Executive Overview - Airports, Equipment and Services

The growth of world passenger and cargo traffic levels in 2006 was slower than 2005 but, according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the growth was more profitable and thus sustainable.

Global passenger growth slowed from the 7.6 per cent recorded in 2005 to 5.9 per cent in 2006 and while the cargo growth rate increased from 3.2 per cent in 2005 to 4.6 per cent in 2006, it remains below the historical growth trend of 5.6 per cent. Average passenger load factors in 2006 rose to a record high of 76 per cent, up from 75.1 per cent in 2005.

At the time of these figures being released, the Middle East was the fastest-growing region for both passenger and cargo, recording a full-year growth of 15.4 per cent and 16.1 per cent respectively.

Figures produced by Airports Council International (ACI) support these findings with the Middle East and Asia-Pacific areas showing above-average growth. Beijing was the top performer in the Asia-Pacific region with increases of 18 per cent in passenger traffic, 32 per cent in cargo and 10 per cent in aircraft movements. Several major hubs across this region had strong results including Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Incheon, Bangkok and Tokyo-Haneda. In India, both Mumbai (Bombay) and New Delhi saw excellent growth in 2006 (each increasing by more than 20 per cent).

Is the growth of the airline industry going to be adversely affected by the carbon emissions debate?

The latest global figures released by Airbus and Boeing agree that despite the Green lobby, both passenger and cargo traffic are expected to show significant growth over the next 20 years.

Airbus comments on the fact that driven by a strong economy, new entrants, large emerging markets and increasing liberalisation, air travel has grown nearly 30 per cent since 2000, the strongest recovery in aviation history. This has been in spite of high fuel prices and security concerns, and highlights the resilience of the industry.

Liquid explosive threat

The mid-2006 alleged terrorist threat involving liquid explosives resulted in severe security restrictions at Europe's major airports. ICAO's new rules prohibit passengers to carry liquid items (including gels and aerosols) of greater than 100 ml on board aircraft. Passengers must carry any personal liquid items in a sealable one-litre bag, in bottles or containers of less than 100 ml. ICAO recommended 1 March as the implementation date.

ACI is co-ordinating a working group of airports and aviation partners. This group will be presenting a practical solution to an ICAO security working group that aims to allow liquid products purchased at airports and on airlines to be carried through transfer-point security around the world.

The liquid threat threw many airport operators into a state of panic and they were perhaps unaware that several liquid explosives detection devices were available.

The events of mid-2006 should not have come as a total surprise, since an aircraft in China was brought down in 2002 by terrorists after six bottles of liquid explosive disguised in drink bottles had been smuggled on board.

The Chinese government tasked the CAAC, Tsinghua University and affiliated technology company Nuctech with designing a system that could easily detect the presence of potentially harmful liquids concealed in a variety of containers routinely carried by passengers. The resulting prototype scanner, which appeared in 2005, fulfilled expectations, with production models now deployed at airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu. Most major airports in China are expected to follow during 2007.

Many airports have trialled new identification programmes for personnel and passengers, some of which were part of IAT's Simplifying Passenger Travel Programme. The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has launched a dual biometric airport identification programme, which is currently operational at Canada's 29 largest airports.

The new Restricted Area Identity Card (RAIC) covers approximately 100,000 airport personnel who work in restricted areas of airports. The RAIC integrates a small computer chip, including a microprocessor and memory to store biometric data of fingerprint and iris templates. The programme also comprises fingerprint and iris readers, plus a network of infrastructure linking the 29 airports to a secure central database. Phase I of RAIC deployment focuses on areas within the Air Terminal Buildings.

A second phase to address all other areas within the airpor's security perimeter, including vehicle gates, fixed base operations, and tenant facilities, is being planned. To enter a restricted area, the airport worker swipes the RAIC in front of the reader and then uses either their fingerprint or iris. The iris or fingerprint must match the encrypted template embedded in the RAIC, otherwise access is denied. Before the introduction of the RAIC, restricted-area passes were validated manually by a guard at the entrance of the secure zone. The RAIC confirms the identity of the cardholder through the card and biometric matching. It also confirms that the cardholder has a valid Transportation Security Clearance. CATSA developed and deployed the technology, including the smart card and fingerprint and iris readers.

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