Page 180 - Planning and Design of Airports

Airport Planning Studies 147

financial constraints, and other factors can alter the need for and the
timing of facility improvements. Current data must be continually col-
lected and assessed relative to airport needs, operations and utiliza-
tion, environmental impact, and financial capabilities. The staging of
airport improvements assists in the reevaluation of continuing needs
at the points in time when implementation decisions are required.
In the airport planning process, the overall objective of establish-
ing and maintaining a continuous process is to ensure that the airport
system plan and airport master plan remain responsive to public
needs. As a result, the airport system plan and airport master plan
should be formally reviewed and updated at least every 5 years. Spe-
cific objectives associated with the continuous airport planning pro-
cess include [8]

1. Surveillance, maintenance, inventory, and update of the basic
data such as aviation activity and socioeconomic and envi-
ronmental factors relating to the existing airport system and
master plan
2. Review and validation of data affecting the airport system
and master plan
3. Reappraisal of the airport system and master plan in view of
changing conditions
4. Modification of the airport system and master plan to retain
its viability
5. Development of a continuous mechanism for ensuring the
interchange of information between the system planning and
master planning processes
6. Provision of a means for receiving and considering public
comment in order to maintain and ensure the public aware-
ness of the role airports play in the transportation system of
an area
7. Redefinition of air transportation goals and policies
8. Integration of airport system planning into a multimodal
planning process
9. Analysis of special issues
10. Publication of interim reports and formal plan updates

References
1. Airport Master Plans, Advisory Circular, AC 150/5070-6B, Federal Aviation
Administration, Washington, D.C., July 2005.
2. Airport Planning and Development Handbook—A Global Survey, Paul Stephen
Dempsey, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 2000.
3. Airport Planning and Management, 5th ed., Alexander T. Wells and Seth B. Young,
McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 2004.