El lado positivo de la ejecución del LEVE y LEAD para el desarrollo económico:

concourses. The baggage claim area is underneath the main terminal and has its own station (Atlanta Airport, 2010b).

5.2 Different airport designs to be compared

In this study, different airport layouts, including the existing layout of Atlanta airport, are compared via a simulation model of each. The designs are then evaluated, based on passenger movement and convenience, and aircraft movement and traffic, as well as a flight-to-gate assignment programme to optimise passenger walking distances at airports.

Each airport design has a main terminal building where check-in, security checks and passport control are performed. The boarding gates (i.e. aircraft parking spaces) are on opposite sides of five concourses. The concourses are narrow buildings connected to the main terminal building via one or more un-derground buildings/tunnels. These tunnels connecting the concourses and the terminal building are beneath the surface of the apron in order to avoid conflicts between passengers and aircraft. Each passenger thus moves from the main ter-minal building to the concourse at which his/her flight is parked via a tunnel.

Once the passengers arrive at the correct concourse they move to the aircraft gate where boarding takes place.

The gates, at which the aircraft park, are of different sizes. The concourses are numbered A to E, where A is on the one end of the airport and E is on the other end. In each design, the gates at concourses A and E, looking away from the other concourses are the largest. Aircraft with a wingspan of up to 80 m can park there. The gates at concourses A and E, looking towards the other concourses as well as the gates at concourses B and D looking away from concourse C, are medium sized gates. These gates are for aircraft with a wingspan of up to 65 m.

The other gates at concourses B and D as well as all the gates at concourse C are small gates. Aircraft with a wingspan of up to 40 m can park there. All the concourses are of the same length. Nine gates are on either side of the concourses that will accommodate the large and medium aircraft and 18 gates on either side of the concourses that will accommodate the small aircraft. In all the apron designs, each concourse is 55 m wide. The distance between the terminal building

5.2 Different airport designs to be compared

and the concourses is 124.5 m and the distance between any two concourses is 245 m. The gates on either side of each concourse are spaced evenly.

Figure 5.1: Airport apron layout: Design 1

The different airport designs considered in this study are illustrated in Figures 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 and 5.4. Design 1 is based on the concept of Atlanta Airport, but customised for South African conditions. The five concourses are spaced parallel to the main terminal building as well as to each other. In this case, an under-ground tunnel runs from the main terminal building to the furthest concourse, connecting all the concourses to each other. At Atlanta Airport there are a lot of transfer passengers due to the fact that Atlanta is a hub for many airlines.

These transfer passengers do not need to go back to the main terminal building before boarding the next flight, they only need to move to the concourse of the next flight. Therefore, it is essential that the different concourses be connected to each other. However, if this concept is used in South Africa at the new Lanseria Airport, there will not be as many transfer passengers and it will not be necessary for passengers to be able to move from one concourse to another (Lagus, 2010).

5.2 Different airport designs to be compared

Furthermore, there will not be an automatic people mover at the new Lanseria Airport as is used at Atlanta Airport. The tunnel connecting the concourses will have walking space as well as pedestrian walkways. The runways are perpendicu-lar to the main terminal and the concourses and are on both sides of the airport.

The parking space for cars is on the other side of the main terminal building.

Figure 5.2: Airport apron layout: Design 2

Design 2 is the design proposed by Virtual Consulting Engineers in Pretoria, the industry partner in charge of the project of expanding Lanseria International Airport. In this design, the concourses are parallel to each other but perpendic-ular to the main terminal building. The space between the main terminal and the concourses will be used for aircraft taxiways. Thus, five short tunnels will be built underneath the taxiway, connecting the main terminal to each concourse.

Again, the tunnels will have walking space as well as pedestrian walkways.

The runways are perpendicular to the main terminal building and parallel to the concourses, on both sides of the airport. Again, the parking space for cars is on the other side of the main terminal building, opposite the concourses.

5.2 Different airport designs to be compared

Figure 5.3: Airport apron layout: Design 3

In Design 3, the main terminal building will be built from the middle of the first concourse up to the middle of the last concourse, dividing each of the five concourses in half. In this case, concourses are automatically connected to the main terminal building without the need of a tunnel.

In this design, the runways are again parallel to the main terminal building and perpendicular to the concourses. The parking space for cars is at the one end of the terminal building and passengers will all have to enter the terminal from that side.

In Design 4, the third or middle concourse becomes the main terminal build-ing. The parking space for cars is at the one end of the terminal building and because of that, the tunnel connecting the concourses to the main terminal is at the parking space end of the terminal. If the tunnel is positioned in the middle of the concourses as in Design 1, all passengers will need to walk at least half the length of the terminal even if their boarding gates are closest to the parking space end of the terminal. They will then need to walk all the way back to the