EN- Industry Focuses

A day in the life of an airport

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Meet the airport that doesn't sleep. As its European contemporaries are winding down for the night, Changi's runways light up as it continues to send planes soaring into the night sky from some of the 100 or more airlines that the airport serves. Consistently voted the world's best airport by passengers, a trip to Changi is an experi- ence that would beat some vacations. It's been designed to be as little like your average airport as possible – its terminals are awash with lush greenery, mirroring the leafier areas of the city. It also has a rooop pool with views of the runway, a cactus garden, two free 24-hour cinemas, beauty spas, snooze lounges, and even a six-meter waterfall. anks to an efficient operations team, the whole facility runs like clockwork. By planning ahead, the team prepares for and tackles future challenges. It's this foresight that allows the passenger terminals to adapt to change. An example of this thinking is the FAST (Fast and Seamless Travel) initiative, which includes self-check-in, automated immigration clearance, self-boarding, and self-bag-drop. Passengers can expect biometric and facial recognition technolog y to be introduced as part of the FAST program in the future. Another technological development at Changi is the use of robots to clean the terminal grounds. e benefit is the large amount of floor space that robotic equipment can clean while delivering a higher level of consistency. Some innovations reduce stress, whereas others lead to a cleaner environment. ey all result in a positive traveler experience. e airside management team is responsible for looking aer the runways, taxiways, and airport fences. ey allocate aircra stands and baggage claim belts, test and issue airside driving permits, carry out safety inspections, respond to accidents and incidents, audit working practices, and even manage wildlife hazards. ey make sure it's safe for hundreds of aircra to take off, land, and taxi. With a plane departing or landing at Changi every 90 seconds, there's plenty to keep the team busy until sunrise. Into the night at Singapore Changi Changi serves 380 destinations. Its three most popular routes are Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok. As of 2016, newer destinations include Jaipur, Canberra, Wellington, Sapporo, Dusseldorf, Urumqi in China, and Nadi in Fiji. The 2015/16 summer peak season set a record for the number of international passengers using the airport in one month. Auckland Airport Annual Report, 2016 893,314 Number of consecutive years Changi has been named among the top three at the World Airport Awards. worldairportawards.com 17 It's the busiest time of the day at New Zealand's largest airport. Work is underway on an ambitious $180 million development that will nearly double the size of its international departure area. In 2016, as the airport celebrated its half-century, it welcomed a record 17.3 million passengers – an average increase of 6.6% a year since its inaugural flight in 1966. Growth in numbers has been fueled by links to new and progressively popular destinations, such as Buenos Aires, Dubai, Shanghai, Houston, and Ho Chi Minh City. To keep pace with demand, and unlock national travel and trade opportunities, major construction is being carried out as part of an ambitious vision to increase the airport's capacity to 260,000 flights and 40 million passengers a year by 2044. is expansion project will comprise a reconfigured landside farewell area, a new and expanded security screening and processing area, and a new passenger lounge and retail hub. To limit any disruption during construction, various additions have been made by the operations team. They include 45 mobile self-service check-in kiosks and 13 extra service counters. e airport's baggage handling system has also been upgraded, and a new taxiway and airfield stand has been opened. Upgraded flight information screens will keep people informed, and additional security and transit screening will handle an extra 200 passengers an hour. To keep traffic moving, transport improvements include the addition of 850 parking lots and enhanced traffic management. Once work has been completed, passengers will have more space to relax, shop, eat, and drink, while taking in views across the airfield toward Manukau Harbour. Not a bad way to spend the aernoon. Handling more than two-thirds of New Zealand's incoming travelers. Auckland is the fourth busiest airport in Australasia after Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. It's one of New Zealand's most important infrastructural assets, providing thousands of jobs across the region. An afternoon at Auckland 5 Airports 6 A day in the life

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