Enhancing operations in real-time

Concessionaire Analyzer+

Concessionaire Analyzer+ is a software solution that allows sales data from concessionaires to be centrally located, analysed, reported on, audited and used for invoicing. “The old adage is true: if you cannot measure them, you cannot manage them,” said John de Giorgio, the company’s CEO.

Ranging from air traffic control (ATC) and security queuing times, to ramp operations and retail performance, monitoring and analysing real-time data allows airports to spot areas in need of improvement and operational lapses as and when they happen.

“Having real-time information is vital for airports that operate at or near peak capacity,” said Alex Sauriol, Executive Vice President, Airport Solutions, Searidge Technologies, a company that offers a range of video-based collaborative surface management solutions. “Having an accurate understanding of the airport ground situations as well as resource and assets can allow the airport and air traffic control to improve the overall handling of traffic, leading to improvements in the operation and performance of the airport.”

Malta Air Traffic Services, Dubai Airports and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport all currently use the ATC-grade video solution, which simulates an out-of-the-window view for one or multiple geographically dispersed aprons, de-icing pads and aircraft parking areas to create a centralised operations centre approach and free-up human resources.

According to Sauriol, the situational awareness tools provide a variety of benefits. Among them are improved safety through the detection of potential runway incursions before they happen, improved efficiency by enhancing resource allocation and decision-making based on the actual ground situation, and a reduction in delays by improving on-schedule departures and arrivals. Environmental improvements through the provision of optimal taxi routing and off-block times based on the current ground situation can also be achieved.

Common operating environment

A real-time common operating environment.

Creating a real-time common operating environment helps airports to ensure on-time arrivals and departures.

This concept of creating a common operating environment platform is also at the heart of the tools developed by Altadona, which provides its expertise to airports, as well as many other industries, including ports, oil and gas, universities and schools, and building management systems.

“We provide a bi-directional platform,” explained Kary Eldred, the company’s CEO. “We’re able to visualise what’s happening on one platform, but we’re also able to control the processes and automate them. You can pretty much integrate anything that has an electronic pulse. We connect these silos of data and information points that are not currently connected, and we can create real-time data. All of this can also be recorded to offer patterned analytics.”

One example of where such a platform can be useful is in the security search zone. When a security checkpoint queue reaches a certain length, an airport might decide to enable mood-improving effects, such as ambient lighting or playing music through the overhead speakers. This system could be integrated as part of a common operating environment, meaning these effects are automatically enabled when queuing times reach a specific level. Alternatively, if an airport has to be evacuated because of fire, the elevators can be taken out of service using the software, removing the need for a human agent to manually undertake the task.

Eldred also explained that the benefits of this software extend to airports’ marketing and non-aeronautical departments. “For example, in the security area, as well as using cameras to monitor the queues, the video can also be watched back to see which way people tend to turn when they leave the security checkpoint,” he said. “This type of data can be very valuable to the airport and the concessionaires.”

Measurement and management

The ATC-grade video solution from Searidge Technologies.

Malta Air Traffic Services, Dubai Airports and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport currently use the ATC-grade video solution from Searidge Technologies.

This non-aeronautical side of the business is an area that Concessionaire Analyzer+ (CA+) has a dedicated focus on. “Retail activities continue to become a more and more important aspect of airports’ revenues and sustainability,” said John de Giorgio, the company’s CEO. “The old adage is true: if you cannot measure them, you cannot manage them.”
CA+ is a software solution that allows sales data from concessionaires to be centrally located, analysed, reported on, audited and used for invoicing. “By knowing the performance of different concessionaires and retail categories, by understanding the buying habits of passengers on different routes, carriers, even flights, and by assessing the impact of promotions and campaigns, an airport is able to optimise and boost revenues from retail activities,” de Giorgio added.

Implementing a central database for sales data collection helps airports increase the productivity of the data collection process, improving controls and auditing, automating billing and improving reporting and analysis.

While the benefits for the airports are apparent, de Giorgio was also keen to highlight the fact that solutions like CA+ are good for concessionaires too, as they get access to non-sensitive business intelligence, which enables them to benchmark their performance against their retail sector.

Today’s real-time airport

Evidently, the use of real-time data in the airport environment to plan and manage resources and oversee airport operations has widespread advantages, and in those airports nearing capacity saturation in particular, optimisation in these areas can be crucial to sustaining reliable operations and keeping airlines and passengers content.

That, coupled with the benefits that can be derived in terms of non-aeronautical development, highlights exactly why suppliers are investing heavily in next-generation software and why airports are investing in implementing these solutions. Real-time capacity, resource and asset management is not just something that will be important in the airport of the future, it is something that is of vital importance for the airport of today.

Creating real-time data.

Kary Eldred, CEO, Altadona: “You can pretty much integrate anything that has an electronic pulse. We connect these silos of data and information points that are not currently connected, and we can create real-time data.”


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