Principal Consultant - Aviation (Airport Planning)

Overview

Airport Planning & Analytics

• Supporting project delivery of various scopes of work with an initial focus for the delivery of the Concept of Operations for DWC phase 2.
• Lead analytical assessments of airport operations, including traffic profiles, flight schedules, dwell times and operational KPIs.
• Deliver and interpret capacity and Level of Service (LoS) assessments across terminal, airside, apron, landside and support facilities.
• Develop robust multi-scenario demand forecasts for passengers, aircraft, cargo and GA operations.
• Build and operate simulation models (CAST, AirTOP, AviPlan analytics or equivalent) to evaluate flow performance, system efficiency and operational resilience.
• Translate model outputs into clear, actionable recommendations that guide planning decisions and infrastructure priorities.
• Ensure data, assumptions and modelling workflows remain validated, traceable and auditable.
• Contribute to the development of airport masterplans and long-term strategic frameworks, providing evidence-based planning inputs.
• Define functional and spatial requirements for terminals, airside, landside and support facilities based on demand, ConOps principles and regulatory standards.
• Develop and evaluate planning options, phasing strategies, expansion triggers and performance trade-offs.
• Consider sustainability, resilience, airspace constraints and operational innovation in all planning scenarios.
• Provide structured planning guidance to downstream design teams to maintain alignment with the agreed masterplanning vision.

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Work closely with airport operators, airlines, regulators and internal WSP teams to align on planning criteria, analytical assumptions and study methodologies.
• Present capacity results, modelling outputs and planning insights in workshops and multi-stakeholder meetings, ensuring complex concepts are communicated clearly and accurately.
• Facilitate technical discussions, address stakeholder queries, and integrate feedback into updated forecasts, simulation scenarios and planning deliverables.
• Coordinate proactively with multidisciplinary teams including terminal designers, airside engineers, operations and digital specialists to ensure planning outputs are consistent, integrated and technically robust.
• Collaborate with other Business Units to develop and deliver a OneWSP service offering to aviation clients.

Design-Focused Project Support & Tender Preparation

• Support proposal preparation by contributing planning methodologies, scopes, level-of-effort estimates, case studies and modelling insights that strengthen aviation bids.
• Contribute to enhancing WSP s internal planning practice by refining templates, improving analytical workflows and sharing practical lessons learned from projects.
• Provide informal technical guidance to junior planners, helping them understand planning frameworks, modelling approaches and project requirements while supporting overall team capability building.