Airports – a different business altogether

Did you know that there is a videogame where you can build your own airport city? It is called Airport City. Truth be told, it is not a game in real life as the airport holds strong challenges and ambitious goals for the city and the region it serves.

But as you come to play, you get to decide how your airport will be built, what services it will propose inside and outside the airport and all your choices will affect the viability of your airport and the impact on the region. Strange! It suddenly looks a lot like real life.

Airport cities and the city nearby create a strong symbiosis where one feeds the other and vice versa. And we are not only talking about tourism there, and the traditional role of the airport. It goes way beyond the simple flights departing and arriving. Today, the airport can also offer a large portfolio of services which do not limit themselves to aeronautical anymore and act as an enabler to other industries.

The airport becomes part of the city as well as an open door to the world for the benefits of its visitors, either locals or travellers. And with climate change, these mega-structures must adopt new ways to ensure the sustainability of their operations. Environment matters are at the core of cities and airport cities successful development. Innovation will then come as a solution provider and provide innovative technologies, ways of working to optimize and reduce airports carbon footprint.

Direct contributions to the economy

Employment

Airports are huge providers of employment in the region. As an example, approximately 100,000 people work for the Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport and it climbs to 235,000 in the Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris – Le Bourget area. In Singapore, the aviation sector provides 119,000 jobs to which 78,000 jobs can be added as bound to touristic activity generated by the airport.

European airports and associated aviation activity create and facilitate a total of almost 12.5 million jobs. Connections draws the implementation of companies in the surrounding areas to benefit from the transport services. It creates an economic dynamism in the region. It makes the region bigger and generates investments (transportation, construction…). 157,100 jobs were supplied by Dubai airport in 2013.

Economy

Airports are hubs, not only because they connect flights to other cities but because they are home to many services and real economic contributors to the region.

European airports contribute to €675 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year – that’s just over 4% of the entire European economy. The aviation sector contributes S$14.2 billion (5.4%) to Singaporean GDP.

Aviation is an indispensable catalyst for the growth of Dubai’s tourism industry, which directly contributed $10.2bn to Dubai’s economy. The aviation sector contributes AED 61.3 billion (6.2%) to UAE GDP.

Environment

There are strong links between the airports and the region where they are located. As the airport evolves and grows, it cannot do it without the region’s consent and support. This is why dialogue is always the core structure of such partnerships between the city and the airport city.

Groupe ADP and the region grow together and work hand in hand to develop the infrastructures to better serve the airport and the cities in the area all discussed in common for the three Parisian airports of Groupe ADP.

Heathrow airport knows difficulties and delays to launch its 3rd runway project as local authorities and inhabitants are opposed to the project.

The airport is indeed a key factor in the region’s sustainability. Flights are not the greener way of travelling even though airports have made huge efforts to reduce their environmental footprint.

They act on their soil and set up actions to preserve their environment and the relationships with the locals. Groupe ADP have their very own Environmental and Sustainable Development Resource Centres.

Their purpose is to develop human relationships, mutual awareness and understanding between the local residents and the players in the air transport sector. Dubai airport collects and recycles thousands of tons of paper, carton, plastic and aluminium cans across our airports, recently implemented more efficient lighting, inside the airport and on the airfield and now uses flow arrestors to control water use.

Airports have to be turned towards their environment to make the best out of their configuration and grow stronger with the region. Only a strong collaboration can lead to a successful future. Airport specialists in engineering, project management and planning make sure to guide airports in the right directions as they propose solutions to improve their infrastructures while growing in a sustainable manner. Synergies between the airport city and the city will drive growth to both systems.

Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, Airport Show will be held from 29 April – 1 May 2019.

7,500 visitors are expected to attend the B2B show. The show will take place over an exhibition space of over 15,000 square meters across three Zabeel halls of the iconic Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). Among the many world leading airport solution providers, companies participating at the event are Siemens, Nokia and FAST, in addition to our supporter’s dnata, Dubai Airports, DAEP and sponsors Honeywell, Saab, Smiths Detection, DTP, Sky Guide and CEIA.

Source: in partnership with Via Dubai magazine