New smart gates at DXB reduce wait times by 30 per cent

Dubai Airports has launched a high-tech system that monitors airport operations in real time and visualises traffic flows to support consistently smooth operation.

‘realtimeDXB’, a bespoke cloud-based platform, gathers data generated by more than 50 operational systems, including those of Dubai Airports and its many service partners. It uses this information to keep all operational teams involved aware of not only the current scenarios but also developing situations anywhere from airfield to kerbside to anticipate challenges more accurately, facilitate greater collaboration between service partners, and quick decision-making.

Damian Ellacott, Vice President of the Airport Operations Control Centre (AOCC), Dubai Airports, said: “As a system that makes key operational information visible in real time to all service partners involved in the day to day running of the airport, realtimeDXB is a major step forward in our journey to develop common situational awareness. With ability to measure operational efficiency, it provides us and our partners with enhanced decision-support tools to improve operations and manage disruption more effectively. This system will be instrumental in the implementation of new concepts of airport operations such as Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM) and total airport management.”

In its initial phase, the system will focus on situational awareness of the airfield, particularly around aircraft flow. Key capabilities of the system during this phase include monitoring and visualising airfield activity including aircraft and vehicle movements, status of aircraft stands, flight-data information, arrival, turnaround and departure processes, alert generation and performance analysis. Dubai Airports is working on the next phase of the system which will focus on passenger and baggage flows within the terminals.

Lloyd Gozzett, Vice President of Customer Success at Dubai Airports, commented: “DXB is the world’s busiest hub by international passenger volumes and we aspire to be known as the best airport for customer service. One of the best ways to achieve that goal is to deliver a consistently smooth airport experience for the millions of customers that pass through our door every day, and realtimeDXB helps us to do exactly that. In addition, by increasing the flow of traffic, the system essentially adds capacity to a hub that’s located in the middle of the city and does not have the luxury to keep expanding its physical infrastructure.”

The use of real-time information and advanced smart gates is already helping enhance customer experience at DXB. In Q1 of 2019, the airport reduced customer wait-times by 30 per cent as a direct result of these systems.