Norfolk International Airport Master Plan

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Norfolk International Airport Master Plan Update
Student’s Name
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Date

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Introduction
Located about 1 mile east of I-64, Norfolk International Airport serves northeast Carolina and
the coastal region of Virginia. The airport’s Master Plan was drafted in 2008 and is currently
under update to account for changes in the airport and generally in the aviation industry in
terms of passenger volumes and fleet expansion. According to Magalhães Reis & Macário
(2017), the master plan has been the traditional approach to airport development but with
current developments, the aviation industry has undergone significant structural alterations.
Flexibility in the Master Plan is essential and helps to accommodate changes within the
airport’s terminals.
Summary
Norfolk international Airport’s Master Plan Update includes projects designed to
extend the useful life of the airport and to meet the air transportation requirements of the area
it serves for the next 20 years ("Norfolk International Airport," n.d.). The Master Plan Update
(MPU) is an involving process. It involves the conduction of a study to assess and to make
recommendations on how to improve the physical and operational performance of the airport.
Norfolk International Airports MPU includes Airside, Terminal and Landside Planning,
Sustainability Planning, Capital Improvement Program and Financial Considerations.
Development in the three operational areas of the airport: landside, terminal and airfield is
necessary due to the rising growth in the number of passengers and flights which is the key
driving factor. These in turn give rise to other factors including increased packing space
requirements for passengers and employees, security, inspection and maintenance personnel.
One of the major problems facing humanity in the 21st century is climate change (Dalkiran,
2018). Organizations and institutions across the globe are seeking alternatives to the
conventional sources of energy and other practices that may harm the environment.

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Considering this issue, sustainability is a key component of the airport’s Master Plan.
Consequently analysis of all the recommended projects is to be performed to assess their
environmental impact in terms of noise pollution, air quality and the general airport
environment.
One of the major challenges affecting the future planning of passenger terminals is the
expansion of Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs) with their emphasis on cost minimization. This
introduces stiff competition with the traditional manner of airline operation. The ability of
Low Cost Carriers to provide short turnaround times at lower charges by operating in
regional airports threatens the passenger base of main hub airports hence their ability to
predict the future and the optimal design of their operating environment (Yadav & Dhingra,
2018). Another problem arises from traffic and passenger peak loads. During peak periods, a
large number of customers is transported to and from the airport which calls for specific
infrastructure requirements including a resilient runway. These structures are however, not
sufficiently utilized during the off-peak hours of the day. This raises the average cost of
operation of the airport. The airport’s design must therefore take into account these variations
for instance by developing an optimization algorithm for efficient utilization of the airport’s
resources.

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References
Dalkiran, A, (2018). Airport Management: Sustainable Projects to Sustainable Operations.
Norfolk International Airport. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15, 2020, from
https://www.norfolkairport.com/
Magalhães, L., Reis, V., & Macário, R. (2017). A literature review of flexible development of
airport terminals. Transport Reviews, 37(3), 365-382.
Yadav, M., & Dhingra, T. (2018). Recent developments in'low cost carrier'research: a
review. International Journal of Business Excellence, 16(4), 427-453.