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9 The IATA view

A.E. SLCOMBE (British European Airways)
Chairman, Airport Buildings and Aprons Committee, IATA

The task of the airlines is to provide a safe, efficient and economic air transport service for their customers. Some airport authorities apparently interpret this as meaning that airliner interests are confined to the airborne portion of the journey. In certain cases this has resulted in a lack of consultation on projected airport terminal plans or these have been presented at too late a stage to allow airline views to be properly taken into consideration.
IATA, as the organisation representing the world's airlines, has long participated in the development of technical and operational standards and procedures for safety in flight. Co-operation with states on such operational matters, either directly or through ICAO, is very good. The airline view is that their interests extend over the whole journey and that they must play a far greater role in ensuring that the ground facilities for the customer will not only meet the future traffic demand but will give him a better deal than he has today. If this is to be done there must be:

(a) more realistic assessments of future demand, in the most detailed possible terms --the airlines are the major source of this information;
(b) assessments of capacity requirements to meet this demand in terms of airspace, runways, terminal buildings and aprons, airport road systems and car parks and facilities for transportation to the airport;
(c) development of basic principles in terminal layout and concepts of design and flow which can be internationally applied;
(d) a reduction in government control requirements and the removal of restrictive and varying formalities;
(e) continuing improvements in airline handling procedures and techniques and the attainment of a high level of punctuality--these can be significant factors towards an increase in airport capacity;
(f) the building of terminals with far greater capability for expansion and alteration to meet changes in the extent and character of the traffic demand and with the minimum of disruption to current operations.

It is suggested that none of these objectives can be attained by airport managements, government control authorities or airlines in isolation and that it is to the benefit of the air transport industry as a whole that there should be a co-operative effort by all concerned from the earliest planning stages.
It is realised that a major difficulty facing airport authorities is to obtain a consolidated viewpoint from airlines since individual airline requirements at any airport can vary greatly. IATA is making a major effort to develop common principles, concepts of design and flow etc., which are not only acceptable to its members but which will assist all concerned in planning the airport terminal complex. The IATA 'Airport Terminals' document was published in December 1966 and the English version has been given world-wide circulation. It is also to be published in French and Spanish. The airlines are now embarking on a programme towards the application of these principles at specific airports.
In a number of respects this guidance material will require continuing further development. IATA studies are under way in respect of the operational, ground handling and facilitation problems associated with high capacity aircraft. Also the sections dealing with passenger and cargo terminal concepts will be further developed. Supplements to the reference document will be produced as soon as possible and given the same wide distribution.

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