The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an unprecedented decline in air traffic, grounding many of the world’s airliners.

According to Airport Council International World, over 75 percent of commercial airports around the world have had to make arrangements for overflow aircraft parking. This unusual storage situation should be carefully coordinated to ensure safety, preserve assets and facilitate easy recovery.

WSP USA’s whitepaper, “Best Practices on the Temporary Parking of Overflow Aircraft,” provides a summary of recommendations, best practices and useful resources on temporary parking of overflow aircraft. The paper covers planning and collaboration, understanding stakeholder needs, safety, parking options and pavement considerations.

Research for the study was led by Gaël Le Bris, WSP senior aviation planner and a senior technical principal. Le Bris provides leadership to aviation planning, engineering and research projects in the United States and abroad for WSP.