Aviation
Agility is a critical factor in shaping the future of aviation. Airports will need to adapt to changing circumstances involving technological advancements and infrastructure needs.
The years leading up to 2020 were clearly strong ones for commercial aviation. Before 2020, increasing passenger demand propelled development plans. As a result of the pandemic, airports reconsidered how to move forward against a backdrop of challenging new realities.
Application of technology to security, terminal navigation and baggage handling remains central to enabling a simplified passenger journey. Agility will be a critical factor in shaping innovative pathways that advance the passenger experience and support the evolving needs of airlines.
With so much uncertainty, building flexibility into long-term plans is key to accommodating and maximizing technological developments, such as electric-powered short-haul planes and electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) taxis.
| Locally Dedicated with International Scale | Future-Focused and Driven By Sustainability | World-Class Aviation Solutions |
Thought Leadership Collections
| Planning Future-Proof Airports | Implementing Clean Technologies | Embracing Advanced Air Mobility |
| – Agility Underpins Future Proof Airports – Frictionless Travel to, from and within Airports – Airport Planning Embraces Future Travel – Fueling Airport Recovery Via Non-Aeronautical Revenue | – Agility Underpins Future-Proof Airports – Advancing Sustainable Aviation Fuel – Electrification of Airports from Landslide to Airside – Greening Future Flight – Decarbonizing Aviation from the Ground Up | – Agility Underpins Future-Proof Airports – Getting Ready for Advanced Air Mobility – Urban Air Mobility: A Wind Engineering Perspective |
What is Agility in the Context of an Airport, and Why is it Essential?
Agility is the power to adapt and adjust in a timely way; it is also the ability to anticipate and be responsive to customer needs. Agility requires an airport planning strategy that builds in flexibility.
An agile Airport combines several key actions: embracing digitalization to improve operations and continuously advance the passenger experience; adapting to different economic models; and deploying Modern Methods of Construction [MMC] during redevelopment – all within an overarching decarbonization wrapper.
To be fully agile towards achieving optimal continuous service, each of these facets must reach their full potential. Taking a Future Ready perspective will enable the best possible impact. Future Ready considers key trends—related to society, climate, resources, and technology—when making decisions to support today’s and tomorrow’s needs.
Airports are dynamic ecosystems, able to respond to change while also being catalysts for change. This dynamism has already been demonstrated in various ways, such as their finance structure, be it public or private or a combination of them; the application of technology enabling seamless home-airport destination travel experiences as well as contactless security and CT [computerized tomography] scanning; and the generation of opportunities to advance the airport experience rather than encouraging passengers to rush through, to and from the gate. Airports have long embraced DfMA [Design for Manufacture and Assembly]; this MMC philosophy is the best way to expand and redevelop airports whilst maintaining operations. Utilizing pre-assembled modules—a kit of parts—is key. Looking into the future, facilities should embrace re-using a given kit of parts over and over again in different configurations to suit varying spatial requirements. This re-use practice, a natural extension of the MMC
approach, enables projects to drive down the use of raw materials and reinforces the circular economy
mindset too.