The digital transformation of airports

Karima Kouidri

A working session at the upcoming ACI Europe/World Annual General Assembly, Conference and Exhibition in Brussels in June, will focus on digital transformation and the airport brand proposition – where should the airport experience begin and end?

Today’s airports are no longer just a place where airplanes take off and land; instead airports are vital economic generators providing a gateway to their city, state, region, country.

Airports are as important for tourism as they are for business; the transport of people and goods not only between aircraft but with all other modes of transportation.

In an increasingly competitive environment, airports are focused on expanding and enhancing their appeal to increase their share of air travel and tourism, including innovation and a strong focus on enhancing the customer experience.

While safety and security always remain the top priority, airport leaders are also focused on ways to streamline the business and operations, including leveraging technology to meet and exceed goals and objectives. After all, in today’s digital world, there is no escaping the power of data so harnessing its benefits is key.

The Airport Digital Transformation: Best Practice, launched at the end of last year, has been well received by members and the industry alike. It intended as a decision and implementation aid for airport managers who are responsible for evolving their companies in a digital world.

This document helps airport corporate executives (CEOs, CIOs, CXOs) pick a starting point and develop a digital culture across the enterprise which will enable it to gain as many benefits as possible and as quickly as possible while the airport is developing a longer-term evolution strategy.

It provides a roadmap of becoming an airport digital.

To further help our Member airports on their path of digital transformation, ACI has developed the Digital Airport Survey. This survey will help airports assess their maturity in adopting digital transformation technology tools. Once completed, members can share results with ACI to receive specialized guidance on how to enhance this important evolution.

Download the report: http://www.aci.aero/Publications/Full-Publications-Listing/Airport-Digital-Transformation-Best-Practice

• According to recent estimates by the cross-industry Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), the total economic impact (direct, indirect, induced and tourism connected) of the global aviation industry reached $2.7 trillion, some 3.5% of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2014. The air transport industry also supported a total of 62.7 million jobs – Aviation Benefits Report 2017

Quotes

– “Airports are natural interfaces between the analog and digital worlds,” said Dr Michael Kerkloh, CEO, Munich Airport and current president of ACI Europe.

“If airports succeed in the efficient digital marketing of their analog products and services, they will continue in the future to have a ‘home field advantage’ in the passenger business over other providers.

The Airport Digital Transformation Best Practice helps us to establish a shared vision and best practices in our industry.”

– “At Schiphol, we have always been an airport that dreams big,” said Jos Nijhuis, CEO of the Royal Schiphol Group.

“We want to be the world’s leading digital airport. With smart airport operational processes, secure Application Programming Interface (API) data sharing and flawless efficiency.

“By effectively utilizing digital contact moments, we will connect with and stay connected to travellers and be able to provide them even better service.

“The Airport Digital Transformation Best Practice is therefore very important to us.”

– “This document is a great reference product and should be in every executive’s reference library,” said Maurice Jenkins, director, information systems and telecommunications, Miami Dade County Aviation Department.

“It is key to transforming our system of airports and meeting the demands of the industry.”

– “This handbook is an excellent reference for any airport working towards digitalisation,” said Aymeric Dussart, director of technology and innovation, Aéroports de Montreal.

“We are delighted to have contributed insights, having learnt from various customer experience initiatives that we have invested in at Montréal-Trudeau.”

source : Airport World

Smart gates to replace passport officials at Dubai Airports by 2030

Karima Kouidri

By 2030, smart gates at Dubai airports will replace passport officials’ platforms, according to Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs.

In his welcome address at the Airport Security Middle East conference, Al Marri said, “We have created smart gates projects in an exclusive and modern way, and these now amount to about 122 smart gates. We have created a number of smart projects in Dubai international airports, the latest of which is “Next-Generation Departure” project, which will enable passengers to complete their travel procedures in the least time possible.”

Col. Hamooda Belsuwaida Alameri, Assistant Director-General Operations at General Department of Airport Security, Dubai Police in his keynote speech said, “Dubai Police has plans to coordinate their human resources and capabilities to ensure security at airports. The airport security challenges are landside security, cybersecurity and security checkpoints. Airports, the police and the security agencies need to collaborate and exchange information as well as do risk assessments to ensure security on all fronts.”

Technologies have been put into strategies and plans to have security checkpoints of the future to make Dubai airports safe and secure for all our clients, he added.

Al Marri added that the Directorate is looking to have the UAE ranked amongst the best countries in the world in terms of safety and security by ensuring the implementation of nationality and residency related laws, to bring security and economic benefit to the country and contribute to the protection of its ports.

“We are constantly evolving with the advent of modern technology and artificial intelligence tools. This may be one of the factors facing some sectors, requiring the deployment of innovative and intelligent solutions by government entities and contribution to promoting Dubai’s global leadership.

“Dubai has set up its airports with a view of having them act as smart stations in their capacity as one of the most vital ports for the UAE, on the one hand, and the gateway to all people of the world, on the other.”

source : https://tinyurl.com/y7szzwq2

 

Explosive-detecting dogs introduced in British airports to screen cargo

Karima Kouidri

The dogs have undertaken a rigorous new training programme set out by the UK Government to prepare them for cargo screening.

SNIFFING IT OUT: Dogs are already used by airports to sniff out contraband

The UK Government has announced dogs capable of detecting minute traces of explosives concealed in air fr

The dogs have undertaken a rigorous new training programme set out by the UK Government to prepare them for cargo screening.

SNIFFING IT OUT: Dogs are already used by airports to sniff out contraband

The UK Government has announced dogs capable of detecting minute traces of explosives concealed in air freight are being deployed in cargo sheds.

Free-running explosive-detecting dogs (FREDDs) working with their human handlers are being used to check freight for a range of explosive materials.

Each animal has undergone 12 months of rigorous training to achieve Government certification before being set to work. As they carry out their operational duties they will go through a regular quality assurance programme.

In 2016, goods worth £178 billion were transported by air between the UK and non-EU countries. These detection dogs have the potential to play a vital role in helping to ensure such cargo is safe to fly.

Baroness Sugg, Aviation Minister, said: “Free-running explosive-detecting dogs are the latest addition to the Government’s multi-layered approach to tackling potential aviation security threats.

“The ability of these highly-skilled dogs to detect small amounts of vapour from explosives hidden in cargo will bolster our existing rigorous security methods, and I was really impressed to see them in action.

“The UK’s aviation security standards are already among the best in the world and we will continue to seek out new and innovative ways to ensure that passengers remain protected.”

Dogs are already used in a variety of ways at UK airports, for example, by helping police to identify criminals and prevent illegal activity.

In April, the Government published its aviation strategy next steps document, setting out its plans for the future of the industry. This involved a commitment to ensure that the UK is equipped to respond to changing threats.

While all cargo is made secure before it is allowed on to aircraft, the dogs offer the ability to detect minute traces of vapour from concealed explosives. This provides a high level of scrutiny as well as a highly mobile and time-saving way of screening freight, 2.4 million tonnes of which passed through the UK’s airports in 2016.

The dogs are already operating in multiple airports, and more will be deployed around the country as the number of approved canines’ increases.

Both the certification and quality assurance process that the dogs will need to go through is set by the Department for Transport (DfT) which will share oversight with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA will have a further responsibility ensuring those who operate the dogs do so in line with the standards set out by the DfT.

source : international airport review

 

Airport Show Dubai concludes on positive note

Karima Kouidri

The 18th edition of Airport Show

concluded on Wednesday (May 9) with participants reporting signing of substantial deals worth millions and collaborations.

The largest annual event of its kind hosted over 350 exhibitors from 60 countries, with the largest number of dedicated pavilions ever, representing Europe, US and Asia, along with over 7,500 visitors. This year’s event also saw its largest number of buyers ever, with 190 buyers attending from 34 countries, representing 75 airports, ground handling, police, immigration, customs, air traffic control and aviation authorities.

Since the inauguration of the show by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, chairman of Dubai Airports and chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the world’s largest annual B2B airport industry event saw the highest number of exhibitors, hosted buyers and participants.

Mohammed Ahli, director general of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and CEO of Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans), remarked: “The quality of global participation and the increased number of exhibitors are testimony to Dubai’s growing importance as a global hub for civil aviation industry.”

The global appeal of the show was expanded by adding exclusive add-on forums like Global Airport Leaders’ Forum (GALF), Women in Aviation (WIA), Air Traffic Control (ATC) Forum and Airport Security Middle East – the last two being this year’s new additions.

Farid Al Bastaki, director, ENOC Aviation, said: “Initiatives like the ‘Women in Aviation General Assembly’ are great platforms to highlight the achievement of women in society. Investing in women is one of ENOC’s top priorities which falls in line with supporting the UAE’s vision to empower them in the workplace. Aviation is a key driver of a nation’s socio-economic growth and we encourage all stakeholders in this sector to support women and engage with them. Aviation is a dynamic sector that requires qualified professionals and women need to be encouraged to take up jobs within this industry that underpins economic growth.”

The Aviation Security Center (Avsec) of Dubai Police will host the 16th Directors’ Meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in Dubai in 2019 during the 19th edition of the Airport Show in 2019, according to Eng Marwan Mohammad Singel, director, Dubai Civil Aviation Security Center, Dubai Police.

Major deals signed during the show include Dammam Airports Company (DACO) signing strategic agreements with Vanderlande and Serco Middle East.

Honeywell, a global leader in connected airports, launched a new smart software suite Honeywell Navitas that helps enhance the safety and efficiency of airside operations.

Sharjah International Airport has awarded Frequentis and its UAE partner Bayanat Engineering UAE a contract to modernize its voice communication infrastructure and replace the existing Schmid Telecom system.

Sameh Gaafar, director, Airport Security, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Rockwell Collins,  said the company is in discussion with Jazeerah Airways for their new requirement for a dedicated terminal.

“Our participation at the show was very rewarding as we could get good enquiries from key players in the market,” he said.

Todd Donovan, vice president strategy, Air Traffic Management, Land & Air System, Thales Group, said: “The show has been great, it’s a great forum being able to join together as key stakeholders in the region in order to very efficiently have many meetings with our current customers and prospective customers and be able to discuss what is materialising and happening in the industry today.”

For the first time this year, the event saw the launch of the Innovation Awards, with winners selected from a global pool of submissions and industry jury. Dieter Heinz, president, German Airport Technology & Equipment, won the ‘Aviation Personality’ award for his contribution towards the development of the industry globally; the ‘Revolutionary’ award went to Beumer, for a ground-breaking product and service that transformed the industry; Hungaro Control got the Sustainability award, Materna received the award in ‘Smart’ category and Avventura was presented the ‘Customer service’ award.

Daniyal Qureshi, group exhibition director at Reed Exhibitions Middle East which organises the trend-setting trade show, said: “This year felt like a true industry showcase. The dedicated events for security and air traffic control complemented Airport Show perfectly and we are looking forward to offering further content aligned with industry trends in 2019.”

Dubai Aviation Engineering Projects (DAEP), Dubai Airports, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) and dnata were the key supporters for Airport Show, while Dubai Police and Dubai Customs were supporting Airport Security Middle East and ATC Forum was supported by Dubai Air Navigation Services (dans) and GAL ANS, in addition to four other supporters. – TradeArabia News Service
source : Trade arabia

 

Las Vegas airport says it’s a technology incubator

Karima Kouidri

While in Stockholm, Samuel Ingalls paused at the sight of passengers swiping passes and phones to board a subway.

The technology looked familiar. Then he realized — a similar device to read passes was at McCarran International Airport.

Ingalls, the assistant director of aviation information systems for McCarran owner Clark County, touted the airport’s reputation as a technology leader during an annual conference for the North American branch of Airports Council International..

The group represents governing bodies that own and operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada.

McCarran has been a technology leader among airports since it became the first to offer complimentary internet to visitors, said Kevin Burke, CEO of the international group’s North American branch.

Despite the obstacles that metal poses for wireless signals, free internet is now a staple among airports.

“Airports are continually making investments in the latest technologies to improve efficiency and enhance the passenger experience,” Burke said.

Twenty years ago, McCarran started the strategy of common use — providing a technology system for any airline to use any gate, kiosk, ticket counter and baggage carousel.

Since then, McCarran has grown from a hodgepodge of technologies that power the airport in the mid-1990s to an airport known for testing new technology.

One growing process: self-tagging. Ten airline carriers have started allowing customers to put tags on their own bags instead of waiting for an agentocess debuted in June 2012 at the airport. McCarran sees nearly 60,000 bags a day.

Since September 2005, the airport has used tags with electromagnetic waves to track bags. In August, the airport rolled out an automated security screening system to process passengers 20 percent to 30 percent faster.

The airport owns and operates all 20,000 pieces of hardware on site, which includes computers, signs, boarding passes and boarding gate scanners, Burke said.

McCarran’s terminal 3, its newest, was outfitted so employees can relocate screens at ticket counters and other fixtures as the airport grows.

The airport has plans for a second screening checkpoint in that terminal. Ingalls also told his audience to expect facial recognition technology and other biometric scans to grow in use, perhaps one day replacing boarding passes.

Still, the airport employees will help people who are unaccustomed to flying or less tech-savvy than frequent fliers.

“We can’t just naturally assume everyone has a mobile smartphone,” Ingalls said.

Watch video here

source : review journal

Sinocloud Wisdom unveils new AI check-in robot

Karima Kouidri

 

At the 18th Dubai Airport Show, Sinocloud Wisdom (Beijing) Technology has unveiled its market-ready product, a brand new check-in and baggage drop-off robot featuring artificial intelligence technology.

The robot supports fully automated check-in and baggage drop-off. Using AGV technology, the robot will avoid obstacles and transport the bags to the baggage handling area. All the passengers need to do is to scan the passport, put their bags in the robot, and go straight to the passenger security checkpoint. If any bag is spotted suspicious, the security inspection staff will be automatically alarmed and informed of the owner’s information which is collected when the passport is scanned.

Instead of looking for the check-in desk, passengers can check in and drop their bags off from anywhere in the airport with the robot. It will speed up the check-in process and reduce workload of the check-in staff at airports.

The company is also presenting an Intelligent Check-in Counter at the Dubai Airport Show. Compared with traditional check-in counters, the innovative counter integrates many practical functions including facial recognition, automatic acquisition of baggage weighing information, height-adjustable desk, advertisement display and intelligent notification. The counter is designed for the purpose of reducing workload as well as improving efficiency, service and security level of the airport.

Li Xin, CEO of Sinocloud Wisdom, said: “Using AI technology, we present our Smart Airport Solution to improve the service of the airport. We keep focusing on optimising customer experience by creating a convenient, non-interference check-in environment. Our smart airport equipments help the airport to adapt to a growing number of passengers as well as to upgrade their performance.”

TradeArabia News Service

source AI check in robot–

Digital control tower coming for Invercargill Airport

Karima Kouidri

Digital control tower coming for Invercargill Airport, air traffic controllers to be based elsewhere

Invercargill Airport general manager Nigel Finnerty with the control tower in the background.

Kavinda Herath/Stuff
Invercargill Airport general manager Nigel Finnerty with the control tower in the background.

Five air traffic control positions will be relocated from Invercargill Airport once a new digital control tower is put in place, with air traffic control being managed from a remote location.

The digital tower, which sends high definition video to a remote operations centre, is expected to be operational by 2020.

Airways chief executive Graeme Sumner said the five air traffic controllers employed at Invercargill Airport will be given the option to relocate to a central hub once the location of the hub is determined, and the company will be working closely with the controllers affected by this during the next couple of years.

The technology is already in use at airports around Europe, but Invercargill will be the first airport in New Zealand to feature an entirely digital tower.

“Digital tower systems give controllers additional tools to do their jobs, but it doesn’t make decisions for them. We still see people very much at the heart of managing aircraft in and out of airfields safely for many years to come,” he said.

he new control tower will feature a battery of sensors including surveillance, flight data and augmented reality overlays which are intended to provide controllers with a more detailed view than possible with the human eye, including infrared to provide controllers with improved visibility in low light conditions.

The tower will be operated from a separate building on the airfield initially, before air traffic controllers are moved to a central hub that will provide air traffic control services to a number of regional locations.

Airways, which provides air navigations services throughout New Zealand, issued a request seeking a supplier of digital tower technology for Invercargill on Monday.

A digital tower will also be constructed at Auckland International Airport, as a backup to the existing tower from 2020.

Invercargill Airport general manager Nigel Finnerty said Invercargill was selected as it had the right mix of air traffic to test the system.
“It doesn’t have the complexity of an international airport, but it is still pretty busy so any new system will be put through its paces. This is new technology and will be a new way of managing airspace around airports, so it is important we get it right,” he said.
The process of introducing the digital tower into the Invercargill operation will take some time, as the technology needed to be introduced and then approved by the Civil Aviation Authority, which could take up to two years, Finnerty said.
“After that, decisions will be made on how and where Invercargill air traffic will be managed from,” he said.
Passengers flying out of or into Invercargill won’t notice any difference during the implementation of the system, Finnerty said.
“They will see a new tower on the edge of the apron, but nothing else. Initially the new digital tower will work in tandem with the current tower until it is approved for use by CAA. The Air Traffic Controllers will then transition to managing the airspace from the new facility,” he said.
As the knowledge of the new technology grows, passengers should see the airport become more efficient with less flight disruption, Finnerty said.
“This technology, whilst still relatively new, is proving itself to be the way of the future. We are proud to be leading its introduction into New Zealand,” Finnerty said.

source : digital control tower

 

Abu Dhabi International Airport Reduces Waiting Times & Increases Capacity With Smart IOT Technology

Karima Kouidri

Abu Dhabi International Airport announced the implementation of smart Passenger Flow and Queue Management technologies,

to boost efficiency in day-to-day operations across check-in, security, immigration and baggage-claim in Terminals 1 and 3. The new technology will dynamically manage airport resources and ultimately increase capacity and passenger satisfaction.

The airport adopts smart technologies which include the “Internet of Things” (IOT) and business intelligence that ensures efficient, smooth and proactive Airport operations. The turnkey project included sensors installation, provision of infrastructure and integration between the Passenger Flow Management solution and different airport and airline’s operational systems. It entailed the design and implementation of a Desk Planner module that enables the airport to forecast “desk demand” for security and immigration areas. The collected data allows the airport operations to react with necessary measures against any challenges in the passenger flow that might arise, in timely manner.

More than 450 sensors have been installed in 19 areas across the two terminals enabling real-time monitoring. The system also ensures queue management efficiency and incident management, as well as allocating resources based on the predictive analytics of passenger flow and volume, thus aiding in seamless airport processe.

bdul Majeed Al Khoori, Acting CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports commented: “This project has been key in meeting the growing challenge of balancing the increased volume of passengers and operational efficiency. With the implementation of this smart technology, we are enabled to increase operational efficiency by receiving real-time data on passenger flows. The intelligence that the system is delivering has already proven its value by providing actionable information and real time inputs during recent Low Visibility Operations”.

He added, “As a regional hub for aviation, Abu Dhabi International Airport is truly embracing a progressive model for the airport of the future. Improving customer service whilst maintaining the highest standards in safety, security and operational efficiency, through innovative solutions is one of our key goals at Abu Dhabi Airports”.

The project began its trial operations in December 2017, as part of Abu Dhabi Airports’ initiative towards the digital transformation to a smarter airport. It will kick-start with an application accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop devices, feeding directly to the Airport Management Center and other digital channels for airport operations’ staff and stakeholders.

The project was executed as collaboration between Abu Dhabi Airports and Dubai Technology Partners LLC (DTP), the region’s leading systems integrator for the aviation industry, jointly with Xovis, the leading provider of people flow monitoring solutions.

source : Abu Dahbi International Airport

 

ROBOCOPS HAVE ARRIVED! at LaGuardia Airport

Karima Kouidri

During rush hour at LaGuardia Airport it is go, go, go for travelers –

it takes a lot to get people to stop in their tracks.

A robot straight out of Star Wars is pacing the arrivals curb at the airport’s Terminal B, loaded with cameras and other sensors to enhance security coverage in the congested spot. The security robot – she’s a girl by the way, even has a name – ‘B-3PO’ for Terminal B, where she roams around.