Weekly Review #205 - İGA İstanbul Airport sets new network record

First up, June 11th saw a new airport network record set as İGA İstanbul Airport handled 1,684 arrivals/departures, beating by 60 flights the previous busiest-ever European airport record. The new record-holder is already Europe's busiest airport, finishing Week 23 on a 7-day average of 1,496 daily flights.

In market news, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Kuwait signed a USD 21.4 million deal with Italy’s Leonardo Aerospace to develop the air navigation system at Kuwait International Airport by installing two advanced radar systems. The deal includes the designing, manufacturing, importing, and operating of the new radars, alongside training, maintenance, and technical support services.  

We also have news from the US, where Charlotte Douglas International Airport began the next project under the Destination CLT portfolio with the groundbreaking of CLT’s fourth parallel runway. Scheduled for commissioning in fall 2027, the runway will allow for 20 additional arrivals and departures during peak hours in 2028 and 32 in 2033.

And last but not least, we have an exciting new episode of our podcast Radar Contact. In this episode, we sat down with Max Bezzina, CEO of INGENAV, and Richard Landreville, principal and founder of Betterizon Consultants, to discuss AI-powered decision-making in ATC.

ANSP news

• Enrique Maurer is taking over for Ángel Luis Arias as the CEO of ENAIRE - The current Director of Air Navigation Services, Enrique Maurer, will take over for Ángel Luis Arias as ENAIRE's CEO on 10 June.
• FAB CE summer 2023 traffic demand forecasts: an uneven and volatile recovery - The latest traffic forecasts for the summer 2023 season for FAB CE states suggest the continuing traffic recovery in Europe will push overall flight numbers above the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 for the first time, but with high levels of volatility when measured on a daily basis.
• FAA Safely Keeps More Airspace Open During Most Florida Space Launches - Based on risk analyses conducted for every launch and working with the U.S. Space Force and space launch operators, the FAA determined the existing airspace restrictions for most Florida launches were too large and could be safely reduced.
• Airservices’ scholarship boosts Australia’s burgeoning uncrewed industry - Airservices Australia is proudly offering a $25,000 scholarships fund in support of Australia’s burgeoning uncrewed industry. The scholarships, in partnership with Australian Association for Uncrewed Systems, will foster greater participation and diversity in the uncrewed aircraft systems industry. Stay tuned for more details on how you can apply for the scholarships, set to be awarded later this year.
• New edition of the FAB CE Airspace Plan available on-line - The 2023 edition of the FAB CE Airspace Plan has now been published.The Plan supports the airspace and capacity conclusions of the European Airspace Architecture Study by identifying optimised airspace solutions and harmonising operational approaches among FAB CE ANSPs.

Airports news

• CLT Breaks Ground on Fourth Parallel Runway - Charlotte Douglas International Airport began the next project under the Destination CLT portfolio with the groundbreaking of CLT’s fourth parallel runway. It was identified in the Airport’s 2016 Master Plan Update to address capacity, meeting future demand while enhancing operational efficiency. Scheduled for commissioning in fall 2027, the runway will allow for 20 additional arrivals and departures during peak hours in 2028 and 32 in 2033.
• Analysing Obstacles at the Airport and Surrounding Areas With SkySAFE Software - Airport Technology - Keeping track of obstacles at an airport and its surrounding area is vital for ensuring safe airport operations. Join Transoft Solution’s senior product managers Michael Frost and Bernard Goodworth as they show you why and how to use the obstacle clearance compliance tool, SkySAFE, to accurately and efficiently analyse permanent or temporary obstacles.
• iGA Istanbul Airport sets new network record - EUROCONTROL - Sunday 11 June 2023 saw a new airport network record set, as İGA İstanbul Airport handled 1,684 arrivals/departures, beating by 60 flights the previous busiest-ever European airport record of 1,624 daily flights set by Frankfurt Airport on 11 September 2019.
• Launch of the S-BAND medium range radar at Hamad International Airport - Minister of Transport H.E Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti launched an S-Band radar system at Hamad International Airport, to be used in air traffic control systems to monitor and manage air traffic for arriving and departing aircraft. Established in conjunction with Italian Leonardo, the S-Band radar system is equipped with advanced features and unparalleled accuracy and will serve as the backbone of airspace surveillance, enabling swift and precise tracking of aircraft in real-time.

Market news

• Directorate General of Civil Aviation Kuwait signs contract with Italy’s Leonardo Aerospace - The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Kuwait signed a KD 6.68 million (around USD 21.4 million) deal with Italy’s Leonardo Aerospace to develop the air navigation system at Kuwait international airport via installing two advanced radar systems.
• UrbanV and SITA partner to provide digital solutions for Rome vertiports, explore opportunities for vertiports globally - SITA and UrbanV, the Italian vertiport operator, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a digital-first passenger experience for UrbanV’s vertiports in Rome due to start operations in 2024.
• SITTI awarded big contract in greece - SITTI announced that the Ministry of Transportation has recently awarded SITTI a big contract for the supply of Voice Communication Systems and ancillary equipment to the 19 major airports in Greece. This contract will allow the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA) to make use of the most recent and advanced systems for air traffic control in the central Mediterranean area.

Context information

• Aviation Regulator and Dublin City University signs cooperation agreement - Agreement sets out long term partnership between the IAA and DCU Business School. Aims to create best-in-class aviation educational environment for students and industry professionals. Establishes platform to develop research projects in air transport management.

Reports and data

• Fraport Traffic Figures – May 2023: Passenger Volumes Growing Steadily - The number of aircraft movements edged up by 1.9 percent to a total of 37,278 takeoffs and landings, while accumulated maximum takeoff weights grew by 5.1 percent to about 2.3 million metric tons (in both cases, compared to May 2022).
• Passenger traffic soars at Frankfurt and across Fraport Group – Airport World - Compared to May 2022, the number of aircraft movements edged up by 1.9% to a total of 37,278 takeoffs and landings, while accumulated maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) grew by 5.1% to about 2.3 million tonnes.
• Avinor - Traffic figures still not on schedule - There were 64,480 commercial aircraft movements in May 2023. This is 4 per cent fewer movements than in May of last year. Compared to May 2019, there has been a drop in the number of aircraft movements of 7 per cent.

Research and innovation

• Foundations laid for safe upper airspace operations - SESARJU - If higher airspace is to be used safely and efficiently by aircraft in the future, then a clear understanding of the expected demand – and the procedures that need to be put in place – needs to be articulated.