5.2 Site Evaluation:
An airport is a gateway to a country. Besides, it is a huge investment, a brand of the country
and it is a development tool. Consequently, its location has become significant. The process
of determining the ideal location for an airport is one of the first steps that lead to the most
economical planning and construction of the airport. This study will analyze one of the
numerous potential airport sites proposed by Palestine's Road and Transportation Master
Plan, which is Al-Auja in Jericho.
Site Evaluation Criterion
Site selection is the comparative evaluation of alternative airport sites for their suitability
to provide the calculated facility requirements. Once the preliminary sites have been
identified, a screening process should be applied to each site. The FAA (AC 150/5070-6B)
has stated several criteria to be considered, including the following :
1 - Operational Capability – the site should provide the operational capability
necessary to serve the defined role of the airport and the needs of its users.
2 - Capacity potential – if the new airport is needed to provide additional capacity,
the capability of the site in providing long-term capacity growth is important.
3 - Ground access – an important factory, the ability of the users to get to and from
the airport easily and promptly.
4 - Development Costs – simple cost estimates are useful in determining the financial
feasibility of building a new airport.
5 - Environmental Consequences – The potential environmental impacts associated
with a new site may be critical to gaining approval.