RESEARCH

PAPER
IN

DOMESTIC
AIRPORT
BUILDING
SUBMITTED BY: TRANSFIGURACION, JARED C.SUBMITTED TO: AR.LEONIDO TINDOC

1|Page
WHAT IS AN AIRPORT?
An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for
commercial air transport. Airports often have facilities to store and
maintain aircraft, and a control tower. An airport consists of a landing
area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least
one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off or
a helipad, and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control
towers, hangars and terminals. Larger airports may have fixed-base operator
services, airport aprons, taxiway bridges, air traffic control centers,
passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency
services.

WHAT IS A DOMESTIC AIRPORT?

A domestic airport is an airport that handles only domestic flights
(flights within the same country). Domestic airports do not have customs and
immigration facilities and so cannot handle flights to or from a foreign
airport.
A domestic flight is a form of commercial flight within civil aviation
where the departure and the arrival take place in the same country. Airports
serving domestic flights only are known as domestic airports.
These airports normally have short runways sufficient to handle
short or medium haul aircraft and regional air traffic. Domestic flights are
generally cheaper and shorter than most international flights. Some
international flights may be cheaper than domestic ones due to the short
distance between the pair of cities in different countries, and also because
domestic flights might, in smaller countries, mainly be used by high paying
business travellers, while leisure travellers use road or rail domestically.

LANDSIDE AND AIRSIDE AREAS

Airports are divided into landside and airside. Landside includes areas
such as check-in, parking lots, public transport railway stations and access
roads. Airside includes all areas accessible to aircraft, including runways,
taxiways and aprons/ramps. Passage between landside and airside is tightly
controlled at all airports. To access airside, one must go through security,
and if applicable, passport control too. This applies to everyone, including
staff.
Most major airports provide commercial outlets for products and services.
Airports may also contain premium and vip services. The premium and vip
services may include express check-in and dedicated check-in counters. In
addition to people, airports move cargo around the clock. Many large
airports are located near railway trunk routes.

2|Page
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PRESENCE

The majority of the world's airports are non-towered, with no air

traffic control presence. Busy airports have air traffic control (ATC)
system. All airports use a traffic pattern to assure smooth traffic flow
between departing and arriving aircraft. There are a number of aids available
to pilots, though not all airports are equipped with them. Many airports have
lighting that help guide planes using the runways and taxiways at night or in
rain, snow, or fog. In the U.S. and Canada, the vast majority of airports, large
and small, will either have some form of automated airport weather station,
a human observer or a combination of the two. Air safety is an important
concern in the operation of an airport, and airports often have their own
safety services.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Smaller or less-developed airports, which represent the vast majority,

often have a single runway shorter than 1,000 m (3,300 ft). Larger airports
for airline flights generally have paved runways 2,000 m (6,600 ft) or
longer. Many small airports have dirt, grass, or gravel runways, rather than
asphalt or concrete.
In the United States, the minimum dimensions for dry, hard landing
fields are defined by the FAR Landing and Takeoff Field Lengths. These
include considerations for safety margins during landing and takeoff.
Heavier aircraft require longer runways.
The longest public-use runway in the world is at Qamdo Bamda Airport
in China. It has a length of 5,500 m (18,045 ft.). The world's widest paved
runway is at Ulyanovsk Vostochny Airport in Russia and is 105 m (344 ft.)
wide.

3|Page
FACILITIES

X-RAY SCANNER
BAGGAGE CAROUSEL
TROLLEYS OR PUSH CARTS
INFORMATION DESK
REST AND RELAXATION
SMOKING AREAS
BANKS,ATMS
BAGGAGE WRAPPING AND WEIGHING
LEFT LUGGAGE
MEDICAL CENTER
TICKETING COUNTERS
LOUNGE/WAITING AREA
ETC.

4|Page
BAGGAGE HANDLING

A baggage handling system (bhs) is a type of conveyor system installed

in airports that transports checked luggage from ticket counters to areas
where the bags can be loaded onto airplanes. A bhs also transports checked
baggage coming from airplanes to baggage claims or to an area where the
bag can be loaded onto another airplane.

Although the primary function of a bhs is the transportation of bags, a

typical bhs will serve other functions involved in making sure that a bag gets
to the correct location in the airport. Sortation is the process of
identifying a bag and the information associated with it, to decide where the
bag should be directed within the system.

In addition to sortation, a bhs may also perform the following functions:

 Detection of bag jams

 Volume regulation (to ensure that input points are controlled to avoid
overloading system)
 Load balancing (to evenly distribute bag volume between conveyor sub-
systems)
 Bag counting
 bag tracking
 redirection of bags via pusher or diverter
 automatic tag reader (atr) (reads the tags on the luggage provided by
the airlines)

5|Page
BAGGAGE STORING AND TRANSFERING

 Bags are entered into the system by airline staff at check-in desks,
which feed a pair of tilt-tray sorters that deliver bags to the baggage
hall.

 Luggage is then transferred to containers by airline baggage staff and

driven to the aircraft for manual loading.

 Airline agents at check-in attach a luggage tag to the bag, with a unique
barcode and ten-digit number which has the bag’s destination and route.

 Bags coming in to the new T3 baggage system will be sorted

automatically by size, weight and flight number. They are then taken to
be loaded onto containers

 The bag is then read by a barcode scanner and routed through the
network of conveyors to a collection chute for processing by
baggage handling staff.

 It passes through X-ray machines and other security devices, before a

baggage handler scans the bag’s barcode tag at the collection chute.

 This links each item of luggage to the passenger list. The handler then
loads bags onto carts, which are driven out to the aircraft for
loading in the hold.

 When it comes to transfer bags, these are unloaded and placed in the
baggage system, where they are scanned, screened and sorted for
reloading.

 After flight the bags make the return journey through the baggage
system and are ready to be picked up by passengers

6|Page
PASSENGER FLOW

DEPARTURE
PASSENGER ENTRY>CHECK-IN>SECURITY
CHECK>SCREENING>BOARDING

Comparing the floor plans of different terminals, from smallest ones

to large hubs, one can divide their parts to functional units, i.e. cells.
However the parameters of the general cell models are different, their
internal models are the same, so these cells can be used for modeling
various terminals. In the followings the most common cell types a passenger
passes by on his way from the entrance to the boarding gate will be
summarized.
1) Check–in counter: Traditionally, check–in counters are the input
points of the terminal, where passengers’ tickets are checked and their hold
baggages are processed. The check– in affects passenger flow as a delay, as
the passengers have to wait in a queue until they can proceed to a free
counter. Parameters commonly associated to check–in counters are the time
the check–in procedure takes and the number of counters in operation.
2) Self–service check–in and baggage drop–off: Beside traditional
check–in counters, more and more self–service check–in kiosks can be
found at international airports, where passengers can choose their seats
and print their boarding cards by using a computer terminal. Their main
advantages compared to traditional check–in counters are their lower
cost, as they can operate without using human resources, and their moderate
floor need. However the procedure of self–service check–in for one
passenger might need more time compared to check–in counters providing
assistance of a trained employee, the high number of kiosks can reduce the
average waiting time. Similarly to check–in counters, a waiting time and the
number of operating kiosks can be used as parameters. Since the handling of
baggage’s is generally not possible at self–service check–in kiosks,
passengers with hold baggage have to pass to one of the baggage drop–off
counters, where they can check in their luggage. As it is a relatively fast
procedure, one drop–off point is capable to handle the output of many
check–in kiosks. Parameters associated to drop–off points are the time of
the drop–off procedure and the numberof counters in operation.
Passengers without hold baggage can pass by the drop–off counter, so they
are handled faster.
3) Security screening: After checking in, passengers haveto go
through a security screening, where they and their carry– on luggages are
searched for security threats. Depending on the regulations, the screening
procedure might take several minutes, so these checkpoints are common
bottlenecks of passenger flows. To the security screening the number of

7|Page
checkpoints in operation and the time of the screening procedure can be
associated as parameters.

4) Hall: The hall serves as an area for passengers to movebetween

other cells, therefore its parameters, corresponding to the time the
passengers spend there, can significantly affect the passenger flow. These
parameters depend largely on architectural factors (i.e. floor plan of the
terminal), which can hardly be changed.

5) Retail unit: The importance of retail units like shops,cafes,

restaurants is rising as airport terminals are becoming not only
transportational, but also commercial facilities. Besides affecting the
passenger flow significantly, their rental fees provide an important income
to the airport operator, so their modeling is of paramount importance. After
entering a retail unit, passengers usually spend some time browsing amongst
the goods or studying the menu, and then decide to become customers or not.
In the former case, passengers proceed to the cashier’s desk, while in the
latter case, they leave the cell.
Parameters associated to retail units are the capacity of the given cell, the
browsing time (time spent before deciding to be actual customer or not),
customer ratio (ratio of passengers becoming actual customers), the number
of cashiers desks in operation, and the length of the payment procedure.

6) Boarding gate: Boarding gates are the exit points ofthe passengers from
the terminals. Passengers gather at the gate area, and after boarding, they
leave the terminal one by one. Parameters associated to the boarding gates
are their capacities and the time of boarding procedure.

ARRIVAL
DISEMBARK>CUSTOMS>BAGGAGE CLAIM>DEPART AIRPORT
Passengers arriving at airport would disembark and proceed through
the arrivals gate into the restricted meet and greet area. In order to avoid
congestion in the main public area a separate node would be provided where
only pre‐approved and identity card carry rangers and guides from the
lodges and concessions would be allowed access to meet their arriving
guests. Facilities to be able to provide refreshments to these groups have
also been provided in this area. It is envisaged that this would be used by
members of small groups waiting for others to disembark etc.
Larger groups and FIT travelers would however be directed to bypass
this area and proceed directly to the main public area and then through to
the entrance vestibule. On the left of the vestibule a decked open area has
been provided where larger groups can be held in order for them to be
briefed etc. by their event or group coordinators. This will also be
designated a smoking area.
Simultaneous to passengers disembarking their flights, their baggage
would be offloaded and be transported to the arrivals baggage collection
facility.

8|Page
9|Page
 MAJOR DESIGN
CONSIDERATIONS

GREEN ARCHITECTURE SECURITY

CIRCULATION STRENGTH

AESTHETIC DAYLIGHTING

ACCESSIBILITY VENTILATION

10 | P a g e