BACKGROUND

The goal of airport system planning is to promote the efficient use of airport resources in a defined geographic area. This is accomplished through a thorough examination of the performance and interaction of the entire system to understand the interrelationships of the member airports. Developing airports in a system and understanding a region’s user requirements, socioeconomics, and surface transportation network may result in a more efficient system. While there has been a long-standing tradition of airport system planning focused on passenger and aircraft activity, airport air cargo system planning has been much less common. Air cargo facilities and activity are often off-site; there are also airport-to-airport cargo movements undertaken entirely by trucks (and it is common for airports to have more truck-to-truck cargo activity than aircraft air cargo activity). These unique characteristics of aircraft activity, coupled with limited reliable data on the types of air cargo movements and the cargo’s origins and destinations, make airport air cargo system planning challenging.

Research is needed to help aviation planners develop air cargo system plans.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop a guide, with an executive summary, to help aviation planners conduct air cargo system planning at both the regional and state levels. 

The guide should cover, at a minimum: 

• An overview of air cargo system and the current practices including those of ground/ road feeder services
• A bibliography
• The purpose of and need for cargo system analysis
• Case studies for at least three state and three regional cargo systems plans
• Identification and appropriate role of incentive mechanisms to support viable air cargo systems
• Steps for conducting air cargo system planning that might include:
  • Identifying key stakeholders and subject-matter experts
  • Identifying and selecting appropriate data sources for developing air cargo systems plans
  • Conducting an airport cargo-related inventory
  •  Identifying demand forecasts
  •  Identifying cargo facility needs
  •  Key performance measures for air cargo systems planning optimization
  •  Identifying implementation steps that consider at a minimum:
    • Operational requirements for air cargo systems planning
    • Industry outreach and stakeholder engagement strategy  
    • Impact of governance structure (e.g., regulatory, operations, security, customs, safety)
    • Financing mechanisms for developing air cargo systems
• Future implications of advanced air mobility as it pertains to air cargo system planning (e.g., fleet, EV charging)

The executive summary should be written for state aviation departments/metropolitan planning organizations and airport executives. 

RESEARCH PLAN

The research plan shall contain the appropriate interim deliverables for ACRP review and approval, including:

• A summary of the literature review of previous ACRP and non-ACRP studies regarding cargo system plans 
• A data collection plan for accomplishing the research objective that includes proposed case studies and selection criteria
• An interim report containing research results to date, an annotated outline of the guide, an analysis of results, next steps, and potential follow-on research ideas to be developed into problem statements

The research plan should contain checkpoints with the ACRP panel, including:

• A kickoff web meeting to be held within 1 month of the Notice to Proceed 
• A web meeting to discuss the literature review
• A web meeting to discuss the case study plan
• One face-to-face interim deliverable review meeting and web-enabled teleconferences tied to the panel review and ACRP approval of other interim deliverables deemed appropriate

The final deliverables will include: 

• A guide with an executive summary
• A research team’s final report documenting all research steps, results, and analysis
• A Summary of Key Findings
• A Further Recommended Research Memo
• A technical memo titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products”

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.