An airport master plan is a development policy document, which defines the airport’s intended overall development in a phased manner in line with the regulatory requirements. The master plan for the airport is a tool to control physical airport developments and set out the guidelines for the development of airport facilities in line with the long term strategic objectives of the airport and the main stakeholders and as such defines the framework for the long term planning.
The objective of a master plan is to effectively plan, coordinate and guide the airport development as well as the commercial development on a “no-regret” basis and in balance with the airport’s core operational requirements and aspirations. The plan must be flexible in order to enable future adaptations that will certainly be required as a result of unforeseen developments in the market, the aircraft industry, national and international political influences, handling procedures and technological developments.
The master plan will be an excellent tool at hand to manage both the long term and short term development of King Hussein International Airport, whilst maintaining maximum flexibility to deal with the uncertainties that are so characteristic for the aviation industry. The airport is located in the south of the country, 10km north of the city Aqaba which lies on the Red Sea's Gulf. It is close to 3 different countries, the borders of Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In addition, two different international airports are in close vicinity, Ramon Airport serving Eliat in Israel which is around 8km away from OJAQ and Taba International Airport serving Taba in Egypt which is around 23km away from the airport. During the study this particularity will be taken into account when looking at catchment areas but also airport capacity possible bottlenecks.
Furthermore, the airport is located in a valley surrounded by mountains of sandstone and granite rock with elevations up to 1,500 m above sea level. This might constraint flight procedures and will be analysed during the obstacle limitation and the flooding study. The airport serves the city of Aqaba, which is an important city for the country as it is the only seaport city. This strategic location makes it an export/import hub for the country but also a touristic attraction. The airport and areas surrounding the airport were divided in different clusters with different activities as illustrated below. This plan will be reviewed and taken as a starting point for the update of the masterplan.
| Project Country | Provided services | Name of client | Origin of funding | Name of partners (if any) | Dates (start/end) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan | Aqaba Development Company | Sole Consultant | 2021-Present |
