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What are airport taxes and how do they work?

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

 

 

 

Technologies for airport management

In our articles, we talk about the digital transformation in the airport sector and the benefits it brings, to  passengers and also to the administration. 

The passenger’s opinion is more critical, from the entrance to an airport, the user becomes the judge who will give the final verdict, to evaluate improvements in the airport sector. 

This is reflected in the results provided year after year by Skytrax, which not only rewards airlines but also airports. 

That is why, we see that airports continue to break new ground and go beyond barriers to provide comfort, confidence, and punctuality from start to finish. 

A sample of what we talked is the Passenger Terminal Expo, which this year returned to Paris to bring it new trends, innovations, and materials to improve the experience at airports worldwide. 

Technological proposals on demand…

This year has the particularity that the technological leap is imminent. From Artificial Intelligence proposals, intelligent surveillance, and interactive kiosks to easily find boarding gates and terminals. 

Intelligent baggage handling logistics and, many more offerings are just some of the challenges that port management will face in the coming years. 

This results in a wide range of options to further improve the technological development structures at large airports. 

And it gives rise to those airports that are still in the process of development, which can join these endless technological options that ensure sustainability, durability, and confidence over time. 

That is why, at GP Nauticals we rely on developing specialized software to provide the port administration, a window that allows us to manage payments, collections, and everything related to billing and administration in a simple way. 

In addition, our SUITE is integrated to improve the performance and management of an airport, thanks to the analysis and reports that allow you to visualize results firsthand. 

Meet PAY AIMS, AERO AIMS, and all the SUITE that GP Nauticals have to facilitate and optimize the time of administrative procedures. 

Digital transformation in the airport industry

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

 

AIMS Suite – software dedicated to aeronautics

Today there are great technological advances that provide a great opportunity to introduce important changes in the aviation industry and, that not only affect the manufacture of newer aircraft.

But rather the airport management processes, the administration of resources, and the possibility of offering a more efficient service that can benefit the airport itself and of course the airlines and their passengers.

Imagine the enormous amount of data that an airport handles: the number of passengers transiting through its facilities, routes, number of airlines, contracts, concessions, and employees, of the airport and each airline. This is one of the main reasons why it is important to have specialized software developed to satisfy a specific market niche.

We already know that data management, and analysis can mean the success or failure of a business and in the case of airports specifically helps to optimize processes better. Manage their resources, and even collection platforms, which undoubtedly becomes a better service for passengers. And of course greater benefits for employees, while decreasing their losses.

GP Nauticals is one of these software development companies dedicated to the management of ports and airports, creating a series of products that allow airports to perform a digital transformation with virtually no impact on the airport’s daily activities.

GP Nauticals presented the AIMS Suite, a range of products that can be used together to create a large port management software.

Also, can used individually to meet the needs of a specific niche that requires attention and among all, it can offer the following software.

AERO AIMS: is a software that allows you to collect, manage and process aeronautical operations data, such as radio aids, gates, handling, fuel, permits, visual flights or handle non-aeronautical operations such as contracts, concessions, leases, fixed and variable commissions and taxes.

PAX AIMS: this software allows the airport to have a passenger audit tool, providing real-time information on the number of passengers accessing the airport, and deploying checkpoints to scan boarding passes where concessionaires can validate with their records to proceed to manage check-in.

FUEL AIMS: This software dedicated to the sale of aviation fuel, allows guaranteeing the service while reducing the processing times between suppliers, dealers, and customers, offering a digital platform for the processing and approval of service requests.

ANALYTICS AIMS: last but not least, this software developed by GP Nauticals, offers the opportunity to track, compare and analyze all operational variables. Related to passengers or the different actors operating within the institution such as concessionaires and workers to obtain a risk ratio of what happens in the terminal in real-time.

PAY AIMS: serves to complement any other of the AIMS Suite, GP Nauticals offers airports to have their payment platform, streamlining the processes of generating payment notes, invoicing, and charging in real-time, allowing them to optimize the approval processes.

The American software development company GP Nauticals has dedicated all its efforts in the last decade to creating tools that facilitate and optimize airport processes, allowing a technological transformation of the sector with low-cost investments.

If you want to know in detail what they have to offer, visit their web page https://gpnauticals.com/products/

A new moment for America

Facing the new times has undoubtedly been a great challenge for the aviation sector. Worldwide, recovery is expected to be imminent this year. 

So far this year, restrictions have been lifted, sanitary processes remain, but freedom to travel is becoming more common. People are gradually returning to “normal” life, and airports are looking for new strategies to attract traffic in the sector. 

The recovery has been somewhat delayed due to conflicts in Europe, recent variants of the virus in China, and inflationary pressure. This has led to further restrictions in Europe and Asia. 

North America takes off

The new horizons are clear for the American continent, as air traffic increases exponentially, and it is estimated that, in the case of North America, it will be the region with the greatest recovery worldwide, with 97.79% of demand compared to 2019, according to Bain & Company. 

Like the United States, Mexico is the other country that will see early aeronautical recovery. This is because domestic and international flight operations were maintained and did not restrict air traffic. 

This allowed the impact on tourism to take off considerably after one season. It is estimated that other countries in recovery are Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. 

In the rest of the world, according to Bain & Company statistics, it is estimated that pre pandemic traffic figures will be seen again by the second quarter of 2025. In 2022 it is expected that “the recovery will be 65% and 73% of traffic at pre-pandemic levels”.

New technologies 

Despite the long wait, airports worldwide are committed to improving and embracing new technologies. For the aeronautical sector, finding new ways to adapt has been fundamental in its recovery. 

Part of this is the automation of administrative processes to improve the user and customer experience. This is where GP Nauticals, joins the automation of processes with a SUITE of products dedicated to the aeronautical and maritime sector. 

PAX AIMS is one of our main products which will allow you to audit the number of passengers that circulate in an airport. Cumbersome processes are avoided and waiting times are optimized. This product can be easily integrated with other AIMS SUITE products.

 

If you want to know more, please visit the products section

 

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. 

The digital transformation of the aviation industry

After two years of pandemic and despite the economic impact it had in the aeronautical sector. It has become clear the interest of those involved in creating great opportunities to increase investment in technologies that encourage the digital transformation of this important industry.

 The main areas that will be favored by digitalization are the following:

Zero-touch technologies

Many airlines and airports have implemented this type of technology, not only to avoid contagions. But because they facilitate the transit of passengers in airports.

It’s used for the web check-in, self-check-in, unassisted baggage delivery, passenger checkpoints with facial recognition, or simple boarding pass scanners.

All are in the cloud and with data analysis facilities that provide a great tool for decision making and data sharing.

Cybersecurity

Today we see a lot of software and mobile applications that have increased exponentially and are used for the verification of data related to flights, passengers, or simply airport administration. So there is a very high level of vulnerability.

For this reason, cybersecurity has become one of the main investment points.

Payment platforms

In the same vein of adapting to consumer habits and new business models, airlines, airports, and concessionaires have made significant investments to digitize their service offerings.

Which mainly includes payment platforms that facilitate the cancellation of financial obligations throughout the chain within the sector.

Digital transformation is not a new issue for the industry; in fact, it is the second sector, after Oil & Gas, that has made more efforts to stay at the forefront of technology, which drives to improve some operational activities of the business. However, there is a long way to go when it comes to evaluating the maturity of digitalization.

Currently, many startups are continuously working to present solutions that help leverage digitalization.  With various products that will help to revolutionize the industry. Such as the AIMS Suite from GP Nauticals, which offers a range of possibilities about airport administrative systems.

 

Technological evolution at airports

We all wait for the future to come, yet we live in it. During of the pandemic, we were to observe that transformations at the technological level are irreversible. The impact of technological progress has given rise to new opportunities for change and what seemed distant is now part of our daily environment.

Although the airport sector was one of the most affected, new opportunities for transformation and growth have been generated. 

Technological innovations have been the protagonists that have emerged along the way to safeguard the health of passengers, being a fundamental resource for the end of travel restrictions around the world.

It’s expected that over the next few years, airports will adopt new technological forms to adapt to the behavior of users. Given the evolution, they have experienced this in recent times.

We are talking about new forms of entertainment, administrative invoicing, sanitary requirements, concessions to stores, franchises, and more… It is a time when paper processes will be left aside to make way for digital and automated processes.

Given the new challenges that the airport sector may face, omnichannel sales will be the main protagonists in a few years. The physical space will remain to strengthen the experience, but the purchase processes will be automatic.

According to a study carried out by the company Bain & Company, it shows that “omnichannel customers spend twice as much as customers of physical stores and have a satisfaction index twice as high”.

About the above, you may ask yourself: What does it have to do with strengthening the airport sector?

For airport administrators and executives, it becomes an advantage to obtain non-confidential information from users. This is to automate the boarding processes, registrations, delays, entries, and exits, all in one place.

Although physical establishments will not disappear, these will be the strengthening vehicle to improve passenger experiences, and if you add the window of automated processes, that experience will be more enriching. That is why airports will need to work on their focus on improving budgets for digital enhancements.

A palpable example is the GP Nauticals suite that manages to integrate various automated services, which are adjusted to the digital transformation needs of the airport and nautical sector.

With a tool like AERO AIMS, through its management module for monitoring and recording the sales of your commercial dealers (stores), you can evaluate the performance of each one, as well as the type of item it is.

Of more interest to passengers in transit through each terminal, which allows the institution to reinforce commercial and marketing strategies that support its clients.

Additionally, the PAX AIMS service allows the audit of passengers that can be found in the airport facilities. To improve the processes of boarding and passenger control, as well as compliance with the health requirements to which they may be subject.

All this through checkpoints that allow boarding passes to be scanned, speed up validations for duty-free purchases, and in one way or another allow dealers to validate boarding lists automatically and accurately.

It can also be integrated with the other SUITE services that will support you in digital transformation.

 

If you want to know more about our services, do not hesitate to contact us: GP Nauticals.

 

Spirit of Innovation beats the world record 

The Spirit of Innovation beat the world record and since November 16, it has become the world’s fastest electric aircraft in its category.

The creators of this aircraft are the project team ACCEL and Rolls-Royce, who are also the engine manufacturer for the Spirit of Innovation.

The part of the financing of this project is in charge of the Institute of Aerospace Technology. 

Also,  has the collaboration of the Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Industrial Strategy of the United Kingdom and Innovates UK. 

The Spirit of Innovation broke three world records, among which the following stand out: 

  • It reached a speed of 555.9 km / h in 3 kilometers. This title was held by the Siemens Extra 330LE aircraft in 2017. 
  • The second record was reaching 532.1 km / h in 15 kilometers. 
  • Finally, the Spirit of Innovation surpassed in 60 seconds, the ascent of 3,000 meters in a time of 202 seconds. 

In this regard, Warren East, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce, expressed appreciation for the recognition of this new world record: “Setting the world speed record for an all-electric vehicle is a fantastic achievement for the ACCEL team and Rolls-Royce. I would like to thank our partners, and especially for Electroflight helping us achieve this pioneering breakthrough.”

Without a doubt, the Spirit of Innovation electric plane has advanced technology that makes Jet Zero a reality.

With the premise of making technology a sustainable factor to decarbonize air mobility

Read de full note at: Aerotendencias.

Digital acceleration in the port sector

The shipping sector has been characterized by being very traditional and not very adventurous when it comes to implementing new solutions that imply drastic changes in its behavior. However, the port industry has grown in the last 3 months than in the last 3 years, and all due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently, it has been possible to evidence a striking trend for the implementation of digital tools and platforms aimed at the digital transformation of ports and shipping companies. This without leaving aside those aimed at cybersecurity that today has become a primary concern for any sector.

The technological implementation in the port sector is considered the second major transformation of the industry after the creation of containers, taking as one of the main contributions the digitization and automation of processes. The implementation of software that performs merchandise traceability and the interconnection of ports are just some of the improvements that the sector has received, and can only provide greater visibility and confidence in the port industry.

However, the change in the sector is not only limited to technological tools. There is also hard work together to encourage ecological work practices such as the development of green hydrogen for the decarbonization of maritime transport that can offer greater sustainability to the industry.

These are great advances for an industry that has always been considered extremely conservative. However, the need to face a situation like the pandemic has provided numerous opportunities for startups and venture capital companies to enter an industry that generates billions of dollars a year.