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18 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE MARCH 2016 INTERNATIONAL a taxiway or taxi lane and reducing risk of ground damage." Lortat-Jacob says. Fixed ground support installations Another consideration driving airport design for improved resilience against ground damage is the development of aircraft stands with fxed ground support installations that reduce GSE movements around aircraft and thus the likelihood of damage. Cavotec is a manufacturer of ground support equipment, such as 400hz con- vertors, PCA machines, utility and fuel pit system, used to service aircraft at contract gates, remote aprons and hangars. Accord- ing to Gary Matthews, group market unit manager for aviation at Cavotec, the company has seen a rise in recent years of requests for fxed ground systems from Central and South America. Wherever physically practical, fixed ground power and air conditioning units are being included as new aircraft parking stands are being developed. Generally the approach is to include these facilities as part of new and replacement air bridge installa- tions, according to Stewart. Lortat-Jacob notes that Santiago Airport is currently equipped with a fuel hydrant network servicing both contact and remote aircraft stands. In the future, all contact aircraft stands will also be equipped with 400hz convertors and PCA in addition to the fuel hydrant system, he says. Fixed ground support installations surely have a safety beneft, but are more expensive to build. There is a need to justify a higher capital expenditure and due consideration must be given to when break-even can be reached. According to Matthews, envi- ronmental concerns, ease of operations, improved security, reduced ramp person- nel, increased effciency and productivity, reduced energy costs, rescued feet costs, quicker turnaround times and reduced APU usage all need to be weighed in to justify capital expenditures. In the experience of Santiago's airport there are several considerations that must be taken into account in order to justify an investment: safety and regulatory require- ments but also operational needs and effciency. "The amount is pondered and assessed in a complex process ensuring that the best choice is made in terms of technol- ogy, resilience and safety," Lortat-Jacob says. "The cost/beneft analysis for the instal- lation of fxed air/power differs by airport and also depends on the structure of airport charges which also tend to differ by airport. However, the payback is usually based on how the capital expenditure is depreciated over time" says Stewart. The breakeven point depends on many factors including the number of gate, opti- misation, usage, type of system, local energy costs, fuel costs, local ambient environment, according to Matthews. Improving GSE utilisation One additional solution – which is current- ly not very frequently implemented across the world's big hubs – could be for airport WHAT GOES INTO 21ST CENTURY INFRASTRUCTURE? Santiago's Arturo Marino Bení- tez (AMB) airport is the seventh busiest airport in South America: 17.2 million passengers passed through AMB in 2015, 60 per- cent of Chilean air traffc. At the current growth rate, the airport's one and only terminal, two run- ways and forty aircraft docking areas are insuffcient to sustain development of the country's main point of entry. The core ob- jective consists of doubling ac- tual capacity within fve years; in 2020, the airport will be able to welcome over 30 million passengers. Following the renovation of the current building, "Terminal 1" – which will be designated for do- mestic fights once construction is fnished – and in the soon to be built "Terminal 2," which will occupy over 175,000 square me- tres, Nuevo Pudahuel (the con- sortium involved in the rede- velopment of the airport) will implement modern technologies to expedite the check in process and automated luggage screen- ing procedures to lower waiting times. Nuevo Pudahuel is com- mitted to digitalize the airport, and one of the frst measures will be to introduce access to 30 minutes free Wi-Fi. The increase in surface, ser- vices, and passenger fow will require an energy and sustain- ability strategy. Nuevo Pudahuel has invested $60 million to cov- er the design, construction and operation of the project. Nuevo Pudahuel calculates that the new building will consume 35 per- cent less energy than the current terminal, and will minimize the use of products or materials det- rimental to the environment ain addition to opportunities for the use of recycled materials.