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Global Airport Cities

DRIVERS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

What is an airport city?

Dr John Kasarda explains

In the spotlight:
Hong Kong’s vision of the future
Incheon’s Fashion Island

Desert classic:
Dubai’s ambitions
Doha making waves

All the way USA:

Denver developments
DFW strives for more

Plus:
Amsterdam Schiphol, Atlanta, Düsseldorf,
Kuala Lumpur, Moscow Domodedovo, Munich

Complete Airport Cities Hong Kong Conference & Exhibitor Guide Inside
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FOREWORD 3

Dawn of
a new era
Alex Kirby, managing director of Insight Media and publisher of Global Airport Cities magazine.

elcome to the first edition of Global Airport Cities partners to national and regional planners and economic

W magazine, an exciting new quarterly publication focused on

the transformation of airports into airport cities.
Brought to you by Insight Media – publishers of Airport
World and Routes News – in association with the Kenan
Institute for Private Enterprise, University of North Carolina, Global
Airport Cities magazine aims to be your one-stop shop for
everything airport cities.
Our experienced editorial team will use their expert
knowledge of the industry to report on the hot topics, issues,
trends, studies, latest technologies and successful business
practices that contribute toward the planning and development
of an airport city.
It is the only magazine dedicated to serving all parties
actively engaged in the planning and development of an
airport city, from the airport operators and their business
development agencies.
Whether it is business management articles, stories on ‘best’
practices, industry case-studies or benchmarking performance,
readers can rely on Global Airport Cities magazine to provide
the news and advice needed to retain their competitive edge in
today’s rapidly changing environment.
Global Airport Cities magazine will have a controlled
circulation of 5,000 copies with distribution across Europe and
Russia (1,500), North America (1,250), Asia Pacific (1,250), the
Middle East (500), Latin America and the Caribbean (250),
and Africa (250).
Our monthly subscription based e-newsletter, Global
Airport Cities Today, and our web-site www.globalairportcities.com
will keep you informed of all the latest developments in the
world of airport cities.. v

Global Airport Cities

Publisher
Alex Kirby
D/line: +44 (0) 20 8831 7502
E-mail: alex@insightgrp.co.uk
Editorial
Editor
Joe Bates
D/line: +44 (0) 20 8831 7507
E-mail: joe@airport-world.com
Deputy Editor
Jane Austin
D/line: +44 (0) 20 8831 7514
E-mail: jane@insightgrp.co.uk
Editorial Consultant
Dr John Kasarda
D/line: +1 919 962 8201
E-mail: john_kasarda@unc.edu
Sales Production
Sales Director Design & Production Manager
Jonathan Lee Andrew Montgomery
D/line + 44(0) 20 8831 7563 D/line: + 44(0) 20 8831 7564 Published by Insight Media Ltd
E-mail: E-mail: andy@insightgrp.co.uk Sovereign House,
jonathan@airport-world.com 26-30 London Road,
Layout Twickenham, TW1 3RW, UK
Sales Manager Mark Grassick Tel: +44 (0) 20 8831 7500
Andrew Hazell Fax: +44 (0) 20 8891 0123
D/line: +44 (0) 20 8831 7518 Subscriptions
E-mail: andrewh@airport-world.com Subscriptions Manager Printed in the UK
Bal Sanghera The Magazine Printing Co
Marketing Executive D/line: +44 (0) 20 8831 7506 www.magprint.co.uk
Melissa Hall E-mail: bal@insightgrp.co.uk
D/line: +44 (0) 20 8831 7517 All information contained in Global Airport
E-mail: melissa@insightgrp.co.uk Cities is correct at the time of going to
press. No part of this publication may be
reproduced in any form without the
expressed permission of the publishers.

Cover images from left to right: Hong Kong, Frankfurt, Incheon & Doha.
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:44 Page 5
A tale of airport cities
Airport Authority Hong Kong CEO, Dr David Pang, shares his views on the airport city phenomenon.
n recent years, the global airport business has been undergoing rapid
I and fundamental changes. Today’s airports are no longer simply an
infrastructure for passengers to embark and disembark. Major airports are
evolving from merely an aviation infrastructure into a diversified city with an
airport being the centre of people activities and business development.
And these new city-around-airport developments are generally being
regarded as airport cities or ‘aerotroplises’. While airports in Schiphol and
Frankfurt have been vigorously building their own airport cities, airports in
Hong Kong, Dubai and Incheon are also at the forefront of this global trend
of development.
So what is an airport city? There is no definitive answer to this ques-
tion as the development of an airport city depends very much on the
geographical, cultural and socio-political environments in which the air-
port is situated. That said, almost all airport city developments share a
common thread of creating a city out of the people, cargo, capital and in-
formation flows the airport generates. In essence, the thinking is to trans-
form a city’s airport into an airport’s city. What one finds in a city can and
will be found at an airport and its surrounding metropolitan areas.
A similar vision is fast turning into reality at Hong Kong
International Airport (HKIA). To achieve long-term, sustainable growth for
HKIA, we redefined our business, market and product several years ago.
As a result of this strategic repositioning, we developed and executed a
growth strategy to reach out to our enlarged home market, which
comprises Hong Kong and the 50 million people in the Pearl River Delta
region in the Chinese mainland. The re-examination also makes us see
the airport as a business management experience bringing people
VIEWPOINT 5
long-lasting memories and fond dreams. A major component of this
strategy is to transform HKIA into an airport city and a travellers’ destina-
tion in its own right.
It was against this background that HKIA’s SkyCity development
was conceived.
SkyCity’s robust developments saw AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong’s
largest exhibition centre, opened its doors last year. Our new Terminal 2 −
an integrated multi-modal transportation centre where rail, road, air and
sea transport converge seamlessly − is scheduled for opening at the end
of 2006. SkyPlaza, a shopping, dining and entertainment mecca, will also
be housed at Terminal 2. Over the next two years, other SkyCity projects
including two office buildings namely the HKIA Tower and Airport World
Trade Centre, a nine-hole golf course, a permanent SkyPier ferry terminal
and a second airport hotel will come on stream. And these only constitute
phase one of our SkyCity development. More developments are to follow.
Currently, we are working on a wide-ranging study that re-examines our
growth strategies by critically assessing the demand, supply and
competition/co-operation dynamics that HKIA will face over the next two
decades. We have set our sight afar and aim to make HKIA one of China’s
most important multi-modal transport hubs and a centre of regional and
international aviation.
Being the world’s fifth busiest airport in terms of international traveller
throughput and the busiest international cargo airport for the last 10 years,
I am confident that HKIA is strategically positioned for sustainable growth
and our SkyCity development will continue to be a cornerstone in our
long-term growth. v
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18 21 24
34 36 40

CONTENTS
3 DAWN OF A NEW ERA 29 A RUNWAY FOR BUSINESS
Alex Kirby, managing director of Insight Media and Mark Chivers explores the airport city development plans
publisher of Global Airport Cities magazine. of Germany’s third largest gateway.

5 A TALE OF AIRPORT CITIES 32 MAKING WAVES

Airport Authority Hong Kong CEO, Dr David Pang,
shares his views on the airport city phenomenon.
8 THE NEW BUSINESS MODEL
Dr John Kasarda explains why the development of an
‘airport city’ or‘aerotropolis’ is the way forward for the
world’s major gateways.
14 SKY HIGH AMBITION
Joe Bates reports on the transformation of Hong Kong
International Airport into one of the world’s leading
airport cities.
18 BIGGER, BETTER, SMARTER
Dubai’s planned new airport city at Jebel Ali is expected
to set the standards that others will follow, writes
Henry Canaday.
Doha’s dream of creating one of the world’s top gateways
and a leading airport city is about to become reality,
writes Jane Austin.
Loyalty programjmes are the new
34 BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Robin Stone reports on Moscow Domodedovo’s plans to
complete its transformation into Eastern Europe’s
leading airport city.
36 FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
Ritesh Gupta reports on ambitious plans to make
Kuala Lumpur International Airport a ‘destination in
its own right’.
40 TEXAS STAR
Becoming an airport city is high on the agenda of the
world’s sixth busiest gateway, writes Brian Murnahan.

21 HEIGHT OF FASHION 43 BAVARIAN BRILLIANCE

Incheon International Airport is set to open its own Offering passengers everything from a microbrewery to
Fashion Island as part of its airport city the kitchen sink, Erica Gingerich describes how Munich
development programme, writes Joe Bates. has grown from a city airport to an airport city.

24 EVOLUTION NOT REVOLUTION 46 THINKING BIG

Mark Chivers explores the philosophy of the Schiphol ACI’s saChris Kjelgaard reports on the airport city development
Group, one of the originators of the airport city concept plans of the world’s busiest gateway.
and still blazing a trail today.

26 GROWING PLACES 49 AIRPORT CITIES HONG KONG CONFERENCE

Henry Canaday reports on Denver’s airport city AND EXHIBITION GUIDE
development plans.

W W W. G L O B A L A I R P O R T C I T I E S . C O M
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8 AIRPORT CITIES
The new
business model
Picture courtesy of Munich Airport.
Dr John Kasarda explains why the development of an ‘airport city’ or ‘aerotropolis’ is the way forward
for the world’s major gateways.
A
s they transform in function, financing, management and
development impact, the traditional definition of an airport is being
reshaped and redefined.
In the past, airports were simply a place where aircraft, passengers
and cargo arrived and departed, but this historic understanding is fast
giving way to a much broader, more encompassing concept.
The new model recognises the fact that in addition to their core
aeronautical infrastructure and services, major airports have developed
significant non-aeronautical commercial facilities, services and revenue
streams. At the same time they are extending their formal reach and impact
well beyond airport boundaries.
The non-aeronautical boom
No longer restricted to magazine shops and fast food outlets,
passenger terminals now feature brand name boutiques, specialty retail and
upscale restaurants along with entertainment and cultural attractions.
Hong Kong International Airport, for instance, hosts more than 30 high-end
designer clothing shops. Singapore Changi offers cinemas, saunas and a
swimming pool and Munich boasts its own hospital while both Las Vegas
McCarran and Amsterdam Schiphol have cultural attractions in the shape of a
museum and a Dutch master’s gallery.
Others doing something a little different include Frankfurt – which has
the world’s largest airport clinic serving over 36,000 patients yearly – and
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County’s 420 room hotel is located on its
main concourse. Beijing Capital Airport’s tenants include a handful of banks
while Stockholm Arlanda’s intensively utilised chapel carried out over 450
weddings in 2005. All major airports, of course, are diversifying, upgrading
and expanding their terminal retail.
Given the significantly higher incomes of airline passengers (typically three
to five times higher than national averages) and the huge volumes of
passengers flowing through the terminals (often in the tens of millions
annually), it is not surprising that retail sales per square metre average three
to four times greater than shopping malls and downtown shops. As a result,
terminal commercial lease rates tend to be the highest in the
metropolitan area.
In addition to incorporating a variety of commercial functions into
passenger terminals, airports are developing their landside areas with
hotels, office and retail complexes, conference and exhibition centres,
logistics and free trade zones and facilities for processing
time-sensitive goods. Consequently, many airports today receive greater
percentages of their revenues from non-aeronautical sources than
from aeronautical sources (eg; landing fees, gate leases and passenger
service charges).
These non-aeronautical revenues have become critical to airports meet-
ing their facility modernisation and infrastructure expansion needs, as well as
being cost-competitive in attracting and retaining airlines.
The rapid expansion of airport-centric commercial development
also makes today’s gateways leading urban growth generators as they
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Graphic courtesy of Dr John Kasarda.
become significant employment, shopping, trading, business meeting and
leisure destinations in their own right. The evolution of these
non-aeronautical functions and commercial land uses has transformed
numerous city airports into airport cities.
Airport Evolution
Consistent with their growing non-aeronautical roles and functions, airports are
altering their operational management. Numerous airports (both public and
private sector operated) have established real estate or property divisions to
develop their landside commercial areas as well as foster development beyond
airport boundaries. They include UK airport operator, BAA, Aéroports de Paris
(ADP), Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Frankfurt Airport (Fra-
port), Amsterdam Schiphol and Singapore Changi.
Further extending their reach, some airports are even buying and/or
operating other airports through special investment management divisions.
These new operational structures offer testimony that airports are evolv-
ing from basic aeronautical infrastructures into complex multi-functional
enterprises serving both aeronautical needs and commercial
development. The current trend in airport management is therefore to
complement traditional technical airport functions with terminal and landside
commercial activities.
Such activities include: duty free shops; restaurants and specialty retail;
cultural attractions; hotels and accommodation; business office complexes;
convention and exhibition centres; leisure, recreation and fitness; logistics and
distribution; light manufacturing and assembly; perishables and cold storage;
catering and other food services; Free Trade Zones and Customs Free Zones:
golf courses; factory outlet stores and personal and family services such as
health and child daycare.
To many not familiar with the new realities of airports, the airport city model
might appear to be a deviation from the norm, but it is in fact becoming the
way forward for international airports.
Airports from Amsterdam to Zurich and from Beijing to Seoul have
embraced this planning model to develop their terminals and landside areas
as a pivotal means to financing airport operations and contributing to their
own competitiveness. To note just a handful:
AIRPORT CITIES 9
Figure 1
• Beijing is rapidly proceeding with its highly ambitious Capital
Airport City, whose Masterplan takes an expansive definition of
appropriate functions including, among others, shopping, entertainment,
education, sports and leisure, light manufacturing, finance, trade
and housing.
• ADP established a real estate division in 2003 to act as the
developer, general contractor and construction project owner and
manager of landside commercial properties at Paris Charles de Gaulle
and Orly international airports.
• DFW’s management has been in the real estate development business
for three decades, leasing land to commercial tenants.
• Hong Kong International Airport’s SkyCity is opening a one million square
metre retail, exhibition, business office, hotel and entertainment
complex near its passenger terminal. The first major phase will be in full
operation by the end of 2006.
• Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s new airport city will be
commercially anchored by its large Gateway Park that, in addition to
retail and office development, includes motor sports, a automotive
hypermarket and leisure venues drawing on the local as well as
aviation-induced market.
• Incheon’s ‘Winged City’ encompasses international business areas,
logistics zones, shopping and tourism districts, as well as housing and
services (eg; medical) for airport city workers and residents.
• Dubai World Central is a $32 billion airport city under development
25 miles south of downtown Dubai. Cornerstoned by a massive
multi-modal air logistics hub, the airport city will include office towers,
hotels, a mega-mall, golf course, and housing for 40,000 on-site
workers. Its airport, commercial and residential zones will be
connected by an internal light rail system.
• The new Bangkok International Airport (Suvarnabhumi) is expected to
open in late 2006. Its Masterplan includes the development of an
airport city within airport boundaries to include an international
business centre, international conference and exhibition complex,
shopping mall, office buildings, hotels, hospitals, restaurants,
entertainment centre and an international resident community.
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10 AIRPORT CITIES
Picture courtesy of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
• Amsterdam Schiphol, through its Schiphol Real Estate Group, has been
involved for well over a decade in landside commercial development.
These developments include business office complexes, hotels, meeting
and entertainment facilities, logistics parks, shopping and other
commercial activities branded under the AirportCity name.
Other international airports, not quite the scale of Amsterdam Schiphol or
Seoul’s Incheon, have given commercial development a high priority in
their master planning (eg; Brisbane, Vienna, Calgary, Zurich and
Stockholm-Arlanda). The majority of these have embraced the airport city
concept in their strategic development models, either explicitly or implicitly.
The upshot is that airports are undergoing a metamorphosis, taking on
many of the commercial functions of a metropolitan Central Business District
(CBD). With the growing number of boutiques, restaurants, meeting facilities
and entertainment and cultural attractions, passenger terminals resemble
parts of downtown.
Many airports also have the density of highway and rail connections that
are usually associated with CBDs. This is reinforcing their new roles as driv-
ers of business location and urban development over an extended area.
The rise of the ‘aerotropolis’
Even greater aviation-oriented commercial development is occurring well
beyond airport boundaries. With the airport itself serving as a region-wide
multi-modal transportation and commercial nexus, strings and clusters of
airport-linked business parks, information and communications technology
complexes, retail, hotel and entertainment centres, industrial parks, logistics
parks, wholesale merchandise marts and residential developments are
forming along airport arteries up to 20 kilometres outward.
This more dispersed airport-linked development is giving rise to a new
urban-form – the ‘aerotropolis’. Similar in shape to the traditional metropolis,
made up of a central city and its commuter-linked suburbs, the aerotropolis
consists of an airport city core and extensive outlying areas of aviation-oriented
businesses and their associated residential developments. A synthesised
model of the aerotropolis based on development features around major
international hub airports is illustrated in Figure 1.
Reflecting the new economy’s demands for connectivity, speed and agility,
the aerotropolis is optimised by corridor and cluster development, wide lanes
and fast movements. In other words, form follows function. Airport express-
way links (aero-lanes) complemented by airport express trains (aero-trains)
bring cars, taxis, buses, trucks and rail together with air infrastructure at the
multi-modal commercial core (the airport city). Aviation-linked business
clusters and associated residential developments radiate outward from the
airport city, forming the greater aerotropolis.
Aerotropolises are emerging because of the advantages airports provide
to businesses in the fast-paced, globally networked economy. Today’s most
competitive manufacturers, for example, use advanced information technol-
ogy and high-speed transportation to provide fast and flexible responses to
customers’ unique needs. Such firms build agile production systems that
connect them to their suppliers and customers, allowing them to source parts
and ship assembled products as needed.
A manufacturer’s ability to meet customer demand also depends on the
existence of a comprehensive ground-to-air shipping network of air cargo
carriers, trucking companies, freight forwarders and logistics providers. This
network has been strengthened as demand for time-sensitive manufacturing
and distribution grows. Made possible primarily by proximity to an airport, a
ground-to-air shipping network allows manufacturers to minimise their
inventories, shorten production-cycle times and quickly access novel inputs
for custom products that create additional value.
Like time-sensitive goods processing industries, the service sector
has increasingly found airport areas to be an attractive location. Airports
have become magnets for regional corporate headquarters, conference
centres, trade representative offices and information-intensive firms
that require executives and staff to undertake frequent long-distance
travel. Business travellers benefit considerably from quick access
to hub airports, which offer a greater choice of flights and destinations
and more flexibility in rescheduling as well as often avoiding the costs of
overnight stays.
Firms specialising in information and communications technology and
other high-tech industries consider air accessibility especially crucial.
High-tech professionals travel by air at least 60% more frequently than other
professionals, giving rise to the term ‘nerd birds’ in the US for commercial
aircraft connecting ‘techie’ capitals such as Austin, Boston, Raleigh-Durham
and San Jose. Many high tech firms are locating along major airport corridors,
such as those along the Washington-Dulles Airport access corridor in North-
ern Virginia and the expressways leading to Chicago’s O’Hare International
Airport. In this sense, knowledge networks and air travel networks increasingly
reinforce each other.
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Figure 2
Graphic courtesy of Dr John Kasarda.
Lastly, commercial services of all types have begun relocating to airport areas
in order to attract a dual customer base of travellers and locals. Airports now offer
on-site or nearby hotels, restaurants, shopping, fitness centres and entertain-
ment facilities. As these offerings grow, areas within five kilometres of major air-
ports are adding jobs considerably faster than suburbs located at similar distances
from downtown city centres, but not near an airport. Such job growth stimulates
residential projects – further fuelling aerotropolis development. And airports
regions are even developing their own brand image to promote themselves,
examples of which include ‘the DFW Area’ and ‘the O’Hare Area’.
In summary, by offering speedy distant market connectivity to aerotropolis
businesses, the airport provides important value to these businesses.
Aerotropolis businesses, in turn, generate additional passengers and
cargo for the airports, resulting in reciprocal benefits. Figure 2 illustrates
these reciprocal benefits for Amsterdam Schiphol’s airport city and its
greater Aerotropolis.
Although airport cities initially evolved in western countries, the broader
Aerotropolis is emerging most vividly around Asia’s newer international
gateway airports. This can be seen in developments at and near Hong Kong,
Incheon and Beijing Capital airports and others planned for Bangkok’s new
Suvarnabhumi gateway.
The future aerotropolis
To serve the economic demands of connectivity, speed, and agility,
the aerotropolis will require localised infrastructure planning on an
unprecedented scale. To date, most have evolved largely spontaneously,
with existing nearby development often creating arterial bottlenecks.
In the future, strategic infrastructure planning could reduce this congestion.
Dedicated expressway links and high-speed rail should
efficiently connect airports to business and residential clusters near
and far. Special truck-only lanes should be added to airport expressways, as
should improved highway interchanges to reduce congestion.
Multi-media technologies should produce themed electronic public art along
airport transportation corridors that highlight the culture, history and economic
assets of the region the airport serves.
Regional marketing through informative and tasteful public art should
likewise characterise the airport’s terminals. By setting both the first and final
impressions for many air travellers, the airport and its flights represent an area’s
official welcome and send-off.
Global information and communications technology (ICT) networks will also
help shape the aerotropolis. Advanced information processing
technologies and multi-media telecommunications systems served by
AIRPORT CITIES 13
high-density fibre-optic rings and satellite uplinks and downlinks will evolve around
airports, instantly connecting companies to their global suppliers,
distributors, customers and branch offices and partners.
Companies that require the fastest possible networking will thus have an
additional reason to locate in the aerotropolis. This ICT infrastructure is
appearing not only around major passenger airports like Incheon and
Washington-Dulles but also around US air express hubs such as Memphis (which
serves global shipper FedEx) and Louisville (which serves United
Parcel Service).
As multi-modal transportation and advanced communications
infrastructure develops at and near airports, businesses will have even more
reason to move to an aerotropolis. The principal determinant of land value, lease
rates, and the type of commercial use on a given property will be the cost of
moving people and products to and from the airport and, via the airport, to
distant markets.
This value/cost proposition will be measured primarily in time to the airport –
a function of the site’s place on local transportation arteries, and not
necessarily of spatial distance. For example, a site 10 kilometres away, but one
stop on a high-speed train line from the airport, will be worth more than a site five
kilometres away with poor road and rail connections. To put it another way, the
three As – accessibility, accessibility, accessibility – will become the critical
component of the three Ls – location, location, location – in aerotropolis real es-
tate value.
At first glance, one might misconstrue aerotropolis land uses as simply
additional sprawl along main airport transportation corridors. In reality, the
aerotropolis grows according to a rational system based on time-cost access
gradients radiating outward from the airport.
Constructing appropriate multi-modal ground transit and locating
commercial facilities consistent with the form and function of the
aerotropolis will contribute substantially to the emerging needs of business, more
efficient cargo and passenger flows and the future competitiveness of
urban areas.
These outcomes will not occur spontaneously, however. Aerotropolis
optimisation will require bringing together airport planning, urban
planning and business site planning in a synergistic manner so that
development is economically efficient, aesthetically pleasing and
environmentally sustainable. v
About the author
John Kasarda is a distinguished professor of management and a director of the Kenan
Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler
Business School.
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:44 Page 14
14 HONG KONG
Sky
high
ambitionJoe Bates reports on the
transformation of Hong Kong
International Airport into one of
the world’s leading airport cities.
I
ts site may be only a fraction of the size of Denver or
Dallas/FortWorth (DFW), but a fierce determination to make
maximum use of its available land has led to Hong Kong
International Airport becoming one of the world’s first truly global
airport cities.
For in addition to continually upgrading its key infrastructure,
operator Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK), has set about
transforming the gateway into an airport city that will help make the
hub a ‘destination’ in its own right for both locals and visitors
whether on business or pleasure.
SkyPlaza, one of the major components of the new Terminal 2 at
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), will provide a range of new
“I believe the creation of an airport city is important
for any airport business and not just Hong Kong”
facilities and services for passengers and 55,000 airport workers.
SkyPlaza will boast 38,000sqm of retail, catering and
entertainment facilities that include Asia largest “4D extreme screen”.
Terminal 2 – linked to the existing terminal by Automated People
Mover system – will be located on top of an air-conditioned
cross-boundary coach station. They will later be joined by two office
blocks with a total floor space of 30,000sqm, which will house AAHK’s
new headquarters and a new Airport World Trade Centre.
Scheduled to open by the year end, Terminal 2 is possibly the most
high-profile part of AAHK’s colossal 57-hectare SkyCity development
project that aims to appeal to locals and capture business from
Hong Kong’s 12 million visitors a year. Other first-phase SkyCity
developments include AsiaWorld-Expo (an international exhibition
centre), a nine-hole golf course, a second five-star airport hotel and
SkyPier (a cross border ferry terminal), targeted to commence
services in 2008.
AAHK CEO, Dr David Pang, has no doubts that the creation of an
airport city, and in particular the opening of SkyPlaza with its
extensive range of retail and entertainment outlets, will lay the
foundation for future traffic growth.
“I believe that the creation of an airport city is important for any
airport business and not just Hong Kong,” enthuses Pang. “It
can become the focal point of all activities and provide a unique
experience for customers.”
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:44 Page 15
AsiaWorld-Expo boasts 70,000 square metres of rentable
space with 10 state-of-the-art ground level, column free exhibition
halls and the 13,500-seat AsiaWorld-Arena, the biggest purpose-built
seated indoor entertainment arena in Hong Kong.
Opened in December 2005, the HK$2.3 billion state-of-the-art
facility is designed to host sophisticated world-class events
ranging from major conferences and exhibitions to concerts
and large-scale sporting and entertainment extravaganzas.
“One major role of Hong Kong is to serve as a regional hub
and a base for international and, increasingly, mainland China
companies to manage their business operations in East Asia,”
says Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) chief executive,
Donald Tsang. “A complementary role is to serve as a two-way
springboard for companies from around the world wishing to
access the mainland, in particular the Pearl River Delta,
and for mainland companies to launch themselves into the
international marketplace.
“It is no coincidence that many of the exhibitions to be
held here in the coming years are to show off Chinese goods and
services to the world. Others will show the world’s best products
to an increasingly sophisticated and substantial market in
the mainland.”
The new facility – one of the world’s largest and most high-tech
expo centres – was funded by a combination of public and private
HONG KONG 15
sector investment, with Airport Authority Hong Kong contributing the
land. Its own railway station means that visitors can literally walk
straight from the exhibition halls to the platform of the Airport Express
train and connect to anywhere in Hong Kong served by the Mass
Transit Railway (MTR).
The popularity of golf across Asia seems certain to ensure the
success of the airport’s new SkyCity Nine Eagles Golf Course.
Scheduled to open by early 2007, the HK$100 million development
project is set within an aesthetically attractive environment with a
landscape of undulating greens, artificial lake and extensive sand
bunkers. It is also Hong Kong's first nine-hole golf course featuring an
‘island green’.
Airport Management Services (AMS), a wholly owned subsidiary
of the King Power Group (Hong Kong), is responsible for investing in
and operating the golf course at HKIA’s Lantau Island site.
Adds Pang: “The golf course will prove another magnificent
new addition to the airport infrastructure designed to serve
the ever growing number of people living in and visiting
Hong Kong. It is exactly the type of facility we want as we
aim to create a unique and memorable experience for all
our passengers.”
AAHK's commercial director, Hans Bakker, is certainly in
agreement about the value of the new golf course to the airport.
He says: "As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:44 Page 16
16 HONG KONG
service excellence, we continue to introduce new innovation and
elements in airport services so as to amuse all visitors to the airport
island. The new golf course is destined to be another signature
facility which will further enhance HKIA's positioning as a destination
in its own right."
Other Lantau Island located tourist attractions include Hong Kong
Disneyland, the giant Buddha at Po Lin Monastery and the soon to be
opened Ngong Ping Skyrail, a spectacular 5.7km cable car journey
between Tung Chung town centre and Ngong Ping.
As if to prove that there is no end to Hong Kong International
Airport’s versatility, the gateway is also looking to become a major
trading hub for one of the world’s most precious metals if the
Hong Kong Government gives the go-ahead for the opening of an
on-site gold depository.
The facility would help feed rising demand from mainland China,
which now accounts for more than 400 tonnes of gold per year or
12% of the world supply.
Says Pang: “It’s all about how we define our business. We believe
that an airport is the centre of flow of people, goods, information and
money. We already handle a lot of gold and other precious metals so
why not take the next step and establish a gold logistics centre
on-site? This can take the form of a centralised gold depository for the
storage of gold and a place for the physical trade and settlement of
deals. Hong Kong’s business strategy is to remain one of the world’s
leading financial and business centres and such a facility would
certainly help.”
Mainland China, the giant on its doorstep with a population of 1.3
billion people, is reason enough for HKIA to feel confident about
future traffic growth. The airport handled 40.7 million passengers
(+9.7%) and 3.4 million tonnes of cargo (+10%) in 2005 and
throughput is expected to rise by 5% per annum for the next
20 years as the Chinese economy develops and more Chinese
travel abroad.
Pang believes that Hong Kong’s strategic location, facilities and
extensive route network means that it can become China’s
equivalent of Chicago O’Hare in the US in terms of a domestic hub.
“With the Civil Aviation Administration of China predicting that 1.4
billion people will board flights in China in 2020, slightly more than in
the US today, we need look no further than mainland China for the
main source of future traffic,” enthuses Pang. “In 20 years time
Hong Kong has to be doing what Chicago is doing for the US today.
Chicago serves the whole United States and we have to
serve the whole of mainland China by offering a comprehensive
domestic network.”
In the face of such prolific anticipated growth, the importance of
SkyCity to Hong Kong International Airport cannot be underestimated.
v
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18 DUBAI
Bigger,better,smarter
Dubai’s planned new airport city at Jebel Ali is expected to set the standards that others will follow,
writes Henry Canaday.
D
ubai’s substantial oil reserves matched with a modest
number of citizens give it financial strength. As an Arab state,
Dubai appeals to investors from other oil-producing states,
with plentiful funds flowing from higher-priced oil.
Its location makes Dubai a natural hub for business travellers
to the Gulf, as well as connecting travellers from Europe, Africa
and Asia. Furthermore, there is plenty of room for airport expansion
and other related developments.
This combination of real assets and a unique approach is
encouraging the development of a truly extraordinary airport city.
Dubai International Airport will soon have three terminals, three
concourses and a separate cargo terminal. More than a
hundred airlines carried nearly 25 million passengers in 2005,
connecting to markets totalling over 1.4 billion people. The fastest
growing airport in the Middle East, Dubai also wins awards for the
quality of its service.
Having recently improved its other transportation infrastructure,
Dubai ports unload ships in just 24 hours, a third faster than
Rotterdam, and a Free Zone offers special incentives to businesses.
A rail system is also scheduled to connect the gateway with the rest
of metropolitan Dubai by 2012.
Oil, aviation and accommodating policies have boosted
Dubai’s gross domestic product by 45% in just four years. And
plans are now in place to build a new gateway – Dubai
World Central International Airport – and airport city on a 140 square
kilometre site in nearby Jebel Ali. The site will be surrounded by
140 square kilometres of entirely new businesses, leisure centres,
commercial areas and various other facilities.
Symbolising its ambition, Dubai plans to have the world's tallest
skyscraper, its largest shopping mall, and its largest man-made
marina on – of course – the world’s biggest artificial island.
Specialist management firm, Tatweer, was launched by parent
corporation, Dubai Holding, last December to realise these
gigantic plans. Ahmad Sharaf, a senior executive with Tatweer,
expects Dubai’s airport and airline connections to play the same role
in developing the Middle East that railroads played in the
development of the American West. Sharaf says his instructions are:
“Let's do it bigger, let's do it better, and let's do it smarter.”
Dubai’s airport city will be an ensemble of special-purpose
cities, or ‘neighbourhoods’. There is Dubai Industrial City, which was
launched in November of 2004, Healthcare City is a joint
project with Harvard Medical School, and Dubailand will offer
extraordinary tourist attractions to visitors. Also planned or
underway are Media City, Internet City, Knowledge Village, the Dubai
Techno Park and a Biotechnology and Research Park.
Healthcare City
The bulk of investment has so far come from the Persian Gulf. But
Dubai is seeking access to wider resources. For foreign investors,
Dubai is offering very attractive terms: no profit taxes; no customs;
no restrictions on transferring funds; and very little red tape to tan-
gle up the growth.
Harvard Medical School will help Dubai develop Healthcare
City as a global centre for treatment, as well as medical education
and research, while Tatweer will invest a further $1.8 billion into
the project, which is expected to open in 2009.
The collaboration between Harvard and Dubai began in
December 2003 with Practi-Med Dubai, a continuing education
programme for practicing doctors, nurses and other health
professionals. Healthcare City will build on this to include the Harvard
Medical School Dubai Centre (HMSDC) Institute for Postgraduate
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DUBAI 19

Education and Research – the first time Harvard Med has established
a postgraduate institution outside the US.
Dubailand will be the world’s largest amusement and sports
parks. With three billion square feet of facilities spread over an area
larger than Manhattan, Dubailand will include a Global Village that
showcases music, dance, arts, theatre and cuisine from across the
globe. Sports will be well represented with a 60,000-seat stadium.
A Snowdome, offering skiing and other winter exercise not naturally
available in the Gulf, also began construction in February
of 2006. In all, nearly $10 billion of Dubailand construction is now
under way, a sum that is expected to rise to $18 billion by the
end of 2007.

Mercantile Exchange

Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), a 110-acre free

financial zone, began operations in September 2005. Accommodat-
ing several financial sectors, firms licensed to operate in DIFC can
enjoy advantages such as no tax on profits, no limits on foreign
ownership and free movement of funds in and out of Dubai. “If it's
good for business, it's good for Dubai,” says Sharaf.
Within the DIFC will be Dubai’s Mercantile Exchange (DME), which
is scheduled to open in 2006. The DME will offer the first energy
futures exchange in the Middle East, and authorities promise it will
provide price transparency and market liquidity.
And with so many new facilities, Dubai must expand its
accommodation facilities for both visitors and residents. The tiny
principality received six million tourists in 2005, and more than 90%
of its hotel space was filled. Hotel revenue topped $2 billion in 2005,
up more than a third from the prior year.
Tatweer predicts that tourism will more than double to 15 million
visitors by 2010, and CEO Saeed Al Muntafiq has announced
plans to build 31 new hotels and other tourism facilities over
the next eight years. The project will cost $27 billion, of which
Tatweer will invest $11 billion, with private investors expected to front
the rest.This will be the largest single development project in history
to be financed largely with private funds.

Trump Towers

The centrepiece will be the world's largest hotel, Asia-Asia,

shaped like the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur and offering
6,500 rooms, while another 12,000 rooms will be available in 12
luxury hotels. These premium premises will be themed to reflect the
variety of visitors expected and will include the Desert Gate, the Land
of Arabia, the Wild Wild West, Africa World and even a Pirate's
Cove Hotel.
About 17,000 rooms will be available in 19 other hotels, most of
whose designs and names are still to be designated by third-party
developers. One such party, the Trump Organization, has already
announced a partnership with Nakheel Hotel and Resorts to
build the Trump International Hotel and Tower. This new Trump
Tower’s 48 floors will have 300 hotel rooms and 360 apartments,
and is expected to open in 2009.
Emphasises Sharif: “The hope is that we propagate change for
good for Dubai and the surrounding region.” v
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INCHEON 21

Height of Fashion
Incheon International Airport is set to open its own Fashion Island as part of its airport city
development programme, writes Joe Bates.
To be built on a 180-acre site next to the airport, Fashion Island

U
nder the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
signed earlier this year, Incheon International Airport is to
oversee the creation of its very own Fashion Island between
2007 and 2010.
The airport, which is joining forces with the Fédération Française du
Prêt à Porter Féminin and the fashion company Prêt à Porter Island
Fashion Inc, claims that the project will offer an “exciting new
experience for everyone”.
comes with a $750 million price tag and will comprise a fashion
convention centre, fashion academy, shopping mall and a host of other
haute couture facilities.
The bulk of the construction for the Fashion Island will be carried out
by Prêt à Porter Island Fashion Inc, based on designs drafted by
international architectural firm for the airport authority, which wants the
facility to become a fashion centre for Asia and a world-class fashion hub.
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22 INCHEON
IIAC’s president & CEO, Jaehee Lee, says: “Fashion Island
represents the start of our giant Air City project that will transform
Incheon from just an airport into one of Asia’s premier tourist
attractions and an engine that will drive renewed growth for the
Korean economy.”
He expects the development to have a “far ranging impact on
Korea’s textiles and related industries” as it appeals to a combination
of shoppers, fashion specialists and those in search of culture.
The Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin boasts a
membership that includes over 500 famous names and has joined with
Korean investors to form Prêt à Porter Island Fashion Inc. Other local
companies with an interest in the Fashion Island project include Lotte
Shopping and Kyobo Securities.
Prêt à Porter Island Fashion Inc will also play a part in the second
phase development of Air City’s International Business Centre (IBC)
and the development of a second airport railway station adjacent to
the terminal building.
Tax free
The airport provided further proof of its ambitions earlier this year
when it opened Korea’s first Free Trade Zone. The two million square
metre facility includes a Cargo Terminal and Airport Logispark – a new
logistics centre – that will provide tenants with benefits such as
tax-free storage and the possibility for light manufacture to add
value to goods.
Establishing itself as the ‘world-class’ logistics hub for Northeast
Asia is certainly one of the main aims of IIAC, which believes that the
Korea-China-Japan triangle will prove the centre of North East Asian
growth over the coming decades.
Incheon is currently the third busiest airport in the world for
international cargo traffic, exporting nearly $19 billion worth of goods
yearly. Trans-shipments account for 46.5% of the cargo handled with
the bulk of consignments made up of high-end goods such as
semi-conductors and wireless communication devices.
Picture courtesy of Fentress Bradburn.
Other Air City projects currently being considered by IIAC include
the construction of a water park, golf course and additional hotels close
to those at the existing International Business Centre.
The airport authority is confident that the creation of Air City along
with the continued expansion of its core aviation facilities – forecasts
predict it could be handling up to 100mppa and seven million
tonnes of cargo yearly by 2020 – will help it fulfill its goal of becom-
ing a global top five hub by 2010.
Rapid growth since its opening, and a predicted annual increase in
passengers of at least 4.8% for the next 15 years, ensure that despite
its comparatively recent opening, Incheon International Airport needs
additional facilities to cope with future demand. Work is currently
underway on a new 30-gate concourse and third runway (4,000m) as
part of its planned $4.8 billion second phase development. They will
later be joined by an intra-airport transit system.
There are also plans to almost double the size of today’s
International Business Centre to 330,000sqm by 2008 to allow for the
addition of more offices and hotels. And IIAC has given the green-light
for the construction of a new 1.8 million tonnes per annum capacity
cargo terminal that will increase the airport’s total capacity from today’s
2.7 million to 4.5 million tonnes.
The airport could ultimately have two passenger terminals, four
concourses and four runways.
In the meantime, access is to be improved with the March 2007
completion of a 61.5km railway linking Incheon with downtown Seoul
Station and the construction of a second bridge linking the Yongjong
Island located airport with the mainland. Stretching 12.3km over
seawater, the six-lane Incheon Grand Bridge will be the longest bridge in
Korea and sixth longest in the world when it opens in early 2009.
The planned new facilities, and Incheon’s growing reputation
as one of the world’s most passenger friendly gateways – it was
rated the best gateway in the world in ACI’s annual customer
satisfaction survey – ensure that Incheon International Airport has
come a long way in just five years. Its Air City development programme,
however, almost certainly means that the best is yet to come. v
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24 SCHIPHOL
Evolution not revolution
Mark Chivers explores the philosophy of the Schiphol Group, one of the originators of the airport city
concept and still blazing a trail today.
A
msterdam Airport Schiphol – operating under the auspices
of the Schiphol Group – was arguably the first airport in the
world to develop the city concept.
At first sight the Dutch gateway’s ‘Creating AirportCities’ initia-
tive – established more than a decade ago – appeared to be a truly
radical departure from the more tried and trusted methods of airport
management. But for the Schiphol Group the development was really
more a process of evolution than revolution.
Amsterdam had long been a prime European transit point and
was already offering round-the-clock services and amenities for its
many transfer passengers. Effective operations allowed these
activities to seamlessly combine with the airport’s core transport and
logistics functions, resulting in a cluster of awards for excellence
– and a substantial increase in non-aviation revenues.
“It led to the idea that this concept could be further developed
and enhanced,” comments the Schiphol Group’s consumer products,
senior manager, Suredj Autar.
The Schiphol Group decided an excellent airport could be
distinguished from its more conventional competitors by offering
visitors something over and above the ‘run-of-the-mill’. The AirportCity
concept revolved around Schiphol functioning as a dynamic hub,
integrating people and businesses, logistics and shops, information
and entertainment.
It was also deemed vital that the gateway operated as an effi-
cient, multi-modal hub – combining air, rail and road transport – and
as a location offered its visitors and locally-based international
businesses all the support services required on a 24/7 basis.
For Autar, there are two prime advantages to the AirportCity project.
On the one hand it results in satisfied passengers, who actively decide
to come back time and again to travel via Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
By making the gateway their hub of choice, Schiphol benefits from
increased revenues from non-aviation activities such as retail and F&B
progammes and improved returns to the balance sheet.
On the other hand, Autar points out the concept has generated
significant increases in business activity, with many international
companies establishing offices at the airport or in its immediate
vicinity. This not only enhances local employment and economic
activity but also drives additional air traffic to and from the airport.
“The company creates and develops AirportCities on the basis of
a well-thought out, visitor-driven perspective, which assumes that
an airport should not only be a perfect stop in the travel process, but
a unique experience,” notes Autar.
While the Schpihol Group’s mission is to generate sustainable
value for its stakeholders by creating and developing AirportCities
worldwide, Amsterdam Airport is the company’s flagship enterprise and is
positioned as such.
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:44 Page 25
“It is here that the development and implementation of the
AirportCity concept is most advanced,” Autar informs. “The
experience and expertise acquired here is used in applying the
concept or parts of the concept to other international airports,
both partially owned and operated by Schiphol Group – such as
Rotterdam and Eindhoven airports in Holland, Terminal 4 at New York
JFK, and Brisbane, Australia.”
The Schiphol Group also has commercial ties with Stockholm
Arlanda Airport (retail), Sukarno Hatta Airport, Jakarta (automated
border passage service programme), Milan Malpensa (real estate)
and Hong Kong (real estate).
City planning
Creating an airport city along the lines of Amsterdam, of course, is a
complex process and requires extensive and flexible planning.
Schiphol has a long-standing Masterplan, which although continu-
ally updated as the AirportCity concept has matured, still retains
a valid framework. The Masterplan currently reaches out to
2020 and beyond.
“We will need space for an additional terminal and maybe even
runways,” reveals Autar. “But much of the land is already in our
possession. Further development of the AirportCity concept is an
integral part of the Masterplan, and we also work closely with the
local authorities who are essential contacts for land use planning, so
in this respect land use is not an issue.”
Aiming to stay ahead of the curve, the Schiphol Group is
constantly reviewing possible enhancements to the AirportCity
experience. For example, Amsterdam recently opened the first of two
‘Airport Lobbies’. These unique areas feature reception rooms simi-
lar to business-class lounges where companies can welcome their
most important clients before they board the aircraft.
In the short to medium term, there are also plans to develop a
golf course and hotel/club house adjacent to the airport, catering
both for passengers in transit and the Schiphol business community.
A conference centre – to be called the Schiphol Forum – and a
220-room ‘lifestyle hotel’ are also on the agenda. The hotel is to be
built by a third party on leased land.
The airport has also embarked on a two-month trial of a new
passenger information service called Fuel for Travel. Via a laptop
docking station, this allows passengers to download films, music
SCHIPHOL 25
and tourist information of the city or country that they are travelling
to prior to their flight.
It is this type of innovative offering that has successfully drawn
passengers into the AirportCity concept – and helped to boost
passenger numbers. Passenger traffic for the first half of 2006 has
already exhibited growth of around 4% over the previous year, with
Schiphol handling over 21 million passengers. In June 2006 alone,
4.1 million travellers passed through the facility.
Certainly Amsterdam’s own quarterly passenger surveys, as well
as passenger polls from other organisations and business travel
magazines, all reveal positive feedback. “We also see it in the
comments of passengers who have visited facilities such as the
Amsterdam Schiphol Rijksmuseum, which houses 10 paintings by
Dutch masters on permanent display and regular temporary
exhibitions, or the meditation centre, casinos, in-terminal hotel and
communications centres,” says Autar.
How to plan
For other airports looking to build a city concept, Autar first and foremost,
recommends an extensive route network – Schiphol has around 90
passenger airlines serving more than 240 destinations. “Also you
must have a good basic infrastructure,” he says. Amsterdam’s one termi-
nal layout, with piers arching off, is an efficient use of space and ideal for
passenger wayfinding.
“Furthermore, you must have influence on or the ability to control re-
tail and real estate developments and to develop these in relation to the
aviation activities,” adds Autar.
“Only when the basic infrastructure and processes are available and
well organised can the passenger have quality time to spend on
shopping and other forms of entertainment or experience the
airport’s wide range of services and facilities. As we say, the
AirportCity concept may also be described as the ‘Don’t Worry
– Be Happy’ concept.”
And of course, Autar stresses the airport must never lose sight of its
core activity – facilitating efficient passenger travel. “The growth of
passengers, cargo and air traffic is, and will always be, the main
driver for the further development of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and
Schiphol Group’s AirportCity concept,” concludes Autar. “Thus, we will
never lose sight of the necessity to further develop air traffic as
our core business.” v
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26 DENVER
Growing
places
Henry Canaday reports on Denver’s airport city development plans.
T
h e 10-year-old Denver International Airport (DIA) north-east of
downtown Denver has begun to accumulate the business, residen-
tial and retail developments that will ultimately make 300 square
miles of the Colorado prairie a true airport city.
The area has a current population of slightly more than 300,000
people, projected to nearly double by 2030. The development of less than
50 square miles is already contributing $15 billion to metropolitan Denver's
economy. Extending development into the remaining 250 square miles
should lift that figure to well over $90 billion by 2030, as nearly a third of
all employment growth in the Denver area will occur in DIA’s airport city.
Therefore, the DIA Partnership has been founded to guide and
support growth by bringing together elected officials, property owners,
infrastructure leaders and businesses.
DIA Partnership president, Julie Bender, says Denver’s number-one
asset is that: “DIA is the first major new airport built in the United States
in the last 25 years, with large tracts of land available.”
Yet Denver has faced challenges in making the most of this asset, some
of them local.
“International companies understood the significance of a new
international airport much better than local companies,” Bender notes.
“Over the last ten years, the growth around DIA has exceeded initial
expectations of the region’s planners. But we are still in the very early
stages of growth and development. This is a 40 to 50-year project, not a
ten-year project.”
To date, the plans and progress at Denver have been impressive. The
new Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge will offer 27 square miles of
natural beauty populated by eagles, hawks, coyotes and deer right
alongside Pena Boulevard, the connecting road between Denver and DIA.
All pictures courtesy of Denver International Airport.
Nearby Commerce City will offer a visitors' centre, environmental
education campus, lodge and conference facility. The City will eventually be
the site of the new Colorado Rapids Stadium for Colorado’s football team,
and work has also already begun on Reunion, a 2,500-acre development
of residences, businesses, schools and recreation facilities. The 52-acre
Reunion Park, which will include an amphitheatre, athletic fields, nature
trails, lakes and waterfalls, is now half-way to being completed.
To the north in nearby Brighton, a 12-screen cinema and a variety of
restaurants have now opened, and additional eateries, offices, retail out-
lets and residential townhouses are also in the pipeline, and the newly
expanded medical centre at Platte Valley will open its doors by 2007,
following around $138 million worth of investments.
Meanwhile, the availability of Denver’s old airport, Stapleton, and two
closed military facilities ended up presenting Denver with some big
development opportunities to help lay its foundation as an airport city, while
also setting a new national redevelopment model for projects of this type.
In Aurora, nearly 600 acres of a US military medical centre is being
regenerated in order to become the centre of the University of Colorado’s
health science and biotechnology facilities. When completed, the new
medical centre will occupy 15 million square feet and employ 32,000
people. Aurora will also be the site of a new children's hospital, a facility
that will be devoted to the health of Native Americans, as well as a
1.4 million-square-foot veterans' medical centre.
Another former military facility, Lowry Air Force Base, is also being
redeveloped, with 3,000 homes, 100 businesses and 10 schools
already in place there, and similar work is also underway at the old
Stapleton Airport, where there are now 1,600 homes, 80 retail outlets
and three new schools on-site.
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DENVER 27

However, according to Bender, the most impressive of all will be

the $4.7 billion FasTracks project, connecting all the developments
within Denver’s airport city. Involving the construction of 119 miles of
light and commuter rail throughout the Denver area, FasTracks is
something that local voters actually agreed to pay higher taxes for last
year in order to help fund its development.
“When the airport was first built we hoped for a rail connection
from downtown Denver to the airport,” she remembers. “Now we will
have FasTracks, with nine corridors to tie together the entire
metropolitan region, including Boulder, 30 miles to the north, as well
as the airport.”
Denver expects the federal government to approve its share of
FasTracks funding, allowing the complete hub-and-spoke rail system
to be finished by 2015. This system will not only connect DIA to its
natural markets, but will also help limit sprawl and congestion
throughout the entire airport city.
So far, most of the construction work close to DIA has been
residential, according to DIA Partnership chairman, Jeff Willis. “We
started out five years ago with starter homes in the mid-100s, but
now we are seeing some new builds in the million-and-a-half range,
offering executive homes for the leaders of new companies,” he says.
“But hotels are also now being added near the airport, and retail
development will become more important as the region grows.”
The DIA region is the natural path of growth for Denver, which is
constrained to the West by the Rocky Mountains. This region is
spacious, and its property was conveniently concentrated. “One
advantage we had in building master-planned residential communi-
ties is that the land was owned by large property owners, rather than
being fragmented,” Willis notes. “For example, we built Reunion on
3,000 acres from one owner.”
Willis confirms that Washington Dulles and Dallas-Ft Worth airports
acted as the models for DIA’s development, but Denver wanted to
ensure it actually improved upon these models by planning thoroughly.
“Dulles is only now talking about adding a Metro line, but we have
already approved a 119-mile rail system that will cost around the
same as just one Metro line to Dulles.” He adds. “Building any kind of
infrastructure is much cheaper when it is done early, before the land
fills up.”
Denver has worked hard to allay airport-noise fears by giving DIA a
53-square-mile footprint and banning any development within two miles
of its runways. Following Dulles’s example, the Partnership is compiling a
homebuyer’s guide that gives people moving into the area all the facts
about noise in plain English so they can make informed buying choices.
Moreover, until the work is done, Denver must manage people’s
expectations. “The day DIA opened, the community expected hotels
and other developments to spring up like a new downtown,” Bender
recalls. “When we build the FasTracks, they will also expect rapid
development at every station. That clearly will not happen, but the new
transportation system will eventually have a great impact. People are
sometimes disappointed in the short term, but over the longer term
the impact is greater than anyone expects.”
She is certainly confident the positives greatly outweigh any
so-called negatives. “Dulles and DFW showed that having an airport
neighbour is very beneficial. The economic impact of the airport al-
lows you to attract higher-wage employment because many people
a n dv
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apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:44 Page 29
A runway
for business
Mark Chivers explores the airport city development plans of Germany’s third largest gateway.
T
he Düsseldorf Airport City project is being built on
strong foundations. Its region, North-Rhine Westphalia
(NRW),is one of Europe’s most important economically – an
industrial heartland of 18 million inhabitants within a 100km
catchment area.
The airport itself is Germany’s third largest and handles
approximately 16.5 million passengers annually. The departure
boards light up over 170 domestic, European and international
destinations, served by no fewer than 70 airlines.
CEO, Christoph Blume, believes the gateway’s plans will
emphasise the role of Düsseldorf International as the runway for
business in the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.
“As the process of globalisation continues, mobility will
become an even more crucial factor in successfully doing
business,” he says. “As a response to this, Düsseldorf Airport
City offers attractive mobility solutions in two dimensions. The
first is the direct connection to the area’s powerful economy and
DÜSSELDORF 29
the second is the easy accesibility of flights to anywhere in
the world.”
Blume notes that as a commercial enterprise, the airport is
always interested in new business segments that supplement its
core activities. Property development is an obvious component of
this strategy so when, in 2003, the airport had the opportunity to
purchase an adjoining barracks compound formerly used by the
British army, it didn’t hesitate.
With these 23 hectares at its disposal, the airport developed the
city concept in conjunction with architectural firm JSK, which also
designed Düsseldorf’s new terminal building. Flughafen Düsseldorf
Immobilien GmbH & Co KG, a subsidiary of Flughafen Düsseldorf
GmbH, actually owns the property and has been made responsible
for the planning and development phases.
Plans call for a state-of-the-art business and office centre
complex with easy access to the airport terminal. There will be
250,000sqm of office space with buildings ranging in size from
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30 DÜSSELDORF
3,000-30,000sqm. Building plots are being sold to investors, who
will then carry out the construction work themselves.
The venture is proceeding apace. The anchor project – a
conference hotel by the Maritim hotel group – is already
underway. The foundation stone for the building was laid in
January 2006 in the presence of Oliver Wittke, minister for
traffic in North Rhine Westphalia, and Joachim Erwin, mayor
of Düsseldorf.
Indicative of Düsseldorf’s ambition and the allure of the city
concept, the Maritim hotel will be the largest in the whole of
NRW. In addition to hosting conferences, it will offer the usual
mod cons of a top quality hotel such as a restaurant, bar, fitness
centre and swimming pool. “It has 533 rooms and capacity for
more than 5,000 conference guests,” enthuses Blume. “The build-
ing will enhance the quality of the entire location.”
The hotel will have a striking triangular pedestal design with a
passage linking it to the terminal building’s departure level. The
external façade will make use of aluminium, glass and natural stone
to further underline its dynamic appearance. It is scheduled to be
completed in November 2007.
While the hotel is being built, the Verein Deutscher Ingenieure
(VDI – Association of German Engineers) will also establish its
new, 14,000sqm headquarters. Situated next door to the
conference facility, the construction underlines the interest in
Düsseldorf’s development.
An underground parking facility with around 1,800 parking
spaces on three levels is already in use on the site and option
contracts have been signed on many other plots. Full development
of the business park is expected some time around 2013. “It fits
perfectly into the airport’s infrastructure including the terminal
building and the railway station,” says Blume.
The perfect fit will have a perfect look. A competition to enhance
the scenic quality of the Airport City and landscape the free spaces
was won by Vogts of Zurich. The company will integrate ‘park-like’
green areas into the site using old tree stocks.
As befits the city concept, Düsseldorf Airport also offers
multi-modal links into its hinterland. Trains stop at the airport
400 times a day and the gateway has direct access to
the motorway, meaning both it and the Airport City are easily
reached by car from all directions. Such transport links will
further the movement of both goods and people into and out of the
city site.
Crucially, developing the business park site should make
sound financial sense. “We realise a direct profit by selling
the plots,” informs Blume. “We expect synergies between the
airport and ‘airport city’, so about 5,000 people will have
employment. As the airport city grows the economic impact of
the airport will grow, too.”
It’s certainly true that business draws in yet more
business in a virtuous cycle. NRW is the world’s seventh-largest
economic region with Düsseldorf alone hosting more than 40,000
companies. The city has the second-largest Japanese expatriate
community in the world and – not surprisingly, given the proximity
of international industrial, trading and transportation companies – is
known as the ‘desktop of the Ruhr valley’.
The airport city development makes Düsseldorf not only a
major hub for international air traffic but also a hub for
international business.
Feedback from companies has been strong and making full use
of the office space and amenities on offer shouldn’t prove a
problem. “Companies often place extremely high demands on their
choice of location,” notes the airport CEO. “It must be equally
presentable, well-connected locally and internationally accessible. It
should allow room for positive development and be able to profit
from its economic surroundings. It should offer room for individual-
ity while already being structurally fully developed. Last but not
least, it should have a dynamic, congenial flair.”
The airport may once have been simply a traffic interchange but
a steadily growing number of top-rank businesses from the retail
and service sectors have already set up operations in the vicinity.
“There are already 240 companies operating [at the airport],
among them many brand-name merchandisers,” adds Blume.
“Therefore, there is a huge and increasing interest in Düsseldorf
Airport City as the signed contracts, the completed underground
parking facility and the current projects prove.”
With a project of such potential, it may be tempting to
concentrate efforts away from the gateway’s core activities, but
Blume assures this will never happen. Instead, he sees the airport
city as complementary to the airport’s ambitions, an asset that will
allow both entities to grow.
“Düsseldorf is North-Rhine Westphalia’s largest airport and the
gateway to Germany’s most populated state,” he explains. “The
airport city project endorses and enriches the importance of
the airport.” v
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32 DOHA
Making
waves
Doha’s dream of creating one of the world’s top gateways and a leading airport city is about to
become reality, writes Jane Austin.
S
urrounded on three sides by the glittering Indian Ocean and partly built
over the sea itself, the $5.5 billion New Doha International Airport prom-
ises to be an airport city unlike any other.
Built on a piece of land that is equal in size to one quarter of the current city
of Doha, the brand new gateway will be three times the size of Doha’s existing
airport and will be able to handle around six times as many passengers.
And with its name, ‘Doha’, literally translating from Arabic as ‘bay’, the water
theme chosen for its design perfectly compliments its location on the east coast
of the Qatar Penninsula.
“There was naturally a strong link with the ocean as the peninsula is
surrounded by water,” explains Rudy Vercelli, the vice president for aviation at
Bechtel, the company that has designed and is building the new Doha gateway.
“So the entire airport has been designed to look and act like a wave.”
The roof of the main passenger terminal undulates like a series of waves,
and slots in the roof let the daylight in while also casting shadows that run across
the terminal floor as the day progresses, enhancing the feeling of movement. The
terminal is a large, light, airy facility, with big open areas to give passengers a
sense of space but without creating a sterile, hangar-like atmosphere.
All passenger processing areas will be located at the lowest point of the
roof’s undulations – a decision that is expected to create a ‘cosy’ feel for
passengers – and Vercelli says that natural materials such as wood will be utilised
in these areas to enhance the feeling of warmth.
Alongside the main terminal, the exclusive Emiri Terminal, which houses
luxurious facilities for royalty, high government officials and other VIP passengers,
also continues the aquatic theme. With its layered, curved walls and high trian-
gular sections, part of the terminal rises up like three big sails, resembling yachts
floating on the surrounding sea.
Even the mosque has been designed to look like a droplet of water, with
its glass exterior shell and a gently domed roof. It is set in a pool of water
in the middle of a leafy garden, and passengers will be able to access it
using a bridge.
“Being somewhere that temperatures frequently soar to over 50 degrees
centigrade in the summer, it made sense to use the cooling water theme at Doha,”
Vercelli continues. “Passengers must travel on a causeway over the water
to get to the airport, and there are also various water features through the
airport, including a large saltwater lagoon by the main entrance.”
But the aquatic theme also runs even deeper than it may first
appear. According to Vercelli, a significant part of the New Doha site was
previously the city rubbish dump and much of the household and
construction waste was dumped in the water. In order to prepare the site
for construction, it had to be dredged and cleaned up, then partially filled in
so that work on the new airport city could begin.
Says Vercelli: “In what turned out to be one of the biggest remediation proj-
ects ever to take place in the Middle East, we extracted around six million cubic
metres of waste, which we then treated and moved to a new landfill site. We
i d e n t i f i e d
specific reclamation areas from the seabed and took careful steps to
ensure we maintained the ecological balance in these areas throughout the
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 33
construction process. Thanks to our efforts to clean up the area, pollution levels
are now much lower than before, and all the local plant and sea life
have a much cleaner habitat.”
Construction work is being conducted in a series of phases, with the first due
for completion during 2009, the same year that host airline Qatar Airways is
scheduled to take delivery of the first of its four orders with Airbus for A380s. In
fact, New Doha International Airport is also one of the first international gateways
ever to be designed and built specifically to accommodate the double-decker
A380, as well as other new-generation large wide-bodied aircraft.
The New Doha development will be completed in its entirety sometime dur-
ing 2015, at which point the terminal building will cover a total of 650,000 square
metres. There will be 80 contact gates available, providing the ability to park up
to 100 aircraft at any one time. New Doha’s capacity will also allow for about 50
million passengers and two million tonnes of cargo each year, seeing an annual
total of around 360,000 landings and take-offs.
On opening, the passenger terminal will be the biggest building in Doha,
covering the equivalent of around 50 full size football pitches. Moreover, the new
airport’s check-in and retail areas alone will be big enough to fit ten wide-bodied
aircraft, side-by-side, making them twelve times bigger than at the old
Doha Airport.
In order to ensure that walking times are minimised for passengers wanting
to get to their gates, moving walkways will be strategically placed around the
terminal in order to shorten the distance as much as possible, and the gates and
passenger processing facilities will also be positioned to help minimise
DOHA 33
this further.
As well as offering passengers an automated people mover to help them get
around the new airport with ease, Vercelli confirms that New Doha will also act
as a multi-modal transportation centre, providing seamless connections between
land, air and sea.
“As part of our plan, a bridge will also be built in order to provide a connec-
tion with the nearby port, which is situated around 8km offshore. Once this is up
and running, passengers will be able to connect with New Doha International Air-
port whichever way suits them best – whether it be on a ship, by aircraft or via
the causeway,” he explains.
New Doha’s ‘airport city’ status will be assured by its impressive array of extra
facilities. In addition to the mosque, cargo terminal and aircraft maintenance
hangar, around 100 hectares of land alongside the new gateway have been
reserved for commercial development, where passengers will find a free trade
zone, offices and a business park, hotels and a retail mall, amongst other things.
“New Doha was designed to be a world class airport, so it will have all of the
amenities and facilities that a passenger would expect from such a place, but it
will also have quite a few surprises too,” says Vercelli. “The existing site will
continue to expand in order to generate more and more new business there. Far
from operating a runway, airports are fast becoming centres for generating and
developing new businesses, and various different things such as
hotels, conference centres and retail zones are now commonplace.
“If a gateway is designed with this in mind but with the airport
itself acting as a central anchor for the whole project, and people go there for v
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34 DOMODEDOVO
Building for
the future
Robin Stone reports on Moscow Domodedovo’s plans to complete its transformation into Eastern
Europe’s leading airport city.
M
ore than 40 years ago, in March 1964, a Tupelov 104
took off eastbound from Domodedovo to Sverdlovsk
marking the birth of a new airport in Moscow.
Although the construction of the main terminal building was
still in progress (it was not officially opened for a further 14 months)
Domodedovo was soon flying passengers to all corners of Russia.
It’s clearly an airport that has never believed in waiting
around for things to happen, and the rapid progress which
followed – including the first non-stop flight of the supersonic
Tu-144 to Alma-Ata 11 years later, and the launch of international services
to Ankara – has seldom let up.
Domodedovo, which lies 22km south-east of Moscow, now
services around 50 airlines, operating most of the domestic
flights (apart from Aeroflot) and hosts a growing number of
major international carriers, including Swiss, Thai Airways,
Singapore Airways, China Eastern, Iberia, Emirates and
British Airways, which switched all its Moscow flights from
Sheremetyevo in July 2003.
Today, Domodedovo can justifiably claim to be an airport city in
its own right, fuelled by an ongoing reconstruction programme carried
out by the Eastline Group over the last 11 years.
Its Eastline Handling arm was established as the single operator
responsible for all ground services handling at Domodedovo, and the
group provides a range of other services to airlines including
cargo, fuelling, maintenance and catering. It also operates the
294-room Domodedovo Aerohotel, where facilities include a fitness
gym with modern work-out facilities, solarium, saunas, beauty
parlour and snooker room.
Eastline’s reconstruction work breathed a new lease of life into
Moscow’s ‘infant’ airport – and no one at Domodedovo is taking
their foot off the accelerator, for plans are now well under way to bring
the airport into line with the most modern in Europe.
Its recently-announced ‘Building for the Future’ development
programme represents an investment of around $500 million over the
next five years and will result in the existing 120,000sqm passenger
terminal being doubled in size. Other major projects include an upgrade to
the cargo terminal and the installation of a new baggage
system with state-of-the-art security.
“Domodedovo’s outstanding growth is due largely to Eastline’s
ongoing investment in the most sophisticated technology,” says Sergey
Gorbunov, deputy chairman of Eastline. “We’re committed to making
Domodedovo a leading international hub connecting the east and west.”
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 35
The result is the largest and fastest-growing airport in Russia with the
country’s most modern passenger terminal.
It will be the central hub of a much broader Eastline development,
mirroring the so-called ‘aerotropolis’ concept that is already well
established at the likes of Dubai and Hong Kong. Other Eastline
companies operating around the airport complex handle cargo, inflight
catering and a business jet service.
When the expansion programme is completed, the Aerohotel gym
plus a swimming pool will move to the terminal building. There is
already a ‘personal cinema’ complex in operation, where film
buffs can watch their chosen film on a large LCD TV and
dolby-surround earphones.
For while Domodedovo is principally a transport hub – the
needs of its passengers remain paramount – it is also aiming to
position itself as a place where people can spend their free time,
developing a far broader usage of the airport. The project includes
business parks, retail outlets, vending machines, cafés, restaurants and
sport facilities.
This year, the airport will open a ‘mini-hotel’ for transfer passengers
as well as a trade and entertainment centre – the Domodedovo Plaza –
including the cinema complex and roof-top café. Among other
features of the development are logistic centres and a new educational
and training centre on the first floor of the terminal.
Key to the success of this vision is a modern, integrated
transport system which ferries all airport users in and out of Moscow
smoothly and efficiently. The route is served by a dedicated highway
and a non-stop Aeroexpress train linking the airport to the centre of the
capital. The service departs Paveletsky railway station every hour between
7am and 10pm.
A unique project linking the passenger terminal to the airport
railway station and the adjoining square has also been developed. The
new interchange enables rail and air transfers to be operated under one
roof, improving passenger flow.
Express buses depart the airport every hour from 6am until 1am (every
half-hour at peak times), a 40-minute ride which terminates at
Domodedovskaya metro. And last year Domodedovo also launched
a new 24-hour bus service for travellers transferring between
Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo.
The terminal has a special department for disabled travellers,
employing skilled professionals to accompany disabled passengers during
their stay, and take care of all their transportation needs from the moment
they arrive until boarding the plane. There is also a 24-hour mother and
child facility for children under eight accompanied by a parent.
Religious beliefs are also catered for (an Orthodox chapel and a mosque
were opened in the terminal in 2001 and 2002 respectively), and there
are plans to open a museum within the airport showcasing Domodedovo’s
achievements and history.
It’s a wide-ranging, imaginative programme which is transforming
Domodedovo and is stealing a considerable march on Moscow’s other two
airports, Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo. Konstantin Tyurkin, head of
international relations, says: “Moscow Domodedovo International Airport
is number one in Russia, both in terms of passenger and cargo traffic. It
is the most advanced and comfortable airport in the country.”
The passenger figures would seem to support him, as the airport
has achieved swift and steady growth in line with reconstruction.
Almost 14 million passengers passed through Domodedovo last year, a
DOMODEDOVO 35
15.7% increase on 2004. And there seems little sign of any slow-down.
During the first six months of 2006, passenger traffic was 12.5% up on the
same period in 2005.
As a result, Domodedovo is now ranked 14th in a list of the
world’s most dynamically developing airports, and is ranked 88th
overall according to the latest ACI figures (2005). Its growing
importance to Russian aviation is reflected in the fact that it now
carries a third of Russia’s total passengers. This year, as the terminal
extension programme continues, and capacity rises proportionately,
passenger traffic is forecast to reach 16.2m – a year-on-year
increase of 16%. In 2010 it is projected to top 22 million, and
by 2015 about 30mppa are expected to be using Moscow’s
leading gateway.
Domodedovo already handles over half of the country’s entire cargo.
Its cargo terminal is the largest in Moscow with a capacity of 800
tonnes per day, and is protected by a state-of the art security system.
Indeed, Domodedovo led Russian aviation’s push towards improved
security, introducing the country’s first domestic flight X-ray scanner
capable of tracking plastic explosives and non-metal weapons, as
well as drugs, chemicals or explosives that have been swallowed. It
is also installing a voice-analysis system developed by the Israeli
company Newesysco, which will be used in passenger security screening
at all customs and border control points.
The airport’s continuing growth, says Eastline’s Group director for
government and public affairs, Anna Krasnova, is not restricted purely to
rising passenger and cargo figures.
“The challenge Domodedovo faces at the moment is far beyond a
simple increase in capacity. It is much more complicated than that,” she
says. “Our task is to create an atmosphere and build facilities that
will make our passengers feel as comfortable as possible while they are
waiting for their flights or just visiting Domodedovo in their spare time –
they can watch a movie, go shopping in a mall, or simply relax at a café
on the airport roof with marvellous views of the airfield.
“We would also like to offer passengers and guests an opportunity to
visit exhibitions in Domodedovo. The airport, as a transportation hub which
links countries and peoples of different cultures, is the perfect place to set
up this culture centre.
“All these projects are incorporated in the airport city concept that is
being developed and implemented in Domodedovo." v
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 36

36 KUALA LUMPUR

Formula for
success
Ritesh Gupta reports on ambitious plans to make Kuala Lumpur International Airport a ‘destination
in its own right’.
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 37
een on making maximum use of Kuala Lumpur
K International Airport’s active land bank of 10,000 hectares,
operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), is
focusing on making the airport a ‘destination in its own right’.
Its plan centres around the creation of Gateway Park – a huge
new commercial and recreational area devoted to non-aeronautical
activity – that MAHB believes will be unique in Malaysia and
establish Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as a leading
airport city.
Covering an area of 2,300 acres, Gateway Park will be divided
into a number of different ‘zones’ that will include today’s Formula
One racing circuit and a new Business Park, along with a host of
other facilities ranging from corporate bungalows and hotels to
hypermarkets, shopping malls and an amusement park. It also has
plans for cinemas, a horse riding centre, a golf course, a small lake
for fishing and a shooting range.
KLIA already has one five-star hotel – the 440-room Pan Pacific
Hotel opposite the main terminal building – and MAHB’s airport city
Masterplan calls for the addition of four more top-ranking hotels,
the first of which is expected to be built within the next
couple of years.
Travellers on a budget can today chose from either the Concorde
Inn, operational since the airport’s 1998 inception, and an Airside
Transit Hotel located in the Satellite Building. A new budget hotel
close to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) is also in the pipeline.
MAHB’s ambitious plans to transform KLIA into an airport
city are in line with its desire to earn more money from
non-aeronautical sources, the organisation recently setting itself the
target of making 50% of its revenue from non-aviation related
activity by 2008.
MAHB’s commercial services division is currently involved in
several major projects centering on retail space planning and
product differentiation at major airports in the country.
For KLIA, the first initiative is a Retail Optimisation Plan which
aims to change the ambience and look and feel of the retail and
F&B offering in the Satellite Building. The plan entails increasing
KUALA LUMPUR 37
retail space from present 4,500sqm to 6,200sqm within one year
from 1 April 2007.
The idea is to convert vacant space into retail outlets and
transform promotional areas into full-fledge outlets (retail and F&B).
The other aspects are product placement reconfiguration to ensure
that the right products are on sale at the right location with the
highest visibility going to items typically purchased on impulse.
Secondly, a retail optimisation study and retail facelift is
being planned for KLIA’s Main Terminal Building (MTB) and
Contact Pier (CP).
“The study will address space planning, product configuration
and outlet size, mainly aimed at increasing commercial value and
addressing needs of landside passengers and customers, target
income achievable – approximately $54 million over seven years
from the present and target implementation by 2008,” says Umar
Bustamam, MAHB’s general manager of commercial services.
Thirdly, a 2,300sqm location has been identified outside the
LCCT to develop a food court offering low-priced food and beverage
options to budget airline passengers and customers.
The project is expected to be completed by the first quarter of
2007 and will complement today’s commercial facilities in the
terminal building which comprise two duty free outlets, six retail
outlets and five F&B outlets.
Says Bustamam: “Projects in the pipeline include the
construction and management of a standalone food court, more
variety of retail products and services, plus technology-based
services for passengers’ ease and convenience.”
The opening of the $30 million LCCT in March earlier this year
has ensured that KLIA is better equipped to handle budget airline
traffic, which now accounts for four million of the gateway’s
23.2 million passengers per annum. The complex has parking for
30 aircraft and 72 check-in counters and a parking lot for up to
1,000 vehicles.
Today’s retail and F&B offering in the main passenger terminal
covers just 5% of the total terminal floor area, leaving huge room
for expansion. v
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40 DALLAS/FORT WORTH
Texas star
Becoming an airport city is high on the agenda of the world’s sixth busiest gateway,
writes Brian Murnahan.
W
ith over 18,000 acres of land at its disposal, few gateways on
the planet have more potential to develop into an airport city
than Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
The airport’s core infrastructure of seven runways and five terminals
combined with 38 its airlines, workforce and assortment of support
facilities, already ensure that it a ‘mini-city’ in its own right acting as a
place of commerce and culture.
But in Texas – where everything is big, including ambitions – it is
striving for more and wants to develop into a true airport city that offers
airport and city resources and services ‘under one big roof’.
Picture courtesy of Corgan Associates/Craig Blackmon.
“In short, DFW is not just an emerging airport city, it is the core of an
emerging Dallas-Fort Worth ‘aerotropolis’,” says John Kasarda,
Kenan-Flagler Business School, the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill. “Over the next ten years DFW will become a major airport city as the
gateway effectively develops its 18,000 acres.
“Aerotropolises are corner-stoned by a muti-modal terminal or
terminals containing a wide variety of commercial products and services
plus a range of airport-linked businesses on airport property and
immediately adjacent to it – hotels, office buildings, distribution facilities
and merchandise marts. Moving out up to 15 miles from the airport city
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 41
along expressways and interstate highways are stings and clusters
of business and logistics parks, hotel and entertainment complexes
and associated residential developments which make up the
greater aerotropolis.”
DFW, which is larger in area than New York’s Manhattan Island, is just
minutes from the city centres of both Dallas and Fort Worth, which jointly
own it. Indeed, the gateway bound the two cities together in a rare joint
venture 38 years ago.
“DFW works every day to improve the quality of air service out of North
Texas with better facilities and greater selection, but it is also the
responsibility of DFW to contribute to the economic vitality of the region,”
says DFW’s CEO, Jeff Fegan.
“The airport supports 268,000 jobs and brings the region more
than $14 billion annually. In our effort to continue to improve
DFW, we’re working to generate not just better economic conditions
for airlines, concessionaires and passengers but also the
surrounding community.”
Inter-local agreements between DFW and surrounding cities allows for
the distribution of taxes collected on the airport with the greater
community. “Inter-local agreements are not something for nothing. Our
neighbour cities support the DFW’s employees and concessionaires,” says
Fegan. “These cities are in part located adjacent to DFW in an effort to
move a highly qualified workforce and supporting businesses closer to an
employment focal point.”
“North Texas would have probably become an economic powerhouse
eventually,” according to Dan Petty, president and CEO of the North Texas
Commission. “But DFW accelerated the process and has proved to be ‘the’
economic engine that drives this regional economy.”
DFW is constantly working to provide the best opportunities for
business. The airport successfully sold the North Texas marketplace to
Cathay Pacific Cargo, bringing a market leading airline to DFW along with
at least $8.5 million a year in economic impact. Cathay Pacific Cargo now
flies four weekly flights to DFW, with the addition of one flight coming to
the market in August.
Drilling for natural gas, developing first class hotel and leisure activi-
ties as well as retail developments are on DFW’s menu of services bene-
fiting the citizens and businesses of North Texas.
“DFW has sought non-airline revenue to supplement our budget since
the airport opened in 1974,” admits Jan Collmer, DFW’s chairman of the
Board. “In May, DFW staff presented updated plans for a 600-acre parcel
of land known as Passport Park where we anticipate we can bring in both
big and small box stores in an upscale environment. This new venture
would provide DFW with more than just land lease revenue as we
anticipate entering into a development deal where DFW can share the
project’s success.”
The landscape at DFW has certainly changed over the past last year
with the addition of the new International Terminal D, Grand Hyatt Hotel
and Skylink automated people mover system as the gateway has diligently
worked to upgrade its facilities to best serve nearly 60mppa.
And in the past four years, DFW has worked particularly hard to increase
its non-airline revenue with expanded land leases for warehousing,
DALLAS/FORT WORTH 41
office, logistic centres and, most recently, natural gas drilling and
retail developments.
“DFW expects to sign a lucrative natural gas deal with Chesapeake
Energy Corporation of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in
September,” enthuses Kevin Cox, chief operating officer for DFW. “Upon
signing the contract, Chesapeake is expected to turn over its first payment
worth $181 million.”
The natural gas lease was bid at five times the minimum of $2,000 per
acre for a one-time bonus of $181 million. Chesapeake and is partners will
have two years to begin drilling for natural gas and will pay DFW annually
a sum equal to 25% of their gross sales.
“DFW anticipates this new non-airline revenue source will become one
of our top four non-airline based sources of income,” says Cox. “The ini-
tial payment will likely be used to help pay down some debt, capital
development projects, and other investment opportunities. Chesapeake
has brought DFW a unique and valuable resource we plan to take full
advantage of from day one.”
In addition, DFW is looking for other ways to leverage its land holdings
to improve the airport’s bottom line.
A restaurant plaza is expected to fill a void left five years ago
after the 9-11 attacks, namely the availability of dining space outside of
security. The new facility is expected to house flight information devices
in addition to signage along the roadway indicating wait times
at the restaurants. In addition, a 600-acre retail, light industrial and
low-rise development is expected to be built on the airport’s
southern edge.
“Passport Park will include an upscale 125 to 150 acre retail
development with plans to have light commercial and low rise elements
adding to the already rich retail and business market along the south side
of DFW,” reveals Terrell. “The property would benefit the more than 50,000
men and women who work on DFW every day as well as the residents of
our neighbouring communities. The first tenants are expected to be in place
within three years.”
DFW has long been home to hotels and a golf course, but recent
developments have added unique architectural beauty and culture. An
impressive 298-room Grand Hyatt Hotel with rooftop pool and spa and a
$6 million art programme that opened in July 2005 have made
DFW a cultural destination.
“Culture is unique to every community and at DFW we want to be the
world’s front door to Texas,” comments Joe Lopano, executive
vice president of marketing and terminal management. “With the addition
of Terminal D, DFW incorporated 33 pieces of original art
in the design of the terminal. In addition, DFW has worked with the Nasher
Sculpture Museum in Dallas to display four stunning sculptures at the
new terminal. DFW is now proud to give tours of our art and we
expect to begin rotating in new art to display throughout the airport.”
DFW, like a city, provides the basic essentials including law
enforcement, public works facilities, utilities and other central services,
paid each year out of the airport’s $632 million budget. Of that
$632 million, more than $400 million annually are collected from sources
other than landing fees. v
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 42
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 43
Bavarian
brilliance
Offering passengers everything from a microbrewery to the kitchen sink, Erica Gingerich describes
how Munich has grown from a city airport to an airport city.
D
rivers approaching Munich from the north at night think they’ve
already reached the city limits when they first see the
mini-metropolis glow cast by Munich Airport.
Spread out over a lush and verdant 1,600 hectares and 38 kilometres
northeast of downtown Munich, Munich Airport boasts a size and economic
importance that belies its youth.
Just 14 years after the Munich Airport operator, FMG, relocated from
its Riem location close to downtown Munich to its new greenfield site,
Munich Airport has gone from being a relatively small city airport to a large
airport city. Since opening in May 1992, Munich Airport has doubled its
passenger levels and tripled its cargo traffic to become Germany’s second
biggest international gateway and Europe’s seventh busiest hub airport.
With over 30 million passengers expected for the first time in the airport’s
history in 2006, and then 56mppa by 2020, Munich is one of the fastest
growing hubs in Europe.
But it isn’t size alone that matters, says CEO, Dr Michael Kerkloh: "Our
goal is to become the most attractive and most efficient hub in Europe by
2010 – something we’re well on the way to achieving as we develop both
Munich’s airside and landside offerings into an airport city that’s got
everything from its own microbrewery to a full-service hospital."
MUNICH 43
Munich Airport also features a full-service grocery store and two
bakeries, over 215 retail outlets, 55 restaurants, bars and cafes,
branches of local, national and travel banks, a post office, dry
cleaning services and an internet café – not to mention a swimming pool
and spa, hairdresser, shoe-repair shop and multi-denominational
chapel too.
It’s this kind of diversity that makes this airport city popular with
passengers. In April 2006, Munich picked up the ‘Best Airport in
Europe’ award for the second year running and was chosen third best
worldwide in the Skytrax ‘Airport Awards 2006’ survey of over seven mil-
lion passengers from around the world.
With an ideal location at the heart of the expanded European Union
and serving one of Germany’s most dynamic cities and states – Munich
and Bavaria – the gateway has developed into a modern and urbane small
town with the accoutrement of an international capital.
It’s the unique relationship with its hub partner, Lufthansa, that Munich
can thank for its rapid transformation into such a cosmopolitan
airport. Realising early on the benefits that closer cooperation would bring,
Munich Airport and Lufthansa decided in the late 1990s to jointly plan,
build, finance and operate a new hub terminal.
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 44
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 45
This airport-airline ‘marriage’ has been a successful one so far. When it
opened in June 2003, Terminal 2 doubled Munich’s then-existing
capacity to over 50 million passengers annually, and rounded out its
service spectrum to include a facility tailor-made to the needs of
transferring passengers.
Terminal 2 is the latest infrastructural addition to the Munich airport city,
but as Kerkloh likes to emphasise, “It’s not just the individual elements that
make Munich such a dynamic airport city – it’s the way these elements work
together as they would in a ‘real’ city.”
As the Tom Hanks character (based on a real passenger stranded in tran-
sit at Paris CDG) in the Steven Spielberg film, ‘The Terminal’, might have
discovered had he landed (and been stranded) in Bavaria, Munich Airport has
just about everything but the kitchen sink. And even access to that could
probably be arranged by befriending the cook at one of the airport’s
numerous restaurants, bars and cafes.
Despite the 30 million-plus passengers annually and the 25,000
employees working on the airport campus, the Munich airport city feels
amazingly uncrowded. The spacious and airy atmosphere is deliberate, as the
original greenfield site facility opened in 1992 was built to blend in as
harmoniously as possible with the surrounding countryside. Terminal 1 was
built to hug rather than dominate the landscape, thus earning it the moniker
of ‘the white airport in the country’.
It was, however, also designed and constructed in the era before airport
operators got wise to the enormous revenue potential of non-aviation
offerings. So, while the slender, modular pier construction got passengers
from check-in to their gate in a jiffy, Terminal 1 and the adjoining Central Area
didn’t leave much room at all for retail or restaurants.
That changed starting in 1999 with the complete remodelling of the
Central Area to add more shops, restaurants and service areas. Nowadays,
Terminal 1, which in 2004 also got a massive facelift to update its retail and
restaurant outlets, together with the Central Area offers around 60 shops and
eateries/cafes.
Nevertheless, it was still missing a ‘city centre’ back then – a problem
that was remedied by the opening of the Munich Airport Centre (MAC) in the
autumn of the same year. A huge, open-air forum covered with a 22,000sqm
glass and high-tech polymer roof, the MAC is an enormous venue for
concerts,and events that include an annual traditional Christmas market
MUNICH 45
replete with its own ice-skating rink in the 10,000sqm central forum. The
MAC is also the home of the world’s first airport microbrewery and outdoor
‘biergarten’, Airbräu (literally, ‘air brew’), and its six-level, 31,000sqm area
also houses offices, a consortium of independent medical practices (includ-
ing a dentist, one of Germany’s best-equipped radiology clinics, a physio-
therapist, an opthamologist and a laser-eye surgery centre) and Municon, a
full-service conference centre.
With 28 conferencing rooms, Municon can accommodate a total of 554
guests, depending on seating configuration, and allows companies to avoid
costly airport/conference to city centre taxi transfers with its convenient
‘fly-meet-fly’ concept.
The five-star Kempinski Airport Hotel, which is literally steps away from the
Terminal 2 arrivals area and a short walk from Terminal 1, has 343 rooms
and 46 suites, and rounds out the airport’s conferencing facilities with 30
conference and banquet rooms, a business centre with analogue, digital and
wireless network connectivity, two main bars and two restaurants as well as
pool/spa and fitness centre.
Kerkloh admits, though, that the majority of people coming to an airport
aren’t there primarily to shop, go out to eat or enjoy leisure activities
– they’re at an airport because they need to fly somewhere.
"That’s why airports – including Munich – have to remain competitive
transport centres first and foremost," says Kerkloh. While he thinks an
airport city is vital to the success of the airport of the 21st century, and
although airport cities might one day become viable entities in
and of themselves once they reach a certain size, he believes their
existence is today still very much tied to the success of the airport as
an aviation facility.
"If the airport operator doesn’t take necessary steps such as
infrastructural expansion – for example, our plans for a third runway to
avoid capacity bottlenecks in the near future – to ensure that airlines and
passengers are actually using its airport, then the airport city will also
suffer," notes Kerkloh.
That said, Kerkloh is confident that Munich Airport’s transition from a city
airport to an airport city is an example of how the ‘airport city’ has
already begun to redefine the purpose and function of airports and, in a larger
context, the purpose of airports as part of a rapidly changing aviation
industry overall. v
Pictures courtesy of Munich Airport.
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 46
46 ATLANTA
Thinking big
Chris Kjelgaard reports on the airport city development plans of the world’s busiest gateway.
W
ith a workforce of 55,000, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport is the biggest single-site employer in the
south-eastern USA. And its 85.9 million passengers and
981,000 aircraft movements last year made it the world’s busiest airport
– a title it hopes to win again for 2006.
Atlanta’s workforce and its activities are already city-sized. Last year its
payroll totalled $2.4 billion and its total regional economic impact
was $18.7 billion, and the airport is now four years into a
$6 billion-plus development programme that, when completed by 2012,
not only will increase its capacity but will help Atlanta to blossom into a true
airport city.
Meanwhile, the seven communities surrounding the gateway have
launched a variety of commercial, residential and recreational develop-
ment projects that will tie them more strongly to the airport economically,
while also supporting its growth as an urban centre.
Hartsfield-Jackson expects its passenger figures to grow to
more than 125mppa by 2020, says Ben DeCosta, Hartsfield-Jackson’s
aviation general manager, and eventually it could grow to serve up to
155mppa. To ensure the airport can handle the growth, the city of
Atlanta, which owns and operates it, launched a ten-year development
plan in 2002.
The plan’s first major construction project, a newly completed
9,000ft southern runway that cost over $1.1 billion, is the
airport’s fifth and probably the last that will be built on the site,
according to DeCosta.
Runway 10-28 will increase Atlanta’s hourly aircraft movement ca-
pacity by 50% from 90 to 135. Used initially for landings, it has already be-
come important in minimising bad-weather delays “along the eastern
seaboard” of the USA, says DeCosta. The runway eventually will handle
take-offs too, and already has increased the airport’s movement rate at
times to over 120 aircraft an hour.
The gateway has also begun another $1 billion project – the
construction of a new international terminal, named after former Atlanta
mayor Maynard H Jackson Jr, located east of the existing 28-gate
international Concourse E on land formerly occupied by maintenance
buildings. The airport has already spent $200 million on razing these
buildings and moving 1.5 million cubic yards of earth to build the site up
40ft to the same level as the existing taxiways.
Due for completion by 2011, the environmentally friendly new terminal
will have 14 gates, 10 of them international gates for widebody aircraft. The
project also includes construction of a 2,000-space parking structure, as
well as new roadways to connect the terminal directly to the nearby
highway to the east.
Growth after 2020 will require additional terminal capacity.
Consequently, Atlanta is now planning southern terminal concourses, that
will be connected to the main terminal by an underground people-mover.
The first phase would have 15-30 gates, says DeCosta. Since
all the southern concourses’ passengers would obtain access via the
main terminal, this would then need to be enlarged and
its roadway access expanded.
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 47
Two important on-airport projects involve Hartsfield-Jackson’s northern
runway-taxiway complex. One, beginning this September, is the $92 mil-
lion refurbishment of Runway 8R-26L and its associated taxiways. The
second, due for completion within the next six months, is the $46 million
construction of a new ‘end-around’ taxiway to allow aircraft arriving on the
landing runway 8L-26R to taxi to the midfield terminal ramps
without having to cross the take-off runway.
Both the end-around taxiway and the new southern runway are
particularly important in terms of improving environmental quality for
Hartsfield-Jackson and its surrounds, says Tom Nissalke, the airport’s
director of environmental services.
“It’s all about delay reduction,” he explains, the fewer ground-hold
delays that arriving and departing aircraft face, the less fuel their engines
burn idling. “We’re very much focusing on air quality, because Atlanta has
established maximum allowable concentrations of both ozone and
particulate matter.”
Atlanta has also embarked upon two other big projects. One, nearly
completed and involving the installation of nearly four miles of baggage
conveyor belts, is the $170 million construction of two automated, in-line
screening facilities for checked baggage under the main terminal building.
These will allow passengers to check in their luggage at airline ticket desks
without having to drag it to screening areas, providing more space on the
main terminal floor by removing existing checked-baggage screening areas.
Second is the $480 million construction of a consolidated rental car
facility (called CONRAC), which will hold all ten car rental agencies serv-
ing the airport and provide about 9,000 rental car parking spaces.
CONRAC will be connected to the gateway’s main terminal by an
elevated people-mover that will feature an intermediate stop at the Geor-
gia International Convention Center, located nearby in the city of College
Park.
College Park plans to build four hotels, office complexes and
restaurants to serve the convention centre, and CONRAC will serve them
as well as the airport. Plans are afoot also to expand the venerable College
Park golf course and build a golf-cart bridge to provide easy access from
the hotels to the course.
An exciting opportunity for airport city development lies to the east of
Hartsfield-Jackson in the community of Mountain View, where the
airport purchased residential land years ago and demolished the housing
ATLANTA 47
for noise mitigation reasons.
Although much roadway construction would be needed to give the site
access to the airport and major highways, planning manager, Shelley
Lamar, says plans call for the development of an office, warehousing and
retail centre that also will feature ‘white tablecloth’ restaurants and 9,000
new off-airport parking spaces for airport users.
Additionally, she says, if plans mature for a regional railway line
linking Atlanta with Macon – and potentially even with Hilton Head in
South Carolina – it could go through the Mountain View development.
Atlanta hopes to develop an intermodal transport hub there to
connect rail, highways and the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Author-
ity (MARTA) bus network directly by road to the new international
terminal – similar to the existing line connecting the main terminal with
downtown Atlanta.
The gateway has far-sightedly reserved a right of way for an automated
people-mover line from Mountain View to the international terminal,
though Lamar concedes traffic demand would need to be high to build it,
due to the cost.
Other communities surrounding Hartsfield-Jackson are also
pursuing airport-related developments. Four miles from the airport,
the city of East Point has built warehousing and is now in the
second phase of developing a big retail centre that features a huge
sports facility. South of the airport, College Park and Clayton County are
making better use of their proximity to it by re-zoning land for warehous-
ing and commercial activities.
North of the airport, the city of Forest Park is planning extensive
refurbishment of its state farmers’ market, which is presently open-air.
Forest Park wants to provide frequent transport links between the airport
and a revitalised farmers’ market to make it a major attraction
for passengers.
Nearby, the attractive old community of Hapeville, whose restaurants
have long been frequented by airport employees, is looking at ways to
boost airport-related growth. In pace with Hartsfield-Jackson growth,
residential development has been rapid recently in all the communities
surrounding it, and two major hospitals located a few minutes’ drive from
the airport also are expanding accordingly.
Given the fast pace of on and off-airport development, Atlanta
Hartsfield-Jackson looks set to become even more economically im- v
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 48
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 49

EXHIBITION GUIDE 49
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 50

50 FLOORPLAN

Floorplan C28 C27 C26

C22 C21 C20

A54 A53 A52 A51 A50

A49 A48 A47 A46 A45

A44 A43 A42 A41 A40

A39 A38 A37 A36 A35 A34

C5 & C6 Hangzhou Xiaoshan A4 & A13 Kingsmen

C7 & C8 Airport Authority Hong Kong A5 & A14 Airport World
C20-C22 & A9 Internet Café Sponsor
C26-C28 Beijing Capital Airports A17 Ove Arup
Holding Company, A24 Dallas/Fort Worth
Tianjin Binhai A25 & A33 SSP
International Airport, A29 ThyssenKrupp Airport Systems
Chongqing Jiangbei A30 & A31 Ingersoll Rand
International Airport, A32 Nuance-Watson
Wuhan Tianhe A34 Cafe de Coral Fast Food Ltd
International Airport A35 LaRossa
A36 NEC
A37 & A38 Travelex
This floorplan and exhibitor list may be subject to change
 apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 51

FLOORPLAN 51

C11

C8 C7 C6 C5
C2 C3

A33 A32 A31 A30

A27 A29
A26 A28 September 11 2006

A25 A24 A23 A22

A19 A21
A18 A20 Gala Dinner, Reception
& Entertainment
East Meets West at AsiaWorld-Expo,
Hong Kong International Airport
All delegates and partners are invited to attend
from 6pm onwards
A17 A14 A10
A11 A13
A9 A8 A5 A1
A2 A4 A3

A39 Plaza Premium Lounge

A41 Meinhardt
A42 Asian Aerospace 2007
A43 Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co Ltd
A44 International Currency Exchange
A45 & A50 JCDecaux Pearl & Dean
A46 Kwoon Chung Bus Holdings September 13 2006
A47 Mott Connell Ltd
A48 GE Security
A49
A51
TurboJet
Landrum & Brown
Airport & SkyCity Tour
A52 BAA International
A53 & A54 Worldwide Flight Services Guided tour around Hong Kong
International Airport
ge
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 52

52 EXHIBITORS

C5 & C6 A24
Hangzhou Xiaoshan Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport International Airport
Xu Xin Hua Doug Bryan
xxh@hzairport.com dbryan@dfwairport.com
+86 0571 8666 1123 +972 574 8063
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport Commercial Development
Hangzhou P.O. Box 619428
CHINA DFW Airport, Texas 75261
USA
C7 & C8
Airport Authority Hong Kong A25 & A33
Henry Wong Select Service Partner
henry.wong@hkairport.com Asia Pacific
+852 2183 3035
Antonio Persson
1 Cheong Yip Road
antonio.persson@ssp.com.hk
Hong Kong International Airport
+852 2261 0856
Lantau
5N029 Level 5
HONG KONG
Passenger Terminal Building
Exhibitors
Hong Kong International Airport
C20 –C22 & C26 –C28 Lantau
HONG KONG
Capital Airports Holding
Peng Fan A29
fanp@cahs.com.cn
+8610 6456 3947 ThyssenKrupp
President’s Office Airport Systems
Capital Airports Holding Company
Julie Sun
Beijing International Airport
tkasap@teczs.com
Chaoyang District
+86 76 0333 9682
Beijing 100621
Chengnan 5 Road, South District
CHINA
Zhongshan 528455
Guangdong Providence
CHINA
A5 & A14
Airport World A30 & A31
Jonathan Lee Ingersoll Rand
jonathan@airport-world.com
Jun Du
+ 44 208 831 7563
du_jun@ap.irco.com
Sovereign House
+ 86 21 5410 1110
26/30 London Road
Room 801-802, Zhao Feng Plaza
Twickenham, Middlesex
No 1027 Changning Road
TW1 3RW
Shanghai, 20050
UNITED KINGDOM
CHINA

A17 A32
Ove Arup & Partners Nuance-Watson (HK) Ltd
Hong Kong Ltd Alessandra Piovesana
Grant Robertson alessandrap@asw.com.hk
grant.robertson@arup.com + 852 2870 6798
+852 2268 3518 Suite 601-604, One Citygate
Level 5, Festival Walk 20 Tat Tung Road, Tung Chung
80 Tat Chee Avenue Lantau,
Kowloon Tong, Kowloon HONG KONG
HONG KONG
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 53

EXHIBITORS 53

A34 A42 A48

Cafe de Coral Group Asian Aerospace 2007 GE Security
Mandy Ho Annie Ma Vicki Ho
mandyho@cafedecoral.com Annie.ma@reedexpo.com.hk vicki.ho@ge.com
+ 852 2693 6218 +852 2965 1680 +86 21 2307 1888
No 5 –13, Wo Shui Street Unit 3011, 30/F, The Center Homeland Protection Asia
Fo Tan, Shating 99 Queen's Road Central No.2 Building,1528 XinZha Road
HONG KONG HONG KONG Shanghai 200040
CHINA
A35 A43
La Rossa Chu Kong Passenger A49
Violet Lam Transport Co., Ltd. TurboJET
violet.lam@hkri.com Eva Ho
Chen Hua evah@turbojet.com.hk
+852 2238 1129 admin@cksp.com.hk
23/F China Merchants Tower +852 23070880
+852 28591593 83, Hing Wah Street West
Shun Tak Centre 10/F Chu Kong Shipping Tower
168 Connaught Road Central Lai Chi Kok
143 Connaught Road Central Kowloon
Sheung Wan HONG KONG
HONG KONG HONG KONG
A44
A36 A51
International Currency Landrum & Brown
NEC Exchange Worldwide Services
Joanna Siu Victor Jee
Elizabeth Bosher
joanna_siu@nechk.nec.com.hk victorjee@icesystem.com
elandb@netvigator.com
+ 852 2733 5546 + 6017 688 9884
+852 9188 4225
NEC Hong Kong Limited 5 Jalan Meranti SD 13/7 Bandar Sri
PO Box 5931, General Post Office
25th Floor, The Metropolis Tower, Hunghom Damansarg
2, Connaught Place,
Kowloon Kuala Lumpur, 52200
Central District
HONG KONG MALAYSIA
HONG KONG

A37 & A38 A45 & A50 A52

Travelex plc JCDecaux Pearl & Dean BAA International
Claudia Cheung Teresa Fung Clive Cranwell
claudiacheung@travelex.com.hk teresa.fung@jcdecaux.com.hk Clive_cranwell@baa.com
+ 852 2853 9888 +852 2862 7230 +44 12 9350 5541
Unit 2210-2218, Level 22, Tower 1 22/F Admiralty Centre, Tower 2 London Gatwick Airport
Millennium City 1 18 Harcourt Road Gatwick
388 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong HONG KONG RH6 0NP
Kowloon UNITED KINGDOM
HONG KONG
A46
Kwoon Chung Bus A53 & A54
A39 Holdings Worldwide Flight
Plaza Premium Lounge Tiffany Yuen Services
Linda Song tiffany_yuen@hotelink.com.hk Debbie Toledanes
linda@plaza-asia.com +852 3193-9333 dtoledanes@worldwideflight.com.hk
+ 852 3150 8810 3/F No. 8 Chong Fu Road +852 2985 0138
6T512 Passenger Terminal Building Chai Wan Worldwide House 1501A
Hong Kong International Airport HONG KONG 19 Des Voeux Road
Lantau Central District
HONG KONG
A47 HONG KONG

A41 Mott Connell Limited

All exhibitor
David Mepham
Meinhardt Aviation david.mepham@mottconnell.com.hk
details correct
Prudence Lai at the time
+852 28285757 of going
aviation@meinhardtgroup.com 40th Floor, Hopewell Centre to press
+ 852 2859 5661 183 Queens Road East
4/F, Wah Ming Centre Wanchai
421 Queen's Road West HONG KONG
HONG KONG
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 54

54 SPONSORS AND EVENTS

&
would like to thank the following companies that made this event possible:

host venue official airline

platinum sponsors platinum gala

dinner sponsors

welcome gold gala

gold reception hosts dinner sponsors

sponsors

silver
sponsors

bronze sponsor organiser media sponsors

Airport Cities
International Gateways To Regional Economic Development

Our next event: Frankfurt, Germany – April 25-26, 2007

Alex Kirby Andrew Hazell Melissa Hall

Sponsorship Enquiries Sponsorship/Exhibition Enquiries General/Delegate Enquiries
Managing Director Conference & Exhibition Manager Marketing Executive
Phone: +44 (0) 20 8831 7502 Phone: +44 (0) 20 8831 7518 Phone: +44 (0) 20 8831 7517
alex@airportconference.com andrewh@airportconference.com melissa@airportconference.com

for more info visit: www.airportconference.com

apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 55

SSP all set for

SkyPlaza
Food and beverage specialist SSP outlines its plans for Hong Kong’s SkyPlaza and explains the
reasons why it was chosen to help turn the vision for Sky City into a reality

A
mong the eagerly awaited new facilities at the prestigious new
SkyPlaza terminal will be a range of bars and restaurants
created by SSP. However, SSP’s relationship with the Hong Kong
Airport Authority was forged long before plans for the SkyPlaza
development began.
When the company started trading at Hong Kong International Airport
in 1998, it had just three units. Over the years, this number has risen,
and with the opening of SkyPlaza, it will operate 24. Daren Lau,
Managing Director of SSP’s Asia Pacific region says that SSP’s
unrivalled knowledge of the airport gained over many years
was instrumental in helping it to win the new contracts at SkyPlaza. ‘Our
experience in the main terminals meant that we knew what would work for
passengers, and how we could run a profitable operation at the
new development.’
SkyPlaza required concepts that set it apart and catered for a wide
variety of demands – from passengers as well as local visitors. However
the solid on-going relationship between Airport Authority Hong Kong
and SSP gave the Authority the confidence in SSP’s ability to deliver
the quality and creativity demanded at such a high profile project.
Ms Eva Tsang, General Manager of Retail and Advertising Business at
Airport Authority Hong Kong commented: ‘We have had a long and
successful partnership with SSP, and we were confident that it would be
able to continue to meet our exacting standards at SkyPlaza. We were also
impressed with the originality of the concepts they proposed.’
Daren shares Ms Tsang’s belief that the bars and restaurants chosen for
SkyPlaza will be a hit with visitors. ‘We have a strong blend of international
brands such as a Burger King and Famous Famiglia, along with newly
created concepts such as our Vietnamese restaurant Green Cottage
and our dumpling outlet Tian Xia. There is something to suit all tastes.’
As the business matures, growth is a primary objective, and Daren’s team
in Hong Kong is well qualified to meet this challenge. ‘We have assembled
an impressive management group that is ideally suited to achieve our cur-
rent objectives. Our marketing manager, Thomas Lui, for example, has
much experience in marketing to increase penetration, and will play a key
role in driving our business forward over the coming months.’
But skills and knowledge are not just important at management level, as
Daren explains: ‘All our employees are ambassadors for the airport as well
as for SSP. They serve food, but they also help passengers by other tasks
such as finding their way to the gates. They also know how to deal with
customers who may find themselves in stressful situations such as when
facing delays, and are able to manage the complexities of airport life such
as working in many languages or dealing with foreign currency. When
working on an ambitious project like SkyPlaza, the grand scheme is
important. But the smaller details are also equally important.’
For more information contact: Daren Lau, Managing Director,
SSP Asia Pacific Tel: +852 2136 0691

Tian Xia is a new dumpling concept that will feature at Hong Kong’s SkyPlaza terminal
apc mag august MAIN:Layout 1 6/11/07 16:45 Page 56