Introduction
The aircraft industry is one of the most highly-developed brunches in the contemporary world, so a considerable number of people use it every day. With the progress of the aircraft infrastructure, launching new routes, and applying the low-cost pricing policy, the number of airport users increases with impressive rates. As a result, the airports’ capacity is not enough to manage the heavy traffic volume, so the peoples’ congestions become the primary reason for flight delays. Jacquillat et al. (2017) claim, “in the United States, air traffic delays reached an all-time peak in 2007, and their nationwide impact was estimated at over $30 billion for that calendar year, including $8.3 billion in costs to airlines and $16.7 billion in costs to passengers” (p. 1). Since then, the airport congestion issue remains unsolved until nowadays. The purpose of this paper is to provide possible solutions to the problem of the massive group movement in the airport terminals.
The Problem
One of the most serious challenges airports are forced to deal with is the congestions caused by heavy traffic volume. The majority of airports throughout the world are incapable of overcoming the problem of massive overcrowding. According to Wells and Young (2011), the reason for the passengers’ congestions is the outdated airport engineering constructions. The authors claim, decades of years ago the airports were not predisposed to meet thousands or even millions of travelers every day. Therefore, the airports’ capacity was supposed to accommodate a fewer number of people. Nevertheless, the rates of passengers are continuously increasing, creating higher risks of congestion. Being unable to deal with the incredibly large groups of people, the airport workers cannot manage the enormous passenger flow within the airport efficiently. As a result, numerous obstacles occur, such as flight delays and congestions. Thus, the solution to the problem of airport overcrowding would make a valuable contribution to the development of the aircraft industry.
The Possible Solutions
To find the most effective solution, the origins of the problem should be examined first. The primary cause of the congestion is the incapability of the airport to deal with the vast passengers’ flow. The overcrowding occurs regardless of the location: in the check-in desk, during the passport control, duty-free shopping, security check, etc. However, some circumstances may increase or decrease the risk of congestion, such as the season, the part of the day, the day of the week, etc. (Byrne et al., 2019). Thus, while developing the possible solutions, the roots of the problem should be taken into consideration. The paper presents two major keys to the airport congestion issue: the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and the digitalization of the airport facilities.
Next Generation Air Transportation System
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is a long-term program focused on improving the American air transportation system. According to the official Federal Aviation Administration website (2019), “the FAA plans to continue implementing cutting-edge technologies, procedures, and policies that benefit passengers, the aviation industry, and the environment through 2025 and beyond” (para 4).
NextGen works on the general improvement of the American aviation industry, taking into account the problem of airport congestions. The main focus of NextGen is the advancement of air navigation and communication. The critical upgrading of the navigation sector offered by NextGen is the implementation of the satellite-enabled navigation system. In comparison with the old ground-based navigation, the new system provides more precise data. Therefore, the passengers’ movement, both in the air and on the ground within the airport territory, is completed with the fastest rates under the methods of the NextGen (Federal Aviation Administration, 2019).
Besides navigation advancement, NextGen also focuses on the improvement of communication. The NextGen representatives work on the development of innovative means of communication that would allow the airport workers to exchange information faster and more efficiently (Federal Aviation Administration, 2019). From the perspective of the congestion issue, innovative communication technologies would significantly decrease the risk of overcrowding. Having immediate access to the recent updates regarding the flight statuses, the passengers’ overload, or the emergencies, the airport workers could wisely manage the people flow within the airport. Thus, NextGen’s innovative communication methods would help predict possible overcrowding and prevent them ahead of time.
Generally, the Next Generation Air Transportation System is the new step into the world of the aircraft industry. However, it has certain disadvantages that make the program less efficient. For instance, the implementation of NextGen technologies is time and money-consuming. Starting its development in 2005, NextGen is supposed to complete the plan of aircraft industry advancement only by 2025 (Federal Aviation Administration, 2019). Nevertheless, the benefits of NextGen outweigh the drawbacks, so the implementation of its programs would make a tremendous contribution to the airport congestion issue resolution.
Airport Facilities Digitalization
Besides the NextGen program, the digitalization of the airport facilities would be a useful tool for managing the heavy traffic in the airport. Some of the aspects of digitalization are already implemented in airports. For instance, online check-in helps to avoid the long queues in front of the check-in desk. However, digitalization offers more opportunities for managing the movement of massive groups of passengers through airport terminals.
One of the most suitable examples of the airport facilities’ digitalization is the automatic passport control operation. Instead of waiting in a long queue, the passengers could go through the specialized cabins that would check the individual’s passport and confirm their identity. This method of passport control would make the procedure easier and less time-consuming. Moreover, the automatic cabins would not require the person to perform the passport control operation. Thus, the airport workers could concentrate their forces on more complex tasks and increase the resistance to peoples’ congestion. The wise management of passenger flows raises the general airport’s welfare (Xiao et al., 2017). Consequently, the adoption of digitalization techniques would play an essential role in resolving the problem of congestion.
Conclusion
With the development of the aircraft industry, planes became one of the most popular means of transportation among travelers. Therefore, the airports’ capacity does not allow to manage the massive traffic volume that is common for the majority of the airports in the modern world. As a result, the problem of people’s congestion arises among aircraft field workers and creates a considerable number of obstacles for the airport’s proper operation. Therefore, innovative ways of managing the huge groups of passengers should be applied in order to optimize the airports’ performance. The implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and the digitalization techniques would be effective solutions to the problem.
References
Byrne, I., Kanaoka, Y., Pollack, N. E., Rhee, H. J., & Sommers, P. M. (2019). An analysis of airport delays across the United States, 2012-2018. Journal of Student Research, 8(2).
Jacquillat, A., Odoni, A. R., & Webster, M. D. (2017). Dynamic control of runway configurations and arrival and departure service rates at JFK airport under stochastic queue conditions. Transportation Science, 51(1), 155-176.
Federal Aviation Administration. (2019). What is NextGen? Web.
Wells, A., & Young, S. (2011). Airport planning and management transportation. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Xiao, Y. B., Fu, X., Oum, T. H., & Yan, J. (2017). Modeling airport capacity choice with real options. Transportation research part B: methodological, 100, 93-114.