ISSUE 24 // MAY 2020
BULLETINS AND GUIDELINES TO HELP AIRPORTS AMID COVID-19 CRISIS SAFETY Bulletin to Deal with Overflow Aircraft Parking Available • Regional Office Contributes to ICAO Runway Safety Team Mission to Manila • New Safety Guidelines Released
FACILITATION Operational Guidance to Help Airports Amid COVID-19 Crisis ECONOMICS Weekly Traffic Tracker Launched in Response to COVID-19 • Regional Contributions to Global Economic Impact Assessments • ACI Asia-Pa-
cific Advocates for Relief Measures to Support Airports • New Regional Slot Allocation Working Group Activated; Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines Expected in June 2020
ENVIRONMENT Environmental Aspects of COVID-19 Addressed • Regional Environment Committee Transitions to Web Meetings • 2019 Environmental Survey Results Now Available • Wildlife Trafficking Awareness Training Video • Environmental Experts Discuss Long Term Carbon Goal • ACI World and CANSO Join Forces to Reduce Aviation Noise and Emissions • Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme Adjustments • Airport Carbon Accreditation Updates
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACI Issues Pandemic-specific Airport IT Best Practice Guidance • ACI Assists Airports to Strengthen Cybersecurity Resilience • A-ISAC Promotional Offer
AIRPORT CORNER Kansai International Airport Tests Mobile eGPU
Bulletin to Deal with Overflow Aircraft Parking Available Worldwide, thousands of idle aircraft are being parked on taxiways and even on runways as international air transport has ground to a halt amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As taxiways are not designed for parking aircraft for extended periods of time, this has become a concern. Pavements may crack or sink under the weight of the aircraft. To mitigate this risk, ACI issued a bulletin called Mitigating the risks created by overflow aircraft parking bulletin to advise airports.
Regional Office Contributes to ICAO Runway Safety Team Mission to Manila In early March, the Regional Office contributed a presentation to an ICAO Runway Safety Go-Team mission for Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manilla, the Philippines. The aim of the mission was to help the airport identify gaps in runway safety and share best practices on the topic. The ICAO Runway Safety Go-Team provides international assistance and partner organizations such as ACI Asia-Pacific for the implementation of effective runway safety programmes. Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, ACI Asia-Pacific was not able to participate in person. RUNWAY INCURSIONS AND EXCURSIONS Primary runway safety issues usually evolve around incursions and excursions. Incursions are inadvertent intrusions of aircraft, vehicles or persons onto an active runway, for example where an aircraft is taking off or landing. The most recent ACI Annual Safety Report showed the average rate of incursions is one in every 16,900 aircraft movements. Excursions, on the 2 | The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports
other hand, usually involve an aircraft skidding or veering off the runway upon landing or taking off. Excursions are much less frequent than incursions, on average one in every 130,000 aircraft movements, yet have become another primary runway safety concern in recent years because of relatively higher fatality risk.
New Safety Guidelines Released
Committee members discuss runway inspection and wildlife hazard at the 24th ROSC meeting in Macau, October 2019
The Regional Operational Safety Committee (ROSC) recently completed four new best practice documents:
• Guidelines on Wildlife Hazard Management Plan • Guidelines on Runway Inspections • How to be Innovative to Improve Safety? • Guidelines on Competency Definitions and Checks, and Training Requirements for Aerodrome Operational Personnel “The Committee focussed on these subjects to provide additional guidance to airport members in the region to help them ensure aircraft operational safety on a daily basis,” said Mr. Narayanasamy Venkatachalapathy (GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd., Hyderabad, India), Chair of the ROSC.
Mr. José Marçal (Macau International Airport, Macau SAR), Vice Chair of the ROSC, added his sincere thanks to the committee members who spent time and effort writing the documents over several working sessions. “We hope airports will find them useful,” he said. Part of the mandate of the ROSC is to provide industry best practices to fellow airport members. The documents are in English, each containing no more than ten pages for easy comprehension. “The Committee is a useful and interesting forum to discuss and find solutions to current safety issues at our airports,” said Mr. Venkatachalapathy and Mr. Marçal. “We welcome participation from across the region.”
For more information on any of the topics mentioned in this section, please contact Mr. SL Wong, Head of Technical Affairs, Safety, Capacity and ATM at sl@aci-asiapac.aero. The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports | 3
Operational Guidance to Help Airports Amid COVID-19 Crisis The COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant impacts to airport operations. In response, the Regional Office formed the ACI AsiaPacific COVID-19 Task Force in late March to facilitate the timely exchange of operational knowledge between airport operators and suppliers during this time of crisis. 37 representatives from airports and World Business Partners in the region joined the Task Force. At the time of going to print, the Task Force already produced two reports.
The report provided useful references for policy makers and airport operators as they formulate policies to help the industry recover and resume operations when the pandemic subsides. The report analysed the impact on the following six operational measures taken by airports in response to the traffic drop:
OPERATIONAL MEASURES DOCUMENTED
• • •
The first report focused on documenting and compiling common measures implemented by and at airports in the AsiaPacific region to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The report highlighted over 50 practical common measures implemented at airports grouped into eight categories: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Health screening Operational measures Hygienic measures Social distancing measures Security screening measures HR measures Communication Emergency responses
• • •
Airport closure (complete or partial); Reduction of operational staffing levels; Suspension or deferral of capital projects for airport operations; Adjustment to staff training; Special aircraft parking arrangement; and Shortened hours of operations
In addition, the Task Force held its first conference call on 22 April for members to share experiences and exchange operational best practices during the COVID-19 crisis. Earlier this week, ACI Asia-Pacific released the document Initial Guidance for the Restart of the Airport Sector.
The report can be downloaded here and is continually updated and refined by the Task Force. IMPACT ASSESSMENT The second report developed by the Task Force, “Impact Assessment on airport operations in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East due to COVID-19 pandemic” was published in late April. For more information on any of the topics mentioned in this section, please contact Mr. Gary Leung, Manager, Security and Facilitation, at gary@aci-asiapac.aero. 4 | The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports
Weekly Traffic Tracker Launched in Response to COVID-19
In the week ending 3 May, on aggregate, the passenger traffic volume at the reporting airports showed a year-on-year decline of over 92% in the four weeks of April. With the situation stabilizing and domestic services resuming in some of the markets in the region, ACI Asia-Pacific observes some initial positive signs in traffic recovery in China and South Korea.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, ACI AsiaPacific has been actively monitoring the impact on traffic and connectivity. In March, the Regional Office spearheaded a new initiative of tracking weekly passenger traffic from selected airports in the region. The first update was released on 27 March aggregating data from 14 airports. By early May, the sample size grew steadily to 26 airports (22 from Asia-Pacific and 4 from the Middle East) covering approximately 26% of traffic in both regions combined.
Earlier in February, the Economics Team conducted a short survey to collect input from the Regional Economics Committee members on the preliminary impact on January 2020 traffic, and initial estimates on possible impact for the first quarter 2020 financial results.
To learn more about the findings or participate in this weekly traffic tracking initiative, please contact Mr. Philip Kwok, Economic Research Analyst, at philip@aci-asiapac.aero. The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports | 5
Regional Contributions to Global Economic Impact Assessment
The Regional Office’s Economics Team continued supporting ACI World in conducting COVID-19 Economic Impact Analysis, incorporating regional traffic data trending insights, and internal research and analysis. Three iterations
of the Economic Impact Assessment have been released since March. The most recent version of the assessment was released in early May.
ACI Asia-Pacific Advocates for Relief Measures to Support Airports In response to the massive impact COVID-19 is having on the industry, ACI Asia-Pacific called for governments across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions to swiftly implement relief measures to safeguard airport employments and connectivity.
to provide policy-makers with a comprehensive toolkit of solutions to ensure that the airport industry can be sustained through the crisis and lay the foundation for recovery.
In consultation with members in selected countries, the Regional Office sent letters to urge respective governments, ministries and civil aviation authorities to consider support measures for the aviation sector including airports. Since March, the following countries were reached: Bahrain, Cambodia, French Polynesia, India, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
To build on the global analysis, ACI Asia-Pacific developed regional recommendations in six focused policy areas in the ACI Asia-Pacific Initial Guidance to Recovery of the Airport Sector to ensure sustainability of the aviation ecosystem:
POLICY BRIEF In April, ACI World released the Policy Brief COVID-19: Relief Measures to Ensure the Survival of the Airport Industry after receiving feedback from ACI regions. The Policy Brief outlined exceptional measures 6 | The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports
REGIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Protection of airport charges and revenues Tax relief Airport concession fee waiver Adjustments to slot usage requirements Financial relief package for airport operators and other aviation stakeholders 6. State support for connectivity plans The Regional Office will reach out to the respective governments, ministries and civil aviation authorities in the next phase of its advocacy campaign.
New Regional Slot Allocation Working Group Activated; Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines Expected in June 2020
The new governance structure of the Worldwide Airport Slot Guidelines (WASG) commenced in January 2020. Under this new structure, the Worldwide Airport Slot Board (WASB), consisting of representatives from airports, airlines and slot coordinators, will be the body that discusses, reviews and approves policy and implementation of WASG issues at global level.
In addition, the WASB recently approved the first edition of WASG for entry into force on 1 June 2020.
Within the airport community, slot matters will be guided by the ACI Expert Group on Slots (EGS) that is represented by airports from all ACI regions. In Asia-Pacific, the newly-created ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Task Force on Slot Allocation was activated in February and the immediate tasks have been supporting global level discussion in response to COVID-19. Current topics include: •
Waiver/ adjustments to the slot 80/20 usage requirements in response to COVID-19, and related assessment criteria (short term)
•
Slot usage requirements during the recovery period (medium term), and during economic recession (long term)
•
The timing of slot return dates
•
Capacity declaration and airport capacity during COVID-19 and recovery period
•
Slot portfolios of airlines ceasing operations
For more information on any of the topics mentioned in this section, please contact Ms. Suzanne Tong, Senior Manager, Economics and Statistics, at suzanne@aci-asiapac.aero. The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports | 7
Environmental Aspects of COVID-19 Addressed
In an impromptu COVID-19 environment discussion group, ACI World, Regional secretariats and interested airports worldwide shared their challenges and situations. A number of key environmental topics were discussed, covering waste management, noise, local air quality, community engagement and climate change. Based on the results of a questionnaire and further discussion, participants identified climate change, Building and Occupant Health, green cleaning for recommission and budget cuts for
environmental or sustainability initiatives as top areas for the group to focus on. NEW GUIDANCE MATERIAL Under the auspices of ACI World, the group is currently producing draft guidance materials on the topic of waste management and aircraft noise management for members.
Regional Environment Committee Transitions to Web Meetings meetings and one webinar on Airport Carbon Accreditation updates for the REC in order to continue promoting environmental initiatives for the region.
Due to the postponement of the face-toface 12th ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Environment Committee (REC) meeting in Seoul, South Korea, the REC quickly transitioned to the online platform Microsoft Teams for meetings and webinars. In the last three months, the Regional Office hosted three online 8 | The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports
The participants discussed the Long-Term Carbon Goal (LTCG) project and Environmental Survey 2019 results. The REC also approved the proposed statement of work to commence a solar power feasibility study and decided that the theme of Green Airports Recognition 2021 will be Air Quality Management.
2019 Environmental Survey Results Now Available Building on the success of the previous ACI AsiaPacific Environmental Surveys, the Regional Office launched the third biennial Environmental Survey in July 2019 to build on the database for ongoing environmental activities and policies in the region. The survey shows that the top 3 environmental management’s priorities have remained consistent over time. Energy, waste, and water management continue to be the top three management priorities among the respondents in the past six years. Respondents identified emerging issues as adapting to climate change and tackling bans of single-use plastic bans. The survey noted that engagement from senior management’s engagement.
and Middle East airport passenger traffic. The Environmental Survey provides an indicator for participants and the Regional Office to understand trends and efforts in different airport environmental aspects, helping the participating airports benchmark themselves against aggregated data. The executive summary and tailor-made reports for participants were distributed in May.
The survey gathered data and best practices from 77 participating airports from 28 countries and territories handling about 35.4% of Asia-Pacific
Wildlife Trafficking Awareness Training Video around the world. As part of this initiative, the Regional Office is actively contributing to the ACI Wildlife Trafficking Taskforce by communicating and sharing regional efforts.
The Environmental Survey 2019 also showed wildlife trafficking as an emerging issue in the biodiversity category. Airports in the region are making concerted efforts to prevent wildlife animals and products being illegally smuggled
As part of the Reducing Opportunities for Unlawful Transport of Endangered Species (ROUTES) partnership, ACI-World and TRAFFIC, a non-governmental organisation working globally on trade in wild animals and plants, have developed two videos, one 12 minutes and a shorter six-minute version, for stakeholders to understand and garner attention on wildlife trafficking. The videos are now available on the ACI wildlife trafficking webpage and the ROUTES website.
Environmental Experts Discuss Long Term Carbon Goal Prior to the global travel restrictions coming into effect, the Regional Office attended the 39th meeting of the World Environment Standing Committee (WEnSC) in Oakland, USA in early March and presented regional updates to
the committee. The Regional Office actively conveyed that ACI Asia-Pacific has high expectations for the LongTerm Carbon Goal (LTCG) study. The region is The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports | 9
heavily invested in the study as a number of AsiaPacific airports have pledged financial support to the study. The REC engaged in the discussion how to achieve the LTCG, and continues to support the study with regional pathways and goal.
During the meeting, members of the WEnSc discussed ACI World’s position and expectation towards climate change adaption and decarbonization targets, the review of the APEX in Environment programme and different emerging environmental topics such as wildlife trafficking and the environmental impact of supersonic aircraft.
ACI World and CANSO Join Forces to Reduce Aviation Noise and Emissions ACI World, in partnership with the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) launched new guidance material for reducing aviation noise and emissions. The guidance document Use of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) for Noise Management is available for free in the ACI Store. PBN is a concept that enhances aircraft routing and procedures using an advanced, satelliteenabled form of air navigation to enable aircraft to fly a precise vertical and lateral flight path. This guidance material described how PBN can boost the sustainability of aviation, includes strategies for implementation and recent case studies how
it is being used as an effective noise mitigation technique. The guidance is also applicable to non-PBN influenced flight path changes and highlights the important role of stakeholder consultation and collaboration in improving aviation.
Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme Adjustments To help airports maintain climate commitments and support decarbonization efforts during the crisis and recovery of COVID-19, Airport Carbon Accreditation, in consultation with the regions, proposed temporary adjustments to the programme requirements. The adjustments will ease the pressure on airports’ staff resources as only one application for accreditation is required in the period May 2019 to May 2021. Airport Carbon Accreditation will announce these measures and relevant guidance document to assist accredited airports directly to programme participants. 10 | The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports
Airport Carbon Accreditation Updates 57 Asia-Pacific airports are now accredited: LEVEL 3+, NEUTRALITY • • • •
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, India Indira Gandhi International Airport, India Kempegowda International Airport, India Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan
• •
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, India Sunshine Coast Airport, Australia
LEVEL 3, OPTIMISATION • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Abu Dhabi International Airport, United Arab Emirates Adelaide Airport, Australia Brisbane International Airport, Australia Chiang Mai International Airport, Thailand Don Mueang International Airport, Thailand Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates Dubai World Central, United Arab Emirates Hamad International Airport, Qatar Hat Yai International Airport, Thailand Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong SAR Incheon Airport, Republic of Korea Kansai International Airport, Japan Kaohsiung International Airport, Chinese Taipei
• • • • • • • • • • •
Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International Airport, Thailand Narita International Airport, Japan Nadi International Airport, Fiji Osaka International Airport, Japan Parafield Airport, Australia Sharjah Airport, United Arab Emirates Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand Sydney Airport, Australia Taoyuan International Airport, Chinese Taipei
LEVEL 2, REDUCTION • • • • • • • • • • •
Aéroport International de Noumea-La Tontouta, New Caledonia Bahrain International Airport, Bahrain Biju Patnaik International Airport Bhubaneswar, India Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport, China Christchurch Airport, New Zealand Gold Coast Airport, Australia Hobart International Airport, Australia Kobe Airport, Japan Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport Varanasi, India Longreach Airport, Australia Macau International Airport, Macau SAR
• • • • • • • • •
Melbourne Airport, Australia Mount Isa Airport, Australia Muscat International Airport, Oman Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport Kolkata, India Perth Airport, Australia Salalah Airport, Oman Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, China Townsville Airport, Australia Trivandrum International Airport, India
LEVEL 1, MAPPING • • • • •
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, China Hawke’s Bay Airport, New Zealand Palmerston North Airport, New Zealand Phnom Penh International Airport, Cambodia Siem Reap International Airport, Cambodia
• •
Sihanoukville International Airport, Cambodia Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, China
For more information on any of the topics mentioned in this section, please contact Mr. Ken Lau, Senior Manager, Environment and Airport Information Technology at ken@aci-asiapac.aero. The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports | 11
ACI Issues Pandemic-specific Airport IT Best Practice Guidance As a functional department in the airport, Information Technology (IT) plays a critical role to ensure operations, communications and business continuity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional IT implementations and support are crucial in this context as governments and airports implement work from home policies to minimize exposure. This however exposes airports to additional cybersecurity risks and data breach challenges. ACI’s Advisory Bulletin on Airport Information Technology recommendations during COVID-19, issued in March, gathered practices implemented by airports worldwide that included: •
Build a strong collaborative team for such crisis response
•
Ensure effective and secure IT infrastructure for remote access
•
Prepare for system shut down, back up, and restoration
12 | The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports
•
Establish a common information sharing approach to broadcast accurate and consistent messages to stakeholders
•
Implement cyber resilience for business continuity
•
Deploy innovative technologies and solutions for self and autonomous operations
ACI Assists Airports to Strengthen Cybersecurity Resilience ACI is also assisting airport members beef up cyber resilience via cybersecurity implementation guidance and information sharing. CYBERSECURITY IMPLEMENTATION HANDBOOK The Cybersecurity Implementation Handbook provides airports with a comprehensive overview on how to implement an all-inclusive cybersecurity programme, complete with best practices and case examples, drawing on the experience of experts in IT and airport systems. With the increased use and reliance on technology implementation for airport operations, airports are also increasingly exposed to cyber threats.
intelligence and actionable data that will enhance their ability to build cyber resiliency. A-ISAC and ACI will issue quarterly cybersecurity reports for airports on cybersecurity performance enhancement issues. The first Quarterly Cybersecurity Report for Airports (QCRA) which highlights cybersecurity issues from 2019 and the first quarter of 2020 was issued in April to airports. In this report, various vulnerabilities and cyberthreats affecting airports were highlighted with recommendations to avoid the impacts.
Airports should always identify the potential of critical Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems and implement measures to protect them from unlawful interference. Communicating with stakeholders and identifying possible cyber threats will prevent or minimize disruptions to airport operations. This handbook provides directions and best practices for airports to perform gap analysis and implement prevention before any crisis. CYBERSECURITY ISSUES INFORMATION SHARING On 23 January, ACI World announced an agreement with the Aviation Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (A-ISAC) to provide ACI members access to airport-specific cyber threat
A-ISAC Promotional Offer The A-ISAC is also offering assistance to the airport community during these tough times via daily and weekly aviation memos and Traffic Light Protocol-Green alerts for 90 days. Register on the A-ISAC website to take advantage of the promotion.
For more information on any of the topics mentioned in this section, please contact Mr. Ken Lau, Senior Manager, Environment and Airport Information Technology at ken@aci-asiapac.aero. The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports | 13
Airport Corner Kansai International Airport Tests Mobile eGPU Kansai Airports is the first airport group in Japan to start a trial operation of electrical ground power unit (eGPU) at Kansai International Airport (KIX) to provide on-the-ground aircraft with cleaner energy. The initiative is run in partnership with AGP CORPORATION, TAMAGAWA AERO SYSTEMS CO., LTD and Peach Aviation Limited.
environmental impact of its three airports by working together with its partners. Kansai Airports Group introduced its One Eco Airport Plan in April 2018. The three airports in the group are implementing various initiatives to reduce the environmental impact under four key principles:
At Terminal 1, a fixed GPU provides electrical power to parked aircraft through underground cables. The supplied power is used for aircraft electrical systems while aircraft engines are turned off.
• • • •
At Terminal 2, no fixed GPU are installed, and thus power is either produced onboard by the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU) or delivered from the ground by a portable diesel-powered GPU.
Response to climate change Resource usage Harmonious coexistence Environmental management
Read the full press release.
The eGPU trial is part of Kansai Airports’ ongoing quest to achieve a zero emissions airport. The battery-powered equipment to be tested reduces noise pollution of engines while drastically cutting CO2 emissions by 97% compared with the APU and 90% with the diesel-powered GPU. TAMAGAWA AERO SYSTEMS CO., LTD., the domestic distributor of supplier ITW GSE provides the eGPU. Low-cost carrier Peach Aviation Limited is providing its aircraft for the eGPU. AGP COPORATION, which operates the power business at some airports in Japan, supports the operation and analyzes operational data. Based on the result of the trial, Kansai Airports will consider introducing eGPU to the other airports in its group: Osaka International Airport (ITAMI) and Kobe Airport (KOBE). Focusing on building a greener environment, Kansai Airports remains committed to pushing forward initiatives that will lower the Mr. Futoshi YADANI, Assistant Manager, Environmental Management, Tech. HQ, Kansai Airports Group, has worked in the environment team since 2018. He is in charge of topics such as energy conservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental management activities. In his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball and doing DIY with wooden furniture.
14 | The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports
Events Events Update REGIONAL EVENTS CANCELLED In the light of many considerations arising from the severe and prolonged impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global community, the Regional Office regrettably announces the cancellation of the 15th ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Conference and Exhibition on 15–17 September 2020 in Nara, Japan. For the same reasons, the 12th Annual Airport Economics & Finance Conference & Exhibition on 22-24 September 2020 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is further postponed to 2021. ACI Asia-Pacific, together with hosts Kansai Airports and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, have been closely monitoring the situation in conjunction with advice and directives from local governments and health authorities over the past few months. Given the ongoing uncertainties in the coming months, including travel restrictions and connectivity across borders, as well as other health protective measures, the Regional Office would have difficulty delivering a fruitful event. COMMITTEE MEETINGS Committee members will be informed separately of new meetings dates.
The Voice of Asia-Pacific Airports | 15
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