From the editor


Omicron and on and on


On the web...


Find market analysis, products and services, and recent editions at: www.futureairport.com


Future Airport Issue 2 2021


Editorial Editor Nicholas Kenny


nicholas.kenny@progressivemediainternational.com Sub-editor Lizzie Waymouth Production manager Dave Stanford Group art director Henrik Williams Head of content Jake Sharp


Commercial Client services executive Ruchita Marwaha Sales manager David Chai


david.chai@progressivemediainternational.com Managing Director William Crocker


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N


o rest for the weary – or so it seemed when the Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa on 24 November. Since then, the mutant strain of coronavirus has spread across the globe, causing a new headache for the industry just in time for the holiday season. Heathrow Airport announced that its passenger traffic was 60% lower in November 2021 than before the pandemic – at the same time, it was also experiencing “high cancellations” among travellers concerned about being trapped overseas for Christmas as Omicron spreads.


And not without reason, of course, as country after country brings in new sets of travel restrictions, which served as a fresh blow to travel confidence. With Omicron emerging soon after the resumption of transatlantic flights, Heathrow’s statement glumly noted that the new mutant variant had essentially negated the benefit of reopening that all-important corridor to North America.


UK £58 EU €92 US $119 RoW $120 UK £93 EU €144 US $190 RoW $191


Of course, every cloud has a silver lining. While Omicron is highly infectious, early reports suggest that it results in a milder form of Covid-19 than the Delta variant that preceded it. This could enable a swifter recovery in 2022 than we saw in 2021, as Omicron’s rate of transmissions means that it will likely end up the dominant strain. Whatever the result, it is clear that the world will still be dealing with Covid-19 well into the future. In this issue, we look at a number of ways in which the industry is developing around the pandemic. On page 29, we see how digital control towers can increase safety and efficiency for air traffic controllers. We head over to Australia on page 11, where the lessons learned over the pandemic have been used by the designers of the upcoming Western Sydney Airport to create a truly digitalised aviation hub. And on page 35, we hear how the reopening of transatlantic routes helped boost air traffic recovery in the second half of 2021. Of course, life goes on outside the pandemic, and we cover a much wider range of topics within these pages – read on to find out more.


Nicholas Kenny, editor


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