The Airport Master Plan

The Airport Master Plan

An airport master plan is a concept of the ultimate development of a specific airport. The term development includes the entire airport area, both for aviation and nonaviation uses, and the use of land adjacent to the airport . It presents the development concept graphically and contains the data and rationale upon which the plan is based. Figure 4-2 shows a simple flowchart of the steps for preparing an airport master plan. Master plans are prepared to support expansion and modernization of existing airports and guide the development of new airports.

The overall objective of the airport master plan is to provide guidelines for future development which will satisfy aviation demand in a financially feasible manner and be compatible with the environment, community development, and other modes of transportation.

More specifically it is a guide for

1. Developing the physical facilities of an airport

2. Developing land on and adjacent to the airport

3. Determining the environmental effects of airport construction and operations

4. Establishing access requirements

5. Establishing the technical, economic and financial feasibility of proposed developments through a thorough investigation  of alternative concepts

6. Establishing a schedule of priorities and phasing for the improvements proposed in the plan

7. Establishing an achievable financial plan to support the implementation schedule

8. Establishing a continuing planning process which will monitor conditions and adjust plan recommendations as circumstances warrant

Guidelines for completing an airport master plan are described  by ICAO and in the United States by the FAA . A master plan report is typically organized as follows:

Master plan vision, goals, and objectives-establishes the vision and

overarching goals for the master plan as well as objectives thatwill guide the planning process and help ensure that the goals are achieved and the vision is realized.

Inventory of existing conditions-provides an overview of the ai history, role in the region and nation, growth and development over time, description of its physical assets (airfi eld and airspace, terminal, ground access, and support facilities), and key industry trends.

Forecast of aviation demand-future levels of aircraft operations, number of passengers, and volume of cargo are forecasted for

short, intermediate, and long-range time periods. Typically forecasts are made for 5, 10, and 20 years on both annual as well daily and busiest hours of the day.

Demand/capacity analysis and facility requirements-compares the future demand with the existing capacity of each airport component and identifi es the facility requirements necessary to accommodate the demand.

Alternatives development-identifi es, refi nes, and evaluates a range of alternatives for accommodating facility requirements. If the existing site cannot accommodate the anticipated growth, a selection process to fi nd a new site may be necessary.

Preferred development plan-identifi es, describes, and defi nes the alternative that best achieves the master plan goals and objectives.

Implementation plan-provides a comprehensive plan for the implementation of the preferred development plan, including the defi nition

of projects, construction sequence and timeline, cost estimates, and fi nancial plan.

Environmental overview-provides an overview of the anticipated environmental impacts associated with the preferred development plan in order to understand the severity and to help expedite subsequent environmental processing at the project specifi c stage.

Airport plans package-documents that show the existing as well as planned modifi cations are prepared and the more notable is the airport layout plan (ALP). It comprises drawings that include the airfi eld's physical and runway approach profi les, land-use plans, terminal area and ground access plans, and a property map. Specifi c guidelines for the airport layout plan in the United States are identifi ed by FAA .

Stakeholder and public involvement-documents the coordination efforts that occur among the stakeholders throughout the study.