International Airport Background of the Study

1 INTRODUCTION

1. Background of the Study

1.1. International Airport

The system of civil aviation, particularly airports as its crucial facility, has come to be the most substantial element of transportation and one of the main requirements to 1900s trade and market. The commercial division of civil aviation, containing more than 900 airlines and 22.000 aircraft, had become the choice of transportation to more than 2 billion passengers and carried 85 million tons of cargo on more than 74 million flights to more than 1700 airports in more than 180 countries worldwide, in 2008 alone Horonjeff, 2010. Furthermore, charter, corporate and private general aviation in the million were carried out all around the world on thousands of airports, both general and commercial type. General aviation and commercial service perform as the major means of transportation and moreover the only way reach the outside world in many remote regions around the world. The influence of commercial aviation industry around the world is considered remarkable, providing more than 2.6 trillion in economic activity, comparable to 8 of the world gross domestic product, and accommodate over 29 million jobs globally. Civil aviation is accountable for USD 900 billion in economic activity and providing 11 million jobs in the United States alone Horonjeff, 2010. Airport as the anchor of such an essential factor in global communities had a significant impact on the industry. Airport is a particular area of land or water including any buildings, installations and equipment intended in whole or in part for the arrival, departure and movement of aircraft Annex 14 from ICAO, 1999. As the intermediary between land and air commotion, the quality of airport directly affect the continuity and level of aviation service as a whole. High level facility in terms of complexity such as airports requires a maximum quality and congeniality from all of it’s elements. 2 Main elements which serve as the important roles in airports and aviation activities are security protocol, passengers service and air traffic control. Lack of concern and management in various main and supporting elements of airports has proven to be fatal and sometimes disastrous. Incapable security system applied in airports leads to criminal activities by individuals and high profile criminal organisations. Organised modus operandi used by criminals exploits security drawbacks as a loophole for smuggling activities and even terrorism. While security protocol provides safety from illegal activities, technical issue and maintenance protect flight activity from the danger of aircraft accident which is fatal most of the time. Unqualified human resources for technical purposes of an aircraft as well as defeiciency in technical procedures, management and equipments required are the main source of catastophy in aviation. Whereas airport serve a critical role in many aspect of global growth, the existence of airport and the activity it accommodate have negative impacts, especially on the ecosystem.

1.2. Environmental Effect of Aviation Activities