Weekly Review #256 - Summer 2024 and the return to ‘normal’ for ATM

Written by Vincent Lambercy | August 21 2024

Much time has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic, but people and businesses alike have continued to feel its impact. The travel industry was heavily affected then. Summer 2024 is a different story for airports all around the world.

Zurich Airport experienced a 7% passenger growth in July 2024. NATS has recorded 15 July 2024 as its busiest day since 2019, with more than 8,200 movements. Airports of the Aena network in Spain recorded over 31.9 million passengers in July, 7.2% more than it saw in July 2023. And, Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport welcomed almost 14 million passengers in the first half of 2024, more than 33% higher than the same period last year. So, what does it mean that airports worldwide are seeing higher levels of passengers?

Firstly, travel restrictions are far more relaxed now than in the aftermath of the pandemic. And as a result, the travel demand has grown. More people want to go on vacation after years of cancellations, restrictions, and uncertainties. At the same time, many travel providers have changed their policies in line with COVID-19, allowing for flexible bookings and cancellation policies. This gives travellers more confidence to book flights. And it’s not just holidaymakers, but businesses too. We’ve seen a rise in face-to-face events and conferences after switching to remote events in recent years.

Who knows if we will ever be back to ‘normal’? We know that airlines, airports, and ATMs alike have been ramping up their operations to meet demand. As we head towards the end of summer 2024, we wonder what’s in store for 2025. Could we finally see pre-pandemic levels of passengers, movements, cargo, and more? Watch this space.

Vincent

ANSP news

Airservices Australia Signs Up to New Simulator Training Tech for Air Traffic Controllers- Australia’s air traffic controllers will soon have their training capability augmented through the introduction of a new cloud-based simulator service. Airservices Australia has signed a three-year service agreement with Airways International Limited (AIL) for their tower simulation product called TotalControl ATC Simulation. Under this trans-Tasman partnership, operators in New Zealand will remotely create and operate exercises for Airservices’ air traffic controllers with photo-real graphics delivered via an intuitive interface.

Airport news

Airservices Australia calls for community feedback on new Brisbane flightpath options to reduce aircraft noise - Airservices- Airservices Australia is today launching five new sets of flightpath options developed by specialist airspace design consultants Trax International which may change where aircraft operate over Brisbane. The proposed flightpath concepts, which form part of Airservices’ Noise Action Plan for Brisbane, have been designed to reduce the concentration of flights over several Brisbane communities. The Plan was developed to address aircraft noise impacts resulting from changes to Brisbane’s airspace, following the introduction of Brisbane Airport’s new parallel runway in July 2020. Now, Airservices is calling for Brisbane residents to provide feedback on the flightpath options.
Perth Airport to begin A$5bn construction works - British Aviation Group- Perth Airport in Australia is starting construction work on its A$5bn capital investment program of infrastructure projects that are intended to provide the capacity for Western Australia’s growing aviation sector and passenger base. The project list includes two multi-story car parks, a new terminal, an expanded international terminal, the airport’s first-ever airport hotel and a new runway.

Reports and data

Strong half year performance by Zayed International Airport – Airport World- The gateway welcomed 13.7 million passengers between January and the end of June – a significant 33.8% rise on the same period last year. This growth was complemented by a 24.3% rise in flight movements, recording 84,286 movements during H1 2024.
Zurich Airport sees 7% passenger growth in July 2024, nearing pre-pandemic levels- Air traffic movements rose by 4% year-on-year to 24,617, reaching 96% of July 2019 levels.
NATS records its busiest day since the pandemic- NATS last month recorded its busiest day since 2019 with 8,238 movements on Monday 15 July. It is the clearest sign yet that air traffic is almost back to pre-pandemic levels.
Aena's airports in Spain recorded over 31.9 million passengers in July - Airport Suppliers- In July 2024, Aena received 31,900,662 passengers, 7.2% more than in the same month of 2023; it handled 259,841 aircraft movements. In terms of operations, the airport with the most movements in July was Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, with a total of 37,773 (+9.6% compared with 2023), followed by Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat, with 32,768 flights (+6.9%); Palma de Mallorca, with 31,243 (+4.5%); Málaga-Costa del Sol, with 18,399 (+6.2%); Ibiza, with 13,082 (-0.5%); Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández, with 12,139 (+14.7%) and Gran Canaria, with 11,231 landings and take-offs (+6%).
Fraport Traffic Figures – July 2024: Noticeable Cargo Increase in Frankfurt, Passenger Growth Slowing- With 40,515 takeoffs and landings, the number of aircraft movements remained almost unchanged from the same month last year (down 0.3 percent)

UAV and UTM

How 5G technology could contribute to the safe integration of drones - Unmanned airspace- Researchers, industry and organisations have demonstrated how 5G technology could be harnessed to integrate drones into the airspace, enabling safe operations alongside manned airspace.
NASA and FAA consider safe integration of public safety UAS with commercial drone activity - Unmanned airspace- NASA recently gathered representatives from the FAA, police and fire departments, and commercial industry to discuss beyond visual line of sight operations for public safety drones. As the FAA works to authorise these types of flights, NASA is helping ensure the operations are safe and efficient. 
CAA selects six projects to trial drone operations across the UK - Unmanned airspace- Six projects have been selected for trials under a new UK Civil Aviation Authority scheme that will test drone use in deliveries, inspections of infrastructure, emergency services and flights to remote locations.
FAA's initial roadmap for AI safety assurance says UAS could help shape policy - Unmanned airspace- FAA has released its initial Roadmap for Artificial Intelligence Safety Assurance, which recognises the growing use of AI technologies in the aviation sector, including autonomous systems.
Graz Airport and AIRlabs investigate requirements for BVLOS operations - Unmanned airspace- In a joint project, Graz Airport and AIRlabs Austria have investigated the requirements for drone operations near airports, especially for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.

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