NACO was founded in 1949 on the initiative of Dr Albert Plesman who was president and co-founder of KLM at that time. He promoted the bundling of expertise regarding airport development and reconstruction.

During the early years, NACO established a firm foundation with projects in the Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, Indonesia, Egypt and Germany, among others.

NACO's reputation as a world-class airport consultant was further strengthened when it started to play a directive role in the development of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the early 1960s.

Along with technological developments and the growth in air traffic, NACO developed into an important player on the international market and has been engaged in more than 550 airports around the world.

In 2003 NACO became a member of the DHV Group, a leading international consultancy and engineering firm with 5,500 professionals and a worldwide network.

Together with InterVISTAS, NACO forms the Business Group Aviation, offering a benchmark in the field of airport business consultancy and airport planning and design.

Drawing on the availability of expertise regarding strategic, commercial, operational and technical issues, NACO's multidisciplinary services cover a wide spectrum of airport consultancy, planning, design, engineering and realisation.

On a strategic level, we focus on guiding airports towards defining a vision for future airport development, developing business plans and financial concepts, market analysis, air service development and forecasting.

NACO develops master plans, to provide an integrated and functional framework for the phased development of the airside  and landside facilities. Feasible and realistic solutions are supported by financial planning know-how.

Terminal buildings, cargo buildings, ATC towers, runways, taxiways, aprons and access roads are only a few of the facilities that NACO has developed. Principles such as functionality, efficiency, user-friendliness and architectural distinctiveness are key influences in its design practice.

The People Planet Profit (PPP) principles are guiding all the consultantcy's processes. Furthermore, it provides project and construction management services to assist during implementation, as well as process management related to decision-making and stakeholder-involvement.

NACO, together with InterVISTAS, advocates an integrated approach for airport city development, taking into account both business and urban planning aspects. Services relate to the subsequent phase in the development process, from strategic advice, planning, design, implementation and monitoring. As illustrated below:

Analysis

No ambition, large or small, can be instantly developed. Working towards an airport city vision requires an analysis of the specific content, a focus of the ambition and a link to the current situation.

Questions such as, 'Who are we focusing on?', 'What kind of companies are attracted to our airport city?' are key to the analysis. A market analysis will highlight the short-term development opportunities while respecting the long-term ambition.

This phase also includes an analysis of the local identity of the region/country, identifying characteristic features of the area, such as perception of public space, architectural quality and socio-historical features.

Master planning

As the airport city vision starts to take shape, a master plan is made with the client to help visualise the project.

The master plan is an integral part of the process that focuses on airside and landside developments in order to create harmony to increase the operational efficiency of the airport, as well as to maximise non-aeronautical development.

This phase also includes the development of a set of urban elements (streets, squares, avenues, promenades, parks, ponds, lakes) for the landside, resulting in a qualitative grid or backbone for commercial development of the area. This urban grid should provide enough flexibility to allow for changes (for example driven by economical factors), while maintaining its consistent and distinct character.

Building

Building the airport city requires a dedicated strategy and planning process; which part of the airport city needs to be built first and how to maximise the value of the real estate are key questions.

A phasing analysis will determine the most efficient and appropriate evolution while a strategic policy plan determines the zoning and clustering. The strategic policy plan should be complemented by an urban policy plan.

Rules regarding aspects such as aesthetic values, office typologies, building density patterns, lot sizes, height restrictions, zoning regulations, setbacks, parking solutions, entry to the building and use of (sustainable) materials will maintain and strengthen the level of quality determined in the master plan.

Realising the ambition

Finally, the ambition begins to be realised and businesses and buildings are rising, logistical centres are taking shape and the airport is starting to look like a city.

Businesses are coming to life and attracting people from around the world. The continuous development requires airports to constantly monitor their long-term objectives.

NACO has extensive experience in the field of real estate strategy and has advised airports worldwide about how to maximise their property value and keep the integral and sustainable airport city development intact.