Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

The Functional Responsibilities of

The Airport Technical Departments

2.1 Introduction

2.1.1 The responsibility for the provision of technical services at an airport will normally be that of the airport owner but it may in special circumstances be the responsibility of the national Government.

2.1.2 A State owning and operating an airport may in special circumstances delegate this responsibility either in full or in part to another agency. For example. The provider of air traffic control may be responsible either directly or indirectly for some of the tasks listed in Chapter 1, 1.6. The system adopted will reflect national practice - Chapter 1, 1.2 and 1.4 refer.

2.1.3 A typical simple organizational chart of airport management is shown in Figure 2-1.

2.2 Operations Management Department

2.2.1 A typical organizational chart of the department of airport management responsible for airport operations is shown in Figure 2-2.

2.2.2 Functional Responsibllit1es of the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Service

2.2.2.1 Typical duties of the airport rescue and fire fighting service are:

(a) Dealing with all fires, emergencies and related Incidents on an airport. These will include, for example, aircraft or aircraft-related fires occurring on or in the immediate vicinity of the airport as well as building fires. Fuel spillages and road/rail accidents;

(b) Maintenance of an effective liaison with local fire departments. ambulance and police services. These services provide the major effort in dealing with aircraft rescue and fire fighting operations;

(d) regular training to enhance efficiency including negotiating water, swampy areas and other difficult environment in the vicinity of the airport;

(e) other duties as necessary which do not interfere with the primary duties in meeting the recognized response time as stated in Annex 14, Chapter 9; and

(f) fire prevention duties, both planning and practical aspects, and training of non-rescue and fire fighting personnel in fire prevention duties.

2.2.3 Functional Responsibilities of the Airport Operations Section

2.2.3.1 The Airport Operations Section is responsible for the day-to-day control and organization of the safe and expeditious movement of aircraft around the airport and to and from the aircraft stands. Within this section the Duty Operations Officer is usually responsible for the immediate operational efficiency of the airport and a Duty Operations officer is usually available throughout 24 hours at a large airport. Specialized units may exist within the section such as the Movement Area Safety Unit and the Apron Management Unit.

2.2.3.2 A Movement Area Safety Unit is established to carry out the majority of the day-to-day duties of the Operations Department., with the exception of apron control. However, at a small airport, these functions will be combined within a single unit. Typical duties of a Movement Area Safety Unit are:

(a)comprehensive and routine surface inspections of the maneuvering area, including adjacent unpaved areas. and submission of reports to air traffic control, airport maintenance. and airport operations of the condition of the areas inspected and the need for sweeping and/or surface maintenance;

(b) comprehensive and routine surface inspections of the aprons and submission of reports to air traffic control. airport maintenance and airport operations of the condition of the apron areas inspected and the need for sweeping and/or maintenance;

(c)inspections of lighting and submission of reports to air traffic control, airport maintenance and airport operations of any lamp failures. circuit failures and other malfunctions;

(d) bird dispersal measures;

(e) the measurement of friction coefficient; and

(f}the control and issue of temporary passes for people and vehicles requiring access to apron areas on an irregular basis.

2.2.3.3 Typical responsibilities of an Apron Management Unit are:

(a) Allocation of aircraft stands on the aprons to arriving aircraft;

(b) Maintenance of the necessary documentation in connation with aircraft stand allocation. The purpose of this documentation will be to ensure that adequate records are kept. for example to permit landing and parking charges to be Levied;

Without docking guidance systems; and

(d) at some airports. The unit may also be responsible for apron services including the provision of cargo. Baggage and aircraft handling, The Apron Management Unit may be combined with the Movement Area Safety Unit at a small airport.

2.2.4 Functional responsibilities of the Operations Services Section.

2.2.4.1 The Operations Services Section is responsible for the support functions necessary to the efficient running of airport operations. Noise monitoring, administration of airside passes, liaison with external emergency services are all examples of the work of this department.

2.2.5 Functional responsibilities of the Mechanical Transport Section

2.2.5.1 Typical duties of the Mechanical Transport Section are:

(a)the maintenance of all vehicles and specialist mobile engineering equipment, including rescue and fire fighting vehicles, snow clearance equipment and disabled aircraft removal equipment. including the allocation of priorities when required;

(b) the provision of drivers for airport vehicles as required; and

(c)the provision of drivers for specific duties, including sweeping, aircraft stand cleaning, snow clearance and disabled aircraft removal.

2.3 Airport Maintenance Department

2.3.1 Typical duties of an Airport Maintenance Department relating to operational matters are:

(a) Civil Engineering: The Civil Engineering Section will be responsible, either directly or indirectly through use of a contractor, for carrying out remedial repairs to surfaces of the airport. Including all the paved areas and the grass areas (including grass cutting), and the marking on the paved areas, together with the associated drainage. fire mains (if provided) and boundary fencing; and

(b) Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. This section will be responsible, either directly or indirectly through use of a contractor for the maintenance of all aerodrome lighting, associated taxiing guidance signs and other signs, apron guidance systems and standby power supplies serving these facilities. These sections are also responsible for building maintenance, but these duties are inappropriate to an operational manual.

2.4 Operations Room

2.4.1 A co-coordinating centre should be established, where information relating to the operation of the airport can be received and distributed. This may combine the functions of the Apron Management Unit as well as the Movement Area Safety Unit,

2.4.2 The room should be provided with direct telephone lines to ATC and any other operational control rooms as well as MET and AIS. Radio communications should be provided so that operational staff can be contacted whether on foot or in vehicles. Arrangements should be made for the preparation and issue of NOT AM (see Chapter 22),

2.4.3 Communications should be established with any management duty control room which is provided to cover the