2017 top pax/cargo airports...ideas to make sure AWS keeps up

[spiff23]

I saw a story on this in Bloomberg and this is the official release of all sorts of top airport stats for 2017.  some mirror what we see in game play; some are airline specific (i.e., Memphis as a cargo hotspot=FedEX), but most importantly, some show the tremendous growth in emerging markets in 2017 where airports like Delhi, Jakarta and Guangzhou have displaced airports like JFK from the top 20.   

All to say, this is a great reference point for the AWS project to think about economic models and demand flows for these emerging mega-cities to keep game play fun and interesting so top success doesn't automatically go to the players in ATL, LAX, LHR, ORD, AMS, FRA (said as someone currently in one of these, but always liking the challenge of an emerging city)...especially as the game world's increasingly start or extend well into the 2000s.

http://www.aci.aero/News/Releases/Most-Recent/2018/04/09/ACI-World-releases-preliminary-2017-world-airport-traffic-rankings--Passenger-traffic-Indian-and-Chinese-airports-major-contributors-to-growth---Air-cargo-Volumes-surge-at-major-hubs-as-trade-wars-threaten-

PS for those who hear my constant prattling on needed-improvements to the 747s, like the 747-100 that has to be grounded by 1985 because its rated stage 1...while not explicitly stating it, the fact Chicago ORD is mentioned a few times and saw some of the largest cargo traffic...I would bet good money it all these old 747-100 and 200s still flying over my house (depending on landing patterns) that have found new life with all sorts of Chinese and global cargo airlines...just a hint that 747s still needs some focus too

[Sami]

We are not modelling airport traffic based on airport stats anymore. All demand figures will be based on country and area level economy and development.

(well, okay, the current/old passenger demand model uses still the airport values, but there is no plan to update those figures anymore)

[deovrat]

Is there a plan to update any airports? To be specific, India has a lot more operational airports than the game models (and ironically, the game has a few defunct ones).

[48days]

Will we see developing countries get a boost to passenger demand under the new system then?  For example would it be possible to model the growth in India's aviation during the 2010s and the projected growth during the 2020s?

[JumboShrimp]

We are not modelling airport traffic based on airport stats anymore. All demand figures will be based on country and area level economy and development.

(well, okay, the current/old passenger demand model uses still the airport values, but there is no plan to update those figures anymore)

Comparing the RL 2017 figures with AWS as far as CBD cargo, I would put the the top in 2 categories:
- caused to be higher than AWS due to cargo transfer / Cargo hub: (MEM, SDF, ANC, LEJ, DOH, DXB)
- China is too low in AWS (PVG, PEK, CAN)
- everything else looks fine

[MuzhikRB]

We are not modelling airport traffic based on airport stats anymore. All demand figures will be based on country and area level economy and development.

(well, okay, the current/old passenger demand model uses still the airport values, but there is no plan to update those figures anymore)

airport stats are only digits that showing goods flow

if Deli become bigger in cargo terms, cause Indias industry is booming - it should be somehow modelled here. thats what author was talking about.

China's GDP is booming from 1991. we should be able to notice it in AWS.

I think it what can be added if we gonna move to CBD is:
1. City population in citizens (in AWS I mean). I need this information (updated yearly) to decide about where to start or open new base or new route.
2. Country GDP (updated annually) - it will show whether the country has potential to import/export cargo.

then - all events can influence above stats and therefore resulted in changing pax/cargo demand.

USSR is broken? it means new international pax demand from a lot of cities, but at the same time - first 5-8 years GDP collapsed significantly - meaning there will be almost no cargo demand. and only after 1998 crisis the economy of Russia started to climb....

it will add a lot of new possibilities to this game i hope.

[JumboShrimp]

airport stats are only digits that showing goods flow

if Deli become bigger in cargo terms, cause Indias industry is booming - it should be somehow modelled here. thats what author was talking about.

China's GDP is booming from 1991. we should be able to notice it in AWS.

The system is seeing the GDP growth.  But I think we are starting from a base that is too low, or the system may not be using the best foreign currency exchange mechanism to reflect China growth (economic strength) correctly.

I think it what can be added if we gonna move to CBD is:
1. City population in citizens (in AWS I mean). I need this information (updated yearly) to decide about where to start or open new base or new route.

There are some Google Tools to get the population within Radius.  Or within a certain shape.  AWS uses squares or rectangles.  AWS also uses population growth.  That works on a country level (if I understand correctly).  So it would not reflect shift of US population from North East and Mid West of US to souther n states.  But still close enough.

2. Country GDP (updated annually) - it will show whether the country has potential to import/export cargo.

The system is using GDP growth for all countries.

As far as potential to export / import cargo, I don't think there is anything specific for that, only generic data on population and wealth from which cargo demand is determined.

then - all events can influence above stats and therefore resulted in changing pax/cargo demand.

It would be great if there was a feedback loop of player actions into the underlying data.

Suppose you have the base unit (demand square) that is serviced nearly perfectly as far as meeting its demand.  Then, in turn, this square should grow faster than standard Country level growth, if very little of its demand is met, then it should grow slower.
(But this may be something 2 AWS versions down the line.  We still have 2 components that AWS needs to be major feature complete - pax/cargo transfers and pax CBD).

[gazzz0x2z]

China is probably also underevalued because the industrial percentage of its GDP is higher than anywhere else in the world. I mean, in a pure services area like here in Montpellier(IT, medecine and tourism, basically), only light cargo makes sense. In a pure industrial area, the potential is vastly different and superior.

[wilian.souza2]

We are not modelling airport traffic based on airport stats anymore. All demand figures will be based on country and area level economy and development.

(well, okay, the current/old passenger demand model uses still the airport values, but there is no plan to update those figures anymore)

So how should we deliver the data needed if we want an airport to be added to the database? Should we, instead of delivering the desired airport's stats, deliver the airport's nearby cities' stats?

[JumboShrimp]

So how should we deliver the data needed if we want an airport to be added to the database? Should we, instead of delivering the desired airport's stats, deliver the airport's nearby cities' stats?

For now, pax data is still tied to the airports.  But once pax moves to CBD Design system, the current airport passenger level data will become obsolete.  The airports will be just GPS locations, runway and curfew parameters, with slot counts (hopefully) growing organically based on demand for slots.