Since 1 April 2019, our principal contractor VolkerInfra has been responsible for the maintenance of all the assets at our aircraft stands (VOPs). Asset Management, the department in charge of this process, asked Smart Assets & Buildings (Digital) to develop a solution we can use to implement data-driven monitoring of the aircraft stands’ performance. We call this initiative ‘Smart VOP 1.0’.
Working closely with Asset Management, IT and Data & Analytics, the Smart Assets & Buildings department has developed a ‘data backbone’. This ‘backbone’ makes it possible for us to unlock 26 data flows for five different assets at an aircraft stand. As soon as the notification of a disruption comes in, the system automatically sends a warning and creates a ticket, so the relevant main contractor can resolve the situation as soon as possible. All 91 connected aircraft stands are now linked to this system.
Now that the PAX bridge receives notifications of disruptions at an earlier stage, disruptions are registered sooner than they used to be. This means that the disruption comes to the attention of the main contractor more quickly, so it can be fixed sooner and Operations, the airlines and the handlers can regain access to the assets at the aircraft stand. We aim to save even more time in the near future, which will also help us lower costs.
The successful development of the backbone marks the end of the first phase of this initiative – so now we can move on to Phase 2.0. In this phase, we will intensify our focus on solutions that contribute to minimising the impact of disruptions on the aircraft stands. Digital, Asset Management and IT are working together towards a future in which we use real-time data to keep a firm hand on the reins of our airport and improve the quality of the service we provide.