AIRPORT IMPROVEMENT Magazine

On July 23, Miami International Airport hosted its latest MIA Airport Instruction and Readiness (MIAair) tour for more than 60 children with special needs from Easterseals South Florida, a school for neurodivergent students from Kindergarten to 12th grade. The tour allowed participants to rehearse the air travel experience from start to finish, all the way to an airplane seat, in a safe and controlled environment. Last year, MIA became the first airport in Florida and the second in the U.S. to be accredited by the ACI World - Airports Council International Accessibility Enhancement Accreditation (AEA) program, in recognition of MIA’s commitment to “prioritizing and ensuring an accessible, safe, and inclusive traveling experience for passengers with disabilities. Read more: https://buff.ly/3zZiQCg

Given the daily hustle and demands of operating an international airport, it can be tough finding time to build relationships with the greater community. However, leaders at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) on Florida’s Gulf Coast know that such efforts are not just vital to developing a positive service-oriented identity; they can also be effective early recruitment tools to support the long-term success of the airport. The forward-thinking team at SRQ is grooming future members of its workforce decades in advance with two community outreach programs: an enhanced annual Take Your Child to Work Day and a unique partnership with a secondary school. Team Success, a Sarasota charter school for underserved students, is opening a new campus this fall for students in grades six through 12 on property adjacent to SRQ that is owned by the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority. Click to read more: https://buff.ly/3W9Vket

Nicknamed Treasure Valley for its vast natural resources, Boise, ID, is having a moment. The Boise metro area consistently shows up on lists of the fastest-growing areas in the U.S., and Boise Airport (BOI) is making investments to handle the associated traffic increases. As the local population surges—to the tune of about 80% in the last decade—BOI is opening its arms widely to welcome additional travelers. Like an expanding family, the airport needed an addition to its “house” to provide space for more vehicles. As part of a multiyear capital improvement plan to increase parking, terminal and gate capacity, BOI commissioned a five-level employee parking garage with more than 700 spaces, and a five-level, 1,148-stall public garage. Dubbed the East Garage, the public parking facility includes a new administrative office and parking exit plaza. Click to read more about this project: https://buff.ly/3L2JxrQ

Passengers tend to think of airport security as TSA checkpoints and police K9s, but much more goes into keeping the public and airport personnel safe. From increasingly sophisticated terminal cameras and access control technology to employee credentialing and thermal imaging, airport security systems leverage advanced technologies; and even the most innovative and cutting-edge systems eventually wear out or require major upgrades. That’s exactly where Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) found itself a short time ago. Its existing security system hardware and software were nearing obsolescence with respect to software compatibility and upgradability, and several existing platforms and integrations were subject to instability within the next few years. But the Florida airport was not caught flat-footed. Recognizing the system’s natural lifespan, it had conducted a comprehensive evaluation and study three years ago. This research yielded a suite of recommended solutions for a new security and access control system. Click to read about the multi-phase strategy used to upgrade their security system: https://buff.ly/4eIxvlc

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) announces that Pentair is now the official water sponsor of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). The new partnership has launched with the debut of 10 new HOPE Hydration HydroStations in both of the airport’s terminals, the first water refill stations of their kind at any airport worldwide. Pentair is a leader in helping the world sustainably move, improve and enjoy water, including through its premiere line of Everpure filtration technology that is used within the HydroStations. MSP is the 19th busiest airport in North America by passenger traffic serving 34.7 million total passengers in 2023. Read more: https://buff.ly/463BsNf

Serving more than 100 million passengers annually, it’s no secret that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is a critical piece of the worldwide aviation network. So when the busy airport requires expansion or renovation, one of the biggest considerations is minimizing impact to operations. When it was determined that Concourse D, at 40+ years old, would require improvements to continue meeting current and future demand, officials recognized it would take innovation and creativity to make it happen. Opened in 1980, Concourse D is one of five original concourses in ATL’s domestic terminal. It is the airport’s narrowest concourse, with a circulation corridor of 18 feet and holdroom seating for 5,400 passengers. The concourse was originally designed with 40 gates to handle 19 regional aircraft and 21 larger aircraft. But even after renovations over the decades, Concourse D remains dramatically undersized. Click to read more about the current expansion program scheduled for completion in 2029: https://buff.ly/3RG9lOf

In Part Two of our two-part series on Safety Management Systems, we focus on Federal Aviation Administration requirements for airports. Early adopters are reporting positive results, and—spoiler alert—collaboration will be key to compliance. Following the FAA Safety Organization’s final rule for Part 121 airline operators in 2015, the agency published its final ruling on Safety Management Systems (SMS) for some Part 139 airports in February 2023. Click to read the full article: https://buff.ly/3zn5lMf

Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority, in cooperation with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), announces the launch of BNA PASSport, a new offering for non-ticketed guests to access dining and retail at the airport beyond the checkpoint. Beginning July 1, visitors can explore various activities at BNA that not only include shopping and dining but also plane-watching, art exhibits, and the opportunity to meet a loved one at the gate. Click to learn more: https://buff.ly/3VNGLf9

A new $7 million ground run-up enclosure is boosting safety and operating efficiency at Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport (OSC), a general aviation airport in northeastern Michigan, along the Lake Huron shoreline. The roughly five-story structure was completed in February 2024 by Kalitta Air, the airport’s largest tenant and employer. The ground run-up enclosure (GRE) provides the cargo carrier with a safe place to test jet engines running at full bore without endangering personnel and smaller aircraft that might accidentally come too close to a powerful blast of engine exhaust. Click to read more about this project: https://buff.ly/3xLnAua

On June 21, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and officials from American Airlines, Envoy Air, WHILL, and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department announced ten new autonomous power chairs that Envoy Air is now using to transport American Airlines passengers with limited mobility at Miami International Airport (MIA). This spring, MIA became the first U.S. airport to receive the autonomous chairs developed by WHILL, Inc. Self-driving mobility devices transport customers to their desired gate after they select their destination on a touch screen, providing users with more freedom, confidence, independence, and an improved customer experience. An average of 120 American Airlines passengers per day use the chairs inside concourses D and E at MIA. Read more at: https://buff.ly/45JUIiB