SUMMARY
During the last ten years 82 per cent of the world's jet aircraft fleet accidents occurred
during take off and landing phases and accounted for 58 per cent of all onboard fatalities
and all third party fatalities. Over the next 20 years annual passenger traffic is set to grow
by as much as 168 per cent. The need to increase airport capacity in an era of decreasing
public tolerance of the environmental effects such as noise, air pollution and third party risk
of airports, lead actors in the air transport domain to devise new technologies and
innovative ways of operating airports and aircraft. However, developments give rise to
concerns about the emergence of new hazards and difficulties in containing existing
hazards in and around airports.