By Jean Luc Devisscher
11th Dec, 2022

New Year’s resolutions come and go and many individuals have them every year at the end of the year but most have already been put aside by the end of January.
For companies and teams, it’s different as these are often tied to budgets or KPI’s agreed with management.

With the increase in passenger traffic which seems to be a lasting thing and not immediately impacted by the ongoing energy crisis, airports have every interest to run a smooth operation to make sure travellers feel fine when taking the plane but also to return to profit which in most cases means doing things differently.

So here we go, our Top 5 based on what we read in specialized literature, the focus of past events and what we have been discussing during the many calls we have had with airports over the past year.

1. Manage your staff. Many airports have had issues with staffing, finding the right motivated staff, from security to baggage handling to check in. Never did we see such an outflow of staff than during the pandemic and as with customers, it’s easier (and cheaper) to keep employees than to lose them. A remedy? A good staffing policy with increased attention on mental wellbeing and better working conditions. Revisit the role of employees, find ways to automate tasks and make things more efficient so you keep staff motivated and focus on tasks they don’t see as repetitive or often unhealthy.
2. Digitalization. This is a big word that covers a lot of things but it’s truly valid throughout all airport operations whether related to IT or for any assets like vehicles in the organization. Measuring is knowing and knowing allows every airport to become so much more productive. From avoiding any paperwork in the ATC to making sure ground handling vehicles indicate their position, all these new digital processes can create a tremendous number of benefits that help the airport take decisions on facts not emotions and make operations run so much smoother.
3. Efficiency. Closely tied into the previous points, airports can still make a big leap forward when it comes to managing stakeholders or making people work closely together to make processes much more efficient. Whether linked to the flow of arriving passengers or the turn-around management. By working together, analyzing the right data and having a clear view on what is happening every step of the way, a lot can be gained in productivity. By better managing the processes we can save time, increase the passenger experience, better utilize resources and decrease costs.
4. Sustainability. Sustainability is a major point in every airport’s strategy with some regions more advanced than others but it’s clear that every airport has a clear benefit if it goes for net zero or even become fully C02 neutral. This is most often done by a series of measures, ranging from electrification to avoiding unnecessary movements and actions to recycling water and waste. We had an interesting podcast with ARUP’s Rujit Wood on the topic which can be consulted here; https://theaviationreporter.podbean.com/e/a-conversation-with-gurjit-wood-from-arup/
5. Cybersecurity. Security has always been a key aspect of airports and airport users but cybersecurity has been on everyone’s priority list and now even more with all recent events where cybercrime has peaked and focuses on critical infrastructure like hospitals, electricity grids and … key transportation hubs. Prevention and education are still the most powerful aspects in the fight against cybercrime and also here review your processes and make sure to map how cyber “safe” your systems, solutions and assets are.

So 5 key aspects to consider for 2023 and if you want to understand how companies like EMMA Systems that focus on safety, productivity and sustainability can help then mail us on info@emma.aero check out www.emma.aero or call on +32 473 788 055