C HAPTER B USINESS AVIATION. Business Aviation

Transcription

1 10 C HAPTER B USINESS AVIATION 10 Business Aviation v

2 10.1 B USINESS A VIATION Chapter INTRODUCTION Business Aviation (BA) is the sub - set of General Aviation (GA) that serves corporate business aviation needs. The facilities that support Business Aviation provide a variety of aviation-related services such as aircraft fuelling, maintenance and hangar facilities as well as special services for pas sengers and flight logistics support for aircrews. The demand for BA facilities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) is currently significant, reflecting the strong and diverse economy of the GTA. Even the current record fuel prices have not dampened the demand for BA services. The focus of this chapter is to assess what facilities may be required to meet demand over the Master Plan period DEFINITION OF BUSINESS AVIATION The following describes activity which is currently associated with the Area 8 and Area 10 Infield area Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) plus movements associated with aircraft management or aircraft sales related activities that occur in the GTAA Three Bay Hangar or elsewhere. There are a number of diverse operations including: corporate flight department operations aircraft charters fractional ownership operations aircraft management services government/state and military operations air ambulance operations aircraft maintenance aircraft sales and acquisitions aircraft fit-up activity cargo/courier operations smaller commuter type aircraft unable to land at their desig - nated airport in the GTA due to poor meteorological conditions at that airport operations by private individuals. For the purposes of the Master Plan at Toronto Pearson, Business Aviation will be defined as: That sector of aviation which con - cerns the operation or use of aircraft by companies for the carriage of passengers or goods as an aid to the conduct of their own business, flown for purposes considered not for public hire and piloted by individuals having at the minimum, a valid commer - cial pilot s licence with an instrument rating. This definition will exclude airline and non-airline advanced booking or prepaid regularly scheduled pas sen ger or scheduled cargo service HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF GENERAL AND BUSINESS AVIATION AT TORONTO PEARSON General Aviation was purposely allocated to Area 8 away from the terminal area in the 1950s due to operational and safety concerns. This area cannot be expanded as it is located on land between the approaches to the north-south runways. Historically, activities from this area included small scale passenger transportation, cargo operations, flight training, air survey photography, sightseeing tours and recreational flying. The facilities in this area were built to reflect these usages.

3 10.2 Area 8 Business Aviation Area General Aviation activity peaked in 1978 with 97,000 aircraft movements representing 39 per cent of total air traffic. Aircraft weighing less than 2,000 kg constituted 20 per cent of total movements. This volume of activity was incom patible with a large international airport and so was the mix of small aircraft with many flight training operations and large commercial aircraft. By the mid-1980s, training flights were officially banned at the Airport due to run way and taxi - way conges tion and regulations were instituted to exclude various operations during peak demand periods. By 1988, runway capacity con - straints and associated delays were sufficiently severe to require the introduction of flight registration and slot scheduling. Aircraft were no longer permitted to land with - out receiving prior permission and only a limited number of noncarrier flights were allowed during peak activity hours. In addition, minimum landing fees for off-peak and peak periods were introduced. As a result of these changes, the profile of General Aviation activity at Toronto Pearson has changed dramatically in terms of types of aircraft and purpose of activity. General Aviation declined from 39 per cent of total move ments in 1978 to 12 per cent in Today, General Aviation has evolved primarily into Business Aviation, and in 2006, accounted for approx imately 36,500 move - ments, or 8.7 per cent of the total airport movements. Even though the number of move ments has decreased, the size and weight of the aircraft has increased PROFILE OF OPERATIONS In 2006, there were approximately 36,500 Business Aviation move - ments which had the following characteristics: Jets accounted for 66.6% of opera tions, 32% of operations were propeller driven (primarily turbo prop), and helicopters were 1.4%. Movements by weight class (maximum takeoff weight) were: >50,000 kg 1.4% (commercial sized jets e.g. Boeing 727, 737) 19,000 kg-50,000 kg 14.7% (large and mid-size business jets e.g. Bombardier BD-700 Global Express, Bombardier Challenger 600 Series, Gulfstream II V series, Dassault Falcon 900) 12,000 kg-19,000 kg 21.3% (mid-size business jets e.g. Bombardier Challenger 300, Dassault Falcon 20/50/200/2000, Raytheon Hawker 800, Cessna Citation 680/750) 5,670 kg-12,000 kg 44.4% (small busi ness jets and medium turboprops e.g. Bombardier Learjet Series, Cessna Citation 550/560/650, Israel Aerospace Industries Westwind 1124, Dassault Falcon 10, Raytheon Hawker 400, Beechcraft 1900, Beechcraft King Air 300) 3,500 kg-5,670 kg 14.6% (small business jets and small turboprops e.g. Cessna 208 Caravan, Beechcraft King Air 100, Pilatus PC-12, Cessna Citation 525, Sikorsky S-76) <3,500 kg 3.6% (piston aircraft e.g. Piper PA Chieftain, Cessna 172, Beechcraft Baron 58) By sector, domestic operations accounted for 43.3% of operations, transborder 53.2%, and international was 3.5%. Special consideration has to be given to

4 10.3 with an integrated passenger lounge and Hangar 8B), supported by 15,800 m 2 of apron and 80 parking spaces. FBO Terminal (Area 8) each of the respective operating contexts in Canada and the United States since there are different patterns of aircraft ownership and utilization. Business Aviation operators have access to six slots per hour in the peak periods and can also utilize slots not used by commercial aviation operators. A peak period charge applies as well DESCRIPTION OF CURRENT FACILITIES Business Aviation facilities at Toronto Pearson are located in Area 8 of the Airport North area and in the Area 10 Infield area (see Figure 10-1). Currently there is approximately 42,800 m 2 of net hangar space, 1,900 m 2 of separate FBO terminal space, and 102,700 m 2 of apron space devoted to Business Aviation use combined in Area 8 and the Infield including the interim use of the GTAA Three Bay Hangar. These tenants lease space and, in turn, sublease some of their space to other tenants providing related services and to aircraft owners for storage and maintenance. Hangar facilities vary greatly in size, age, condition and in their capability to accommodate aircraft. A summary of the facilities is provided below. Area 8 The Area 8 Business Aviation facilities are illustrated in Figure 10-2 and described below. Skycharter is an independent Fixed Base Operator (FBO) selling unbranded fuel. Skycharter operates two hangars with a total of 7,300 m 2 net space, (Hangar 8A Infield FBO Terminal (left) and GTAA Three Bay Hangar (right) Landmark Aviation (formerly Piedmont Hawthorne) is a Shell products dealer. Landmark Aviation currently operates four hangars totaling 18,200 m 2 (net space) and two Fixed Base Opera - tion (FBO) terminals (1,100 m 2 ), supported by 58,600 m 2 of apron and 717 parking spaces. Innotech/Execaire provides aircraft management, maintenance, aircraft charters and sales services, but does not sell fuel. Innotech/Execaire currently operates one hangar which has a net area of 2,300 m 2 and no apron area (they have a right of way over the Hangar 9 apron). There are 42 vehicle parking spaces. Access to airside for all tenants in Area 8 is served by Taxiway Kilo (uncontrolled) and Taxiway Juliet (controlled). Groundside access to Area 8 is from Derry Road to Vanguard Drive and Vedette Drive which form a perimeter road on three sides of Area 8.

5 10.4 There is one underground tank farm located in Area 8 containing seven tanks each with a capacity of 66,000 litres. These fuel tanks serve the Skyservice and Landmark Aviation FBOs. Skycharter has its Chapter 10 > B U S I N E S S A V I AT I O N own aboveground fuel tank which is a single tank with a capacity of 68,000 litres. Fuel is bulk delivered to the tanks by truck and then delivered to the aircraft by truck when required. Area 10 Infield The Infield Business Aviation facilities described below are illustrated in Figure 10-2.

6 10.5 Skyservice FBO is an Esso products dealer. Skyservice currently operates one hangar with a net area of 8,400 m 2 and 28,300 m 2 of apron area. They also lease the north bay of the GTAA Three Bay Hangar of which half is used for Business Aviation activity (3,300 m 2 ). Additionally, they operate an FBO terminal building which is 800 m 2. This facility has 210 vehicle parking spaces. Bombardier currently utilizes the middle bay of the GTAA Three Bay Hangar for aircraft sales related activity (3,300 m 2 ). Airside access for the Infield area is through taxiway Echo (controlled). Groundside access to the Infield area is from Britannia Road East to Midfield Road INDUSTRY TRENDS A number of important changes are currently occurring in the Business Aviation industry: There is a general tendency toward the use of progressively larger business aircraft which will have implications for space requirements at airports even if the number of movements were to remain static. The certification of the first Very Light Jet (VLJ) aircraft models has just recently occurred and the first aircraft are being delivered. VLJs are a whole new class of aircraft that are relatively inexpensive yet have high performance characteristics. This type of aircraft could be more accessible to individual owners and could facilitate the air taxi business, so it could potentially stimulate the Business Aviation industry. At the time of writing, two VLJ aircraft models have been certified and at least ten more are pending certification over the next few years. However, it will take several years before enough aircraft models are certified, manufactured and sold before any trend will be visible. Debate exists about how prolific these aircraft will be, who will use them and how. Information gathered in support of this plan suggests that this type of aircraft will have a limited presence at Toronto Pearson. Business Aviation aircraft currently incorpo rate advanced technologies in aircraft airframes, engines/engine manage ment systems, and avionics which all provide for the following: greater fuel efficiency FBO Hangar

7 10.6 There are potential changes in air navigation technology such as the use of GPS based navigation which may allow for greater capacity of the airspace system facilitating a greater accommodation of aircraft operations. With consolidation in the FBO industry, there is a tendency towards fewer independent opera tions and more chain opera tions which allows aircraft operators to make multi-airport arrangements with FBOs for the provision of services. reduced noise and pollution emissions increased range and payload greater ease of operation facilitation of more efficient use of air space when combined with new air naviga tion system equipment. New models of ownership/ charter of business aircraft (such as fractional ownership and block charter cards) facilitate easier acquisition/use and higher utilization of aircraft, and supports more proliferation of aircraft movements. Due to a thriving economy, the ability to more easily acquire access to business aircraft and the perceived greater convenience of using business aircraft, the number of businesses considering the use of business aircraft as an alternative to scheduled commercial travel is increasing. There is currently a very strong market for new and used business aircraft. Fuelling Facility 10.7 FORECAST OF DEMAND Business Aviation is recognized to be vital to the economy of the Greater Toronto Area and is expected to continue to require facilities within the region which facilitate access to Toronto. The use of other existing airports in the GTA may not be feasible alternatives to accommodate Business Aviation due to factors such as: Toronto City Centre Airport currently cannot serve jet aircraft.

8 10.7 FBO Hangar Buttonville Airport has insufficient runway length for certain jets. Other GA airports in the region are on the periphery of the GTA and lack facilities and suitable runways for jet aircraft. Additionally, there are some un - certainties at the current time that complicate forecasting: The future of a potential new airport at Pickering has not yet been determined, there fore it is unknown how much Business Aviation demand would be directed to Pickering if the airport is built. The impact of the proliferation of VLJs on the industry has yet to be determined. The impact on demand from the United States due to proposed airspace management finance reforms there is unknown. These reforms threaten to add more costs onto the Business Aviation industry if they are implemented. Since more than half of Business Aviation activity at Toronto Pearson is to/from the U.S. (transborder), any major change in the operating environment in the U.S. will likely have a significant impact on demand for BA facilities with access to Toronto. Fuel prices have risen dramati - cally recently as a result of various factors and it is un known at what point any further dramatic increases would dampen demand. Below are forecast levels of demand presented in five year increments throughout the Master Plan period: Business Aviation Movement Forecasts Year Movements , , , , ,000 The forecast level of demand reflects an average annual growth of 2% in movements per year from the current baseline over the Master Plan period. The forecasts take into considera - tion the following assumptions: Business Aviation aircraft weights and sizes are expected to grad - ually increase over time requiring more land area for a given number of movements than has occurred in the past. A strong relationship between Business Aviation activity and macroeconomic factors has been identified and the forecasts are based on a relationship to these factors. The continued operation of the existing General Aviation airports in the region. The operating environment at Toronto Pearson remains stable with respect to availability of slots, fees, ability to conduct night operations and noise restrictions FUTURE REQUIREMENTS Business Aviation forecast demand, for those activities that fall within the definition pro vided in Section 10.2, could be accom - mo dated at Toronto Pearson throughout the Master Plan period through the combined use of a re devel oped Area 8 and existing facilities in the Infield. The Infield area is, however, con - strain ed for further expansion of Business Aviation facilities.