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**Airports are always looking to improve operations and passenger experience. This can be a challenge in a typical year. But when a global pandemic leads to an instant 96 percent drop in traffic, it focuses minds on improving efficiency and enabling better service.**

At AeroCloud, we pride ourselves on our focus on helping airports overcome their operational challenges. Our platform was built and continues to be developed based on real requests from our users. It’s built to be modular, so airports only need to pay for the parts they want.

One airport that considered AeroCloud’s platform to support them was [Tampa International Airport (TPA)](https://www.tampaairport.com/) in Florida, who have since become a customer.

> “We didn’t necessarily want a big, all-in-one solution, as they can be overkill. You only end up using about 10 percent of the features,” says [Marcus Session](https://tampaairport.com/employee-spotlight-marcus-session), Vice President, Information Technology Services at Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA), which runs TPA.

> “The AeroCloud team was responsive and helped address our issues,” adds [Adam Bouchard](https://tampaairport.com/employee-spotlight-adam-bouchard), Director of Operations at HCAA. “They worked with us as a partner, giving us access to the parts of the platform and making changes as we needed.”

> “Flexibility was one of the key factors that made us choose AeroCloud,” Session comments.

TPA has been utilizing the modular, cloud-native platform that can run on any device and that gives access to other stakeholders around the airport since 2019.

> “Our tenants and ground operations teams have access to the relevant parts of AeroCloud, and we can send them alerts when there are irregular operations and diversions. Previously they had to look at FIDS to know about changes. The platform is easy to use and supports the whole airport,” adds Session.

**To find out more about how we're helping airports like Tampa, [get in touch](/get-in-touch/).**


Customer Story - Tampa International Airport (TPA)

Carbon Neutral Britain - Certified Carbon Neutral Business logo

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We are proud to announce that AeroCloud has partnered with [Carbon Neutral Britain](https://carbonneutralbritain.org/) to measure and offset our carbon footprint, to become certified as a Carbon Neutral Business.

Being a cloud-native business, the carbon footprint of our platform is minimal. AWS hosts our platform, and they are working towards [using 100% renewable energy by 2025](https://sustainability.aboutamazon.com/environment/the-cloud?energyType=true). This low footprint means we were able not only to offset our operational carbon emissions, but we've become carbon negative. We support woodland projects that more than offset our footprint.

We're proud to work with airports everywhere to help them achieve their environmental goals by ensuring we don't add to their footprints.

Is your current airport software provider carbon negative? If not, [get in touch](/get-in-touch), and let's discuss how we can help you achieve your sustainability goals.

AeroCloud certified as carbon neutral by Carbon Neutral Britain

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AeroCloud has been chosen on the 2021 Startups 100 List.

[The 2021 Startups 100 List](https://startups.co.uk/startups-100/2021/startups-100-2021/) identifies the 100 most disruptive and innovative UK small businesses. All companies must be UK-based and founded in the last five years. There are then two assessment and ranking stages. AeroCloud is in position 66 on the list.

This listing is another validation of our business as it grows, and is a tribute to the AeroCloud team and all our customers.

If you want to know more about working with a company that regularly appears on award lists, [get in touch](/get-in-touch/).

AeroCloud are on the 2021 Startups 100 List

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For hundreds of US airports, [Part 139 inspections](https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/part139_cert/) are a big deal. They are essential for maintaining safety standards, but the paperwork associated with them can be a real headache for airport operations directors. In this article, we’re going to run through the key challenges of Part 139 for airport operations teams and explain how your airport can achieve compliance more easily.

## What is Part 139?

Part 139 — or to give it its formal title, 14 CFR Part 139 — is a regulation for airports in the U.S. that host commercial passenger services. More specifically, it’s for airports that host scheduled passenger flights on aircraft with more than nine seats or unscheduled passenger flights on aircraft with more than 30 seats. Part 139 stipulates that these airports need an Airport Operating Certificate (AOC). To get or retain their AOC, airports need to comply with standards designed to ensure safety and pass regular (usually annual) inspections by the FAA, known as Part 139 inspections.

## What’s the problem?

While Part 139 is an essential regulation, it places a hefty administrative burden on airports, particularly the smaller ones with fewer resources. For instance, it requires airports to have written plans and procedures for things like:

- daily safety inspections of airport condition and equipment
- controlling pedestrians and vehicles in the movement area
- airport rescue and firefighting
- managing wildlife hazards
- clearing snow and ice
- regular staff training, and many more. 

Crucially, it also insists that airports keep records of all critical activities, particularly inspection findings and actions, incidents and accidents, and staff training.

Many small and medium-sized airports try to keep manual records — either by using basic software such as Excel or by keeping a massive pile of paper-based records — which is, of course, time-consuming, slow, and inefficient. It’s also usually impossible to view these records remotely, which can be a problem if you have people working off-site. Then there’s the risk of losing information if pieces of paper get mislaid or if the spreadsheets aren’t backed up regularly. 

The result is that Part 139 admin becomes a major headache for airport operations teams, and the risk is that their paperwork — rather than their actual safety standards — lets them down in the annual FAA inspection. 

## Making Part 139 easier

Approximately 520 US airports currently comply with Part 139 (source: FAA, June 2021), so if we can make the process a little easier for just a proportion of those airport operations directors, we’ll be happy.

In terms of the record-keeping side of things, there are cost-effective specialist software solutions out there that will simplify your processes and reduce your workload. The key advantages of these solutions over the manual approach are:

1. **They enable collaboration and automation**, which saves time and reduces the risk of losing information. For instance, airport inspections and any resulting issues can be logged immediately in the software using a mobile device. Required actions can then be assigned to teams or individuals who automatically get notified. 
2. **They reduce admin**. If you are using the tools to log issues as you inspect the airport, there is no ‘extra work’ afterward, such as writing up reports or logging issues in a spreadsheet. 
3. **All the information is in one place and is easily viewable by managers and team members**. This enables airport operations directors to stay on top of their inspections, maintenance, and repairs more efficiently.
4. **There is a ready-made and transparent system** for maintaining records (there’s no need to design your own record-keeping system, woohoo!) It means there’s a complete digital audit trail, and FAA inspectors can quickly review your records before their visit without you having to spend days gathering information from multiple places.
5. **Records are more secure**. Back-ups are regular and automated, and access to information is always tightly controlled with user profiles. 

In short, specialist digital solutions can save you a lot of time and resources. 

We suggest you look for a cloud-based system instead of the now outdated on-premise setup because the cloud offers so many advantages. Of course, the most significant plus point of cloud software is that you can access it 24/7 from any device (e.g., smartphone, tablet), so you won’t need to buy expensive bespoke devices for your field ops people. There are plenty of other benefits, too, such as not needing your own IT hardware or in-house expertise (which means reduced IT costs) and the fact that software upgrades and bug fixes are delivered seamlessly — sometimes without you even noticing.

## Our solution to Part 139 headaches

The AeroCloud platform has an [Inspection Management module](https://pmo.aerocloudsystems.com/inspection-management), which provides a simple way to log and track airfield issues and ace your FAA inspection for Part 139. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that it’s one of our most popular modules!

Airport operations teams can use this software to:
- Log all their inspections and capture images of hazards
- Create service requests, set up automatic alerts, and prioritize the most critical work
- Keep track of inspections and progress on service requests 
- Record staff training
- Maintain a list of inspectors and their responsibilities and keep them accountable.

A particular strength of our solution is that it’s intuitive and easy to use, and you can add an unlimited number of users to ensure all your airport operations staff (plus FAA inspectors) can use the same system. 

[Inspection Management](https://pmo.aerocloudsystems.com/inspection-management) is just one module in our intelligent airport management platform. Our platform makes operations teams' lives easier by increasing situational awareness, automating tasks, and ensuring everyone across the airport gets the information they need. 

The AeroCloud platform is built on the cloud, so it’s fast, lightweight, and flexible. It can be implemented in a matter of days and requires minimal maintenance. We also allow you to subscribe to just the features you need and quickly scale your subscription up or down as required.

Is your airport struggling with Part 139 compliance? If so, [contact us today](/get-in-touch/) to discuss your challenges, and let’s see if we can help.

Thanks for reading - I'd like to know more about your airport and your plans for the future, please [connect with me on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewahoppe/) and feel free to reach out.

Taking the stress out of Part 139 inspections

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On Block / Off Block is our podcast about working in, and with, airports - and it's hosted by our CEO, [George Richardson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-richardson-a7520615a/).

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In this third On Block / Off Block podcast, you can hear George's interview with AeroCloud's Director of Airport Engagement for Europe, [Claus Hein](https://www.linkedin.com/in/claus-hein-6863753/). They discuss Claus' role, some of the experiences that made him the person he is, and how he's helping airports across Europe to get more value from their operational software.

The podcast is available on most platforms including [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-block-off-block/id1581968113) and [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5b7PiXHek6FypzYIafb4Y5).

New On Block / Off Block podcast: Interview with Claus Hein

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Our intelligent airport management platform is already helping airports worldwide with leading-edge features like AI and machine learning, passenger prediction, and situational awareness flight tracking.

Now we’re adding common-use passenger processing to give US airports more flexibility in their departure areas, technology that makes their teams’ lives easier, and the data they need to provide a better passenger experience. Our range of easy-to-use, cost-effective, and flexible common-use systems allows us to develop the ideal CUTE, CUPPS, and CUSS setup for your airport.

## Self-Service Kiosks

Manage increased capacity and maintain service quality and efficiency without increasing space requirements. Providing check-in kiosks with bag tag printing frees up agents and check-in desks and ensures the passenger bag drop process flows efficiently.

## Common-Use Agent Systems

**eDesktop** allows you to share desks and equipment between your team, airlines, and ground handlers and to switch quickly and easily between airline systems. The system is simple to use, available on any device, and provides easy access to any application required.

## Departure Control

**eDCS** provides airport, airline, and ground handlers with the tools needed to process departing and arriving passengers, crew, and baggage. It includes modules for online web check-in on any device.

## Passenger Verification

**eScan** provides validation for a wide range of boarding passes and ticket types to confirm access to passengers for locations throughout the airport. It can operate on a fully automated gate, staffed desk, or mobile device. Reporting helps you make decisions based on passenger data, queue times, and numbers at scanned locations.

Our range of hardware and software can be customized to suit your needs, so [get in touch](/get-in-touch/) to share your challenges - our awesome team will work with you to solve them.


AeroCloud adds Common-Use Passenger Processing Systems for US Airports

On Block / Off Block is our podcast about working in, and with, airports - and it's hosted by our CEO, [George Richardson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-richardson-a7520615a/).

<iframe src="https://anchor.fm/aerocloud/embed/episodes/Interview-with-Ian-Forde-Smith---part-2-e16mr4n" height="100%" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

In this second On Block / Off Block podcast, you can hear part 2 of George's interview with his co-founder and AeroCloud CTO [Ian Forde-Smith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfordesmith/). They talk about Ian's history working with airports and how and why he started AeroCloud with George. Part 1 is available in [the first podcast](/blogs/Listen-to-our-new-podcast:-On-Block-Off-Block/).

The podcast is available on most platforms including [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-block-off-block/id1581968113) and [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5b7PiXHek6FypzYIafb4Y5).

Check out the second On Block / Off Block podcast

On Block / Off Block is our podcast about working in, and with, airports - and it's hosted by our CEO, [George Richardson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-richardson-a7520615a/).

<iframe src="https://anchor.fm/aerocloud/embed/episodes/Interview-with-Ian-Forde-Smith---part-1-e164uv0" width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

In this first On Block / Off Block podcast, you can hear part 1 of George's interview with his co-founder and AeroCloud CTO [Ian Forde-Smith](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ianfordesmith/). They talk about Ian's history working with airports and how and why he started AeroCloud with George. Join us next time for [part 2](/blogs/Check-out-the-second-On-Block-Off-Block-podcast/).

The podcast is available on most platforms including [Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-block-off-block/id1581968113) and [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/show/5b7PiXHek6FypzYIafb4Y5).

Listen to our new podcast: On Block / Off Block

World Festival Innovation Awards Top 50 Startups

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**AeroCloud has been chosen as a Top 50 Startup at the WorldFestival 2021 Innovation Awards.**

[The WorldFestival 2021 Innovation Awards program](https://worldfestival.com/awards/) is the largest worldwide awards competition identifying and recognizing global innovation, with 1,000+ startups, companies, and organizations competing online in the Community Voting round, and evaluated by an industry-expert Judging Committee, all leading up to WorldFestival 2021 (August 17-19th, 2021).

We couldn't be in a position to do well in awards like this without the hard work of the AeroCloud team, and the support of our customers.

To find out more about why AeroCloud are being noticed for awards, [get in touch](/get-in-touch).

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