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New challenges after COVID

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Now that everything seems to be back to normal, the whole world is preparing to overcome the impact of Covid-19. 

In many countries, routine activities are already taking place as normal, without the need to wear masks. Others are enjoying festivals and concerts, but better yet, travel restrictions have been put aside to embrace the summer. 

Airports around the world are preparing to reach pre-pandemic traffic levels. However, they have faced unexpected challenges such as staff shortages and high passenger demand that have led to delays, cancellations and long queues. 

But this was not an impediment for people to enjoy their vacations after two years of confinement. 

Goodbye to controls… 

Thanks to the leveling of contagions and the good sanitary management in airport structures, countries such as Spain have announced the lifting of COVID controls, it will no longer be necessary to present the COVID passport or the traveler’s form, both at airports and those arriving in the country by cruise ships. 

However, requirements such as PCR tests performed 48 hours in advance and vaccination cards are still required. This is to ensure the safety and welfare of each passenger. Likewise, masks will still be used during flights.

In spite of this, the lifting of the controls is a great step to restructure international schedules and reopen the operation of routes that were still stopped. 

In addition, passengers are guaranteed safety and confidence during flights and stays at the air terminals.

This is why good times are ahead for the aeronautical and port sector. Where challenges will cease to have a negative connotation, to carry out new projects and improve the travel experience of each passenger. 

A reliable alternative… 

In order to accompany the challenges that may arise, GP Nauticals has developed within the SUITE, a specialized software called PAX AIMS, which is ideal to avoid long waiting lines.  In addition, it is capable of auditing the number of passengers passing through the airport facilities, in order to automate processes and optimize check-in and collection times. 

All this thanks to the checkpoints that will be deployed at the airports, which will improve the travel experience from the moment they set foot in the facilities. 

PAX AIMS can be integrated with other SUITE software according to the needs of each customer. If you want to know more information about our products, click here. 

Next-generation platforms for airport operators

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The emerging technologies developed for the next generation are designed to transform the way users travel, which will also impact the way things are done today.

 

We are seeing more and more airports creating mobile applications and making their processes more flexible to incorporate technology platforms to support their staff. Facilitating their work and also providing the security required by an industry such as aviation, and thanks to this, today we can enjoy mobile check-in stations, self-check-in machines, self-service baggage handling, and even mobile stations with tablet or smartphone devices that allow airlines or airports to manage all trips.

 

The implementation of this type of technology is not only destined to transform the way people travel. Also becomes an opportunity to break down airport infrastructure barriers and even resource or personnel limitations, giving airports the possibility to move forward without incurring large budgetary investments in remodeling and time. 

 

Now that passenger volumes have been increasing considerably and airlines or airports do not have enough staff to cope with the demand. These technological platforms have become a great ally for airport operators that also helps to increase passenger satisfaction by providing a safe, fast and agile service that makes their trip a pleasant experience.

 

The inclusion of this type of tool for airport operators does not entail a major problem, since they are easy to use for their staff, and instead of causing a more cumbersome process, it generates the opportunity to have passenger, baggage, and check-in information in real-time with cloud support, which allows them to have greater control over the information, with minimal errors.

 

Airport management systems, as they are generally known, can cover many areas, the most common are those corresponding to internal administration, in terms of concessions, billing, and contracts, but now we can enjoy more robust software that offers the possibility of managing suppliers such as aviation fuel, passengers, luggage and even FBO’s that until now were seen as external entities.

 

Data processing in airport environments

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All airport facilities handle a vast amount of data and countless variables that become a daily challenge for the management and optimization of resources, allowing them to continuously improve their services and find new market niches that would otherwise take years to discover.

 

The use of innovative technologies supported by big data has helped these huge facilities such as airports not only to understand passenger behavior. Also to compile and evaluate data in real-time that would otherwise take months or even years to obtain results or get a pattern.

 

This type of software is enriched by passenger information as well as data from flights, airlines, schedules, suppliers, and all those entities directly or indirectly involved in port functions. 

 

The analysis of these data allows us to determine which are the areas with the highest traffic and, from there, to make more resources available or redirect passenger traffic to other points of interest to get the most out of the facilities.

 

On the other hand, there is a large amount of information that must be processed in this type of facility, which is not explicit and is an essential part of airport management, such as billing, concessionaires, contracting, and suppliers.

 

With the automation and management of big data in this area, manual work is greatly facilitated, minimizing transcription errors and generating real-time reports that considerably shorten decision making, as well as reducing return times and increasing profits.

 

For this, it is important to think about implementing specialized tools that cover in detail each area of the port and also have support in the cloud, as well as a friendly platform that is easy to use for each user. In this way, there will be a simple technology transfer that employees and users in general, make the most of this software.

 

One of the companies that specialize in the development and implementation of this type of solution for the airport sector is the American company GP Nauticals. With its Suite of products AIMS, seeks to maximize the aviation industry by leveraging on technological tools easily accessible, with minimal investment amounts and that can pay off in a short term.

 

If you want to learn more about their software you can visit their website www.gpnauticals.com or contact a specialist.

 

What are airport taxes and how do they work?

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Surely you have noticed that when you purchase an airline ticket, there are different prices, which add up to a stipulated amount for your ticket.

Beyond a simple flight ticket, a specific amount is always reflected when you purchase your ticket.

One of the amounts that appear on your flight ticket is estimated by the transportation service, that is, the airline. However, there is another price that corresponds to the popular airport tax. 

A fee is different from a tax since a fee corresponds to a fixed amount or tax that is added to the provision of a service. In this case, the airport tax is the amount fixed for the use of airport facilities. 

This fee is set by the government and the airline is then responsible for paying the airport tax to the airport. 

The airport tax is charged on both domestic and international flights and is reflected on the departure ticket. For example, if you purchase your ticket through a web page, where not only the airport tax appears, but also other established fees. 

This amount is not the same in all airports worldwide, it varies according to governmental stipulations, that is, the price of the fee is different at El Dorado Airport, at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport, and so on, worldwide. 

Secure and optimal administration 

That is why airport management systems must be agile and optimal to ensure a safe and timely collection relationship. Nowadays, there are different management software. 

However, at GP Nauticals we provide specialized software for the management of aviation administration. 

PAY AIMS in conjunction with AERO AIMS, is software that is integrated to perform billing at the airport level. 

AERO AIMS, is in charge of managing all airport revenues, including the airport above tax, to subsequently generate an invoice. 

Then, with PAY AIMS, the final step is to generate the payment of the total collection or the collection from the airport to the airline. 

This way, you will be able to integrate several services in one to optimize time and minimize the margin of error. If you want to know more, please visit our products section. 

 

 

 

How is the security at airports?

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Airports are one of the most regulated places in terms of security systems, but how do they manage to control the high amount of luggage and hundreds of travelers at the same time? In this article we will review how the different types of airport screening work and some of their most common practices to make their facilities a safe place for their customers and workers.

 

Concerning passengers, the first checkpoint they must go through is the one before entering the restricted area where they must check their boarding pass. Either employing a scanner that reads the code printed on their boarding pass or directly on their cell phone. It is expected that soon this control will be carried out using biometrics with facial recognition systems, as is already being done in many airports as a test. 

 

After entering the restricted area, passengers must go through a second checkpoint, where their hand luggage will be checked by a second scanner. At this point, the objective is to check that no passenger or employee can access the terminals with prohibited or potentially dangerous objects. For them, passengers must introduce their hand luggage, shoes, and other belongings, and using X-rays will be able to detect any restricted object.

 

This type of scanner at this checkpoint manages to greatly streamline the transit and entry to the facilities since this control should be done manually and individualized. 

 

But what about checked baggage? While passengers enter the terminal, the bags they have previously checked-in are also subjected to several security controls. Once they are received by the airline, the bags pass through the “cheeks yard”, which is nothing more than conveyor belts that take the luggage through 5 different types of control and allow them to avoid dangerous situations such as explosions or fires.

 

Once they have entered the terminal, the controls do not stop, passengers must pass through one or another checkpoint where their data is verified, especially before entering the aircraft. For this reason, airport security personnel play a fundamental role in risk detection and are a key part of the whole security system in the airport. They require very specific training and constant renewal, especially because this area is constantly renewing its technologies and, today they can rely on multiple devices for early detection of risks. 

 

For this reason, GP Nauticals has developed a software called Pax AIMS that allows airports to keep track, control, and audit all passengers entering the airport facilities, deploying fixed or mobile checkpoints and allowing concessionaires to validate boarding lists.

 

If you are interested in learning more about the company or any of its AIMS Suite products, you can visit its website https://gpnauticals.com/ or contact any of its consultants.

 

Digital transformation in the airport industry

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With a continuously growing annual traffic volume, airport facilities commit to digital transformation. But this is not always very easy to implement for a sector that should not stand still, so how do make these changes most optimally without affecting daily operations? 

 

It is the human capital that experiences and addresses firsthand the implementation of technology that is reflected in the mutation and evolution of processes. For this reason, there must be a lot of organization, integration, and continuous collaboration between the board, the workforce, and the technology service provider to make a correct transfer of knowledge thus reducing resistance to change and encouraging active participation in the improvements to be implemented.

 

The continuous training of human capital is a key factor for the success of the digital transformation. Because it allows the management to ensure that all staff have the skills and willingness to work with the proposed new technologies and thus are willing to offer a better service to the end customer.

 

The ally providing the technology services must have extensive knowledge about the aeronautical industry and its standards, as this way they can anticipate their needs and facilitate the process, understanding in advance what is best for them, their times, and their current processes to thus offer the best recommendations related to the sector or even detect new opportunities and market niches.

 

An excellent ally for the aviation industry, for example, is the company GP Nauticals, a U.S. company that develops specialized software for the sector that also has a multidisciplinary team capable of making a correct technology transfer, in addition to guiding managers on the right path by detecting growth opportunities for the industry and offering implementation plans so that new processes do not affect the daily operations of the port or airport. So we invite you to enter their website and get to know everything GP Nauticals has to offer in terms of digital transformation for the aviation sector.

 

WEB: gpnauticals.com

 

Positive outlook for Latin American aviation

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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. 

 

Advances in Artificial Intelligence in aeronautics

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The growth of the aeronautical industry in the coming years is an irrefutable fact, but this also leads to a significant increase in the number of planes in the air, and consequently, the complexity in managing this traffic will be even greater.

This is why the inclusion of new technologies based on Artificial Intelligence is increasingly used in airports since they provide security and efficiency in the results obtained that no other tool would offer.

At the moment, we can already find airports that use Artificial Intelligence for facial recognition, voice assistants, or bots, but in the not too distant future we will be able to see how these tools will increasingly carry out the actions that humans develop today, including It could be said that they will replace the pilots or at least the AI ​​could execute the more complex actions, thus avoiding any kind of human error.

It is also proposed that AI-based systems to manage air traffic will begin to be incorporated into airports very soon since these systems could handle large volumes of data and minimize decision-making time.

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence can improve many areas of the sector, it is even said that by reducing personnel in the cabin and control towers, ticket prices will decrease, thus benefiting the millions of passengers who move daily through the air terminals.

 

The best airports in quality of service

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The Airports Council International (ACI) with the travel technology company Amadeus. Have unveiled the winners of the ASQ 2021 award highlighting the best airports according to the testimonies of their passengers.

Despite the impact that covid-19 has generated in the industry, 89 airports around the world won 108 awards for the quality of airport service. This time the ‘best hygiene measures by region’ were also evaluated, where they have recognized the security measures of 33 air terminals.

This award recognizes the success of airports responding to the intense focus on hygiene in the face of the challenges posed by the pandemic. The new category also complements ACI’s Airport Health Accreditation program, launched in 2020, which has resulted in more than 275 airports being accredited.

“The ACI Airport Service Quality Awards represent the highest possible accolade for airport operators around the world… This year more than any other, the awards recognize airports that have listened to their customers and adapted services and experiences they offer to meet changing needs and expectations in very difficult circumstances, ”said ACI’s global CEO, Luis Felipe de Oliveira.

Toronto Pearson was named the best airport in North America for the fourth consecutive year and was awarded the best hygiene measures award, followed by the Victoria Airport, Canada, and the airports of Atlanta, New Orleans, San Antonio, and Tampa in the United States.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the measures are taken by the airports in Quirós, Costa Rica, and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic was awarded.

 

For their part, the European airports of Elche, Granada, Menorca, Pamplona, ​​Murcia, Santander, Nikola Tesla, Faro, Joao Paulo II, Porto, Helsinki-Vantaa, Keflavik, Skopje, and Tallinn were also recognized, among other airports around the world. world.

 

Learn more at ACI.

Automation of airport systems

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The global aeronautics industry has grown dramatically in recent years and. For this reason, it has been necessary to develop and implement major technological advances to cope with the saturation of airspace and the growing workload.

This year indeed lived in a pandemic that produced a decrease in the aeronautical industry for air passenger transport. It has increased for air cargo transport since commercial trends based on e-Commerce, such as Dropshipping, have become the main source of income for many individuals, businesses, and individuals.

When we talk about the aeronautical sector we must bear in mind that it is made up of two main elements. The first one deals with all work on the ground such as information systems, cargo handling, air traffic control, and airport security. While the second is referred to work in the air as navigation systems and flight operations that allow passengers to fly safely from their origin to their destination.

Now, thanks to globalization, the trend leads us to generate increasingly automated systems that allow reducing human errors while facilitating and streamlining the workload. But that can be integrated with the systems already installed in airports, so that its implementation flows as an evolution of the processes that are currently developed daily and do not hinder or paralyze your routine activities.

The optimization of all these processes, both air, and land, have consequences that can drastically impact such as the need for more personnel and space to attend to all aircraft, their cargo, and passengers. 

Therefore, it is essential to seek to invest in all the necessary tools to optimize the attention times that allow the occupation of the terminals to be the least and most effective possible, to postpone investments of greater value in the expansion of the airports. Where in many cases the land is quite limited and generating the construction plan for a new airport or auxiliary terminal is a project with a much longer execution period.

For the automation of these airport systems, software such as the SUITE AIMS could well be evaluated, which can be easily integrated into any system with very few requirements, and helps to attack several important edges such as the payments of all port or airport clients where they can cancel your financial responsibilities, have a payment history, generate invoices, audit the number of passengers passing through a checkpoint airport or the collection and evaluation of passenger data that allow risk analysis for a certain moment. Also, many other functions that streamline your processes without this entailing a millionaire investment.