What is airport management?

When we talk about airport management, we refer to all those companies that are related to the provision of services in the air transport sector, and more specifically we can focus on those that make life inside airports.

 

It is rather a business organization of all those air transport companies such as the airport itself, airlines, control towers, aircraft service, and maintenance companies, FBO. All those companies linked to the above act as suppliers or customers and serve to maintain or expand the service offerings currently provided.

 

This term of airport management has always existed, although in recent years and as a result of the technological transformation that has been implemented in these sectors. Today it has become an important source of data that is in continuous analysis and that allows for increasing airport profitability.

 

This is thanks to the implementation of administrative and specialized software that allows managing detailed information about flights, airlines, passengers and even concessions, contracts, calculations, and tax payments, which allows keeping the information centralized and digitized.

 

An excellent example of this type of software is the AIMS suite from GP Nauticals. Which has several products that by themselves efficiently solve a particular niche in the aviation industry, and can be easily integrated with the systems that any airport uses today. Also can be purchased as a whole and obtain a robust management system that collects, processes and analyzes data that are valuable when making decisions that affect the operation of the airport.

 

If you want to learn more about the products offered by GP Nauticals, you can do so by visiting their website https://gpnauticals.com/ where you can see in detail what they offer or contact a specialist.

 

The future of passenger traffic

The operation and development of an airport are paramount to avoid delays and inconveniences in air traffic. The communication between airlines and airports must be effective to minimize mishaps. 

The participation of both plays a fundamental role to respect the regulations stipulated for air transportation. And keep the management and transit of passengers as impeccable as possible. 

Behind good management and development, there is an infinite amount of paperwork, permits, invoices, contracts, and transactions that the passenger does not perceive.

Goodbye to paper

Nowadays, almost all processes are automated. However, some processes are always left aside, and are fundamental for payment management processes.  

Have you ever wondered how many people pass through an airport daily or perhaps how many flights take place worldwide? Keeping track manually is not entirely feasible due to the number of boarding passes or paperwork you see daily.

At GP Nauticals AIMS SUITE we have created PAX AIMS, the passenger control system that will allow both the airport and the airlines to have accurate control of the number of people transiting through the airport. 

In addition, to carry out a database that allows both the airport and the airline to be able to audit effectively and make the invoices for the collection of fees and services, in less time and automatically. Without the need to make a paper count with paper and then filter the information. 

Finally, time is reduced, there is better control of passenger data, and invoices are issued in an optimized way. 

How do PAX AIMS work?

PAX AIMS technology is software that is implemented through an optical reader device, mobile or fixed that must have an internet connection. This gives you the facility to adapt at various points of the airport to keep track of passengers entering the airport.

This device is subject to the IATA protocol, where you can make use of a barcode or QR code to scan the boarding pass and obtain accurate data. 

For the passenger, there will be no extra control. For the airport and airlines, it will be easier to keep track of incoming passengers. 

Once the scan is done, that information goes directly to the airline and the airport to avoid cumbersome processes. 

It should be noted that with PAX AIMS when the service is implemented, there is a training manual for customers. In this way, there is no need for an external provider. Everything is done quickly and easily. 

Want to know more about PAX AIMS? Visit the products section and see what we have to offer.

Automated airport management

Understanding innovation is not an easy task, the transformation from manual to digital can be complicated, just because it is unfamiliar. 

However, many dare to leap automation, because it is simpler and minimizes human errors. In addition, once integrated into your daily routine, you see everything more clearly, something that has undoubtedly happened to all of us. 

In the case of the aviation sector, technological innovations are at the mercy of the day-to-day. Airports compete to provide the best service and create commercial alliances to stand out from the others. 

At the same time, airlines are increasingly concerned about providing better service to passengers.

But what’s behind it for airports and airlines? The administrative factor plays a fundamental role in the transit and development of the smooth operation of airports and airlines. 

That is why overlooking an error can generate great economic losses, distrust in commercial alliances, delays, and poor performance. 

Because of the above, the aviation sector is starting to look for new tools to minimize errors and optimize time, all simply and effectively. 

The beginning is not always easy

We have already talked about GP Nauticals and mentioned some of the products that SUITE AIMS. Despite the conditions we have had to go through for two years, the implementation of our AERO and PAY AIMS products has not stopped. 

In the beginning, facing a change from manual to automatic was not easy. The administrative conditions for airports and airlines have their own needs and the work methodology is not always the same, each one has its conditions. 

However, through our AIMS SUITE, we were able to integrate automated software, respecting the needs of each client. What was difficult at the beginning, later became a star product. 

The collection of payments, fees, overflights, and more, went from being a paper to becoming a digital payment management system. 

At first, it started as a mobile app, and then, thanks to the success and commercial alliances with airlines and airports, it became a solid web administrator, with data validation and a way to optimize check-in times. 

Each of our products works independently to address a specific need. However, several AIMS SUITE products can be integrated to manage and create a robust airport management system.

Each of these products requires training and ultimately integration, which is easy to manage and adapt. Our products don’t require an external provider, everything is integrated to avoid delays and mishaps. 

Want to know more about GP Nauticals? Visit our products section and contact us. 

High-tech airport checkpoints

The Transportation Security Administration, better known as TSA, has focused its efforts in recent decades on the implementation of new technological tools.

That allows airports to have safer and more efficient passenger checkpoints, incorporating innovations such as: digital identification, facial recognition, and even computerized tomography.

For this reason, in today’s article, we will inform you about the latest innovations in airport checkpoint systems that have been introduced in the sector.

Computerized tomography for baggage scanning

These machines were created for medical purposes. They are now being used in the airport industry as a security device.

Providing rotating, color-coded, and three-dimensional images of all baggage entering the facilities.

All are supported by new computer programs with automatic learning that allow checkpoints to study the contents of a suitcase more quickly and accurately.

High Definition Body Scanning

High-definition imaging technology (HD-AIT) systems are currently under development to enhance existing body scanning devices.

Which would allow for a detailed view of each passenger without them having to hold their arms above their head, remove their shoes or coats.

These devices are designed to detect a greater number of prohibited items, thus reducing inspections and making passenger scanning more efficient.

Facial recognition technology

Facial recognition technology is currently tested at several international airports, to verify the identity of passengers passing through their facilities.

New stations known as “Innovation Checkpoint” will be installed at airports for the use of this type of technology. Where identification software compares a photo taken at the checkpoint with the identification presented by the passenger.

Checkpoints

Manual passenger verification is a thing of the past. Passenger check-in and boarding list audits are being handled by software. That allows real-time measurement of passenger traffic, whether in the immigration area or for control in the boarding area.

This type of technology allows for the early completion of passenger lists, verification of flight occupancy, and even calculation and verification of airport taxes.

They don’t require major investment by airports since they can be integrated with the systems currently used, such as the software known as PAX AIMS, developed by the company GP Nauticals.

Automatic processes and Artificial Intelligence

Nowadays, talking about Artificial Intelligence is more common than it seems. However, for many, implementing the use of Artificial Intelligence can be a challenge. 

Indeed, the use of Artificial Intelligence today is imminent. The process of automation and the new era of industrialization does not seem to stop, and the facts speak for themselves. 

For example, the airport sector makes use of artificial intelligence in aircraft, thanks to various systems that allow increasing the level of flight safety thanks to the management of an artificial vision. 

Another example of the use of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence is Check-in processes or systems to avoid long lines and crowds. Bots that answer messages are another of the many examples seen today in large airports worldwide.  

Artificial Intelligence to avoid large processes 

At the logistics level, artificial intelligence is a convenient ally for data collection, management, and security of the information provided. 

Despite the above, the application and uses of Big Data in the logistics field are still a bit precarious, because many fear the ‘security’ that the technology can provide. In addition to the high costs, new departments, and levels of difficulty that could come along the way. 

Another of the great fears about the implementation of Artificial Intelligence is based on the fact that the technology could completely supplant human capital. However, this is not feasible, since human capital is needed to help manage and optimize the various technological fields and resources. 

Undoubtedly, the implementation of artificial intelligence in the logistics field will be effective in simplifying and mitigating errors. It allows us to reduce cumbersome processes and bring them to automation, allowing us to optimize time and costs. 

A good strategy will be profitable and effective to improve processes at all levels. In the case of our SUITE, automated software allows us to carry out strategies to take a step forward to the imminent digitization that everyone talks about, but does not know how to implement. 

GP NAUTICALS and automated processes

In the case of GP NAUTICALS SUITE products, they are able to automatically manage the collection and invoicing processes at airports and seaports. Thanks to the PAY AIMS product, which manages to adapt to the company’s standards and requirements. 

In addition, thanks to AERO AIMS, airport logistics processes such as boarding gates, permits, flights, and more, will benefit from the optimization of processes. With AERO AIMS you will be able to obtain an analysis of the airport’s administrative operation. 

At the same time, it is worth mentioning that the AIMS SUITE products are integrated to achieve better control strategies and manageability of operations. 

FBO, innovative airport services

A Fixed Base Operator or FBO, as it is commonly known, is a company that may or may not operate independently from state airports and its main function is to offer services related to air transportation.

These operators operate through concessions and among the variety of services they can offer are aircraft rental, hangar, fuel, parking, and even the necessary comfort services to ensure the best possible welfare, both while waiting for a flight and in the air.

Most of the FBOs operate in airports with high to moderate traffic and are intended to serve the private commercial aviation sector. This industry has been growing in recent years, despite the pandemic, and represents a great opportunity for modernization.

Now, when we talk about modernization, we are not only referring to the luxurious facilities offered to their customers, but rather to the technological innovations that can allow operators to better manage resources, such as managing payments, controlling documentation, inspecting passenger traffic, and even managing fuel sales. 

To achieve these objectives, the ideal is to have state-of-the-art programs and applications that allow integration, secure data management, connection to the cloud to generate reports and histories in real-time, and, most importantly, information analysis for decision making, improvements, and optimization of resources.

Although the implementation of this type of tool implies an investment of time and money, both in personnel training and equipment, the main idea is to reduce operating costs in the short term, as well as to centralize information and avoid human error as much as possible. 

When we talk about technological products for the aeronautical sector, we do not find a great variety of options, although the market has been increasing since the technological transformation is imminent. However, there are very complete products such as those of the AIMS Suite, belonging to the company GP Nauticals, which has a diversity of systems that used individually can help complement a specific service or be used together to provide innovative operational and financial management. 

In the specific case of FBOs, the main product that this GP Nauticals Suite can offer would be Aero AIMS, intended to centralize the financial management of airport facilities. Pay AIMS, a payment platform that facilitates the invoicing, collection, and follow-up of your customers’ financial obligations. And finally, Fuel AIMS, allows you to guarantee fuel service and reduce processing times by connecting suppliers, merchants, and customers on one platform.

Best of all, it is a low investment cost option, efficient, and requires minimal training for its use as it is very user-friendly and dynamic.

If you want to learn more about these products and services, we invite you to visit the website https://gpnauticals.com or contact some of their advisors to get detailed information about the advantages of working with them.

 

Positive outlook for Latin American aviation

The years of uncertainty for the aviation sector seem to be in the past after two years of threats and recovery, the outlook for airlines and airports looks favorable. 

Many were on red alert due to the Omicron variant, but it did not impede the favorable recovery of the airport sector, it only remained a moment of alarm. 

However, it can be observed that airlines are once again investing in their fleets. Flights that had been suspended are being resumed and, at the same time, new routes are being opened. 

Airports continue to seek comfort for users and are constantly searching for new alternatives to protect travelers. 

In the case of Latin America, José Ricardo Botelho, CEO and executive director of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) reported that the airport sector in Latin America and the Caribbean “is 30% below 2019 levels and 50% above 2020 levels,” according to a November 2021 passenger traffic report

Increase in passenger traffic…

Colombia exceeded the goal of 30 million passengers during 2021, where the airports that mobilized the most passengers were Bogota Airport with 22,091,102 passengers, Rionegro with 7,916,646 passengers, and Cali with 5,211,765 passengers. 

At the same time, Civil Aeronautics authorized 97 new routes connecting different destinations nationwide. Internationally connections were authorized from other airports to 90 outbound destinations from the United States, Chile, Brazil, and other countries in Central America, South America, and North America. 

In Panama, the opening flow is 85% above countries such as Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay. Thanks to the progress of vaccination, Panama’s tourism is favored. Likewise, José Ricardo Botelho affirms: “We are working to bring back the flow of passengers and reactivate tourism in Panama. The country has great potential with its geography, history, and natural attractions. 

On the road to automation… 

Although the recovery of airports in Latin America is favorable, there are challenges that no one can expect. With the opening of new routes and the increase in passenger traffic, sanitation and contagions are becoming a challenge. 

However, thanks to the automated processes of GP Nauticals’ SUITE, PAX AIMS becomes a low-touch solution for boarding ticket validation, thanks to the checkpoints, ticket scanning will avoid crowds and virus contagions.

It also helps to lay the groundwork for the automation of processes for advance migration lists and the financial control of airport passenger fees. 

Automated processes are undoubtedly a competitive advantage, which can overcome such challenges at the level of controls and administrative processes. 

That is why GP Nauticals’ SUITE allows you to centralize and automate the airport’s invoice control and collection processes. To create strategic and consolidated alliances for the constant improvement of the airport sector. 

 

Advantages of having a good Port Community System

Most port communities are made up of multiple stakeholders, both public and private, which makes it difficult for IT to penetrate, as each institution approaches its logistics differently and resistance to change makes it an industry very fragmented.

For this reason, today we will talk about the advantages of having a good Port Community System.

  1. A good Port Community System (PSC) allows the simplification, standardization, and acceleration of the exchange of information between all the participants in the logistics chain (PCL). This results in greater efficiency in the processes and interaction between PCLs since it facilitates how all port processes are authorized, controlled, supervised, and verified.
  2. Greater processing speed for a large volume of information. We already know that every port terminal handles large amounts of data, whether it is a cargo or passenger port. Data processing and a good Port Community System are important since they facilitate real-time analysis of information. Which allows optimization of decision-making, as well as saving time and money, which favor logistics and transport chains.
  3. PCS must offer an open and neutral electronic platform that allows a secure exchange of information between the parties involved. In addition, to facilitate the automation of logistics processes. Minimize the human error of transcribing information over and over again and reduce the use of paper by having everything digitized on a single platform.
  4. Another advantage of a Port Community System is cooperation for innovation. Carrying out innovations individually does not guarantee their success. The idea is to create a joint strategy as a large virtual company and bet on innovations that influence each member of the logistics chain; In this way, the economic impact of innovation is reduced and more processes are covered.
  5. One of the most important advantages that the implementation of a good Port Community System represents is that it can be integrated with the systems that are currently used, which helps to work on resistance to change by not having to jump from one system old-fashioned to an innovative one from one day to the next.

PCS can help to address the major deficiencies that the port sector is currently showing, such as the AIMS Suite software belonging to the GP Nauticals company, which offers various platforms for the automation of air, maritime, port, and land that benefit a large number of agents in their processes without the need to make million-dollar investments.

If you want to know more details about this specialized software, you can enter the products section of our website (https://gpnauticals.com/products/), where you will find more information and contact a specialist who can answer any questions that may arise.

 

Port modernization opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean

The ports of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) represent a great opportunity for modernization. Since so far very few countries in the region have taken advantage of the new technological tools that allow a digital transformation to achieve more efficient ports and thus actively compete in world trade.

The implementation of advanced port systems, and interconnection offer enormous advantages that would allow them to reduce manual tasks to a minimum and thus the margin of error without the need to make million-dollar investments. In administrative and financial matters, we at GP NAUTICALS make available, mainly our NAUTIC AIMS AND PAY AIMS products, which in turn can be expanded in functionality in conjunction with any other system of our AIMS SUITE.

How does a port currently work, and what benefits would digitization bring?

The first thing we should know is that a series of private and public agents interact in a port, providing services related to port traffic. These operators create a port community and represent in itself a particular unit or company with common interests such as “maritime, land or air transport” depending on the location of the port.

Imagine that each unit or company must make separate notifications to each of the other units that make up this community, it is a cumbersome task. Or simply that they need to carry out management reports or analyzes and must collect data from each of the participating companies, it seems like an impossible mission. But so far this is the reality.

The low investment in the sector and the lack of R&I=D aimed at creating solutions focused on the industry have turned the port system into an enormous opportunity for those technology companies willing to take the first step because if we are sure of one thing, it is that the last two years have taught us that digitization, automation, and interconnection take on a different meaning in the face of a global pandemic.

One of the main ways to achieve efficiency in ports, without the need to incur a millionaire investment, is by adopting a Port Community System or as it is known by its acronym in English PCS. These platforms would allow all those involved to carry out an exchange of secure information, manage and automate logistics processes and thus optimize time and save money in the long run.

Nautic AIMS with PAY AIMS, is a participant in this initiative because it creates a space where all the operators involved in a port can generate a report on their services and/or activities in a transparent manner and in a very short time. Be evaluated, reviewed, and approved between the parts to give way to the billing and collection process, thus achieving the optimization of financial processes and the economic flow that each operator wishes for the optimal functioning of its operations and the highest profitability of its businesses.

PCS in Latin America and the Caribbean

Only a few countries in the region, such as Chile, Jamaica, Panama, and Brazil, are moving towards digital transformation with the implementation of port systems that allow interoperability, migration to the cloud, process automation, and many other services. At the moment it is known that the IDB is supporting through loans for the design and implementation of Port Community Systems solutions for Latin America and the Caribbean, especially for countries such as Argentina, Peru, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, for which increasingly open up the possibilities of investment in the sector.

If you want to know how to manage and centralize your port and maritime services more efficiently, we recommend you visit https://gpnauticals.com/products/nautic-aims/ and its component for managing payments and issuing invoices and innovating in the sector knows https://gpnauticals.com/products/pay-aims/, products belonging to GP Nauticals that seek to convert the port industry into a collaborative, efficient and transparent community. If you want to have more details you can enter the web www.gpnauticals.com and fill out the form so that you can be contacted by a specialist.

 

Technology in the airport sector

A new year begins, and expectations for all sectors worldwide are preparing to face a new moment. New goals are on the horizon and, technology will be a fundamental part of the development of new projects.

Such is the case of the airport sector, which has used technological advances to safely manage administrative processes. Also take care of the health of each passenger, providing new protocols to avoid large-scale contagion.

For a few months, airports have started technological development, and today, we tell you what some of them are.

Biometric technology

Thanks to facial recognition, the airport administration will be able to reduce waiting times and long queues at check-in, security controls, baggage claim, and those waiting processes that can be tedious.

To date, a survey conducted by IATA shows that at least 73% of passengers are willing to share their data to optimize waiting processes at the airport.

Artificial Intelligence

 The use of artificial intelligence to manage the flow of passengers is also one of the options that have been implemented at different airports for some time.

The London’s Gatwick airport, which will implement this technology to improve the safety of its operations, and provide a better travel experience to its passengers.

Artificial intelligence is linked to ‘Big Data’, where the flow of information will be key to managing data and passenger behavior and optimizing their strategies.

Smartphone integration

 Today, most people around the world have a smartphone. The use of mobile applications will be the first step to manage connectivity with organizations and automate airport services.

These are just a few examples of new technologies that are already being used at airports. Therefore, the use of new technologies is and will be a fundamental part of the growth of the airport sector, where innovation will serve to create new experiences.