1. Scope

The aim of this environmental brief is to illustrate the environmental effects of the construction and operation of an airport and the appropriate measures for protecting the environment.

The construction of an airport and its operation are often of national significance, because the airport is expected to generate a wide range of economic activities which should help national development, and also because an airport is generally felt to represent its country.

The specific airport planning must take into consideration:

- possible ways of incorporating the necessary operational areas of the airport into existing urban or regional planning schemes (pressure for residential and commercial development),
- the service capacities and scope for extension of the existing transport infrastructure,
- the existing or extendable capacities of supply and disposal facilities,
- the suitability of the construction site,
- the situation regarding bodies of water and groundwater,
- possible ways of restoring the ecological balance,
- the optimum design of the installations to meet human needs and the incorporation of those installations into the surroundings,
- the nature and quantity of planned aircraft movements,
- the relevant national and international air safety regulations.

If serious environmental impacts cannot be avoided, either the planned location must be rejected or its use must be restricted (bans on night flying etc.).