• Journal of Korean Society of Transportation
• /
• v.23 no.6 s.84
• /
• pp.41-53
• /
• 2005

The effective utilization of an airport is considerably influenced by natural features and man-made structures inside and outside its boundary. These obstacles affect the airspace available for approaches and departures and the weather minima which dictates the necessary weather conditions for aircraft to be allowed to take-off or land. Certain areas of the airspace near airports must be regarded as the integral parts of the airport system. The availability of the required airspace is as important as are the runway and their associated strips to the safe and efficient use of the airport. For these reasons, ICAO and the member states have established the standards regarding the obstacle limitation surfaces and regulated the construction of the man-made structures in and beyond the surfaces. Existing objects that extend above a obstacle limitation surfaces should as for as practicable be removed except when, in the opinion of the appropriate authority, an objects is shielded an existing immovable objects, or after aeronautical study it is determined that the object would not adversely affect the safety or significantly affect the regularity of operations of airplanes. However, Korea's aviation law does not specified the outer horizontal surface in the obstacle limitation surfaces, while ICAO and most member states do. The absence of the outer horizontal surface regulation has created legal disputes between regulating agencies and private parties. The case study in this paper found that a skyscraper planned beyond Korea's obstacle limitation surfaces does affect the flight safety and the efficient use of an airport. Therefore, in areas beyond the obstacle limitation surfaces. those objects which extend to a height of 150m or more above ground elevation should be regarded as obstacle, unless a special aeronautical study indicates that they do not constitute a hazard to airplanes. We proposed low alternative regulatory schemes for resolving the issues raised in this paper, and we recommended to adopt ICAO's standards and recommended practices.