[Second Semester – Compulsory Course for Stream 1, Elective Course for Streams 2 & 3]
Course Description
This course provides an advanced treatment of airport planning, geometric design, and operational and managerial analysis. Emphasis is placed on the integration of airside and landside systems, infrastructure design standards, capacity and performance evaluation, terminal planning, pavement engineering, safety systems, and intermodal access. Real-world case studies are used to connect theory with professional practice.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Analyze airports as complex transportation and business systems
- Apply international design standards to airport infrastructure
- Evaluate runway and terminal capacity and operational performance
- Design key airside and landside components of an airport
- Critically assess real-world airport projects using case-study methods
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:
- Apply geometric and operational principles to runway, taxiway, and apron design
- Evaluate runway capacity and delay under varying traffic conditions
- Design airport pavements considering structural, environmental, and operational constraints
- Analyze terminal layouts and passenger flow at a systems level
- Assess airport safety, ground-handling, and emergency-response requirements
- Design intermodal access systems and parking strategies for airports
- Synthesize technical, economic, and operational considerations in case studies
Course Outline (Weekly Modules)
Module 1: Airport Systems and Functions
- Airports as nodes in multimodal transportation networks
- Internal airport operations
- Airports as business and economic entities
Module 2: Runway Design Principles
- Runway geometry and orientation
- Determination of runway length
- Obstacle limitation surfaces aaround an airport and safety areas
- Aircraft performance and suitability with runway configurations
- Applications-Case- studies
Module 3: Runway Capacity and Delay Analysis
- Capacity concepts and analytical models
- Major number of aircrafts for landing and take in a single runway (Both visual and instrument conditions)
- Acceptable delay criteria
- Operational trade-offs
Module 4: Taxiway Systems
- Functions and operational necessity
- Geometric design standards
- Layout optimization and safety considerations
Module 5: Aprons and Aircraft Parking
- Apron functions and operational requirements
- Aircraft parking configurations
- Geometric design of apron areas
- Applications-Case studies
Module 6: Airport Pavement Engineering
- Asphalt and concrete pavement systems
- Structural design and thickness calculation
- Subgrade and soil resistance requirements
- Effects of storms, heavy rainfall, and drainage
- Frost protection and snow/ice removal
Module 7: Air Terminal Planning and Design
- Terminal operations and functional requirements
- Terminal configuration (linera, etc) and geometric layouts
- Passenger space standards
- Design and sizing of terminal components
- How many m2 of air terminal per peak hour passenger?
- Applications-Case study
Module 8: Airport Safety and Ground Operations
- Fire-fighting and rescue systems
- Ground-handling equipment and operations
- Emergency landing systems for non-operational landing gear
- Timing and sequencing of ground-handling activities
Module 9: Air Cargo Facilities
- Cargo terminal functions and layouts
- Integration of cargo operations within airport systems
Module 10: Land Access and Intermodal Connectivity
- Modal split analysis
- Highway access and circulation design
- Private vehicles, rental cars, taxis, and buses
- Pedestrian access and safety, light signaling
- Rail, metro, and high-speed rail connections
- Parking facility design and pricing strategies
- Applications-Case study