UFIS Airport Solutions

Collaborative Airport Management as Key to Success

Airports, as is the case with the air transportation industry in general, are under massive pressure to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Thus they have to implement efficient and integrated operations on a rather advantageous cost base without compromising quality and growth. Teamwork across divisions and companies, i.e. bringing together all stake-holders of the airport community, is essential for operational and economic success.

Without teamwork, inefficient staff deployment and a lack of coordinated operations result in wasted time, higher personnel / capital resources, and unnecessary operating expenses. In the complex operational environment of airports, collaboration on the process side with joint decision-making and shared information logistics has, therefore, become a major issue.

Characteristics of an Operational Fitness Check

Besides good location and infrastructure, the attraction of traffic and business requires, basically, high performance at low costs.

In contrast to typical benchmark studies limited to considering just your company in comparison to similar companies or best practices, the operational fitness check (OFC) gives you the whole picture. It takes all participants in the airport community along the operational processes into consideration.

The OFC considers traffic and facility operations, evaluating process performance and costs in comparison with good industry practice at airports and beyond. The OFC-methodology has been developed as a collaborative effort between UFIS-AS, airport/aviation consultants, leading research institues, and non-profit organizations, based on more than two decades of practical experience in supporting airport operations.

More than just describing the current “fitness level” of your airport operations, the OFC includes an individualized “training program” for step-by-step fitness improvement.

The Big Picture of Daily Operations

In addition to flight, aircraft, passenger, and baggage handling processes, the fitness check also covers facility management. Both areas are essential for your business success. Based on a standardized, industry-proven operational service and process-flow model, the different steps in delivering your service will be assessed, following the philosophy of Collaborative Airport Management .

Information logistics is one of the major keys to maximizing efficiency and to minimizing costs. The OFC, therefore, also covers an assessment of your information management including first steps towards masterplanning. Last but not least, the OFC covers controlling mechanisms to give an indication how a continuous optimization process can be implemented.

Benefits at Minimized Costs

First of all, you get an independent view on the current operational business fitness of your airport as a whole in comparison to good industry practice of your potential competitors and other industries. The latter is especially important with regard to facility management.

Clearly indicating deficiencies and room for improvement, the OFC provides you with a set of step-wise implementable measures to tackle problems and challenges as input to your further decisions on operational business improvement including a basic masterplan for your information logistics.
Similar to “health awareness” we can, if required, also provide a "personal trainer“ following on from the OFC, helping you to achieve the desired fitness level. We, of course, take responsibility for the applicability of suggested improvements.

Using pre-structured project modules and specific IT-tools, an OFC can be easily realized. The required effort, of course, depends on airport size. For a complete check you will have to invest just ½ US cent per passenger handled based on your published 2004 total passenger numbers (plus applicable taxes).