Radios are a Vital Tool for Air Travel. At London Heathrow airport, for example, three hundred compa...

1. On The Actual Air, in The Air Radio as well as Air Travel, an
inseparable Mix
Radios are a Vital Tool for Air Travel. At London Heathrow airport, for example, three hundred
companies employ some 80,000 people every day, whilst 65 million people leave from, arrive at, or
pass through the airport. In the face of such staggering humanity, fast, efficient communication
becomes paramount.
Medical personnel need to be notified quickly in case of
an accident. Security guards must be able to respond
and react to any potential threat as swiftly as possible.
Other, daily issues such as reuniting lost children with
their parents, locating missing luggage and the
inspection of imported goods, must also be dealt with in
a clear and professional manner.
Without areliable network of two-way radios, the entire
daily operation of any airport would be next to
impossible.
Today, most modern airports have switched from having individual radio networks specific to each
company, to the employment of more integrated solutions. In 2000, the engineering firm Arup was
employed by BAA to make these changes possible at Heathrow, specifically in Terminal 5. According
to the firm’s official website,
“Previously at Heathrow, individual mobile operators had installed their own infrastructure,
resulting in duplication and proliferation of infrastructure across the airport, standards of
installation that varied, unreliable records, and unsightly clutter to the terminal landscape”.
Eventually, the site continues,
“It was jointly agreed by BAA and Arup that the most appropriate solution for the new
terminal was common infrastructure that could be shared by multiple parties”.
The changes at Terminal 5 proved to be a success. These days, most airports follow this model of
radio communication. The benefits are enormous. Airports are running smoother than ever thanks to
improved cross communication between individuals and departments (everything from catering,
flight and cabin crew to cleaning staff, border controls and freight handling).
Two-way radios are superior to mobile phones for these tasks because they are instant. Also, there
are very few lapses in signal and they are sturdy enough for use in almost any environment.
Think of your mobile: if you came upon an accident right now and you wanted to call somebody and
report it, you would be dependent on a multitude of factors, wouldn’t you? Do you have
signal? Do you have credit? Will they even pick up the phone at their end? However, a two-way radio
eliminates most of these problems. The operator simply presses the button to talk and awaits the
reply. Easy.

2. Two-way radios cover a large area, can be used on secure channels and are cost effective solutions
to communications challenges presented by organizations such as Heathrow.
The benefits of a two-way radio system have been well known for a long time, it is a system used by
police, the armed forces, building contractors, security firms and, of course, cab drivers, the world
over. Plus, the technology isn’t upgraded too often, so there’s not much risk of your
purchase becoming obsolete by the time you put down your deposit.
In a very real sense, airports would struggle to complete one outgoing flight a day without two-way
radio technology.
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