Introduction
Today, air transportation can be viewed as the dominant method of transcontinental and intercontinental travel due to its safety, time-efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Affordable and accessible travel is supported by a complex air transport system, which includes a wide range of airports, airlines, and works traffic control. Modern air transport networks are highly dynamic, with the timetable of departures and arrivals meticulously scheduled to ensure all runways are in use and flights do not interfere with one another (Rocha, 2017).
In large hubs, even the slightest postponement due to extreme weather conditions or air carrier issues can result in congestion and subsequent delays. Therefore, many primary hubs receiving an increased number of enplanements are supported by reliever airfields. This essay will analyze the air transport system in the United States and discuss the role of relievers within it. It will also reflect on the positive and negative aspects of maintaining nonprimary airports in major metropolitan areas.
General Environment in the Current Airline Industry
The air transport network is the primary and most complex component of the global airline industry. It includes primary and nonprimary airports in a variety of regions and countries, flights between them, and airlines that may or may not have agreements with some of the hubs (Rocha, 2017). In the United States, there are over 20,000 airports, heliports, and seaplane bases, 5,000 of which are open to the public (Federal Aviation Administration, 2020).
The vast number of hubs can be explained by the continuously growing demand for air travel. According to World Bank Open Data (2020), in 2019, over 4,397 billion people took a commercial or private flight, with 926,737.00 thousand passengers leaving from the United States’ airfields. Overall, 37,461,913.819 registered air carriers departed from various airports worldwide (World Bank Open Data, 2019). The current environment in the global airline industry requires an increase in both the number of flights and airfields able to provide access to air travel to the public. Overall, it can be argued that the present situation is driving the decisions to provide support to large primary hubs with the opening of smaller relievers.
The Role of Reliever Airports in the Air Transport Network
Many of the large metropolitan areas maintain additional secondary and reliever airports. The latter can be defined as airfields designated “to relieve congestion at a commercial service airport and to provide more general aviation access to the overall community” (Federal Aviation Administration, 2020). A large hub requires one or more supporting hubs if it serves an area with a population of over 250,000 residents or enplanes the same number of passengers annually (Grubesic et al., 2017). Today, over 200 national and regional airports provide support to primary hubs in metropolitan areas (Grubesic et al., 2017).
While drawing general aviation traffic away from main airfields remains the main purpose of many relievers, others can evolve to operate as primary locations for their communities (Grubesic et al., 2017). Overall, these nonprimary airports play an essential role in the modern air transport network, allowing access to air travel for the public.
Many individual metropolitan areas are successful in maintaining their secondary and reliever airports. It can be argued that the economic impact of these hubs is the key aspect of this achievement. According to the Metropolitan Airports Commission. (2018), in 2016, relievers created 1,030 jobs in the sector and generated $198 million in GDP and $355 million in economic output. They also create new job places in industries not directly related to the airline sector, but that can be located on the premises of the airport (Metropolitan Airports Commission, 2018).
For example, cafes, restaurants, information stands, and souvenir shops require personnel to maintain them, leading to the emergence of new vacancies as an indirect impact on the relievers. Furthermore, an influx of people to a metropolitan area via a nonprimary airport results in additional visitor spending in local businesses, primarily in the hospitality sector (Metropolitan Airports Commission, 2018). Notably, this influx can also create new jobs in industries not related to the air transport network. Thus, relievers have a substantial impact on the economic growth in their local communities and the region as a whole.
Reliever airfields provide an opportunity to ameliorate congestion and expand/enhance commercial operations in the United States. It should be noted that they can fulfill their purpose and lead to a meaningful decrease in air traffic overcrowding. According to Grubesic et al. (2017), nonprimary airports can reduce congestion if they are well maintained and can accommodate various aircraft. However, this requires financial investment in order to secure the necessary equipment and hire the needed personnel. Similarly, some of the relievers have the potential of expanding their operation and beginning to function as a small air hub for their community.
For example, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway International Airport (AZA) has successfully transitioned from a reliever to a functioning commercial hub (Grubesic et al., 2017). The transition required substantial financial backing and renovations to qualify as a primary hub (Grubesic et al., 2017). Overall, meaningful alleviation of air traffic congestion and the expansion of commercial operations is possible with investment.
Negative Aspects of Reliever Airports
There are several negative aspects to having a large regional airport system with one or more relievers. According to Grubesic et al. (2017, p. 115), the presence of additional airfields creates “excessive noise in and around the airport region.” Air traffic alleviation can also lead to increased road traffic due to the departing and arriving flights being redirected to relievers (Grubesic et al., 2017). Thus, they contribute to the air pollution in the region, raising environmental concerns.
In addition, the residents of local communities can be adversely affected if the land of and around the airfield is ineffectively managed, damaging the infrastructural fabric of the region (Grubesic et al., 2017). Finally, airports and the road traffic around them create noise pollution, which can become a substantial concern for the people living close to them. Overall, reliever airports are associated with certain negative aspects, including air and noise contamination and inappropriate use of land.
Conclusion
In summary, air travel today is one of the most popular modes of transport, resulting in the growing need for more transcontinental and intercontinental flights and a developed airport system. The primary purpose of reliever airfields is to alleviate the congestion at large regional hubs that can occur due to extreme weather conditions or air crafts issues. Although relievers, directly and indirectly, contribute to the region’s economic growth and expand the commercial operation, they require substantial financial investments to maintain the required equipment and hire qualified employees. The building and expansion of additional airports can lead to increased air and noise pollution in the region and harm the existing local infrastructure by mismanaging the available land.
References
Federal Aviation Administration. (2020). Airport categories. Web.
Grubesic, T. H., Fuellhart, K., Wei, F., & O’Connor, K. (2017). Regional perspectives on general aviation and reliever airports: A case study of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Regional Science Policy & Practice, 9(2), 101–120. Web.
Rocha, L. E. (2017). Dynamics of air transport networks: A review from a complex systems perspective. Chinese Journal of Aeronautics, 30(2), 469–478. Web.
Metropolitan Airports Commission. (2018). The economic impact of the reliever airports. InterVISTAS Consulting Inc. Web.
World Bank Open Data. (2019). Air transport registered carrier departures worldwide. Web.
World Bank Open Data. (2020). Air transport, passengers carried. Web.