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Airports are facing unprecedented pressures to operate efficiently, sustainably, and safely. The complexity of airport and ground handling activities makes this challenging, especially when in the face of delays, adverse weather, or unexpected disruptions.
The turnaround process, the critical period in which an aircraft is readied for its next flight, exemplifies this complexity. This process involves coordinating multiple teams and handling various tasks, all of which must flow seamlessly to avoid issues. Despite recent advances, many airports still depend on manual oversight to manage turnarounds. Reliance on outdated methods can lead to operational gridlocks, inefficiencies, and communication gaps, underscoring the need for a new approach that embraces real-time insights and automation.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers transformative solutions, providing data-driven capabilities that streamline operations and support rapid, informed decision-making. By leveraging AI, airports and ground handlers can achieve a new level of accuracy, and resilience, setting the stage for an era of seamless, safe, and sustainable air travel.
Turbocharging turnarounds
Turnaround times are critical for profitability and passenger satisfaction, as delays can lead to missed connections and increased operational costs. Real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and automated decision-making enable optimisation at every stage of the process. For instance, Assaia’s ApronAI uses cameras and algorithms to track every phase of the aircraft turnaround on the apron, from boarding and baggage handling to fuelling and catering. Airports can predict task durations, identify potential delays, and allocate resources effectively. This proactive approach minimises downtime, ensures on-time departures, and helps airlines meet passenger expectations.
These AI-powered improvements are reselected in Assaia’s 2024 Turnaround Benchmark Report findings. Key metrics underscore the effectiveness of real-time monitoring and automation in the turnaround process, including a 25% increase in average turns per gate from 4 to 5 turns per day and a 6% decrease in ground delays. These gains directly contribute to better gate utilisation and enhance operational capacity, crucial for accommodating increasing travel demand.
In Europe, Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER), the first German airport to adopt AI-driven turnaround solutions, has seen improved team coordination, streamlined processes, and increased turnaround efficiency. At Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), AI-enabled insights reduced taxi-in times by 44%, demonstrating how data-driven decision-making can mitigate delays and enhance punctuality.
In the USA, other major airports and airlines are following suit. United Airlines at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston has also implemented ApronAI, reducing average ground delay by almost 2 minutes, particularly during high-traffic periods, by optimising the coordination of ground handling teams.
Enhancing safety through AI-powered monitoring
Safety remains a top priority in airport operations. AI-powered monitoring tools can continuously track equipment and personnel, detecting potential hazards and protocol violations. If an equipment malfunction or unsafe behaviour is detected, ApronAI alerts supervisors, allowing for corrective actions and reducing the risk of safety incidents.
This proactive approach enhances the working environment and helps enforce regulatory compliance. By embedding safety protocols into every stage of the turnaround, AI supports ground handling teams in maintaining high standards using data from live situations to enable visibility, training and the safety of people and assets.
Unified by AI: real-time coordination for smooth turnarounds
Effective coordination among ground handling teams is essential to airport operations. However, in traditional operations, communication among teams like baggage handlers, fuel teams, and cleaning staff can be limited or delayed, causing costly errors and inefficiencies.
AI systems bridge these communication gaps, providing ground-handling teams with a real-time view of operations and actionable alerts to help synchronise activities. At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Berlin Brandenburg, real-time alerts from ApronAI have improved alignment across teams, preventing bottlenecks and enhancing on-time performance.
Efficiency meets sustainability with AI
The environmental impact of aviation is drawing increased attention, placing pressure on airports to reduce their carbon footprint. Technology provides valuable tools for supporting sustainability, especially by optimising turnaround times and minimising the use of auxiliary power units (APUs). Reduced APU usage translates to significant cuts in fuel consumption and emissions, aligning airport operations with global sustainability goals.
In fact, Assaia’s Turnaround Benchmark Report shows that improved turnarounds have a direct, measurable impact on reducing emissions, underscoring the environmental value of adopting AI solutions. As regulatory requirements grow stricter, integrating AI in airport operations provides a practical path for meeting sustainability goals while maintaining high standards of operations.
Gateway to future ready operations
AI is reshaping the aviation industry, offering real-time insights, predictive analytics, and automated solutions that address longstanding challenges. Every turnaround generates a wealth of detailed data, which managers can analyse to identify trends, spot recurring issues, and fine-tune operations. This data-driven approach supports ongoing operational improvements, empowering teams to make targeted adjustments to improve turnaround speed, resource use, and overall efficiency.
By adopting tools like Assaia’s ApronAI, airports can enhance efficiency, improve safety, and meet sustainability objectives while delivering seamless passenger experiences. As the aviation industry advances toward a more connected future, investing in AI solutions is key to creating a resilient and sustainable air travel ecosystem. With these technologies, airports will be well-equipped to adapt to evolving demands.
