Support Vehicles and Equipment

INCREASES in air traffic of all kinds and in particular, large aircraft accommodating 400 passengers or more, have brought ground handling problems at airports to the forefront of design considerations. Adequate apron space must be provided for these aircraft to manoeuvre, for the many vehicles and additional equipment necessary for passenger, baggage and freight loading and unloading, for servicing requirements that must be undertaken on the apron and for other vital needs such as control and security. Nowadays of course, airbridges are used for passengers whenever possible and an effort has been made to reduce the number of vehicles, etc, on the apron at the same time with their associated conventional exhaust fumes.