5 New Year’s resolutions every airport should have for 2023

11th Dec, 2022

New Year’s resolutions come and go and many individuals have them every year at the end of the year but most have already been put aside by the end of January.

Why ONE version of the Truth matters

9th Aug, 2022

During the most recent PTE event, we talked a lot about a single version of the truth. That’s also logic as in many airports there is no such thing. When one of my colleagues last flew to the UK via Switzerland his airline operator shared his expected departure time via mobile but much to his surprise this was different than the time published on the FIDS system of the airport and often you can find a third time with one of the stakeholders that needs to prepare the airplane.

How do APOC and A-CDM relate?

28th June, 2022

APOC or Airport Operations Centre (AOC) is a location that consists of various airport systems related to the operations of the airport. It is established to help for a centralized supervision. Usually, each stakeholder has its own AOC; Airport Operator, Ground Handlers and ATC. Communication between the stakeholders and people of ground for gathering data is either by sensory information or by radios.

Gap Analysis: Understanding what is happening in your operations is key for improvement.

5th April, 2022

At EMMA we talk a lot with airports and when I mean a lot then we talk about a long series of meetings and calls on a daily basis. This makes us understand airport operations better and better if that wasn’t already the case before.

Why airports sit on a pile of interesting unused data?

17th March, 2022

Talking to an airport recently I noticed that in a lot of cases airports are still focused on mortar and bricks. Everything that is hardware and can be touched still gets a priority.

The Digital Airport: Why Airport Operations Will No Longer Be the Same in the Next Decade

2nd February, 2022

Since the beginning of COVID-19, there is a growing trend that one no longer needs to be in a specific location to be able to work or represent their company. The same is true for all functions that use clearly defined processes. This is the reason why digital towers can easily assume the role of multiple air traffic control (ATC) setups.

Here’s How Airlines Can Benefit from Shorter Taxi Times

11th January, 2022

With kerosene prices skyrocketing, both airlines and airports are looking for ways to substantially reduce energy wastage. The biggest problem, however, lies in the fact that airports often do not have a unified view on operations to recognize where time is being lost.

Digital Transformation: Expensive Words… Do They Really Mean Something?

28th October, 2021

Digital transformation has been part of most airports’ strategy for years but has often been limited to the front end (passenger services, security, etc.) or viewed in terms of updating or upgrading systems like the AODB or FIDS. In many instances, however, the end-to-end view has been omitted.

Why Climate Change is a Wake-Up Call for the Aviation Industry

12th September, 2021

A recent UN report about a (late) wake-up call for humanity has gained significant media attention. This report urges stakeholders to ensure that they pay attention and see how each, in their role, can contribute to the solution, not the problem.

Why Airports Need to Radically Rethink IT

30th August, 2021

For years, airports have been taken hostage by large corporations urging airports’ IT Managers to take ten-year commitments and invest considerable amounts in CapEx spend. Is this, in today’s day and age, still a normal practice?

A-CDM: Overhauling the Travel Experience and Creating a Unified Operations Approach

23rd August, 2021

A-CDM is all about efficiency. Be it a large airport or an airport with one million passengers, efficiency should be rule number one when managing operations as this helps improve the passenger experience and save costs. With new regulations in aviation (especially when it comes to CO2 emissions, noise or air pollution) and stricter flying times, airports need to consider how they can improve, reduce wastage and do things differently.

Mitigating Luggage Delay: Taking An Innovative and Holistic Approach

14th July, 2021

Every year, millions of pieces of luggage are delayed, adding to the frustration and inconvenience of flight passengers. Most of these delays can be alleviated significantly with the help of innovative technologies that facilitate efficient communication, better predictability, and efficient mobilization of the ground handling staff.

How to Make Any A-CDM Implementation a Success in Five Steps?

17th June, 2021

More and more airports are moving to collaborative decision-making not only because it is a requirement but also because of the fact that airports and all their stakeholders have a strong need for visibility on airport operations. A lot of time and Information is lost because of many parties at the airport not communicating at the right level.

Is the AODB on a Dead-End Street?

31st May, 2021

Hundreds of AODBs have been implemented in the past decades. An AODB is, in fact, a good database that combines all available data streams at the airport and gets fed by a multitude of partners. The AODB then tries to make sense of all that data so the airport operations staff have a good view as to what is happening, when and where. Is the future of the AODB an open system that processes data and can easily be used or implemented by any airport operation? Very likely.

The Passenger Experience: Is Anyone Thinking about the Passenger?

20th May, 2021

Airports and their stakeholders around the globe are preparing for the return of many more passengers in the coming months. A number of new measures (for example, sanitary measures for passengers and employees, social distancing measures and solutions, CCTV to see how passengers are respecting old and new rules, reactivating employees that were temporarily unemployed, COVID-19 passports, etc.)

Environmental Concerns and Aviation: After COVID-19, Now Climate Takes Centre Stage

12th May, 2021

In our blogs, we have discussed CORSIA and of course, the many environmental programs that have been set up around the globe to regulate different transportation segments. We have also witnessed a recent 360° change with the US government after President Biden took office and pledged that the US would take a lead role when it comes to the environment. This has boosted the focus on CO2 emissions with new requirements and also the investments needed to implement them.

Total Cost of Ownership: Predictability in Airport Operations

27th April, 2021

As we are slowly moving into the new normal, we can be certain that some things will never be what they were before COVID-19. The old ways often led to a lot of last-minute changes just to be able to cope with traffic that expanded so fast over the course of the last decade(s) or stakeholder decisions that often changed at the last minute.

A Conversation about A-CDM with Ian Pauls, an ATC and Flight Planning Expert

21th April, 2021

We had a chat with Ian Pauls, an expert in air traffic control (ATC) and flight planning. Ian was the author of the 2018 IATA report titled ‘Airport – Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM): IATA Recommendations’ and we had the pleasure to talk to him about how A-CDM fits in this (hopefully soon) post-COVID era.

The Vaccine is Here… Now What?

28th March, 2021

With the introduction of the COVID-19 vaccine, the aviation industry finds itself on relatively stable ground compared to the beginning of the pandemic. However, the introduction and effectiveness of the vaccine does not directly spell true and meaningful recovery unless there are steps taken to ensure that the benefits of the vaccination programme translate into such recovery for aviation stakeholders.

Awaiting the Rebound: Aviation, Resilience and the Pandemic

14th March, 2021

In Passenger Terminal World’s Annual Showcase issue, Helen Norman, the editor of the magazine, sheds light on some important aspects to consider in relation to the current state of the aviation industry. This blog post reviews some of these aspects and expands the discussion on them.

Here is Why COVID Should Not Lead to a Freeze in Airport IT Spending

2nd March, 2021

With airport operations gradually recovering, obtaining IT investment funding has never been so difficult. With the ongoing COVID crisis expected to run till past the summer - given the slow vaccine rollout in many parts of the world - many airports have halted major investments, whether in IT or in hardware.

When Do You Know Your Airport Needs to Consider A-CDM?

17th February, 2021

A few years ago, IATA created an extremely useful document called Airport – Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM): IATA Recommendations. One of the key elements discussed was to understand when A-CDM is really needed for the operation of an airport or airline.

Zero Waste Initiatives at Airports

11th February, 2021

With COVID-19’s seeming monopoly over the attention of the aviation industry, it can become easy to forget about the pre-COVID sustainability imperatives that many in this industry had vowed to implement. However, despite declining passenger numbers (and its inherent consequences for airports and airlines), many airports have continued to maintain their sustainability commitments.

CORSIA is Coming: How Airports Should Get Prepared to Meet CORSIA Targets?

4th February, 2021

In October 2016, the member states of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) made the historic decision to adopt a global market-based measure for aviation emissions. This scheme, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation – more commonly known as CORSIA – is the result of many years of work at ICAO and the UN along with the support of the industry.

Revenue Generation Hacks for Airports During COVID

28th January, 2021

It has become clear that the COVID-19 crisis has spelled disaster for the aviation industry, particularly in terms of revenue. Nearly 90% of airport revenues are derived from passengers as reported by Liz Morrell of Passenger Terminal World. With passenger travel down to less than half of pre-COVID levels, it has become ever-important for airports to consider revenue generation techniques that do not rely solely on passenger travel.

IATA Recommendations for Airports & Airlines Moving to Create Higher Efficiency Gains and Preparing for CORSIA’s Sustainability Targets

21st January, 2021

When it comes to creating efficiency gains, airports and airlines should not wait for full traffic recovery to start. Now is the ideal time to put the different stakeholders together, making sure that processes are streamlined and coordination agreed upon to reduce lost time during airport operations to a minimum. The ideal solution resides in implementing an advanced collaborative decision making (A-CDM) solution.

Sustainability: Why the Aviation Industry’s Biggest Challenge Is Not COVID-19

11th January, 2021

With the entire industry caught in a downward spiral and putting up their hopes on subsidies and vaccinations, another big challenge looms ahead. The challenge of sustainability lies in the requirements that programs like CORSIA and other exercises (similar to the Green Deal) put on airlines and airports.

All I wish for 2021 is more efficiency… and a rebound of traffic

3rd January, 2021

2016 was an important year for the aviation industry. This was the year when EUROCONTROL published the A-CDM Impact Assessment bulletin. The bulletin was groundbreaking as this was the first time that the results of the implementation of A-CDM processes could be quantified and this was done by all original A-CDM target airports

The New Normal in Aviation Post-COVID

23rd December, 2020

Given the effect of COVID-19 on the aviation industry, it is difficult to imagine that flying after the crisis would ever be the same as before. There are significant procedural changes taking place within aviation, many of which might be here to stay. This post delves into the most pertinent of these changes with an aim to sketch a picture of the new normal that would exist after COVID-19.

Here Is Why Operational Efficiency Matters More Than Ever During COVID-19

8th December, 2020

The times when airports and airlines struggled with airport capacity constraints, long taxi-out/taxi-in times or the limited availability of gate positions seems like a thing from the past.

To Survive COVID-19, Airports Will Need to Push the ‘Higher Efficiency’ Button

19th November, 2020

With the sequel of COVID-19 clearly impacting the aviation world even more than the first wave, it is becoming clear that many airports need to rethink the way they manage operations. This does not only mean reassuring passengers that traveling is safe but also the need to embrace a new reality.

CDM: The Answer to How Airports Can Make Substantial Efficiency Gains?

1st December, 2020

CDM systems have proven their usefulness over the course of their usage, increasing efficiency and improving decision making.

Aviation, the Environment and the Role of A-CDM

12th November, 2020

Nearly 915 million tonnes of carbon dioxide were released into the atmosphere by flights in 2019, as per Air Transport Action Group. Politico reports that if the carbon emission of industries was imagined as countries, aviation would be larger than Germany.

Using Technology to Facilitate Continuity for the Aviation Industry During and After COVID-19

24th August, 2020

The aviation industry has suffered devastating losses due to the coronavirus outbreak. International Airport Review cites a report by IATA, predicting that the aviation industry could potentially observe a reduction in revenue of nearly $113 billion if the virus continues spreading globally.

Artificial Intelligence in the Aviation Industry

4th June, 2020

With rapid advancements in technology, the use of artificial intelligence has grown universally. The aviation industry, much like many others, has benefited from artificial intelligence as industry leaders continue to innovate, using artificial intelligence to improve operations and customer service.

Glass Half Full: The Implicit Opportunity in COVID-19 for the Air Transport Industry

April 12th, 2020

Due to COVID-19, as per Airports Council International (ACI), the volume of passengers using airports is set for a sharp decline; the Council also indicates that airports in all over the world

Shifts in Technology Usage During COVID-19

26th March, 2020

With the implementation of lockdown or social distancing measures in many nations due to COVID-19, people around the world have noticed exponential changes in their lifestyle.

Planning Your Air Travel to Mitigate Financial Loss Due to the Coronavirus

5th March, 2020

Coronavirus is rapidly spreading across the world with more than 95,000 cases of infection in nearly 80 countries, as Reuters reports in this The New York Times article.