Review and Optimisation of Airside Driving Permit System

Aerodrome operators are required to implement rules and procedures for the authorisation of drivers and vehicles intending to operate on the movement area. So called airside driving permits (ADP) should be limited to certain airside areas and follow a modular approach. Typically, a general airside driving training and test is required to obtain an ADP which allows the driver to only operate on aprons and related service roads. For personnel required to drive on the manoeuvring area (i.e. taxiways, runways), an additional ADP needs to be obtained. To reduce the risk of runway incursions, the amount of ADP allowing access to the runway should be limited and frequently reviewed. Airside driving training should consist of a theoretical and practical part which should be integrated in an overall airside driving programme, taking into account the overall training and proficiency requirements for all airside personnel.

Recently, airsight was assigned to support Aéroports du Cameroun (ADC), the aerodrome operator of international airports such as Yaoundé Nsimalen (NSI) and Douala (DLA), with the continuous improvement of their airside driving permit system and corresponding training and tests. Together with the great team of ADC, the existing training and driving permit scheme were reviewed and successfully updated accordingly.

Airside Driving Permit (ADP) - Concept Creation

As a first step, airsight was appointed to create a concept paper for an ADP system at Douala Airport (DLA), indicating room for improvements regarding safety and operations. The aerodrome operator already had a two-tier ADP system in place covering the aprons and the manoeuvring area. Hence, our project team started performing a gap analysis of the existing system of DLA with ICAO recommendations, national regulations as well as international best practices. Together with the client, a three-tier ADP system was considered to be most suitable. A generic overview of a three-tier airside driving permit system could look like as shown in the figure in the image slider above.

The main benefit with having three different permits is that the runway can only be entered by personnel with the appropriate (additional) ADP, reducing the overall number of personnel which could potentially cause a runway incursion. Besides the definition of the different permits, airsight supported the client with the local distinction between apron areas and the manoeuvring area. This was done by closely looking at the existing layout and affected stakeholders. It was key to ensure that the distinction is safe, practicable and does not impair the efficiency of e.g. apron operations. In addition, the speed limits on the aprons and related service roads were review

Theoretical Airside Driving Training - More Than Just a Requirement 

At a later stage, airsight supported ADC with the creation of training and test content for their ADP system. Driving training is one of the key trainings most airside personnel will undergo. It is more than just a requirement, as it contains crucial safety information, such as general airside priorities, jet blast effects and FOD awareness. When it comes to airside driving, it is important to address the fact that many people do not already have experience in aviation or aerodrome operations. Hence, the training content needs to be clear as well as appealing to ensure a sustainable transfer of knowledge. The existing driving training content was thoroughly reviewed by our project team. After the review, the initial as well as recurrent training slides were created for ADC. The updated training content enables ADC to conduct safe and effective driving training with an appealing training content layout. Furthermore, the slides can be used for future computer-based training (CBT) implementation.

If you want to find out if your airport's driving programme is meeting all the applicable standards and recommendations (e.g. based on ICAO PANS Aerodromes or the recently amended EU 139/2014), contact us for a quote for an ADP training, assessment and administration compliance check.