DESIGNING APRON AREAS FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW using AEROTURN PRO

by Shaun McAleer,

Aireld Planning, Manchester Airport

Manchester Airport is the third busiest in the UK, handling 18.8 million passengers and 167,400 aircraft movements in 2011 across three Terminals.
On a daily basis, the airport handles a wide variety of aircraft types ranging from small regional aircraft such as Bombarbier Q400 and Embraer 145, right through to Boeing 747 and Airbus A380. Handling such a diverse mix of aircraft requires a highly exible and ecient apron layout in order to meet the needs of all airline customers, whilst ensuring that safety is never compromised. Similar to many airports that underwent major growth and development during the 1970s, 80s and 90s, the challenge at Manchester in recent years has been to safely accommodate modern aircraft such as Boeing 777s, Airbus A330s or aircraft retro-tted with winglets, namely Boeing 737, 757 and 767s on stands that were originally designed for types such as Boeing 737-200, BAC111 and DC10. is required signicant reconguration of several

apron areas. Next to the need to accommodate larger aircraft types, Manchesters Aireld Planners also wanted to introduce 6m wide Interstand Clearways to provide clearly marked, safe access/egress routes between wingtips of aircraft parked on adjacent stands. Aeroturn is now used on a daily basis at Manchester Airport for tasks such as aircraft taxi route planning or tweaks to the apron layout, and for larger scale projects such as complete apron recongurations or planning for new developments. A recent project was the reconguration of the apron on Terminal 3. Aireld Planning Ocer, Shaun McAleer, recalls how Aeroturn became a valued tool during the planning process. After experiencing ongoing problems and lack of updates with the previous airport planning software, Shaun researched the market to see what else was out there. Following an on-site demo provided by Transoft, he decided to purchase Aeroturn because he found it to be the most comprehensive and up-to-date airport planning software available, performing all the functions he needed. Shaun explains the process: e apron layout on Terminal 3 was originally designed in the late 1990s and was mainly based around accommodating Boeing 737-200s, BAe 146 and ATP aircraft, with a couple of stands designed for larger Code D or E types such as Boeing 767 and 747. It became apparent that there was a need to increase the aircraft capability of some of the