Charlotte/Douglas International Airport - Case Study Example

Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) Case Study (s) Table of Contents A.Feasible Design Alternatives 3 APPENDIX A: KCLT Airport Diagram ………………………………………………………………..13 APPENDIX B: Satellite View of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (KCLT)…………………..14 APPENDIX C: Factors Affecting Runway length ……………………………………………………...15 APPENDIX D: Extension of the Crosswind Runway 05-23………………..………………………..16 APPENDIX E: Modified Taxiway/ Taxilane Separation Requirements………………..……….17 APPENDIX F: Acute Angle Taxiway Location…………………………………………………18 APPENDIX G: Runway and Taxiway Occupancy Times……………………………………....19 Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) Case Study Introduction Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) is one of the busiest airports in the United States. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, CLT currently serves an estimated population of 43.5 million annually, with up to 140 nonstop destinations across the globe. In addition, with four runways, the airport is currently served with a host of domestic and foreign airlines with up to 3 foreign carriers and seven domestic carriers connecting passengers to various destinations in North America, Europe, the Caribbean and South America (COA Online Academic Portal 1). However, with the increasing traffic over the years, CLT has faced a number of challenges some of which include overcrowding, traffic delays, operational safety concerns and reduced service efficiency. This project critically presents the potential application of airport design to solve some of the emerging key issues at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) namely the congestion issues with the north ramp holdline of the airport, extension of the crosswind Runway 05-23 in order to accommodate the Airbus A340 series currently operated by Lufthansa Airlines, proposal to construct a new hotel in CLT airport’s vicinity and finally, the upgrading the current CAT I approach to Runway 18C to a CAT III approach. 1. Congestion at the North Ramp Holdline in CLT Congestion at the north ramp holdline in Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) is a major concern and design challenge. Located above the airports international concourse D, the north ramp holdline is a major transition point between the west and north ramps in the airport and is usually congested with egress traffic from and to the various regional airline gates on Concourse E. This is a major issue at the airport particularly during the peak periods where both the egress from the Concourse D gates and the international traffic ingress thereby occasionally bringing traffic to a near standstill. A. Feasible Design Alternatives There are a number of airport design alternatives that can effectively be used to address and mitigate the current problem of airport traffic congestion at the north ramp holdline in CLT without affecting the normal north and slow flow operations at the airport facility. Some of the potential design solutions that can be incorporated to address the challenge include re-aligning Concourse D and Concourse E gates, relocation and Extension of the Runway and redesigning the exit taxiway. i. Re-alignment of Concourse D and Concourse E Gates Re-aligning concourse D and concourse E gates is one of the most effective design alternatives that can effectively be implemented at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) to address the congestion issues attributed to the egress traffic from and to the various regional airline gates on Concourse E during peak periods. The proposed design concourse gates will particularly involve configuring the location of the above mentioned concourse gates in a way that reduces the traffic flow at the intersections while at the same time improving their processing capacity. For example, the location of the concourse D and concourse E gates will be repositioned in such a way that makes it easier for passengers and travellers to find their way to the terminals thereby reducing the traffic congestion between the west and north ramps even during peak periods (U.S. Office of Technology Assessment 43). ii. Relocation and Extension of the Runway Another feasible design proposal that will potentially reduce the problem of bottleneck congestion at the north ramp holdline in Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) is the re-location and extension of the runway. As a design alternative extending and strategically repositioning the runway is one of the most effective ways of relieving traffic congestion at the terminals by creating ample space for movement of the passengers in the facility. With the expected continued increase in the size of traffic passing through CLT airport, the proposed project is also likely to enhance the general operational flexibility as well as efficiency of the airport. iii. Redesigning the Exit Taxiway Redesigning the Exit Taxiway is another critical airport design modification that if implemented, will help ease congestion at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) by increasing the airports handling capacity. Firstly, in order to ease the operations and reduce traffic congestion particularly during the peak periods, the current exit taxiway at the airport can be widened to allow controllers to be able to stack aircrafts side by side (U.S. Office of Technology Assessment 68).. This minor change will significantly expedite traffic and allow aircrafts to be able to simultaneously cross the runway thereby reducing potential delays. Generally, this is likely to ensure on time departures and ultimately improve the satisfaction of the customers using the airport. B. Alternatives Analysis In view of the above described three design alternatives, the most effective alternative for reducing congestion at the north ramp holdline that the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) should adopt is the re-alignment of concourse D and concourse E gates. Compared to the other alternatives, this alternative has a potential to result in the highest deduction of traffic congestion and bottlenecking at the airport. This is particularly because the current major cause of congestion at CLT is the egress from the Concourse D gates and the international traffic ingress. In addition, the concourse D and concourse E gates can also be configured in a way that they act as swing gates and that serve both domestic and international flights depending on the need (Neufville 88). For example, instead of a gate that is only dedicated to international traffic, a configured gate will serve both domestic and international flights as dictated by the need thereby further reducing bottlenecking which is considered to be the main cause of congestion. 2. Extension of the Crosswind Runway 05-23 In order to accommodate the Airbus A340 currently operated by Lufthansa Airlines, there is an increasing need to extend the Crosswind Runway 05-23. This is particularly due to the extraordinary wider body and length of the Airbus A340 aircrafts particularly the 500 and 600 series currently being operated by Lufthansa Airlines that are largely known for their longer and exceedingly larger wings. Generally an Airbus A340 would require approximately between 5300m and 8300m of runway length for landing and taking off. However, this is a major limitation of the current airport design of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) as the Crosswind Runway 05-23 has relatively smaller dimensions. Generally, some of the areas that will have to be modified on the Crosswind Runway 05-23 in order to accommodate the Airbus A340 aircrafts currently being operated by Lufthansa Airlines include redesigning the taxiway and separation of the runway. However, it is important to note that the required length of the runway for the operation of A340 is dependent on a number of factors some of which include the regional environmental conditions of such as temperature ranges as well as the latitude of the location. For example, in the case of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT), the current mean maximum temperature for the hottest month is 30 degrees while the maximum difference in runway 05/23 centerline elevations is 40 feet. When calculating the extend of the runway 05/23 extension required at CLT airport in order to accommodate A340-600 aircrafts, the mean maximum temperature of the regions hottest month and the maximum difference in the centerline elevation of runway 05/23 will have determined and included in the calculations. In addition, the critical aircraft, the maximum landing weight, elevation of CLT airport as well as the maximum allowed takeoff weight of the A340-600 aircrafts as shown in Appendix D. a. The Runway Design Standards Fig 1: AC 150/5300 – 13A-Runway design standards for ADG-V aircraft (the A340-600) Source: AC 150/5300 – 13A – Airport Design b. Taxiway Design Standards for ADG V aircrafts c. Taxiway fillet design standards for ADG V aircraft d. Runway Separation Standards e. Modified Taxiway/ Taxilane Separation Requirements The required taxiway/taxilane separation for accommodating the A340-600 aircrafts is primarily dependent on the wingspan of the aircraft. Using the current wingspan for the A340-600 = 208, the overall calculations are shown in appendix C. Fig 6: Taxiway/ Taxilane Separation Distance Requirements for a new acute-angled taxiway on Runway 05-23 In order to improve the operations and enhance the capacity of the CLT airport to handle Airbus A340 aircrafts, a new acute-angled taxiway on Runway 05-23 will be installed based on the requirements of the Advisory Circular (AC) 150/5300-13A standards. The main assumption is that the Aircrafts shall be landing 1500 ft from the approach threshold and the estimated deceleration would be: -5ft/sec for the runway -3.3ft/sec for the taxiway i. Acute Angle Taxiway Location The calculation of the acute angle taxiway for the A340-600 aircrafts is largely based on the assumption that the runway exit speed would be 60 nots. For the runway 05/23, the calculations indicate that the acute angle taxiway exit location will be 6, 388 ft.as shown in Appendix F. ii. Length of the High Speed Exit Taxiway As shown in the calculations in appendix F, the approximate length of the High Speed Exit Taxiway required for smooth operation of A340 is approximately 1,482 ft. iii. The Exit Angle Required The exit Angle required is dependent on the distance of the runway from the taxiway as well as the distance of the exit to high speed taxiway. Using the formula, X = d2 Sin Ɵ, the exit angle was found to be 16 degrees as shown in Appendix F. iv. Runway and Taxiway Occupancy Times As shown in the calculations in appendix G, the approximate runway and taxiway occupancy times for A340-600 aircraft would be 28.4 sec. and 67.4 seconds respectively. This is critically important as the time that is spent on the runway affects both the efficiency and safety of the operations at the airport. 3. Construction of a New Hotel in the Airport’s Vicinity The proposed construction of a new hotel within the vicinity of the airport is a critically important development as it will result in a number of potential operational safety challenges that must be carefully examined and evaluated. The hotel will be located at approximately 2 statute miles north of the threshold of runway 18C and will primarily be of a simple square design with an expected rooftop design of approximately 1000 feet above MSL at closet corner to the airport. The close proximity of the hotel and the airport operations will be particularly given sufficient consideration particularly with regard to the site layout. This is critically important in reducing and eliminating the potential building related hazards that may compromise aviation and operational safety of the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT). However, there are a number of measures that can be undertaken during the design and planning of such construction activities to ensure that the potential risks posed by the surrounding infrastructures such as the proposed new hotel are significantly reduced to reasonable levels in the event of an accident. Some of the design options that can potentially be incorporated into the development of the proposed new hotel include minimizing the overall height of the proposed new hotel building to enhance aviation safety. 4. Upgrading the current CAT I approach to a CAT III approach There are number of potential benefits that are likely to result from upgrading the current CAT I approach to Runway 18C to a CAT III approach. In order to effectively upgrade runway 18Cto the current CAT III approach from CAT I approach, various facilities and additional amenities will have to be either upgraded or installed at the airport. Generally, the current installations on runway 18C at the Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) under the CAT I approach include markings and lights, ILS/DME, precision in good condition and centerline lights as shown in the diagram below: Fig 1: Runway 18C at Charlotte/Douglas Intl Airport Source: http://flightaware.com/resources/airport/KCLT/runway/18C/36C Generally, upgrading the current CAT I approach to Runway 18C to a CAT III approach will require a number of potential challenges and upgrades some of which shall include installation of High Intensity Approach Lighting System with Sequenced Flashing Lights (ALSF2) as well as lighting of the touch down point of runway 18C. Finally, CAT III approach will also require the installation of an operational Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT). Works Cited AC 150/5300-13, Airport Design. COA Online Academic Portal. KCLT Case Study. 2015. Available at http://coaportal.com/lectures/courses/page65/page87/index.html FAA Order 8260.3, United States Standard for Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS) Neufville, Ron. Airport Systems Planning: A critical look at the Methods and Experience. Boston, MA: MIT Press. 1996. Print. U.S. Office of Technology Assessment. Airport and air trafficcontrol systems, U.S. Congress, Washington, DC., 2002. Print. Los Angeles World Airports. Sustainable Airport Planning, Design and Construction Guidelines for Implementation on All Airport Projects, 2010.Web 07.July 2010. APPENDIX A: KCLT Airport Diagram Source: https://skyvector.com/airport/CLT/Charlotte-Douglas-International-Airport APPENDIX B: Satellite View of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (KCLT) Source: https://skyvector.com/airport/CLT/Charlotte-Douglas-International-Airport APPENDIX C: Factors Affecting Runway length Source: http://128.173.204.63/courses/cee4674/cee4674_pub/acft_run_length.pdf Source: http://128.173.204.63/courses/cee4674/cee4674_pub/acft_run_length.pdf APPENDIX D: Extension of the Crosswind Runway 05-23 APPENDIX E: Modified Taxiway/ Taxilane Separation Requirements APPENDIX F: Acute Angle Taxiway Location APPENDIX G: Runway and Taxiway Occupancy Times Read More