Situational Awareness
The philosophy of A-CDM (Airport Collaborative Decision Making) and platforms for information exchange provide a foundation for an integrated approach for all operational data. With contribution from multiple sources, stakeholders are able to work from a single Airport Operations Plan. This plan incorporates both arrival and departures flows. It is utilized for seasonal planning of resources right down to real-time decisions and all the time horizons in-between.
All parties shall have access to the relevant real-time information that is shared by the source entity capturing/creating each specific data item. This requires a data link communication between aircraft, pilots, the operations control center and ATC (Air Traffic Control) supplementing voice communications. This data communication extends to enable those on the ground to receive information directly from the aircraft systems such as fuel and water requirements. The turnaround can be planned in great detail prior to the aircraft arrival.
Digital and cloud based tools, using this real-time information gives awareness of the virtual capacity of infrastructure when facilities and staff assignments are dynamically adjusted to optimize the use of available resources, the efficiency of the overall operation and ensure a optimized customer experience. By providing greater visibility and flexibility, these tools assist in pre-empting delays and a swift recovery from weather impacts, system failures or uncontrollable events.
As a prerequisite, communications networks (terrestrial and satellite) provide the necessary coverage and capacity to connect with all fixed and mobile devices involved in the exchange of real-time information. These networks have the appropriate resilience, redundancy, security, prioritizing capabilities and 24/7 reliability for mission-critical systems to maintain safe and efficient operations.
Sustainable Operations
Along with operational efficiency, environmental aspects are paramount for an aircraft turnaround. For every part of this journey, technology deployments and process change lead to a significant reduction in noise, emissions, energy consumption and waste. This is not simply a response to address the global challenge of climate change, it is also securing the future growth of the industry in a manner that is sustainable.