Impact analysis of airport infrastructure within a sustainability framework: Case studies on Hong Kong International Airport

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Impact analysis of airport infrastructure within a sustainability framework: Case studies on Hong Kong International Airport

Li, Linna

Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) and multicriteria analysis (MCA) are widely used methods in evaluating transport projects. However, traditional BCA covers limited environmental and social impacts, while MCA is criticized for its potential subjectivity and lack of robustness. This article aims to enhance the traditional BCA with more environmental and social impacts that are typically considered in MCA only. It proposes an impact analysis framework based on 17 major publicly accessible studies of airport infrastructure appraisals around the world. From the perspective of sustainability, the economic, environmental, and social impacts are considered holistically. The application of this framework is illustrated in two cases of Hong Kong International Airport-an ex-post relocation case and an ex-ante expansion case. The overall sustainability benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) of Hong Kong International Airport relocation and expansion are 1.23 and 1.63, respectively. When each sustainability dimension is considered separately, the economic, environmental, and social BCRs of the Hong Kong International Airport relocation are 1.23, 0.32, and 506.57, respectively. For the expansion case, the economic, environmental, and social BCRs are 1.64, <0.001, and 99.39, respectively. In other words, both projects are economically and socially beneficial, but environmentally costly. Moreover, sensitivity analysis shows that this framework is valuable in illustrating the impacts given the increasing public concern about the environmental impacts of air transport.