Airports are pivotal in the global transportation network, ensuring millions of passengers reach their destinations safely and efficiently.
As the aviation sector rebounds to pre-COVID levels, the infrastructure demands have surged, necessitating significant upgrades and expansions. This is particularly evident in the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) region.
Australian international air passenger movements are projected to increase by approximately 220 per cent between 2023-24 and 2049-50.
Similarly, New Zealand’s air passenger traffic is expected to cross 20 million by 2028, up from 18 million in 2023.
These statistics underscore the urgent need for airports to enhance their infrastructure to accommodate growing passenger volumes and connectivity needs.
To address these demands, airports around the world, including those in the ANZ region, are modernising terminals, runways, and facilities. Significant capex investments have been announced, and programs like the Regional Airports Program (RAP), Remote Airstrip Upgrade Program (RAU), and Regional Airports Development Scheme (RADS) are driving upgrades in regional aviation infrastructure, safety, and accessibility.
However, upgrading airport infrastructure is a complex, multi-year process.
Airports operate in “live” environments where physical staff and systems function under high pressure round the clock. Any layout change can disrupt operations, frustrate passengers, and raise safety issues. Therefore, maximising every invested dollar requires smarter, more efficient upgrades powered by a modern, data-first approach to design and collaboration.
Streamlining Infrastructure Upgrades and Maintenance
Imagine your team is halfway through resurfacing a major runway when you realise the new lighting system doesn’t align with the latest safety requirements.
The specifications were never updated across teams, leading to disrupted flights, spiralling costs, and passenger delays. To avoid such scenarios, it’s essential to streamline infrastructure upgrades by ensuring different teams can collaborate more effectively.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be crucial in this regard. BIM assists in design and data management while utilising a Common Data Environment (CDE) to enable seamless collaboration across teams. Hundreds of stakeholders can access accurate, up-to-date information about the airport infrastructure project from a single source, saving hours of time spent searching for or duplicating information.
BIM tools like clash detection automatically check for constructability issues before they become expensive to fix in the field, reducing the potential for time-consuming rework. Moreover, interoperability tools help streamline the handover process by integrating design and construction data into airport facility and space management systems, creating a smoother transition to operations and efficient long-term facility management.
Optimising Operations
BIM can integrate with asset management systems, airport operations databases, and building management systems, ensuring information flows seamlessly for real-time decision-making. Predictive maintenance, utilising data analysis and Artificial Intelligence (AI), can identify potential issues before they become critical, reducing the likelihood of unexpected equipment failures.
Enhancing the Customer Experience
As passenger volumes rise, airport owners must expand and modernize facilities without compromising the passenger experience. Real-time data on assets in a CDE can improve workflows and decision-making. Digital twins, which are digital replicas of physical assets, can monitor airport operations in real-time and optimise efficiency, predicting crowding and dynamically allocating resources.
Meeting Environmental and Sustainability Targets
Airports have a substantial carbon footprint, comparable to that of a small city. Addressing these issues involves upgrading infrastructure to be more sustainable, incorporating renewable energy sources, efficient waste management systems, and green building materials. The Australian Airports Association has identified sustainability and net-zero aviation as a critical need.
Implementing sustainable solutions can reduce harmful emissions by 50 per cent, attract investments, lead to significant cost savings, and increase resilience to adverse weather events. BIM tools can help build sustainable airport infrastructure, reducing construction waste and aiding in meeting carbon neutrality and sustainability targets.
Conclusion
Airports in the ANZ region have written impressive success stories, driven by private investments, monitoring regimes, and favourable regulatory frameworks. As the region moves towards net-zero goals and embraces new technologies, Autodesk stands ready to partner in the journey. Discover how BIM and CDE technology can help upgrade airports faster and more sustainably while maximising customer satisfaction. Learn more at https://boards.autodesk.com/anz-airport-owners
