SITA’s Damian Hickey reflects on the growth of the ‘Intelligent Airport’ and capacity enhancing benefits of IT.
SITA’s ‘Intelligent Airport’ vision is one which responds to the fact that there are now seven billion people on this planet and there will be about five billion arrivals and departures from airports this year alone.
This phenomenal growth was exemplified for us when we were asked to support Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) in handling a record daily influx of 260,000 passengers during the Beijing Olympics.
Throughout Asia, airports are expanding to handle growing passenger and airline demand. Where expansion cannot take place either for space or environmental reasons, the Intelligent Airport concept really comes into play.
It is all about helping airports to manage growth by leveraging the convergence of three trends: passenger self-service, mobility and collaborative decision making in order to create a smart predictive environment for the most effective flow of passengers and cargo through an airport.
Improving customer service and reducing the cost of doing business are the key drivers behind the development of the Intelligent Airport vision which promises to be even more significant than the introduction of Common-Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) for airline check-in in 1984 or the development of the first online booking engine in 1995.
Over the next three years, we will see insightful business intelligence delivered to the airport’s multiple stakeholders, bringing about a profound change in airport operations with the systematic elimination of cumbersome manual operations, greater automation and real-time information sharing between all stakeholders with the true integration of Passenger Services Systems (PSS), Departure Control Systems (DCS) and Baggage Reconciliation Systems (BRS).
Whether for tracking passenger movements, end-to-end situational awareness of key assets and resources, or rapid real-time collaborative decisions, new technology –combined with passengers’ desire for more self-service options – has the power to unite the operational practices of airlines, airport operators, ground handlers and others within the airport.
New technologies such as smartphones and tablets, near field communication, WiFi, Bluetooth tracking and ‘augmented reality’, hold the key to reaching new heights in an airport’s operational performance, while keeping passengers always connected and in touch with the information they need to plan and personalise their journeys.
SITA’s new Passenger Self Service Survey gives a dazzling insight into the synergies, which these technologies can create in the airport environment.
The outstanding finding is that the number of smartphones carried by passengers has doubled within a year, up from 28% to 54%. They may not be too interested yet in receiving shopping deals, but they are definitely hungry for any trip-related information that will ease their passage through the airport and onto the plane.
Passengers can have all the travel information they need in the palm of their hand through a mobile device/smartphone. This is mood-enhancing stuff because they can know whether or not their flights will depart on time, and will have confirmation that their bags are safely loaded on the flight. Their mobile device will direct them to the shortest path to their gate.
It will become routine for airlines and other service providers to know a passenger’s location on an opt-in basis. Passengers not at the gate for boarding will be reminded directly via their mobile device.
Meanwhile, if advanced analytics predict that a passenger cannot board in time, the passenger will be automatically rebooked and his or her bags off-loaded. And the flight will depart on time.
Technology makes it possible for airport operators to reduce wait times and manage queues as more passengers activate Bluetooth tracking on their mobile devices.
Meaningful measurement requires that just one in ten passengers have Bluetooth on.
Real-time business intelligence also allows easy deployment of resources to tackle potential bottlenecks increasing the quality of passengers’ dwell time and improving retail spend.
The day is not too far off when Air Traffic Control and aircraft turnaround will improve and flying time be reduced through improved communications between airports and the implementation of an “intranet of the air” or System Wide Information Management (SWIM) enabling all stakeholders on the ground and in the air to share Air Traffic Management (ATM) data.
Mobile workforce solutions and the elimination of manual paper-based processes are already having a significant impact on productivity.
These scenarios offer a glimpse of the convenience, which the era of the Intelligent Airport will usher in. For airports to act more intelligently, the IT eco-system must become smarter at managing information flows, coping with the complex mix of players and processes, and overcoming the inability of a multiplicity of systems to share and analyze data effectively.
What will define an Intelligent Airport will be its ability to track, manage and share real-time information about all its assets and its capacity to optimise the passenger journey, airport processes and decision-making for all stakeholders.
Aircraft will be tracked to minimise delays, reduce fuel consumption and improve turn-around time. The mobile workforce will know about disruptions in real-time through their hand-held devices and be able to react more efficiently.
Passengers will be recognised, guided through the airport, informed in real-time in the case of delays/gate changes and, if necessary, reminded of where and when they should reach a particular point via their mobile devices.
Their baggage will be tracked and traced to improve transfers even from flights that arrive late. Vehicles will be tracked, allocated and re-routed based on real-time needs.
So why are airports not there yet? Primarily, it’s because systems and processes have evolved independently or with minimal communication, and with inefficient overlaps of data and resources. These work to manage specific fields, but fail to address the airport as an integrated time-based supply chain.
Systems need to be better integrated, real-time information needs to be shared, and communication infrastructure needs to be ubiquitous, because all stakeholders need to work together intelligently and coherently to avoid strains.
What’s needed is a unique, common situational awareness, which will take the airport to the next level of efficiency and customer service.
A truly integrated Intelligent Airport portfolio is one where data is not only shared in real-time but also improves decision making by alerting stakeholders to events and changing patterns based on more accurate predictions and forecasting. The following three areas need to be addressed.
First, the installation of a foundation layer that will strengthen and reinforce infrastructure with zero downtime, and high-performance sensing technology. Second, there must be a focus on operational efficiency, to improve the passenger experience while reducing costs utilising solutions that incorporate both the digital traveller and the digital aircraft requirements.
Finally, as a third layer, business intelligence solutions are required in order to make better decisions with the right information at the right time, based on the quality data provided by the other two layers, in order to complete the shift to a proactive, Intelligent Airport.
Asia-Pacific Airports 2011 Issue 2
