SPARA2020

Smart Peripheral and Remote Airports (SPARA2020) was a Northern Periphery & Arctic Programme project designed to address the challenges facing remote & peripheral airports. These airports are economically vital, providing accessibility & connectivity to residents; but with low traffic volume, strong seasonality challenges and ageing aircrafts, these airports suffer relatively higher costs of operating safely & compliantly and inevitably require state subsidy or intervention. SPARA's main focus was to improve the level of innovation at public service airports to increase self-sufficiency and resilience long-term. The project aimed to do this by facilitating an innovation cycle, with topics including: 

  • Innovative technologies to improve airport performance
  • Sustainable energy use to reduce carbon footprint
  • Best practice of cost-saving initiatives and efficiency improvements 
  • The social, cultural and economic importance of remote airports to communities and businesses 
  • Explore non-aeronautical uses of an airport to diversify income and improve passenger experience
  • An innovation network to spread best practice and facilitate knowledge transfer 

Contact

Jayne Golding
HITRANS
jayne.golding@hitrans.org.uk
Tel: +441463 719004 

An economic impact study began at Wick John O’Groats Airport - nestled in the far north of the mainland of Scotland in Caithness and Sutherland and...

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