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Elements of the Continuous Airport System Planning Program

Regional Air Passenger Survey

Simultaneous, regional surveys of air passengers at all three commercial airports have been performed in 1973/74, 1981/82, 1987, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2005. These surveys provide data which are essential for the airport system planning and master planning processes. In the interest of a modally-integrated transportation planning process, it has been recommended that the cycle of air passenger surveys be synchronized with the Regional Long Range Plan update process. In order to coordinate the air passenger survey cycle with this schedule, the next survey is planned for September 2007, to provide input to the FY 2008 Long Range Plan update. The 2007 Regional Air Passenger will be conducted in two phases, over the course of two fiscal years. Phase I of the survey (FY 2007) will include survey design, sample generation and data collection. Phase II of the survey (FY 2008) will create a useful database from the raw data file, and provide for tabulation and analysis of the data.

Regional Air Passenger Origin/Destination Forecasts

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) publishes Terminal Area Forecast (TAF) of aviation activity for mainly FAA towered airports. While these forecasts were produced for passenger enplanements, there is no origin/destination work done for the region. Origin/destination information is essential for airport-related transportation studies and for airport master plan landside facility determination. While airport choice depends on a number of differing variables, in the long term, given a certain amount of growth in air travel, a logical division in airport use can be determined. This project develops an air passenger forecasting technique, based on the technique used in COG's cooperative forecasting program, and an airport origin/destination allocation based on a trip distribution model calibrated from the Air Passenger Survey data. This origin/destination data will then be used to update airport ground access forecasts.

Ground Access Travel Time Study

The purpose of airport ground access travel time is to analyze: (1) travel time and changes in peak-period delay and level of service on principal airport-serving roadways from selected activity centers to the three commercial airports ; and, (2) changes in airport accessibility due to highway and transit improvements. Ground Access Travel Tome studies were conducted in 1989, 1995 and 2003. The next update is planned for FY 2008.

• Washington-Baltimore Regional Airport Ground Access Travel Time Study Update - 1995 (13 MB)

Ground Access Forecasts

The forecast presents detailed average weekday local originating air passenger ground access trips from 160 local area Aviation Analysis Zones (AAZ) to each of the region's three commercial airports. The forecasts are further broken out by major ground access mode for each local AAZ to Airport origin-destination pair. These ground access forecasts will be used as inputs for the triennial update of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board's (TPB) Constrained Long Range Plan and as the basis for revising the Ground Access Element of the CASP Regional Airport System Plan.

Regional Airport System Plan Ground Access Element

The Ground Access Element of the Regional Airport System Plan provides an analysis of current and forecast ground access problems at Ronald Reagan Washington National, Washington Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington Thurgood Marshall International airports. This plan element also integrates airport system ground access and facility planning into the overall regional transportation planning process for the National Capital region and will include recommendations for improving ground access to the region's airports.

Regional Airport System Plan Air Cargo Element

Airport cargo and handling facilities are a major element of airport master planning. The emphasis on goods movement in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act points to the need for a regional analysis of air cargo, examining the current demand at Dulles and BWI Airports . The study examines existing demand, and analyze how the movement of cargo affects the regional ground transportation network. It also focus on the goods movement portion of airport access, examine the estimated potential demand for air cargo facilities and compare this demand with current and planned facilities to determine what air cargo facilities are needed in the region to meet future demand. The work is done in coordination with air cargo programs of MAA, VDOA and MWAA.

• Washington-Baltimore Regional Airport System Plan Air Cargo Element - 1997 (44 MB)