Once again, Ineco is to update the Master Development Programmes for the 12 Mexican airports (Guadalajara, Tijuana, Mexicali, Hermosillo, Los Mochis, Aguascalientes, Guanajuato, Morelia, La Paz, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo) that are part of  the Pacific Airport Group (GAP), which is partly owned by Aena Internacional. The recovery in air traffic, which has returned to pre-pandemic levels, has given rise to a need for updated information in order to adequately plan airport development.

Ineco first began work on drawing up and revising these plans for the GAP in 2003. Currently, the company is preparing a Master Plan for Kingston airport in Jamaica, which –along with Montego Bay airport– is also managed by the GAP.

Ineco joins a new project in Jamaica with the update of the Master Plan for the Norman Manley Airport in Kingston. The project involves the analysis of air traffic forecasts, the collection of the data necessary to carry out airport planning and the proposed development of existing facilities up to 2040. This work for the concessionaire PAC Kingston Airport Limited, which belongs to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), owned by Aena Internacional, follows the work already carried out for Sangster Airport in Montego Bay and Ian Flemming Airport in Boscobel, in the north of the island. Ineco has updated the master plans for both, as well as managing and projecting various works at Sangster International, where it began working more than a decade ago (see ITRANSPORTE 62 and 67). 

The Mexican airports of Guadalajara, Tijuana, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Guanajuato, Hermosillo, La Paz, Mexicali, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Los Mochis and Manzanillo, all operated by GAP (the Pacific Airport Group), have just updated their Master Plans to 2034. Ineco first began preparing these plans, which are structured in three five-year phases, in 2003, for the periods 2005-2019, 2010-2024 and 2015-2029.

Growing aviation market

In an aviation market as dynamic as that of Mexico, it is essential to adjust plans to anticipated levels of demand.

In the last five years alone, Mexican air traffic has skyrocketed –with year-on-year growth of more than 10% until 2019, when it grew by 8.4%– due to several factors: the 35% drop in ticket prices due to the trade war between airlines, the drop in fuel prices, the signing of 23 bilateral transport agreements in just four years and the strength of tourism. Within this context, GAP operates five of the 10 busiest airports in the country, with the list topped by Mexico City, with 50.3 million passengers in 2019, and Cancun, with 25.5 million. The Guadalajara airport, with 14.8 million passengers, is in third place.

Air traffic growth at all GAP airports over the past five years, at 12%, is higher than the national average (8%), which is attributable to several factors: the saturation of the international airport in the capital, Mexico City (AICM), which has benefited Guadalajara airport, the cross-border effect at Tijuana airport, and the increase in tourism at the Rivera Nayarit and La Paz airports, which has benefited the Puerto Vallarta and La Paz airports.

Guadalajara is the largest airport, Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos the most touristic and Tijuana is the main gateway to the US

1 Guadalajara

The Guadalajara International Airport is the third most important in the country and is located in the state of Jalisco. Guadalajara is an important commercial, industrial and tourist centre. In line with the Master Plan, the main actions to be carried out in the coming years will be the construction of a second runway and a new terminal with its associated commercial apron. An increase in the capacity of the general aviation apron and the parking and access facilities is also proposed.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

2 Tijuana 

General Abelardo L. Rodríguez International Airport is located in Baja California, adjacent to the US border. Passengers departing from San Diego (USA) use the Cross Border Xpress (CBX), which allows them to cross the border without leaving the airport. The Tijuana Plan is currently underway, which includes the construction of a new processing building and the joining of the Alfa and Eco taxiways. The Master Plan aims, within the first five years, to reconfigure and expand the aircraft stands, as well as the security control area in the terminal building, and to reserve an area for cargo, in particular for CBX-Cargo. For the second five-year period, the construction of Dock C and a new control tower.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

3 Los Cabos 

The airport serves the Los Cabos area –comprised of the municipalities of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas– currently one of the most important tourist destinations in the country. 70% of the traffic is international. Among the key actions, the Master Plan proposes, in the short term, to expand the commercial and general aprons, as well as the terminal buildings. For the second five-year period, land is being reserved in the medium term for the construction of a future second runway.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

4 Puerto Vallarta 

Located in the state of Jalisco, 7.5 kilometres northwest of the city of Puerto Vallarta. The main proposal of the Master Plan is the construction of a new terminal building with an associated apron, parking lots and roads, as well as a reform of the current terminal building.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

5 Guanajuato

Located in the municipality of Silao (Guanajuato). With 2.7 million passengers in 2019, Guanajuato is the fifth largest city within GAP. In the last five years, average growth has been spectacular, at 15.5%, above the average of 12.1% for GAP. Commercial traffic is mostly domestic. The proposed development includes an expansion in several phases of different areas of the terminal building (departures, arrivals, baggage claim, new boarding gates), as well as the parking aprons (commercial and general aviation).

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

6 Hermosillo 

The airport is located in the municipality of Hermosillo, in the state of Sonora. It serves as an alternate airport to Tijuana. The main development proposals include the enlargement and reconfiguration, over several phases, of the stands on the general aviation apron and, in the short term, of the passenger and baggage claim areas. Also, the control tower is to be renovated, although it does not need to be relocated.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

7 La Paz

The General Manuel Márquez de León International Airport is located in the state of Baja California Sur. Almost 100% of passenger traffic and commercial operations are domestic. The Master Plan recommends, among other actions, the enlargement of customs, phytosanitary and documentation controls, in the short term; or, in the medium term, of the terminal building, the final waiting room and baggage claim.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

8 Mexicali

The General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport is located in the state of Baja California, about 6.5 kilometres from the US border. Short-term development proposals include increasing the number of documentation counters, installing an X-ray machine and remodelling the general aviation building.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

9 Morelia

The airport is located 30 kilometres from the city of Morelia, in the north of the state of Michoacán. Following an analysis of demand, it was concluded that the airfield has sufficient capacity for the entire reference period. In the short term, proposed actions include, among others, the expansion of the general aviation apron, as well as the areas for document control, boarding and baggage claim rooms.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

10 Aguascalientes

The Licenciado Jesús Terán Peredo International Airport is located 24 kilometres south of the city of Aguascalientes. Over the last five years, the average annual growth rate of commercial passengers has been 13.9%, well above the figures reported for the entire group. Among the actions of the Master Plan, it is worth highlighting that during the first five years, the commercial and general aprons were enlarged and remodelled, as well as the passenger area, in particular for baggage claim and document control, and some repairs were made to the beacon in the control tower.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

11 Los Mochis

The Valle del Fuerte International Airport, or Los Mochis, is located in the state of Sinaloa. Its traffic is almost 100% domestic. The proximity of the airports of Hermosillo and Culiacán –both state capitals– results in competition that affects primarily the development of international traffic. As for the Master Plan, it proposes the remodeling and expansion of the south-west and south-east facades of the existing terminal building, the expansion of the general aviation apron and the reconfiguration of the current seating arrangements.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

12 Manzanillo 

Also known as Playa de Oro, it is located in the west of the state of Colima. The distribution of commercial passengers is very balanced: 55% of the traffic is domestic and 45% international. No need to increase the capacity of the runway and the commercial aviation apron over the entire time frame of the study was identified. For the terminal building, the expansion and remodeling of the medical clinics, security controls, waiting room and baggage claim area are proposed.

PHOTO_INECO + GAP

GAP passenger growth 2019 vs 2018

SOURCE_GAP FORECASTS AS OF JANUARY 2020

With its 30-year contract to manage six airports in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Aena Internacional has strengthened its leadership in the world and is helping to build new air bridges in a strategic sector vital to the development of the country’s tourism and economy, while at the same time strengthening relations between Spain and Brazil.

Ineco, which provided technical support to Aena Internacional during the entire concession process, will continue to collaborate on both the Operational Readiness and Transfer and subsequent stages, thus strengthening its long history as a technical consultant in Brazil, a country in which the company is carrying out other projects such as supervision of new trains for the São Paulo Commuter network, which is also covered in an article in this issue.

Also in the international sphere, our railway specialisation has taken us to different continents, as reported in the article about the Independent Safety Assessment (ISA) carried out for the improvement of the Panama City Metro and safety studies conducted for the Makkah-Madinah high-speed line in Saudi Arabia.

In Spain, the works on the high-speed line to Galicia also involve building bridges – both figuratively, because of the crucial importance of improving connections with the Region of Galicia, and literally, because of the construction of the large viaducts and other special works that are required, including the ones described in a report in this issue on a section that presents enormous technical complexity.

We also dedicate space to innovation with the RONIN road safety tool and the implementation of a pilot project using the ground-breaking integration of BIM and GIS technology in Spain’s road sector.

Ineco’s commitment to building bridges between training and the exercise of the engineering profession, supporting the development and attraction of talent, has led us to organise, together with the Spanish Institute of Engineering, the first edition of the Awards for Excellence in Engineering Student Internships. These awards are based on performance during a series of theoretical and practical courses that will enhance the training of future engineers and enable them to contribute to increasing the prestige of Spanish engineering.

Similarly, and as part of our unequivocal commitment to the 2030 Agenda, we will be building charitable bridges with volunteer projects that we carry out in our CSR section, in which we highlight three projects already underway in India, South Sudan and Haiti.

In 2010, the Brazilian government adopted a concession model through international public tendering to manage its airports, which up to that time had been managed by the state-owned enterprise, Infraero. The entity was in charge of the country’s 63 main airports, accounting for 97% of the national aviation business. The first lot was awarded in 2011 and the fifth and most recent was awarded to Aena Internacional in March 2019 for a period of 30 years, consisting of a group of six airports in the Northeast Region of the country: Recife, Maceió, João Pessoa, Aracaju, Campina Grande and Juazeiro do Norte, which in 2018 accounted for 13.7 million passengers.

Ineco provided Aena Internacional with specialised technical support during the entire process prior to the bid and the handover preparation period that will end in early 2020. This means that the Spanish operator, the world’s largest in terms of passenger volume –more than 280 million in total– will now manage a total of 23 airports in five countries: twelve in Mexico, one in the United Kingdom, two in Colombia, two more in Jamaica and six in Brazil. It also operates the 46 airports and two heliports in the Spanish network, through which more than 263 million passengers passed in 2018.

Airports, the key to tourism

The Northeast Region of Brazil is one of the country’s five geographic regions, and it contains 9 of the 26 federal states:  Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão,
Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe, all of which are on the Atlantic coast. With some 50 million inhabitants, it is the second most populous region after the Southeast, with 77 million, where the large urban centres of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo are located.

The Northeast is the most-visited tourist region in the country: the states of Bahia and Pernambuco receive the most visitors, specifically, as sun and beach destinations. Tourism is predominantly domestic, with international tourism yet to achieve its full potential for development: compared to 36.6 million domestic vacationers in 2018, the country received only 6.6 million foreign visitors, a figure that the federal government would like to double by 2021.

Improving airport infrastructure and management is key to achieving this goal, especially considering that Brazil is also the third largest domestic air market in the world, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The airports in detail

Location of the six airports managed by Aena in Brazil.

1. Recife

Recife-Guararapes International Airport (officially Gilberto Freyre International Airport) is the eighth largest airport in Brazil by traffic volume: in 2018, 8,422,566 passengers and 55,838 tons of cargo passed through it. It is located 11 kilometres south of the city of Recife, the capital of the state of Pernambuco. It has a 3,000-metre runway and a passenger terminal that covers 52,000 square metres, in addition to a car park with 2,000 spaces.

Recife is the fourth largest city in Brazil: it has a population of 1.6 million, or 4 million in the entire metropolitan area made up of 13 towns. It has the country’s largest technological park, called Porto Digital (Digital Port) and the third largest port complex, including a major shipyard that is the largest in the southern hemisphere.

Tourism is another one of the pillars of the economy of Recife. Established in the sixteenth century, it is one of the oldest cities in Brazil and one of the main destinations for both the domestic and international tourism markets. In 2018, it received 3.3 million visitors, accounting for more than half of the state’s total tourism. The spectacular beaches of its coastline, which are home to the coral reefs that give it its name, the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, are considered a paradise for scuba diving enthusiasts, and celebrations such as Carnival and the Saint John festivals in June, are some of its principal tourist attractions.

2. Maceió

Zumbi dos Palmares de Maceió International Airport began operations in 1928, with a capacity for only six aircraft. In 2005, a major expansion project was carried out that involved the construction of a new 22,000 m² passenger terminal and the lengthening of its runway, which now measures 2,601 metres long by 45 metres wide. The main destinations are Guarulhos, Galeão, Recife, Campinas and Brasilia, and, in 2018, it registered a record 2,179,230 passengers, 5.4% more than in 2017.

Maceió is the capital of the state of Alagoas and has a population of 1.1 million inhabitants. Its economy is based on commerce, agriculture, especially the cultivation of sugar cane, and industries such as chemicals and food and the extraction of natural gas and oil, among others. It is also the third most visited national tourist destination for sun and beach holidays.

3. João Pessoa

João Pessoa-Presidente Castro Pinto International Airport is 12 kilometres from the city centre. In 2018, it handled 1,414,896 passengers, according to data from Infraero. It has a 2,515-metre-long runway and a 9,000-square-metre terminal, with parking for 600 vehicles.

João Pessoa is the capital and main financial and economic centre of the state of Paraíba. It has just over 800,000 inhabitants, and 1.2 million if the 11 municipalities of the metropolitan area are counted. Commerce and, above all, sun and beach tourism are the most important economic sectors, and it also boasts an outstanding heritage of well-preserved Baroque buildings, such as the sixteenth-century Convent of Saint Francis, now converted into a cultural centre. The entire old town has been listed as a national heritage site. According to data provided by the state government of Paraíba, the city, the easternmost city in the country, is ranked the 10th most visited in Brazil.

4. Aracaju

Located 12 kilometres from the city centre, Aracaju-Santa María International Airport handled 1.1 million passengers in 2018. In addition to regular flights, it also operates helicopter flights that transfer personnel to the oil rigs off the coast of Sergipe and Alagoas. The runway measures 2,200 metres in length and the passenger terminal covers 9,321 square metres, with 199 parking spaces.

The city of Aracaju, capital of the state of Sergipe, has a population of almost 649,000 people. Its economy is based on services and industry. Regarding tourism, the city and its surrounding area offer high-quality hotels and infrastructure, but the influx of visitors is less than in other areas. The city has a popular Oceanarium that receives 120,000 visitors a year.

5. Juazeiro do Norte

Orlando Bezerra de Menezes Airport is located 6 kilometres from the city of Juazeiro do Norte in the Cariri region, south of the state of Ceará. In 2018, it recorded 563,895 passengers, representing an increase of 3.96% compared to the previous year, and 1,567 tons of air cargo. It has a 1,940-metre-long runway and a 1,000-square-metre terminal, with parking for 230 vehicles.

The city of Juazeiro do Norte, with a population of approximately 272,000 people, is the second most important city in the state and one of its main industrial and commercial centres. It particularly stands out for its footwear industry, which is highly significant throughout Brazil and especially in the Northeast Region, which accounts for 48.8% of national production, more than 85% of which goes to the domestic market. Juazeiro is part of a group of nine municipalities in which around 300 companies from the sector are concentrated.

Much of the city’s tourism is religious and closely linked to the origins of the city, which was founded by a Catholic priest named Father Cicero, to whom a miracle was attributed in the late nineteenth century, as a result of which 2.5 million pilgrims visit the city every year to venerate its founder and patron saint. Religious tourism, mostly Catholic, but also evangelical and other denominations, is the fastest growing segment in Brazil, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism, and generates 8.1 million trips every year within the country.

Another important sector in Juazeiro do Norte is ecotourism related to the protected areas of the Araripe Plateau –a national forest, nature reserve and geological park– where, among other Cretaceous remains, the highest concentration of pterosaur (flying dinosaur) fossils in the world has been found.

6. Campina Grande

Campina Grande-Presidente João Suassuna Airport, in the state of Paraíba, accounted for 168,278 passengers in 2018, 11.98% more than in 2017, the fourth largest percentage increase of Brazil’s 53 main airports. Located 6 kilometres from the city centre, it operates regional and national and general aviation flights, as well as some military training flights. The runway measures 1,600 metres and the passenger terminal has an area of 2,500 square metres with parking for 203 vehicles.

The city of Campina Grande has a population of 407,472 inhabitants, according to official 2018 figures, which increases to more than 638,000 if the 19 municipalities of the metropolitan area are counted. Its main economic activities are mineral extraction, software development, commerce, agriculture, livestock, processing industries and services. The city also hosts one of the most well-attended festivals in Brazil: the festival of Saint John (Gran São João do Mundo), which is held during the month of June and brings together around a million people every year.

Aena Internacional has been announced by the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) as the winning bidder of the 30-year concession tender for the Northeast Brazil airport group, consisting of six airports (Recife, Maceió, Joao Pessoa-Bayeux, Aracajú, Juazeiro do Norte and Campina Grande). Ineco collaborated with Aena on the preparation of the bid.

The Northeast airport group recorded passenger traffic of more than 13 million in 2018, 6.5% of the total traffic in Brazil.

Ineco is preparing master development programmes for the 2020-2034 period on behalf of the twelve airports of Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP), which is partly owned by Aena Internacional: Bajío, Aguascalientes, Hermosillo, La Paz, Los Mochis, Morelia, Mexicali, San José Del Cabo, Manzanillo, Tijuana, Puerto Vallarta and Guadalajara.  For the latter two airports, functional terminal designs are also being produced, something that has already been done for the Tijuana terminal.

The company began preparing these plans in 2003 for the 2005-2019, 2010-2024 and 2015-2029 periods. GAP has also been selected by the Jamaican government as a provisional preferred bidder to operate, modernise and expand Norman Manley International Airport in the capital city of Kingston for 25 years. Ineco provided support in the drafting of GAP’s technical proposal, which was selected.

Physical security and operational safety are a fundamental pillar of all aeronautical activity and are at the centre of all procedures affecting air navigation, passengers, airport staff and the airport itself: among others, the inspection of baggage and cargo, access control, airfield signalling, the maintenance of vehicles and facilities, and action plans in the event of an emergency or disaster.

Ensuring that all these elements comply with safety levels established in aeronautical legislation (and monitoring them through the use of quality indicators) guarantees not only reliable and efficient air transport, but also international recognition and greater attention from airlines, which can boost the airport’s growth. It is for that reason that ENANA (the Angolan National Enterprise for the Operations of Airports and Air Traffic Control), which operates the country’s airports and air navigation services, has again turned to the experience of Aena Internacional, which through Ineco has carried out its second project at the capital’s 4 de Fevereiro airport. Preliminary studies were carried out in 2012 (see IT48), and are now being given continuity.

This first approach focused on the analysis and detection of potential risks and needs for safety, and the development of a total of 21 proposals for immediate corrective actions. These measures were grouped into 7 areas: infrastructure, equipment, airport services, documentation, real-time management, strategy and maintenance. In addition, Ineco and Aena Internacional developed operating and safety procedures and an Operations Management Plan (OMP), focusing on planning and real time. To raise awareness among airport staff of all the actions, a plan of training was delivered, totalling 196 hours for 220 participants. In addition to the safety proposals, a proposal for the commercial exploitation for the airport was also developed. This new project has seen advances in the development of these measures, which are specified in different plans. Works were carried out in two pases.

SAFETY AND EMERGENCIAS

The airport safety programme assigns responsibility, competences and obligations in the area of safety between airport management and the departments that organise and provide the services involved; defines restricted areas and safety measures both in the air and on land as well as the regulations in force for vehicle checks, the control of weapons and hazardous substances and goods, and the transport of passengers who are ill, have been detained or deported or are deceased, etc.

The emergency and contingency plans are designed to cover any serious situation affecting safety at the airport, from criminal acts to aircraft accidents inside or outside the premises of the airport. The objective of the contingency plan at 4 de Fevereiro airport is to identify and to coordinate what action protocols are to be followed in the event of an aircraft being hijacked or sabotaged, and, according to the level of threat, what measures must be taken by each body: airport staff, ENANA, armed forces, the police, the fire service, hospitals and medical services, etc. In parallel, Annex 14 of the ICAO requires that each airport have a specific plan for situations involving aircraft or aeronautical emergencies, such as accidents inside and outside the airport, and other situations such as natural disasters, accidents with hazardous goods or medical emergencies. The purpose of the emergency plan is to minimise the repercussions of such situations, to avoid the loss of human life, to safeguard the integrity of the facilities and to resume normal airport activity as early as possible. To that end, the document identifies possible risks and establishes command and communication procedures to be followed in order to avoid improvisation and the lack of coordination. The emergency plan includes the preparation and organisation of emergency drills in the airport and the drafting of a guide to carrying this out.

The airport safety programme assigns responsibilities between management and organisational departments

The project’s scope also covers the Safety Management System (SMS), for which a gap analysis was carried out on the current situation, 10 procedures were drafted and a plan was established for the implementation of the System. Another crucial safety element, considered strategic by ENANA, is the training of trainers, for which a course is being planned.

APRON WORKS

A fundamental aspect of operational safety is that the aircraft parking apron or ramp and the taxiways are properly marked, in accordance with ICAO manuals. At Luanda airport, shortcomings were detected in this area, especially for aircraft stands. In addition, the apron is shared by different types of aircraft (planes and helicopters); this constitutes a potential hazard both for aircraft themselves and for people and vehicles. Three types of actions are recommended in response to this.

Firstly, a topographic survey at a scale that would allow plans to be drawn up. Secondly, the definition of requirements for the design of the apron, taking multiple factors into account: the air traffic volume and forecasts, the types and sizes of aircraft, and whether they are commercial, military or for general aviation, their stops (national or international, terminals, transit, etc.), margins of separation from other aircraft, buildings and objects, etc. It is also necessary to analyse the means of access to aircraft parking (autonomous or with the assistance of a vehicle to tow or push the aircraft) and the distance to other installations (terminal, hangars, etc.), aircraft’s requirements of land-based assistance (fuel supply services, baggage handling, etc.). Additionally, the design of the apron should take into account the space available, the type of surface, jet blast, the time that each aircraft will occupy a stand and the time taken for another to occupy it, etc.

Advances are also being made in the commercial development of the airport, a field to which Aena Internacional has contributed its broad experience

Finally, taking into account all these design requirements and in compliance with ICAO criteria, the signalling study and planning will be carried out. This will cover aircraft stands, taxiways, service lanes and helicopter pads.

COMMERCIAL PLAN

Advances are also being made in the commercial development of the airport, a field in which Aena has contributed ample experience (see IT54). To achieve an increase in non-aviation income similar to that of other international airports (in Aena’s, this accounts for 26% of total income), an analysis was carried out into passenger demand, the most appropriate type and range of offering (including catering, duty-frees, VIP lounges, parking, etc.), and the design or layout of commercial spaces. The plan also included how the exploitation and contracting of the different spaces are to be carried out (direct exploitation by the operator, concession to third parties, etc) and how it is to be planned and managed. All of this is gathered in a business plan which included the participation of Carlos Porrón, from Aena Internacional.

Four million passengers in 2016: this is the growth forecast for the Rafael Núñez airport in Cartagena de Indias according to SACSA, the concession company. Majority-owned by the Spanish company Aena Internacional, in 2011 SACSA embarked on a project to improve and expand airport facilities, both on ground and in the air, in order to adapt airport capacity to the growing demand. Ineco recently updated the airport’s Master Plan which plans for expansion work until 2020 and has also designed and coordinated construction work (see IT48). Five years ago, work began on passenger terminal building renovations and expansion; work then continued on the design and surveillance of work on the runway, aprons, the perimeter road and the new FBO terminal for general aviation services.

The increase in traffic at the airport is associated with the tourism and industrial activity in this city –located on the coastline of the Caribbean Sea–, whose characteristic, walled historic quarter has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984. The city stands out as a domestic holiday destination, and although the number of international arrivals has increased, the majority of the city’s air traffic is mainly domestic with connections to the capital, Bogotá, as well as to main cities such as Medellín and Cali. In terms of international flights, top destinations include southern Florida in the United States in addition to Chile, Venezuela and Spain.

In order to drive the tourism sector, the airport operator and local entities such as Corporturismo and the Cartagena City Council are committed to implementing additional long-distance routes both to North America –the city’s main source of outbound tourism– and to Europe –especially to Germany and Spain. Airlines are thus operating larger aircrafts, in turn requiring airports to provide greater capacity as well as increased safety and security –both operational and physical. Since all work must be carried out without interfering with airport operations, Ineco also conducted a study on the different stages of construction in order to minimise the effects as much as possible.

Greater passenger and aircraft capacity

Thus, the construction work that was carried out at Rafael Núñez airport met these requirements: the current terminal building which was expanded from 2011 to 2013 has grown from 10,491 m² to 19,370 m². Expansion of the international hall is currently under way. The runway in addition to the main and secondary (or ECO) aprons were repaved between 2013 and 2014 to repair damaged areas and to increase their load bearing capacity. The axis of the turnaround area was modified to make it easier for large aircrafts to move around, and signalling and traffic guidance equipment was also improved.

With regard to the runway, Ineco designed and coordinated the installation of an asphalt mix that had never before been used in Colombia: a discontinuous, BBTM-11 bituminous mixture (with additional fibres) in a 4-cm screed used on 1,740 metres of the runway’s 2,540 total metres. The asphalt not only improves friction conditions on the wearing surface, but it also facilitates drainage and prevents hydroplaning.

On both aprons, a P-401 bituminous hot mixture with a maximum aggregate size of ¾” was used with a BMIII modified asphalt, with varying thicknesses of 5 to 12 centimetres. The landing gear stop-way was also reinforced with 33-cm concrete slabs. Since there are fewer demands with regard to reinforcements on the perimeter road and pedestrian areas, a MDC-2 bituminous hot mixture with B60/70 asphalt was installed.

General aviation on the rise

In addition to the aforementioned interventions which are of vital importance in terms of aircraft safety, the increase in general aviation traffic was kept in mind. Private and military flights represent more than 90% of traffic at this airport, while the remaining percentage is represented by executive flights, school flights, etc. Although general aviation represents less than 1% of the total passengers who use this airport, it corresponds to 30% of airport operations and is expected to grow an average of 3.9% by 2020, totalling some 26,000 passengers and 14,000 operations.

Therefore, construction work was carried out on a new FBO general aviation terminal in 2014 (Fixed Base Operator, a company from the United States in this case), as agreed upon in the draft that had previously been drawn up by Ineco. The new terminal, located in the eastern part, boasts three different areas: airport authority, border control and entry/exit of passengers and baggage; a surveillance area that covers access areas both to and from air and ground, as well as security checkpoints; and a passenger waiting area.

The project included the construction of a new, stand-alone building with an electrical substation, a hydraulic pump room and a drinking water supply in addition to a handling office. Shared with the secondary apron, a new perimeter road was also constructed with direct access from Vía del Mar, the road that connects Cartagena de Indias with Barranquilla.

The growth forecast predicts that Rafael Núñez airport will see four million passengers in 2016

Ongoing work

Rescue and fire fighting services (RFFS) are fundamental elements when it comes to increasing an airport’s capacity. Aeronautics and airline regulations require that the capacity of these services must be rigorously determined by the size (total length and fuselage width) of the aircrafts that normally operate at the airport. Therefore, airports are categorised on a scale of 0 to 10; Rafael Núñez airport falls into category number 7, meaning that this airport would need a minimum of two fire-fighting vehicles, one fire chief and four firefighters.

Nonetheless, the new facilities designed by Ineco provide for the possibility, also foreseen in the regulations, of increasing these resources if, with prior notification, the airport needed to occasionally accommodate aircrafts corresponding to higher categories. For this reason, airport sheds have space for four vehicles: three fire engines and one light-weight commanding vehicle.

Seeing as this airport operates 24 hours a day, the RFFS requires staff to cover three shifts; thus, the new building has the appropriate facilities for said staff to rest in addition to offices, warehouses, technical areas and a car park. In front of this building there will be a paved clear zone that will allow for aircrafts to transition to the military area. Additionally, there will be two water deposits each containing 30,000 litres of water supply for the fire engines, and said fire engines will also be provided with a new access road, thus facilitating their arrival to the runway in under three minutes. Ineco is overseeing the construction work and is also monitoring compliance with the Operational Safety Plan.

Another ongoing project coordinated and monitored by the company includes the enlargement of the runway safety strip; in some areas, this strip does not meet the required distance of 75 metres between the runway axis and the border of the airport. To meet this requirement, ground is being gained from the area of vegetation by reinforcing it with 5-metre long micropiles.

Ineco and Capita are carrying out a study on behalf of London Luton Airport Operation Limited (LLAOL), in which Aena International is the major shareholder, on the different alternatives for a rail connection to Luton Airport, located 56 kilometres outside of London. In response to growth forecasts, the managers of this airport have proposed different alternatives for introducing a train station to the airport terminal.

London Luton Parkway Station is currently located about 1.5 km from the airport terminal, meaning that this last leg of the journey must be made by bus. A new direct line straight from the Luton terminal would reduce the journey time to central London from 45 minutes down to just 25.

The project involves studying the different alternatives for a rail connection to the future airport terminal, including the preliminary design, cost analyses and the necessary timeline.

During the first six months of 2015, 5.7 million passengers travelled through London Luton Airport; it is London’s fourth largest airport in terms of passenger traffic. Airport traffic has steadily increased over the past year, thus the decision to take on renovation work in order to increase airport capacity.