Nowadays, airports worldwide are facing challenges to cope with demand and facilities capacity, several technologies are playing a role to help to grow the airports not by more bricks and mortar, instead they are doing this by strategic use of the available resources, areas, etc.
Airlines are cutting down the time spent on ground operations to save millions of dollars during flights. Faster ground operations help airlines increase fleet profits, allow airports to use their facilities more efficiently, and give passengers better ticket prices and smoother travel with fewer delays.
This is old knowledge to boost efficiency is spread among the air transport gamers worldwide.
One remarkable example came from Europe efforts to improve air traffic and airport operations began in the late 1990s and early 2000s. During this period, the rising number of air travelers led to delays, wasted resources, and serious operational issues. The aviation sector understood that it needed to change how decisions were made at airports. This shift brought about Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (A-CDM).
In the U.S., CDM initially focused more broadly on air-traffic flow management, ensuring the National Airspace System (NAS) runs smoothly.
Other solutions rely on ground operations savings—such as reduced taxi times or shorter turnaround.
This creates lower operational costs (e.g., fuel, airplane operational costs, etc.). This is especially important for Low-Cost Carriers that compete aggressively on price and have thinner profit margins.
Faster turnarounds and shorter surface delays allow air carriers to remain punctual, improving customer satisfaction—a key factor in retaining cost-conscious travelers.
Legacy carriers can also save substantial money on fuel costs and crew hours by minimizing time spent on taxiways and gates—important given their larger fleets and longer-haul operations.
"When you actually cut minutes from ground operations, you boost efficiency, allowing more airplanes to be in the air."
At Rionegro Airport in Colombia, a jet blast deflector near the international terminal cuts the distance needed for each pushback by half. This speeds up the process of moving airplanes from the gate to the taxiway, making things more efficient. As a result, airplanes can get back in the air faster, earning money and transporting passengers, instead of just sitting on the ground.
Another deflector near the entrance to runway 19 makes it safe to use a parking area for corporate jets. This spot is close to where large jets make a turn, creating powerful jet blasts.
In the past, this area was risky. If a cargo jet stopped and then increased power to start moving again, a pilot's mistake could create a strong blast that might affect nearby parked aircraft. To prevent this, planes had to maintain a steady speed while passing this area to minimize blast danger. With the new deflector, the risks are greatly reduced, allowing for safer operations.
These improvements not only lower costs for airlines and airport operators but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and noise. By cutting inefficiencies, they contribute to green initiatives and turn wasted time into valuable profits for airports and airlines.
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