Over the last few decades, air travel has seen significant progress across the globe. 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. Moving to using cloud based digital airport operational management tools, such as a Gate Management System, will help airports to 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?

In order to make a GMS an effective airport management tool, it is important to understand the functionalities it can provide that promote the efficient running of an airport's operations. An effective GMS module should consider:

• 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, having the ability to plan its operations in advance and account for any kind of 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 the way airport operations work, 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 it even more efficient with the allocation and planning of resources.

2. Access and Ownership:

With no restriction on user numbers, the airport can give relevant access to all stakeholders, from janitorial up 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 it easy for collaborative operational decisions to be made.

3. Set Restrictions:

As the module is based on AI and ML, if the airport has gates that are our 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 on moving.

To know more about how AeroCloud's digital technology is transforming the way airport operations work, 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 simply reach out to us by dropping us an email at hello@aerocloudsystems.com or fill out this form here.