number of candidates.

Traffic control in the movement area

It is not only necessary to monitor and organise air traffic movements when aircraft are in the air, but also when they are on the ground, taxiing around the airport. All aircraft movements on the ground are managed by control personnel, or by AMS personnel if on aprons, where the safe and smooth coexistence of aircraft with all vehicles and personnel moving along the apron must be ensured.

The AMS will reduce the tower control workload. / PHOTO_INECO-AEROCIVIL

In addition to the aircraft, there are a number of vehicles that operate in the movement area following strict safety protocols and procedures: tractors, which tow the aircraft from the assigned parking positions; follow me; service and supply (handling); fuel supply; loading and unloading of luggage and freights; and mobile stairway trucks and buses for embarking and disembarking passengers and crews. In addition, where appropriate, there are emergency and security vehicles (ambulance, fire brigade, civil protection, police, etc.), customs, cleaning and maintenance vehicles, customs, cleaning and maintenance. As a result, the movement area at busy airports, and in particular the aprons where aircraft are parked, can become congested. Ensuring that all aircraft and vehicle movements are carried out safely and smoothly is fundamental to the efficiency of airport operations, where every second counts. Hence, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regulations for airport design and operations provide for the possibility of traffic management on the apron to be entrusted to an apron management service (AMS) that is separate from the air traffic service (ATS), which is in charge of tower control.

El Dorado apron with the control tower in the background. / PHOTO_INECO-AEROCIVIL

The functions and responsibilities of each must be perfectly defined and both services must be coordinated with each other, for which a protocol called ‘Letter of Agreement’ (LoA) is established, which specifies the areas of responsibility of each service, when, how and where control is transferred from one to the other (transfer points), the procedures to be followed in the event of Low Visibility Procedures (LVP), emergencies and contingencies, etc. 

For Dr. Jorge Yunda, Mayor of Quito, the city’s first metro line is more than just emblematic infrastructure; it’s “an excellent opportunity for people to change the way they relate to each other”. The city’s authorities hope the new mass transport system will consolidate ‘Metro culture’. They also believe it will improve quality of life by saving time for residents, enabling them to be more supportive of one another, and allowing them to breathe cleaner air by reducing the thousands of tons of CO₂ they currently release into the atmosphere.

More than 400,000 people will benefit from the new sustainable transport system every day

With just a few months to go until its opening, Line 1 of Quito’s publicly-owned Empresa Metropolitana de Metro de Quito will be completely underground, have 22 kilometres of track built with cutting-edge technology and will be equipped with modern trains manufactured by the Spanish company CAF in the north of Spain. The line will have 15 stations stretching from the El Labrador station at the south terminal station of the old airport to the Quitumbe station south of the city, and a total travel time of 34 minutes. Four hundred thousand people are expected to use the new infrastructure every day.

The success of the Medellín Metro prompted representatives of Metro de Quito to sign a rail transport cooperation agreement with the Empresa de Transporte Masivo del Valle de Aburrá Limitada-Metro de Medellín (the Valle de Aburrá Limited-Medellín Metro Mass Transit Company). The agreement provides a framework for joint contribution, knowledge transfer and work in different areas related to the metro’s operation. Similarly, in August 2019, a cooperation agreement was also signed between the Central University of Ecuador and Metro de Quito. The ambitious construction project is supported by the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the European Investment Bank.

SUPPLYING THE TRAIN UNITS. Ineco has experience in provisioning many different types of large equipment projects, such as the construction of new EMUs, DMUs and locomotives, overhauling rail stock, freight cars, auxiliary equipment such as draisines, specialised infrastructure maintenance vehicles and on-board equipment.

Thirty years of experience

Just as it did with the trains built by CAF for Metro de Medellín Metro, at the start of 2017 Ineco began supervising the complete rolling stock acquisition process for the Empresa Pública Metropolitana Metro de Quito (EPMMQ – the Quito Metro Metropolitan Public Enterprise). The order included 18 trains with six cars each, plus auxiliary vehicles, equipment and tools for the depot, and spare parts. The railway experts from the Spanish engineering firm provided technical supervision and management of the design, build and tune-up of the trains, a task that involves monitoring compliance with production deadlines, the issuing of deliveries in running order, and ensuring maximum consistency throughout the design, manufacturing and factory testing processes.

The company’s extensive experience in supervising the design, manufacture and commissioning of all types of rolling stock, comes from its work dating back to the 90s in Spain, as well as its contributions to metro and commuter trains abroad, in the cities of São Paulo, Medellín and Santiago de Chile. Ineco’s qualified personnel and exhaustive knowledge of regulatory issues have made the company a household name in the world of railway rolling stock.

COMPREHENSIVE BUILD SUPERVISION. Metro de Quito commissioned Ineco, as a company specialised in subway-type rail transport systems, to supervise, evaluate and ensure full contract compliance throughout the stages of design, manufacture, transport and at tune-up at the final destination.

A long and painstaking process

The Ineco division responsible for the supervision of the design of the rolling-stock, which has an operating life span of 35 years, oversaw the process from the company’s Madrid office. Meanwhile, specialists from the company’s leading teams were present for approval tests carried out on-site at the installations of each of the main train equipment suppliers (in South Korea, China, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Finland, Portugal and Spain).

Ineco inspectors supervised train manufacture and assembly at CAF’s manufacturing plants

Build supervision, train unit assembly and factory tests were completed in the presence of inspectors at CAF’s manufacturing plants in Irún, Beasain and Castejón. The acceptance phase for the trains, auxiliary vehicles, depot equipment and spare parts took place at EPMMQ’s installations in Quito.

Ineco also provided technical assistance to FEEP (the Ecuadorian Public Railway Company) by inspecting three TD2000BB locomotives supplied by Euskotren, to verify their suitability to the track and traction conditions of the country’s lines.