Over the last few decades, air travel has seen significant progress globally. Initially a mode of transport for the rich and privileged, it is now an accessible and convenient mode of transport for many. The demand for air travel, especially after COVID-19, is steadily recovering, and airports are busier than ever.
Airports are experiencing major challenges as infrastructure, once state-of-the-art, struggles to cope with the dual pressures of demand and post-Covid staffing challenges. Using cloud-based airport operational management tools, such as a Gate Management System, will help airports effectively plan and manage their ever-increasing flight operations whilst delivering a first-rate customer experience.
What is a Gate Management System (GMS)?
A Gate Management System (GMS) helps the airport allocate gates for arriving aircraft, plan ramp and gate operations and utilize the available resources of the airport in the most efficient manner. With a GMS, airports can even let airlines with quick turnarounds take decisions on gate allocations to enhance ground operations. These systems can also link to airport displays to provide up-to-date information on waiting for passengers on gate boarding, travel delays or changes.
What makes a GMS a “good” GMS?
To make a GMS an effective airport management tool, it is important to understand the functionalities it can provide that promote efficient operations. An effective GMS module should consider the following:
- Flight schedule visibility
- Smooth flow of operations on the ground
- Safe and secure operations
- Passenger experience at the airport
- Seasonal planning and prediction capabilities
- Operational communication challenges
- Airline preferences and requests
- System user interface and availability
How useful is a GMS for an airport?
For an airport, planning its operations in advance and accounting for any unplanned scenarios is key to its daily running. Automation, predictive insights and what-if scenarios can all be streamlined using an accurate GMS. This system helps airports in the following key areas:
How does AeroCloud’s GMS improve an airport’s operations?
AeroCloud’s GMS was designed to digitally transform airport operations, making it more efficient and accurate than paper-based planning. Being completely cloud-native, there are no associated hardware costs, and it can be accessed by registered users from anywhere on any browser-based device, helping airports to remove costs on fixed assets.
1. Making Gate Allocation Easier:
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) processes, AeroCloud’s GMS enables real-time strategic, operational planning and decision-making with minimal human interaction. This enables operational teams to dedicate their time and resources to other critical areas of the organization. Over time, the AI and ML processes will learn from human interactions, making them even more efficient with allocating and planning resources.
2. Access and Ownership:
With no restriction on user numbers, the airport can give relevant access to all stakeholders, from janitorial to airport directors. User permissions allow the operational team to control what elements of the GMS can be viewed, modified or requested, helping to improve and streamline communications. It is also possible for airports to set the ownership of the gates to an airline or groups of airlines, making collaborative operational decisions easy.
3. Set Restrictions:
As the module is based on AI and ML, if the airport has gates out of use due to maintenance or faults, the system will automatically apply restrictions and indicate conflicts or move the allocation to a suitable alternative position allowing the airport to keep moving.
To know more about how AeroCloud’s digital technology is transforming airport operations, speak to one of our Airport Engagement Officers. They will guide you through the platform and support you in making key decisions for your airport. You can email us at hello@aerocloudsystems.com or fill out this form here.
