Our main objective at FCO Airport was to close the gap on the iAOP and establish the new APOC (Airport Operations Centre). With this initiative, we wanted to enhance the coordination of all airport stakeholders, improve operations planning, and optimise the exchange of information with Eurocontrol. Our project has been pivotal in ensuring full operational continuity and performance optimisation.

From streamlined transfer processes to maximum capacity: key benefits

The iAOP-APOC project has delivered several key benefits for us.

• We streamlined stopover processes and enhanced overall efficiency.
• We improved internal collaboration and communication by centralising 16 control rooms with 110 workstations within the APOC.
• We maximised our capacity, accommodating more flights.
• We became more resilient thanks to our cutting-edge technology.
• Our APOC’s robust infrastructure now guarantees uninterrupted operations, safeguarding the continuity of airport operations and ensuring the highest levels of safety and quality.

Sharing best practices and standardising approaches: a successful collaboration

Our collaboration with ACI (Airports Council International) Europe has been crucial for this project's success. Aeroporti di Roma actively participated in organizing a coordinated effort to achieve SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) targets, standardizing approaches, maximizing results, and reducing costs. This partnership has highlighted the importance of sharing best practices and learning from each other within the airport community, creating a harmonized approach for different types of airports and paving the way for potential direct connections between APOCs in the future. 

We can conclude that, taking into account the size and complexity of airports, as well as local needs, it is possible to standardize a big part of our KPIs and processes to improve overall processes within the network.

Reliability, resilience, and safety: FCO Airport’s commitments

Through the successful implementation of the iAOP-APOC project, FCO Airport has not only enhanced its own operations but has also contributed significantly to the broader European ATM network, demonstrating the power of coordinated, innovative efforts in aviation. 

“The innovation and digitalization that characterise the APOC reinforced our processes, performances and resilience. After successfully completing this project, we can proudly say we are using an operations core system that is redundant, enabling us to minimize the risk of unavailability to ensure business continuity. Moreover, our APOC is one of the first worldwide to be ISO 22301:2019 - certified (Security and resilience – Business continuity management systems)”.

Through our participation in this project, we implemented the APOC (AirPort Operations Centre) and its supporting tools. Our focus areas were landside data management, luggage tracking, flight tracking, performance management and local weather data management. Overall, we aimed to optimise information sharing and improve airport resources data management. 

Steering airside and landside operations from the APOC

This error-free exchange and processing of information and airport data contributes significantly to the management of global air traffic in Europe. Providing this specific information and considering all relevant parameters from various stakeholders contributes greatly to our shared goal of the SESAR (single European sky ATM research) initiative. 

Moreover, the establishment of the APOC enabled us to steer and monitor both airside and landside operations, reducing impacts of operational contingencies and greatly enhancing our airport’s efficiency. The launch of our APOC and its supporting tools has been instrumental in dealing with the complex operations at Nice airport, which handles a mix of commercial and general aviation. 

Benefits of introducing A-CDM

By implementing A-CDM (airport collaborative decision-making), we have improved our resource utilisation and increased the predictability of air traffic. We aim to be an airport that ensures timely flight departures and can efficiently handle aircraft turnaround. By continuously monitoring our ground activities and providing reliable information to the NMOC (network manager operations centre), we have positioned ourselves as a well-integrated European airport, facilitating seamless flight operations.

Local and European advantages of airport collaboration

The highlight of partnering with other airports for this project is that we are all moving forward as a unified team, with the same guiding principles and goals. Through sharing best practices and working together, we can achieve so much more than by working individually. By participating in this project, we realised how much it contributes to our operations’ improvements, on an individual as well as a European level. 

Being part of this joint partnership has already offered numerous benefits. Locally, it enhances our operational capabilities in terms of resource management, punctuality, and safety, leading to real-time performance improvements. These efforts enable us to achieve our service quality goals for passengers travelling through our airport, but also across Europe. Additionally, we are working on deploying local connections to ensure a common situational awareness among all stakeholders.

“Being part of the iAOP (Integrating Airport Operations) project has greatly contributed to improving the operational performance of Nice Côte d'Azur airport and we warmly thank the members, starting with Brussels airport, Project Leader, for their support. This continuous improvement approach strengthens the cohesion of European airports to optimise the Single European Sky where airports are essential players, now more than ever. Modernising and digitising our operations and sharing our predictive and real-time knowledge, contributes to greater fluidity in air transport, an improvement in the passenger experience and a reduction in the environmental footprint of travel.” - Franck Goldnadel, Chairman of the Board of Aéroports de la Côte d'Azur.

By joining the multi-stakeholder iAOP project, we aimed to further digitise our operations and close existing gaps. Our main goals included reporting on spare capacity, handling API (arrival planning information), supporting meteorological data, supporting runway configuration, expanding flight status codes and improving the handling of arrival and departure link information.

The value of joint forces

The SESAR (single European sky ATM research) initiative encompasses many exciting projects that can be challenging to navigate. Being part of this joint partnership provided us with the tremendous opportunity to collaborate with our European counterparts, share information and best practices and join forces to speak with one voice. We valued not being alone in our interpretations or challenges and working together towards common goals. Harmonising airport operations and procedures benefits various stakeholders within the European ATM network.

One could think that every airport is identical in terms of operations, but this project constantly revealed intriguing regional differences and particularities. Sharing insights and inspiring each other, particularly in areas like KPI measurement, was an invaluable experience.

“The iAOP is in line with the airport’s overall business strategy on digitalising operations and improving the value of A-CDM procedures”.

Building on the work we’ve been doing on A-CDM (airport collaborative decision making), our next step was to provide our airport with an iAOP. The plan, available to all airport stakeholders, was aspired to lead to better airport management and enhanced passenger experience. The iAOP entails improved integrations of ATC flight trajectory data and meteorological data, improved predictability of airport resources usage leading to better decision making, and mandatory data sharing with the network manager. The expected benefit was the automation of manual processes, leading to time and cost savings.

A win-win situation for all stakeholder

Our participation in this joint partnership was beneficial to all parties: we have observed improved decision making, better demand capacity balancing and an overall enhanced passenger experience. On the other hand, we contributed to the European ATM (air traffic management) and Eurocontrol by sharing our meteorological data and information about special and capacity impacting events in advance and, if unplanned, in real time as well. The latter has led to better network operations and fuel efficiency.

Numerous advantages of the iAOP project

But it doesn’t stop there, as our collaboration has yielded many other advantages:

• Digitalisation of the manual airfield closure process, which reduced manual efforts and administrative overhead costs and improved safety and capacity management;
• Facilitation of dynamic queuing and improved passenger experience;
• Improved tracking of airfield performance, ensuring adequate usage of airfield resources;
• Enhanced scenario planning and demand capacity balancing in the baggage and check-in desk operations due to better forecast information;
• Real-time automated reporting of baggage asset failures, removing manual overhead and improving resolution times.

Lastly, we highly valued the benchmarking and collaboration opportunities with other airports in this joint partnership.

Lessons learned for future initiatives

This international, cross-airport project was an ambitious undertaking that all parties involved have learned from. Some of our key takeaways are the following.

• Engaging all stakeholders at an early stage is necessary to drive the gathering of requirements, priorities and project scope;
• Actively and visibly sponsoring the project is important to drive change management and ensure acceptance and use of new tools or processes;
• Investing in a robust SWIM (system-wide information management) platform and services integration was a key success factor for us;
• Using external resources and consultants was beneficial for initiating and planning the program, as this is not our area of expertise.

To summarise, we look back at a very positive experience that has yielded countless results and lessons learned.

“iAOP has given us the platform and focus to drive value-add operational improvements and changes in Dublin Airport. Digitalising more data and processes will enable us to focus on the passengers and the operations whilst intelligent systems perform and support forecasting, monitoring and mitigation in the Airport”.

The aim of our project was to provide and maintain both core and supporting iAOP elements under our responsibility, based on local agreements with SEA, the Milan airport manager, and ADR, the Rome airports manager. Additionally, our goal was to update the airport systems to process AOP information received from ADR and SEA, ensuring high data quality. By collaborating with these entities, we aimed to enhance the efficiency and quality of airport operations through the integration and maintenance of essential operational elements. 

Coordination and synchronisation of contributions

We participated in this joint partnership to coordinate our contributions as the ANSP (air navigation service provider) and those of SEA and ADR as airport operators. By organising these efforts, we wanted to play our role in the SESAR (single European sky ATM research) program and contribute to enhanced efficiency, safety and interoperability in the European airspace. 

This project has enabled us to share best practices with other organisations in our network and to coordinate the national implementation of the iAOP. The initiative has demonstrated once again that collaboration is the key to success.

With our project, we aimed to create and share a tactical iAOP dashboard to improve common situational awareness. By displaying KPIs for a general overview of operational stability and quality, we extracted and mapped information available within the scope of AOP-NOP (airport operations plan - network operations plan) data exchange onto respective SWIM (system-wide information management) systems.

Funding, best practices and shared tools: benefits of the partnership

In our view, this joint partnership was beneficial for all parties involved. By synchronising our efforts, we improved our chances of receiving funding and gained the opportunity to learn from each other. We not only identified common challenges and found allies in each other, but also shared tools and frameworks transparently to enhance overall operations. 

Administrative workload, change management and data sharing: challenges and learnings

Participating in a project that provides funding also brings administrative challenges. We learned the importance of preparation: planning ahead, calculating budgets, and appointing a responsible person within your organization can set you up for success and help navigate these challenges. When considering applying for a project, balancing the administrative workload and overhead against the available funding is crucial.

A key takeaway for us is the importance of change management. A complex project like the iAOP initiative can have significant organisational consequences that need to be mitigated; otherwise, progress can easily be overlooked. 

Another challenge we observed when working with all these partners is that, was initial skepticism about sharing information transparently. It took time to establish trust and crease a safe environment for information sharing. Beyond trust, data quality was also a significant challenge: much work remains to gather the right data necessary for making accurate predictions. 

However, as we are on this ongoing journey, we’re certain that it’s taking us to enhanced joint decision-making that benefits all stakeholders.

“As one of the major hubs in Europe we’re committed to making the best possible contribution to a predictable and resilient European Network. Transparency and information sharing are key to establish and maintain a high-quality common airport operations plan. Sophisticated performance prediction and management tools will soon leverage this transparency and facilitate joint decision-making to the benefit of all partners.”

By participating in the iAOP, we aimed to build on the work that we started within Call 15. Additionally, we wanted to ensure that our deployment adhered to the guidelines of ACI Europe (airports council international), as the SESAR (single European Sky ATM research) deployment program is based on the same guidelines. We addressed two major goals: consolidating the iAOP database and deploying APAMS (airport performance assessment management support system) and simulation tools.

Airport-specific and European achievements

Through this project, we significantly strengthened our systems and processes with initiatives like IDB (integrated data backbone) and APAMS. Beyond these airport-specific improvements, we also enhanced European network processes by improving AOP (airport operations plan) and NOP (network operations plan) information sharing. 

Our collaborative efforts resulted in improved resilience and enhanced schedule stability performance. Sharing best practices on AOP deployment allowed us to create standardised guidelines for any newcomers looking to deploy the iAOP.

Challenges and opportunities

This project presented the interesting challenge of aligning everyone's perspectives. SESAR's broad long-term vision led to differing ideas on how to proceed. At Groupe Aéroports de Paris, we divided the project into smaller, manageable parts to efficiently advance while maintaining the overall vision.

Implementing the iAOP is more than a technical endeavor. As you adapt operations management, change decision-making processes, and revise known procedures, you also need to manage change effectively. It’s crucial to handle expectations and adaptation to changes both internally and among external stakeholders.

The iAOP project provided an excellent forum for us to discuss challenges, best practices and lessons learned with partners facing similar issues. It was a fantastic opportunity to break out of our silos and combine our strengths to tackle uncertainties. This well-defined project gave us much-needed structure, organisation and support, enabling us to progress further than we could have done alone. It empowered us to feel confident that we were on the right track and compliant with regulatory requirements.

Boosting efficiency for our airports and the ATM

Optimising our airport operations and resources enables us to be more predictable and manage things more proactively. That positively contributes to network efficiencies as well. Our individual airports are pieces of a bigger puzzle, and if we perform well, it positively impacts the European ATM (air traffic management) as a whole. Everyone benefits from syncronising operational approaches and data, creating more situational awareness, and sharing best practices. This enhanced collaboration and stakeholder involvement is beneficial not just for the iAOP plan, but for other European ATM projects as well.

Fostering relationships and valuable connections

We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with great, capable and committed professionals on this project and receive expert support. It’s enlightening to foster relationships with other airports, speak the same language and learn how they operate. This partnership has planted the seed for valuable connections and long-standing relationships.

Great expectations for AOP

While we are still on our implementation journey, we already see how the AOP will positively impact our operations. We are confident that it will contribute to a more resilient and efficient European ATM network.

In today’s world, cross-organisational collaboration is becoming increasingly important to reach sustainable goals, whether environmental or economical. Participating in this project was a no-brainer for us: we firmly believe that a strong commitment of everyone in the air transportation ecosystem is essential to optimise operations, reduce risks and improve passenger experience. 

Stakeholder involvement and increased productivity: a range of benefits

This partnership has delivered some major benefits. Here are some of the results we have observed:

• Participation and awareness of local stakeholders involved in airport activities;
• Optimisation of data sharing and enhanced processes towards cleaner flights;
• Resilience in various conditions, improving safety levels;
• Increased productivity, fostering data and resources sharing across the network;
• Operational efficiency in terms of safety, security, ground-handling activities and maintenance operations;
• Decrease in potential delays and incidents;
• Enhanced airport infrastructure in terms of capacity and occupancy levels;
• Improved passenger experience.

Cost reduction and less emissions: our contribution to European ATM and SESAR

We believe our project greatly contributed to European ATM (air traffic management) as it has played its part in an optimised, integrated approach, heavily involving various stakeholders from the ATM community. This has resulted in more efficient airspace management, cost reductions, and a decrease in delays and emissions. 

Our project also aligns with the Single European Sky framework by fulfilling performance-based regulatory requirements, ensuring operational safety, contributing technological advancements, considering human factors, and optimising airport infrastructure.

Brussels Airport Company invited us to join this partnership aimed at harmonising and synchronising the implementation of the initial airport operations plan at Brussels Airport. We gladly accepted this offer, recognising that it would enhance our ongoing cooperation and information exchange. Additionally, our participation ensured adherence to the regulations set forth by the European Commission and the CMEA.

Weather forecast data and local information exchange: real-life examples

The enhancement of information exchange has significantly improved situational awareness among stakeholders, facilitating quicker identification and mitigation of impacted operations. Notably, two examples illustrate the positive outcomes from this improved information flow.

Firstly, the consistent use of MET observations and shared weather forecast data has eliminated confusion, heightened awareness of potential adverse weather conditions among operational stakeholders and resulted in clear decision-making. Secondly, the implementation of the NMB2B (network manager business-to-business) services has improved information flow between the local environment and the network manager. This has been crucial in the identification of potential impacts on the broader European network. 

In summary, the iAOP project has substantially improved the stability and predictability of departure sequences at Brussels Airport.

Best practices, funding and training opportunities: project benefits

The project has yielded numerous advantages.
 

• We have gained valuable insights into how ANSPs (air navigation service providers) and MET service providers collaborate at other airports, learning from their best practices.
• A significant financial advantage is the availability of funding, with the European Union covering 50% of our implementation costs.
• Additionally, this partnership provided opportunities to train the APOC (airport operations centre) staff in weather forecast interpretation and weather-based operational decision-making, considering the strengths and limitations of MET forecasts.

Resilience, planning, and coordination: lessons learned

The global COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of resilience and flexibility, which are essential for advancing despite varying progress speeds among different parties. We also observed that effective planning and communication are critical for success, taking into account the diverse stakeholders interacting with the network manager. Additionally, integrating data into various systems and processes presented challenges, and optimal coordination proved essential. 

Our key takeaway is that by collaborating, we can all achieve more.

Our main motivation for participating in the iAOP initiative was straightforward: cooperation is essential in the European aviation world. We are never alone, constantly interdependent and requiring communication, so it made a lot of sense to be involved in this project. Furthermore, aligning airport operations plans through collaborative efforts ensures greater coherence and efficiency. The common situational awareness fostered by this project not only enhances our performance, but also allows us to be more proactive and performance-driven in our decision-making. 

How the entire European ATM benefits from the iAOP

This project has yielded substantial benefits for the entire European ATM (airport traffic management). By identifying bottlenecks and capacity imbalances at an early stage, we can implement mitigation measures more efficiently and proactively. The iAOP supports us in identifying gate and stand capacity shortages and anticipating longer waiting times in security passport control, which can lead to flight delays. Being able to predict these impacts early on enables us to share the information across the network, allowing all stakeholders to act accordingly.

The main benefit of this initiative is the collective implementation of the initial AOP framework. It has provided us with a platform to share experiences and validate practical applications of theoretical concepts.

Early involvement of stakeholders for a smooth process

One key lesson from this initiative is understanding that it’s not a finite project with a defined start and end but an ongoing process involving multiple feedback loops. A critical example is the integration of data sources and the creation of a data lake. In our initial rollout, we did not involve end-users, resulting in the need to revise our approach as their requirements were not adequately addressed. 

Engaging the right stakeholders from the outset is crucial to avoid miscommunication and to facilitate effective implementation and development. 

Our primary reason for participating in the iAOP project was the significant added value of collaborating with various stakeholders. Learning from each other and exchanging ideas and best practices is crucial for creating situational awareness. Additionally, this collaboration allows us to unite, speak with one voice, and have a single source of truth. Whether you enquire with DFS (German aviation services), Munich airport operations or a ground handler; you’ll get the same response. This alignment is extremely valuable.

The power of collaboration

This collaboration is a two-way street: we learn from our partners, and they can learn from us. About the implementation of an AOP, identifying blocking factors and challenges, how to collaborate with an ANSP (air navigation services provider) and even navigating political pitfalls. As partners, no one needs to reinvent the wheel; we can learn from each other’s mistakes to avoid making the same ones. 

When the iAOP project was launched, there was considerable uncertainty about the ins and outs of an AOP; what it exactly entailed and how it should be developed. At the time, the partnering airports collaborated to find a common understanding of the true definition of an AOP. This empowered us, giving us an active role, instead of just receiving the definition of the AOP from other stakeholders. 

The value of early involvement

The iAOP project taught us that we should involve our operational stakeholders at a very early stage, to align on prerequisites and scope. An airport is a vast ecosystem of stakeholders that need to be aligned for it to run successfully. Another lesson learned is to communicate and exchange with other airports and external partners very early on as well. Don’t wait until the plans are set in stone; exchange early and fail early. It’s the only way to go far. 

In summary, this project was an excellent example of why we should strive to be more agile in the traditional environment of aviation. 

“The ATM world is becoming more and more interconnected. In Munich, we see digitisation and automation as key enablers for efficiency and sustainability. Thus, participating in joint deployment projects is very important for us. Learning from each other and the regular exchange with the international partners is very inspiring and helps us to build our future, digitised aviation system landscape.”