Page 169 - Planning and Design of Airports

136 Airp o r t Pl anning

airports [1, 8]. It also provides the basis for detailed airport planning
such as that contained in the airport master plan.
The airport system plan provides both broad and specific poli-
cies, plans, and programs required to establish a viable and integrated
system of airports to meet the needs of the region. The objectives of
the system plan include

1. The orderly and timely development of a system of airports
adequate to meet present and future aviation needs and to
promote the desired pattern of regional growth relative to
industrial, employment, social, environmental, and recre-
ational goals.
2. The development of aviation to meet its role in a balanced
and multimodal transportation system to foster the overall
goals of the area as reflected in the transportation system plan
and comprehensive development plan.
3. The protection and enhancement of the environment through
the location and expansion of aviation facilities in a manner
which avoids ecological and environmental impairment.
4. The provision of the framework within which specific airport
programs may be developed consistent with the short- and
long-range airport system requirements.
5. The implementation of land-use and airspace plans which
optimize these resources in an often constrained environment.
6. The development of long-range fiscal plans and the establish-
ment of priorities for airport financing within the govern-
mental budgeting process.
7. The establishment of the mechanism for the implementation
of the system plan through the normal political framework,
including the necessary coordination between governmental
agencies, the involvement of both public and private aviation
and nonaviation interests, and compatibility with the con-
tent, standards, and criteria of existing legislation.

The airport system planning process must be consistent with
state, regional, or national goals for transportation, land use, and the
environment. The elements in a typical airport system planning pro-
cess [8] include the following:

1. Exploration of issues that impact aviation in the study area
2. Inventory of the current system
3. Identification of air transportation needs
4. Forecast of system demand
5. Consideration of alternative airport systems