Asia-Pacific Airports - Issue 1, 2020

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ASIA-PACIFIC AIRPORTS MAGAZINE

SPECIAL REPORT: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Neighbourhood watch Airports across the world are actively working to reduce their noise footprint and engaging with their communities to create environmental capacity, writes Envirosuite’s senior aviation specialist, Matt Mills-Brooks.

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here are two types of constraints on airport growth, physical capacity, which relates to the limits imposed by the runway, terminal, security or in the case of London Heathrow even the tunnel that provides access to Terminals 2 and 3. And, environmental capacity, which relates to the local community’s acceptance of the airport’s current operation, growth or expansion plans and the resulting impact on where they live. Environmental capacity exists at almost every airport around the world, but the limit imposed by it varies. APA Issue 1, 2020

Whilst the physical capacity is known, it can be measured and addressed through the master planning process, environmental capacity is different. It is difficult to measure community acceptance, and, it can vary over time, on occasions changing quickly following high publicity. This presents a unique risk to airports as airspace differs from other forms of transport as it is not a physical asset, which has to be dismantled to remove, and as a result, restrictions can be imposed quickly. Once implemented these are almost impossible to remove. Sydney is a good example where the curfew restrictions


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