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The air transport system

M Hirst, Airport Planning and Development Ltd, UK

…an excellent and well-written book.
The Aerospace Professional

...a stimulating and interesting book with a contents that is accurately represented by this title.
The Aerospace Professional

…anyone involved in air transport as a specialist professional could be interested in reading it.
The Aerospace Professional

 - examines major operational elements of the world's air transport system
 - considers route structure options in terms of operational impacts
 - examines the natural, regulatory and operational boundaries of the industry
 - introduces systems perspectives in relation to aircraft, airlines, airports and airspace issues
 - discusses the challenge of ensuring symbiosis of all elements of the changing scene and the scope for developing strategies that suit stakeholder requirements

Major operational elements of the world’s air transport system are examined in this important book, which provides a rare overview and an invaluable single information source to managers in all sectors of the air transport industry.

The air transport system considers route structure options in terms of operational impacts and describes the context and boundaries of the industry – the natural, regulatory and operational environments. ‘Systems’ perspectives are introduced to integrate the discussion of aircraft, airlines, airports and airspace issues. The issues faced in ensuring symbiosis of all these elements of the changing scene and the scope for developing balanced strategies to suit all stakeholder requirements are considered in depth to produce a comprehensive text with the potential to influence how well the air transport industry succeeds in meeting its many future challenges.

ISBN 1 84569 325 6
ISBN-13: 978 1 84569 325 1
September 2008
352 pages  234 x 156mm  hardback  
£79.00 / US$135.00 / €100.00

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About the author

Mike Hirst is a Senior Associate with Airport Planning and Development Ltd, Leeds, UK. He is a chartered engineer and aviation systems specialist with some 40 years’ experience in civil aviation, including flight testing, air traffic control and systems, airport design, and operations training, education and research.

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Contents

PART 1 SYSTEM OBJECTIVES AND ENVIRONMENTS
PART 2 SYSTEM ELEMENTS
PART 3 COPING WITH THE FUTURE

PART 1 SYSTEM OBJECTIVES AND ENVIRONMENTS

More than one answer?
 - Introduction: breadth of thinking
 - A simple system
 - Choosing a system solution
 - Service configurations within the real world
 - Elements of the air transport system
 - Future trends

The natural environment
 - Introduction
 - The Earth as a habitat
 - The Earth: physical issues affecting demand
 - The shape of demand
 - Demand forecasting
 - The reliability of forecasts
 - The Earth: atmosphere

The regulatory environment
 - Introduction
 - The breadth of regulation
 - National authorities
 - Service properties
 - Safety regulations
 - Security regulations
 - Environmental regulations

Operational environment
 - Introduction
 - Evolution
 - Communication, navigation and surveillance systems
 - The airborne elements
 - Future trends

PART 2 SYSTEM ELEMENTS

Aircraft
 - Introduction
 - Costs
 - Compatibility with the operational infrastructure
 - Direct and indirect operating costs
 - Balancing efficiency and effectiveness
 - Effectiveness
 - The manufacturer’s overall remit

Airlines
 - Introduction
 - Setting up an airline
 - Modern airline objectives
 - Route selection and development
 - Airline fleet planning
 - Annual utilisation and aircraft size
 - Seating arrangements
 - Indirect operating costs
 - Aircraft: buy or lease
 - Revenue generation
 - Computerised reservation systems
 - Yield management
 - Integrating service quality into the revenue-generation process
 - Marketing the seats
 - Airline scheduling
 - Evaluating success

Airports
 - Introduction
 - Setting up an airport
 - Airport demand
 - Airport sitting
 - Runway characteristics
 - Runway capacity
 - Runway pavement strength
 - The manoeuvring area
 - Aprons
 - Passenger terminals
 - Airport demand, capacity and delay

Airspace management
 - Introduction
 - Setting up an air-navigation service provider business
 - Categories of airspace
 - Separation minima
 - Airspace sectors
 - Capacity, demand and delay
 - A brief chronology of air traffic control system evolution
 - Aerodrome air traffic control equipment and operation
 - ICAO future air-navigation systems
 - Air-navigation service providers as businesses

PART 3 COPING WITH THE FUTURE

Coping with change: in the environments
 - Introduction
 - Natural environment
 - Regulatory environment
 - Operational environment
 - Environmental accountability
 - Effects on the business

Coping with change: the manufacturer’s challenge
 - Introduction
 - Financial viability
 - Statutory compliance
 - Efficiency
 - Effectiveness

Coping with change: the airline’s challenge
 - Introduction
 - Financial viability
 - Statutory compliance
 - Efficiency
 - Effectiveness (attaining service quality criteria)

Coping with change: the airport’s challenge
 - Introduction
 - Financial viability
 - Statutory compliance
 - Efficiency
 - Effectiveness

Coping with change: the airspace challenge
 - Introduction
 - Financial viability
 - Statutory compliance
 - Efficiency
 - Effectiveness

Systemic processes: the way ahead
 - Introduction
 - Air transport education and research
 - System solutions
 - Shift in the safety paradigm
 - Shift in the environmental impact paradigm
 - Using additional larger aircraft
 - Relieving hub congestion with more point-to-point services
 - The threat of more attractive modes of transport
 - The case for more widespread systematic thinking