Proposing civil aviation regulator for Indian airports

Abstract

Airports are the backbone of the worldwide commercial transportation system. Air transportation of passengers and goods is a dominant element of the transportation industry. The rate of growth of this sector has created a continuing need to expand airports and provide high-quality services. Airports are complex and multi-product enterprises. Each airport consists of runways, a terminal building for the processing of freight as well as the passengers and a control tower. The development of the airports depends upon following critical elements. (1) Passenger and goods that has to be processed through its terminals. (2) The physical, social and economic environment of the airports (3) The government or the private players that are involved in the control of the airports The activities at the airport can be divided into following distinct groups: (1) operation activities and facilities (2) handling of services (3) Commercial activities at the airport. Operational services include the air traffic control system, meteorological services, telecommunications, police and security, fire, ambulance and first aid services, and runways, aprons, taxiways, grounds and buildings maintenance. These activities determine the degree of safety in airport operations, and hence, are considered essential and are at the core of the airport business. Handling services refer to a great variety of activities in airports. The activities can be distinguished as those that are directly related to the aircraft (ground and ramp handling), such as cleaning, the provision of power and fuel, and the loading and unloading of luggage and freight, and those that are more traffic related (traffic handling), such as the processing of passengers, baggage and freight through the terminal building. Commercial services at airports involve a large variety of different activities that are located either at the terminal building or around the airport. Duty free shops and other retail shopping, restaurants and bars, leisure services, hotel accommodation, banks, car rental and parking services, and conference and communication facilities, are examples of the range of activities that could be included in the non-aeronautical set of airport operations.