The Future of Airports - A customer-centric experience - Arcadis
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
The Future of Airports A customer-centric experience
The case for customer-centric airports
The world has never been so accessible. The invention of flight has turned into
one of humankind’s greatest enablers - connecting people, communities and
companies - and opened up the world to those that can afford the price of a
simple plane ticket.
Contents In 2018, airlines alone created
around $821bn of revenue on
some 4.3bn passengers flying
This white paper explores how
airport owners and operators
can balance the competing
safely on 46.1m flights, according needs of preparing for the future
03 – Introduction to ITAT, and ATAG estimates while catering for the customer
that the total aviation industry expectations of today.
employs over 65m people with
04 – Airports aren’t islands a global economic impact of We examine the industry through
around $2.7trillion from its many the lens of five major trends:
06 – Customer champions count associated services. • Enabling the airport city:
although airports have positively
These economic benefits don’t enabled globalization, they can
08 – Mobility matters come without costs, however. The only survive and thrive if they
highly competitive nature of the have the support of their local
airline industry and the continued
10 – Customer-centric design pressure on airport infrastructure
community;
both new and old means that • Championing the customer: by
Nick Hutchinson embracing the opportunities
12 – Serious about sustainability Global Leader - Airport Solutions
airport operators are facing
unprecedented challenges. of digitization, passenger pain
points and frustrations can be
14 – Making it happen To meet the expected growth alleviated and even eliminated;
forecasts (a potential doubling of • Embracing the challenge of
demand within the next 20 years) mobility: by integrating airports
airport operators need to deliver with as many different modes
their infrastructure upgrade of transport as possible, and
and expansion programmes embracing the efficiency
as efficiently as possible – and opportunities of autonomous
manage their existing assets more vehicles, airports can
effectively – against a backdrop of revolutionize how passengers
falling retail revenue, downward get to airports, how they travel
pressure on fees earned through around it, and how they get to
airlines, and a revolution in the their final destination;
expectations of passengers on
the experience they expect from • Customer-centric airport
an airport. terminal design: it’s not enough
to be innovative, efficient and
Within the constraints of this sustainable; airport operators
competitive environment, airports must also integrate the needs of
need to focus just as hard on customers into their terminal-
attracting customers – to become design decisions;
an airport of choice – as they must • Being serious about
on sustaining their infrastructure sustainability: the obligations
and adapting or improving their and regulatory requirements
existing business models. on the global aviation industry
will only increase as the world
confronts the climate-change
challenge.
3
Airports aren’t islands
In this new way of thinking,
airports are no longer sterile,
transactional places for waiting
Very few airports exist in isolation. Despite and passing through. Instead,
they are more like smart cities,
their status as enablers of globalization, most where place-making, entertaining,
and information access is just
airports can only survive and thrive with the as important as the provision
of economic benefits and
support of their local communities. long-distance travel. And, like
cities, they will only thrive if the
metropolitan areas around them
This conundrum is at the heart can also flourish.
of the challenge facing airport
operators as they plan for the Airports need to consider what
future. Unless an airport’s facilities it will be like to work, live and
drive the local economy forward travel in the surrounding area,
and provide benefits back to the and how it can drive and support
community, local politics can technology-based economic
hamper or even stop progress in development within a surrounding
its tracks. smart city region.
This means addressing not just the Airports are already significant
obvious issues of noise, pollution, employers for the local community
air quality and congestion, but – potentially up to 50,000 people
it also means tackling human in some of the largest – but
factors head-on. By embracing the infrastructure that these
positive community outreach, places create can also provide
airports can show how the significant community benefits.
community can feel connected By taking a long-term view of an
to the airport – and not just airport’s infrastructure upgrade
feel the jet blast of arriving and programme, communities can be
departing planes. brought into an airport’s sphere
Mastering planning of influence in a beneficial way.
Think of the positive impact that
To thrive in the future, airports interconnecting metropolitan
need to view themselves in a railways can have on improving
different way. They need to think regional connectivity.
of themselves within the context
of an airport city – or ‘aerotropolis’ Enabling regional powerhouses
– where the area surrounding Like cities, airports will need
the airport is just as important to interconnect with the
as the airport itself, enabled by region around it and become
the airport’s infrastructure and a catalyst for aviation-related
economy. Schiphol Airport in economic development, high
the Netherlands, for example, value employment and regional
earns as much as 80 percent of competitiveness. There is a
its operating revenue from areas real opportunity for airports to
other than aviation – retail, hotels, move away from being simply
leisure and entertainment, R&D a functional and transactional
Schiphol Airport parks, light industry and logistics – transport hub to become an
“There’s nothing like an and it is not alone in this. engaging, high-quality experience
airport for bringing you for passengers and citizens alike.
down to earth.” Dallas/Forth Worth International
Airport’s vast land mass is being
Richard Gordon, Novelist exploited to create new commercial
developments that are affiliated
with the airport’s economy.
4 5
Customer champions count will also be made more efficient
through biometrics and bag-
tracking technology, including
It’s not often you find someone who actively looks forward to going onward delivery of baggage to the
passenger’s final destination.
to an airport. Perhaps this would be different if every trip to the The Process Problem
airport today was queue and crowd-free. But for airports to succeed These solutions are not without
their challenges. Legislation in
in the next 20 years, they will need to find ways to make the whole different countries will need to be
customer experience much more positive than it is today. coordinated to allow for seamless
security and immigration checks,
and a degree of pre-screening
and trusted traveller programmes
Global customer satisfaction “Where did I put Less screen-time will need to be implemented in
surveys reveal that the most order to speed up the process.
important factors affecting
my bags?” Security screening is another However, these are largely process
customer satisfaction today are Airports such as those in area that will take advantage of improvements than significant
security, retail, food and beverage, Copenhagen, Switzerland and biometric technology to realize technological challenges, and
infrastructure, wayfinding, check- Hong Kong have embraced efficiency benefits. Already, there is no doubt that airports will
in and access. These issues are the process of de-coupling airports such as Dubai Airport continue to rely on digitization for
likely to dominate in the future passengers from their baggage are using face-scanning to allow their aviation operations.
too. But airports have a clear by using electronic RFID tagging for a more transparent security
opportunity to champion the and linking this with the check-in process. Using a combination of Digitization will help passengers
customer by taking advantage process. In this way, passengers sensor techniques, passengers are too. Digital wayfinding will
of digitization to reduce or even can drop their baggage off in scanned as they pass, speeding become commonplace, with
eliminate the most pressing downtown (in the case of Hong up the process and improving handheld devices containing
passenger pain points and Kong, it’s the MTR subway system the passenger experience. These real-time flight information,
frustrations. that connects with the airport) tunnels can contain a number of departure gate information,
or within linked transport hubs, different screening technologies landing cards, wayfinding and
Facing forward meaning that passengers can turn – body scanners, metal detectors baggage collection. Automated
up to the airport only carrying and liquid detection – and more gate systems will also make
One particular source of
hassle-free hand luggage. technologies will be integrated use of these digital wayfinding
innovation is the use of facial
in the future. The IATA estimates apps, helping to improve the use
“There are those airports which make you feel better, and recognition technology and
that biometrics will reduce waiting of valuable airport space and
biometrics. Apple’s new range Longer term, baggage pickups will
there are those airports that, when you go there, your of iPhones have brought Face ID become even more flexible once times at security gates by 40%. reduce personnel costs – while
heart sinks: you can’t wait to get out of there. They both technology into the mainstream, airports partner with established also improving the passenger
courier companies to collect bags As the systems become more experience.
function as airports, but it’s the things that you can’t and some airports have already
from wherever the passenger sophisticated, security and
begun embracing biometrics to
measure that make them different.” needs it, delivered in whatever immigration can be linked, The technology to do all of this
reduce check-in and security-
mode is most appropriate. especially when the underlying exists today, but the challenge for
Norman Foster check times. These same
passenger databases for the its use is one of real-time trusted
biometric technologies will also be
Mobile app technology and airport and immigration systems information. After all, the only way
linked with baggage, allowing for
real-time monitoring and are integrated. The industry is that passengers will truly relax at
a lower-risk, lower-stress baggage
communications means that already working on the process an airport is if they know that the
drop-off and collection routine.
customers will be able to get real- of integrating all data in an information they are receiving is
time positioning on where their airport into a single database, trustworthy – and that the steps
The check-in process is already
baggage is, which will also have structured in a standard way and they need to take to reach their
automated at most airports,
the benefit of improving lost- used much more efficiently. The final destination will be friction
with passengers able to check-in
luggage reporting and processing. same biometric and screening free. But despite today’s mixed
beforehand, reserve and change
technology will make it much results in delivering this vision, it
seats, and this has resulted in
There are still issues to overcome easier to board the plane at the will be a reality sooner rather
significant reductions in check-
– security of baggage when departure gate. than later.
in queues within some airports.
There’s room for major progress, it is picked-up at hotels, for
example, and the laws governing This also benefits passengers
though. Airports such as LAX
security checks with biometrics when they arrive at their
and Schiphol Airport have
currently differ from country to destination, where biometrics and
implemented biometric check-
country – but there is a clear trend common databases will lead to a
ins, but the approach is far
towards separating baggage and massive reduction in immigration
from common.
passengers. bureaucracy. Baggage return
6 7
“The problem with airports This should not be surprising, because of the in-built precision There’s another reason that
as it is only a continuation of of self-driving vehicles, parking airports should embrace multi-
is that we go there when the trend towards digitization spaces can be smaller, freeing up modal transport services –
we need to catch a plane - and convenience that has more valuable land for other uses. customers expect choice. By
and because it’s so difficult revolutionized – and upended – This shift in the technology of considering travel to and from
the world of retail. It’s clear that parking may well create greater the airport through the lens of
to find the way to the gate, airports must continue to work bottlenecks closer to the airport the customer, not just through
we tend not to look around hard on being as efficient and terminal buildings, as the demand the lens of capital cost efficiency,
delay free as possible. for ‘Kiss and Fly’ increases. airports can proactively try to
at our surroundings.” Passenger drop-off zones will eliminate single points of failure in
Alain de Botton “To the airport, driver” therefore need to be larger, and as the airport transport environment.
Philosopher and Author Within the airport environment, close to the terminal as possible. This will be a crucial step forward.
automated vehicle technology is
already being embraced to help
Transit as a competitive Optimized travel
move passengers to and from advantage There is one more trend that
car parks and terminal buildings, Fundamentally, airports will should have a transformative
but this trend will continue apace need to embrace a much more impact on transport to and from
as the underlying technology integrated approach to mobility airports: Mobility as a Service
becomes mass market and even planning in and around their (MaaS). MaaS is currently being
more efficient. estate than is currently the case, piloted in a business district in
as each mobility transition will Amsterdam in the Netherlands,
By 2037, mass electrification of impact upon the other. Airports and uses an integrated approach
the world’s vehicular transport will also need to act as a catalyst to sustainable transport by
infrastructure will have become a by creating integrated transport combining multiple modes of
reality, and airports can lead the master plans with their feeder transport into a single delivery
way on promoting the benefits of cities. platform – in this case an app. In
automated and driverless vehicles the same way that Uber or Lyft
as a way of alleviating congestion One of the most important provides access to drivers and cars
around the terminal buildings and principles underpinning these where and when you want them,
the airport estate. masterplans is the need to the Mobility as a Service trial
integrate airport infrastructure enables users to plan journeys,
Parking planning with as many modes of transport buy travel tickets, reserve car
Mobility matters There are other automation as are economically and financially shares or bikes, and pay for each
drivers too. As airports get bigger, feasible. This may mean taking instance of transport with a single
the distance between terminals a long-sighted approach to seamless payment system. The
ultimate aim is to try to change
One of the biggest challenges passengers and parking lots is increasing –
with journeys of several kilometres
integrating airports with high-
speed rail systems, for example, travel behaviour and shift people
have with airports has to do with mobility or more from long-term parking which will help displace a number towards more sustainable modes
of transport. In the not too distant
now commonplace. This does of short-haul flight options onto
- getting to the airport, travelling around nothing to improve customer more efficient high-speed rail future, all available transport
options will be digitally connected
satisfaction survey results. But networks. Airports can therefore
the airport, and then finding their way to by using self-driving autonomous proactively choose to cooperate into one seamless experience on
vehicles – as used at Heathrow – rather than compete – with one app.
their final destination after landing. This T5 in the UK, and several other high-speed rail in the provision of
Within the airport context,
is especially true now that airports are airports around the world – or
driverless light rail solutions,
short to medium distance travel
services, before they’re forced to, Mobility as a Service would no
doubt improve the passenger
getting larger. However, airports have the airports can give passengers an
alternative to the near-ubiquitous
either by regulation or by carbon
emissions reduction targets. experience when travelling to and
opportunity over the next 20 years to irregular or unreliable shuttle bus from the terminal.
solution. Light rail connections are also
fundamentally transform this passenger good additions to the mobility
Parking will change in other ways systems surrounding airports. In
pain point - and they will need to, because too over the next 20 years. When cases such as Heathrow in the UK
cars incorporate self-driving or Schiphol in the Netherlands,
passengers will actively seek out airports technology, they will be able to the travel time savings en route
with the fastest, easiest and cheapest park themselves in more remote
locations, separating airport
to the airports make a very good
business case for dedicated airport
transport routes. infrastructure even further from transit elsewhere.
parking infrastructure. And
8 9
Customer-centric The ongoing consolidation in
the airline industry – creating
ever-larger airline carriers – has
Finding your way
All of these ‘experiential’ design
features would be undermined if
Given the projected growth in flight led to a significant reduction
in landing fees. The airlines are the processes guiding passengers
to their planes weren’t similarly
numbers, airports will have to invest in taking advantage of their greater
buying power to drive down fees pleasurable. This is where digital
expanding their physical infrastructure. In and airport operators are not in technology can genuinely bring
benefits to terminal design. By
a position to say no. They need a
a ‘business as usual’ approach to expansion, new approach. integrating in-terminal GPS and
making use of augmented reality
waiting areas will need to be expanded, Design as competitive and automated gate-wayfinding,
advantage passengers will begin to trust that
along with baggage handling infrastructure they are going where they need to
There are a small but growing in a timely manner.
and ticket processing in order to overcome number of airports – led by
Changi Airport in Singapore
congestion within the terminal building. – that are showing the way in
But a business as usual approach is no terminal design. They’re creating
better passenger experiences by
longer enough. providing features such as quiet
zones, sleep pods and multi-
generational entertainment areas
Nor is innovation, efficiency or – suitable for young and old alike
even sustainability in airport – which could have the effect of
design. To become the airport reducing passenger stress.
of choice, airport operators
must also integrate the needs Changi’s new Jewel complex
of customers into their terminal brings Singapore’s “City in a
design decisions. garden” concept to life in a vast
indoor garden, retail, hotel and
This is also a hard-nosed business leisure destination just outside
decision. By creating spaces that the airport’s terminal building.
passengers enjoy being in, airport It’s a destination that airport
operators can give themselves a passengers and local citizens alike
fighting chance of overturning the can enjoy, including the 40-meter “It can hardly be a
trend of declining revenues from high indoor waterfall and indoor coincidence that no
non-aviation activities. tropical rain forest environment.
language on earth has
Handbags and gladrags Other airports – Orlando, Doha, ever produced the
Indianapolis, for example – talk of
There are a number of reasons for ‘Town Squares’ and ‘Civic Plazas’,
expression, ‘As pretty as
this decline. With duty-free and and are unashamedly focusing on an airport’.”
luxury goods outlets selling the leisure and entertainment. Doha,
same things the world over, many Douglas Adams
in particular, has created a cultural (The Long Dark Tea-Time
passengers feel unexcited by the experience based around major
range of goods on offer. Also, the of the Soul)
pieces of art – both bought and
demographics of regular flyers are specially commissioned. These
shifting towards those with less airports want to create a sense Singapore’s “City in a garden”
disposable income, meaning fewer of place, where it’s pleasant to
retail purchases within airports. stay, creating ‘experiences’ for
Revenues from parking and car passengers that include arts and
rental services are also falling as culture, music, movies, fine dining,
services such as Uber and Lyft hotels and digital entertainment.
displace those formerly reliable When done correctly, this design
sources of revenue. approach should create a virtuous
circle, where better passenger
This revenue shortfall is likely experiences provide a greater
to continue, and is happening opportunity to relax, which also
at a time when airports are also bring about a greater willingness
facing another cash squeeze. to spend.
10 11
Serious about sustainability Four to the floor
There are at least four major
a virtual air traffic control room
which relies on multiple cameras
to provide a 360 degree view of
opportunities for improving the
The aviation industry is under pressure to play a full role in the overall sustainability in the airport
the airport and which can overlay
radar information on-screen. The
arena. Within pre-flight transport,
global effort to reduce CO2 emissions. From 2021 until 2026, the emissions from cars driving to and
audio visual information is piped
to a control room 120 miles away
sector will be encouraged to voluntarily implement the ICAO’s from the airport can be mitigated
by encouraging car sharing,
from the airport, where air traffic
controllers can zoom in to get a
Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation electric vehicle use, building much more comprehensive –
an electric vehicle charging and more detailed – view on
(CORSIA), with all member States expected to be on-board from infrastructure, and encouraging the skies above.
multi-modal public transport.
2027 through to 2035. And following the COP21 meeting in Paris Within landside and terminal
operations, energy independence
in 2015, an initial target was set for creating 50 carbon neutral can be improved by installing
major solar panelling arrays.
airports around the world by 2030, a target which was increased
in 2017 to 100. Airside operations can improve
congestion issues and wasted
fuel on the ground by improving
Together with the airport equation right from day one, but air traffic control operations
specific requirements coming long-established airports also and electrifying the taxiing
from the UN’s Sustainable have significant opportunities process and implementing smart
Development Goals, it’s clear that to reduce their energy loads. pavement. While flying, problems
the obligations and regulatory Given the increasing demand for of aircraft noise, extreme
pressures on the global aviation electricity, airports are introducing carbon emissions and kerosene
industry will only increase as more resilient utility operations composition can be mitigated by
the world confronts the climate through improved energy storage using more efficient aircraft, more
change challenge. technology, smart metering and efficient flight routing, and finding
smart grids to build resilience more sustainable fuel sources.
Global impact, local against major outages.
Eyes on the sky
pressure In Australia, for example, Longer term, improvements
As well as these global initiatives, Brisbane Airport has installed a in aircraft engine technology
airports are under increasing major rooftop solar system that – including hybrid electric
pressure from more stringent includes 22,000 solar panels propulsion systems being
local operating environments, across a 36,000 square meter developed by NASA, and similar
where licenses to operate – and area spread across six sites. And alternatives being developed by
passenger preferences – are Cochin International Airport in a consortium including Airbus,
increasingly based upon meeting the Indian state of Kerala became Siemens and Rolls-Royce – will
very local sustainability targets. the first airport in the world to improve carbon emissions, fuel
These include local air quality, be entirely powered by solar efficiency and noise levels in
surface access, climate change, energy. 46,000 on-site solar commercial aircraft. Test flights
“When you realize that
use of natural resources, noise panels produce 12 megawatts of are likely to take place from 2020. aviation, if it were a
impact and waste management. energy, enabling it to power all
of the airport’s operations from country, would be the
Flights will also become much
There is also a dual focus by renewable sources. Initiatives more efficient with the continued 21st largest economy in
airport operators on reducing their such as these can give airports evolution of air traffic control, the world, supporting
energy costs and increasing the energy independence as well which is transitioning to an era
use of renewable sources within as showcasing sustainability 62.7 million jobs and nearly
of air traffic management. The
their energy supplies. Terminal credentials. combination of high definition three trillion dollars in
buildings are by far an airport’s cameras and improvements in
greatest energy consuming
economic impact,
remote sensing make it possible
assets, with the greatest energy to use predictive technologies you really see the scale
consuming elements within within air traffic management of air transport.”
being baggage handling, lights, that will improve operations and
cooling and IT infrastructure. Michael Gill
overall safety. Already, some
New-build airports have the Executive Director of ATAG
airports – including City Airport
upper hand in getting the energy in London – have implemented
12 13
Making it happen
Amid all of the challenges facing airports
today, it’s clear that airport operators will
need to carefully consider how they manage
their existing business, and how they plan
for the future anticipated growth in
passenger numbers.
Infrastructure upgrades and
expansion programmes will need
to be managed as efficiently as
possible – and existing assets
managed more effectively– while
revenue gaps from ‘business as
usual’ activities such as retail
and landing fees will need to be
filled by airports looking afresh at
becoming customer champions,
and airports of choice.
If properly designed and the latest
digital infrastructure is leveraged,
airports are in a unique position
to not only satisfy the world’s
growing demand for flying, but
also deliver significant economic
benefits in the form of tourism,
trade and business services.
The potential of airports as an
asset is significant, but they can
also become a hub of innovation
and opportunity as well as a
gateway to the world.
By becoming an airport city – or
‘aerotropolis’ – they can bring
far-greater economic and social
benefits to a region than if they
were to act in isolation. We owe it
to our future generations to get
the planning and design right.
Schiphol Airport
14 15
About Arcadis
Arcadis is the leading global Design & Consultancy firm for natural and
built assets. Applying our deep market sector insights and collective
design, consultancy, engineering, project and management services
we work in partnership with our clients to deliver exceptional and
sustainable outcomes throughout the lifecycle of their natural and built
assets. We are 27,000 people, active in over 70 countries that generate
€3.3 billion in revenues. We support UN-Habitat with knowledge and
expertise to improve the quality of life in rapidly growing cities around
the world.
Nick Hutchinson
Global Leader - Airport Solutions
Nick Hutchinson
Find out more:
www.arcadis.com
@ArcadisGlobal
@ArcadisGlobal
@ArcadisGlobal
Arcadis
Arcadis. Improving quality of life.You can also read
