Technology and safety will play an essential role in Avalon’s bounce back

by The Airport Professional December 2, 2020

Technology and safety will play an essential role in Avalon’s bounce back

Avalon Airport Chief Executive Justin Giddings is jubilant his facility is returning to scheduled airline services after essentially serving as an aircraft parking lot for much of the year. The number of aircraft parked at Avalon has reduced from 40 to eight and the airport is looking at double-daily Jetstar flights to Sydney starting from December 18. This will be the first time Jetstar has operated between the two destinations since March ...

by The Airport Professional May 19, 2020

Technology & innovation

Technology to play an essential role in facilitating the industry’s recovery

The same technology that had already begun playing an important role in alleviating passenger congestion at airports prior to the unprecedented COVID-19 traffic slump is poised to be equally valuable as the industry emerges from lock-down into a “new normal”. Mobile phones, facial recognition and artificial intelligence are all expected to be part of the solution as airports and airlines grapple with the task of convincing passengers it is safe to ...

by The Airport Professional April 30, 2020

Technology & innovation

Planning to bounce forward in recovery

“This is not a sprint, this is going to be a marathon.” So says risk management expert BA365 CEO James Yatras as he reflects on the challenges ahead for business and industry in the wake of COVID-19. Yatras presented a webinar for the Australian Airports Association in April, highlighting the need for a considered and long term approach for those looking to maintain this unique crisis situation. Having overseen a number of crisis ...

by The Airport Professional April 1, 2020

Featured , Technology & innovation

WSA earthworks begin, bringing jobs closer to home for locals

More than 200 heavy machines engaged in the herculean task of moving millions of cubic metres of earth have heralded the start of major construction on a project that has been waiting to be born for more than 70 years. What was known for so long as simply the second Sydney airport, now has an official name — Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport. Joining mentor Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in having ...

by The Airport Professional February 19, 2020

Featured , Technology & innovation

World-first A-CDM agreement to drive efficiency

Airservices Australia and the nation’s major airports have struck a world-first agreement that will not only save money but make the time spent out on the runway prior to take-off shorter for passengers. The agreement to bring Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) to Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth airports is expected to deliver efficiencies worth $40 million to the aviation industry and cut departure waiting times by seven per cent in ...

by The Airport Professional November 20, 2019

Featured , Passenger experience , Technology & innovation

Airport apps a thing of the past

The airport app is dead, long live the chatbot or virtual assistant. Brisbane Airport head of technology Dirk Hus told the Australian Airports Association national conference on the Gold Coast that his airport had recently implemented a chatbot in Messenger and Twitter. Acknowledging that airports were lagging other industries when it came to chatbots, Hus said passengers could chat to the virtual assistant and it would provide information on flights, retail and ...

by The Airport Professional November 19, 2019

Featured , Technology & innovation

Airports must plan for drones future: Airservices Australia

Drones are here to stay and airports need to start thinking now about the opportunities they provide as well as the infrastructure needed to take advantage of the sector’s phenomenal growth. That was the message from Airservices Australia executive general manager customer service enhancement Michelle Bennetts at this year’s AAA National Conference as she outlined the steps needed to address the issue. Bennetts painted a picture of autonomous aircraft entering multiple facets ...

by The Airport Professional October 29, 2019

Major airports , Technology & innovation

Flight path to Brisbane’s new runway future goes online

It’s an Australian first, it’s packed full of information and it’s been accessed by more than 105,000 people since it launched last November. Brisbane Airport’s flight path tool has been a big success in terms of giving the residents across the city an insight into how the airport’s new runway might affect them. A product of a collaboration between the airport and Airservices Australia, it shows jet arrival and departure paths for ...

by The Airport Professional August 29, 2019

Technology & innovation

Airservices builds information management capability

Airlines may be the direct beneficiaries of a recent two per cent reduction in Airservices Australia’s aviation charges but Chief Financial Officer Paul Logan says the cuts are part of a philosophy to foster and promote the entire industry. The cuts, which included a four per cent cut to enroute charges, were praised by the International Air Transport Association as a positive example of the partnership between airlines and air navigation ...

by The Airport Professional May 29, 2019

Featured , Safety & security , Technology & innovation

Airservices plans for next generation of fire-fighting

Recently returned Airservices Australia executive Rob Porter is on a mission to modernise the nation’s aviation rescue and fire-fighting services and take them from “the Flintstones to the Jetsons”. The former general manager of Mackay Airport and deputy chair of the Australian Airports Association board returned to Airservices in January as executive general manager aviation rescue and fire fighting (ARFF), after 11 years away. One of his first acts was to issue ...