A fuel leak threatens to cause scheduled chaos. Ammunition is discovered in a passenger’s baggage. And a medical emergency in the air leads to a scramble on the ground.

FINN’s editor-in-chief, Alan Peaford, rounds up what you need to know from this week’s Airport Show in Dubai.

In just a few days’ time, the world’s largest annual airport exhibition will be underway in the heart of Dubai’s business district at the prestigious International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The 18th Airport Show will welcome more than 7,000 aviation decision-making professionals to see the very latest in airports innovation – and Rockwell Collins will be there.
The world’s largest annual airport exhibition
This year, more than 300 leading global airport solutions providers will showcase a wide range of innovations at the three-day event, designed to support airports of all sizes, in every area of operational management, such as:
• Passenger processing
• Baggage systems and handling
• Airport airside equipment
• Airport security solutions
• Passenger facilitation
• And much more.
With the show’s Online Matchmaking Programme, it is easier this year to connect with the exhibitors you need to see, and an exclusive free seminar offers a chance to hear about the latest global innovations and technologies to help airport operators transform passenger experience and increase productivity.
The Airport Show provides attendees with the opportunity to network with industry professionals and service providers, and delivers up-to-date information, giving operators the tools and knowledge they need to take passenger experience to a new level.
Access to Airport Security
As the airports industry prepares for enhanced security measures, the introduction of biometrics in the passenger processing system is increasing in adoption and use around the world.
This year, an exclusive showcase – Access to Airport Security – will provide a platform to feature the latest technology and solutions in biometrics and border control.
Visit Rockwell Collins at the Airport Show 2018
Rockwell Collins will be at the Airport Show this year, showcasing our latest developments in airports technology, including:
• PCI-compliant common use self-bag drop solutions
• Cloud technology
• Systems integration
• Biometric identity management solutions
• And more.
Rockwell Collins’ ARINC Airports Solutions are scalable and flexible enough to meet the rises in passenger numbers and increasing mandatory security requirements that place ever-growing pressure on airports and the operational environment. With the experience and innovation to keep passengers moving, increase passenger experience and improve security on a global scale, Rockwell Collins is uniquely placed to assist airports of all sizes. Come and see us on stand 4210 to find out more about our airport technology and IT solutions.

Visit : http://airportknowledge.com

talking-airports for more on this story or to find out more about Rockwell Collins airport solutions.

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

source : World largets airports show

Dubai airport security tunnel.

If you’re travelling first class or business, a soon-to-be-implemented project will allow you to go straight to boarding gate without undergoing immigration check at Dubai airports.

The ongoing Gitex Technology Week revealed that two future projects and one currently being implemented will make travelling smooth and smart at Dubai airports.

There is another future project that will allow passengers to finish immigration check under 15 seconds by walking through a ‘smart tunnel’ without the need of presenting their passport.

And a system currently implemented on a limited basis allows travellers to fly even without their passports or boarding pass as long as they have their smartphone.

Speaking to Khaleej Times at the Gitex Technology Week in Dubai on Monday, Capt Amer Rashed Almheiri, general directorate of residency and foreign affairs (GDRFA) director of smart application department, said as part of the Dubai 10X Initiative, a futuristic project will allow a traveller to ride an e-car, equipped with immigration checks.

“There is a camera inside the car that uses facial recognition, which is connected to smart immigration gates at the check-in areas.

“All information are captured, including passport details and the boarding pass will be sent to the counter. The traveller will not have to go through the immigration and can go straight to the lounge and the boarding gate,” he said.

“What is more amazing is that there is a weighing scale and scanner at the boot of the car so the baggage will be weighed, scanned for any prohibited materials and after passing the scanning will go straight to the cargo area of the plane,” Almheiri added.

source : https://tinyurl.com/y7q2bsmf

to lead the Arab world in innovation. The first drone taxi service showcased last week in Dubai. The flying taxi was developed by German drone firm Volocopter. It is made up of a two-seater helicopter cabin and a wide hoop studded with 18 propellers on the top. The maiden test run was performed in a ceremony for the Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed.

Passengers travelling through Dubai International can now stream content for free via the ICFLIX app.

Dubai International (DXB) has announced a partnership with ICFLIX,

a regional content streaming platform, which enables passengers to stream movies and TV shows on their own devices while waiting for their flights.

The initiative makes use of the ‘Wow-Fi’ service, which DXB says is the fastest free airport Wi-Fi service in the world. After connecting to Wow-Fi, passengers can now access ICFLIX, which includes Hollywood, Bollywood and Jazwood (Arabic) content.

Content on ICFLIX is available in three languages: Arabic, English and French. The service is complimentary to all DXB passengers for an initial trial period of two months.

“Dubai Airports is on a mission to engage more directly with our customers, and transform the airport experience for millions of travellers each month,” said Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President of Dubai Airports’ Commercial and Communications Group. “We intend to lead the practical application of available digital tools to exceed customer expectations, across multiple points of their journey at our airports, and including demands for more variety within the airport experience. Our continued investment in a superior Wi-Fi product (Wow-Fi) has ensured that our customers are connected with a free and fast service, and now we aim to enrich that platform with managed content and relevant messaging.

“Thanks to our partnership with ICFLIX, travellers at Dubai International can now enjoy a wide range of streamed entertainment before and between flights, and this is a service which is completely free of charge to users. We are delighted with this new addition to our consumer strategy, and look forward to evaluating its impact.”

‘Wow-Fi’ at DXB

Speaking to FTE following the announcement of the partnership with ICFLIX, Dubai Airports’ EVP, Technology and Infrastructure, Michael Ibbitson, revealed more about the initiative. To access the streaming content, passengers must download the ICFLIX app and they are then entitled to 24 hours of free streaming. As well as watching content while at DXB, they can continue to watch content on board Wi-Fi connected aircraft and when they arrive at their destination, which is especially useful for those who have to board their flight before they have finished watching a movie.

Ibbitson explained that as the world’s busiest international airport, “people on immense journeys across the globe come to Dubai International and we are the centre of that journey”. He continued: “For those critical few hours on the ground, passengers can have a video call with their loved ones, download their emails in seconds, and then watch some movies on ICFLIX.”

Ibbitson stressed the fact that this is possible thanks to the Wow-Fi service, which has been painstakingly tested to guarantee a consistent performance across the airport. “One of the things that Paul Griffiths (CEO of Dubai Airports) said to me before I joined 18 months or so ago was that he wanted technology to drive the customer experience, and also drive the capacity and throughput at the airport in the future,” he explained.

“We’ve been working towards those two primary goals and one of the first things we identified when I joined was, based on previous customer research, Wi-Fi had become the biggest driver of overall customer satisfaction for airports by quite a significant margin…if you’ve got great Wi-Fi, passengers are likely to rate your airport better. So we said, ‘if that’s the case we’ve got to try and make the best airport Wi-Fi that anyone has come across’.”

The default position, Ibbitson said, was “everybody in the airport should be able to stream HD movies”. With this in mind, the entire wireless network infrastructure was upgraded across the airport and during the 2016 European Championships the Wi-Fi was tested by logging on to live streams of football matches during busy periods. Also, the whole Wi-Fi infrastructure was closely monitored and staff were alerted when the level of service dropped below that required to stream full HD content. This enabled Ibbitson and his colleagues to identify weak spots and improve those areas.

Clearly, the hard work has paid off and passengers can now enjoy connection speeds of up to 100mbps; more than enough to enable HD streaming. While the partnership with ICFLIX is for an initial period of two months, it could be just the start of a much bigger trend at DXB. Customer feedback will be assessed after the trial period and Ibbitson revealed to FTE that offering passengers live sports streaming is also on Dubai Airports’ wish list for the future.

source : https://tinyurl.com/ybtqk6f4

according to a recent study by global management consulting firm Strategy& (formerly Booz & Company), part of the PwC network. These partners need to join forces in order to boost revenues, lower costs, improve efficiencies, and enhance the customer experience.

Commenting on the need for airports and airlines to make unlocking synergies a priority, Alessandro Borgogna, Partner with Strategy& who leads the aviation practice in the Middle East, said: “Airports and airlines have a long and successful history of collaborating to transport millions of customers safely from place to place. However, this is no longer sufficient for business success. With a far more dynamic geopolitical and economic environment, increasing global competition and need for lower costs, these two natural partners need to make every effort to unlock synergies.”
According to the study by Strategy&, there are four areas where airports and airlines could work jointly to unlock value:

1) Integrate sales channels to boost customer purchases – Airports and airlines should solve the basic problem that prevents them from selling more products to their millions of passengers. To give passengers more time to shop, and make it more convenient, airports and airlines could integrate their sales channels for retail goods. These following options could be put to use at the same time: airplane to gate, airplane to airplane and home to gate.

Hong Kong International Airport for example has introduced the i-Gate facility, which allows travelers to order goods directly on tablets at the departure gates and have the goods delivered to them within 10 minutes.
London Heathrow Airport also offers an online travel store, Heathrow Boutique, which provides a ‘Reserve & Collect’ service where passengers can reserve products online, then pay and collect the goods as the shop.

2) Drive sales with joint loyalty programs – Although most airlines offer loyalty programs, these programs are much less common among airports. In a recent study of international airports, Strategy& found that only a quarter offered loyalty programs which were predominately large airports with over 40 million passengers per year. With a joint sales channel, a joint loyalty program can generate incremental revenues and profits for both airports and airlines at relatively low costs.

Airports and airlines also stand to gain in the following ways: More passenger spend as loyalty-program members increase their purchases to obtain loyalty points, enter higher reward tiers, and earn vouchers; lower costs thanks to shared costs, such as a joint technology platform and call centers; economies of scale as the joint program grows and increases its negotiating power with suppliers; better customer knowledge that digital analytics can exploit to tailor offerings and improve customer relationships. However, designing a business model with the right profit-sharing mechanism and the right technology will be critical.

3) Improve customer experience and efficiencies with joint digitization – Digitization is shaping the travellers’ entire experience, which Strategy& identified in five stages: pre-journey, pre-flight, in-flight, post-flight, and post-journey. Today, airline-related digitization focuses on the pre-journey, in-flight, and post-journey stages, while airport digitization focuses on pre-flight and post-flight.

By integrating their digitization efforts, hub airlines and airports could offer a single application for an integrated, seamless travel experience across all five travel stages with all manner of services, information, and guidance. The hub airlines and airports could also realize additional revenue and/or reduce costs in three key ways: Optimized operations; targeted marketing and cross-selling; improved decision making. The key challenge with this will be to define the right technology architecture and operating model for the joint digital platform.

Emirates airlines for example has started a “Together” program in collaboration with Dubai customs, police, immigration and airport authorities to use technology and improve travelers experience and make processes such as checking in or baggage drop-off and collection simpler.

4) Joint real estate development and hub operations – There are many opportunities to better coordinate real estate development and operational activities to save money and maximize the use of property. On the development front, airports and hub airlines could develop terminals and airport facilities through joint ventures or concessions to ensure optimal use. They could also coordinate the development of real estate around the airport.

For example, the Al Maktoum International Airport has already put this strategy into action. It helped created Dubai World Central, which has dedication aviation logistics and staff accommodation clusters.

On the operations front, airports and hub airlines could set up a joint slot-coordination team to maximize the use of airport infrastructure and improve airlines’ operational efficiency. They could also set up joint airport operations centers that serve both airports and airlines, lowering costs by eliminating redundancies and repetition of functions such as gate control, ground coordination, emergency centers, and call centers.

Marwan Bejjani, Principal with Startegy& and a member of the engineered products and services practice said: “These four key areas could play a significant role in boosting revenues, lowering costs and enhancing customer experience. The first three areas can help airports and airlines work together more smoothly to improve the customer experience and boost airport commercial sales by 10 to 20 percent and airline commercial sales by more than 50 percent, with relatively little incremental investment.

The fourth area concentrates on how hub airlines and airports can coordinate to improve efficiencies, lower costs, and foster economically dynamic aviation clusters — populated with their ecosystem stakeholders — to compete better in the global travel market of the future. In all of these joint activities, the challenge will be designing a business model with the right profit- and cost-sharing mechanisms and with the right technologies.”

Tarek Khalifa, Manager at Strategy& and member of engineered products and services practice in the Middle East, concluded: “We believe that priority synergies are in sales-channel integration, joint loyalty programs, joint digitization, and collaboration in real estate development and hub operations. By taking their partnership to the next level, airports and airlines can thrive and grow together in the global travel market of the future.” — SG

source : https://tinyurl.com/y95o4a29