The tool – Total Optimizer – harnesses AI and the principles of total airport management to optimise holistically, across a variety of airport functions.
Over the past decade, airports have managed to optimize individual airport functions. However, these individual optimisations are not well synchronised with each other, SITA said. Teams, systems, procedures and KPIs all conflict with one another and significantly reduce efficiencies, costing airports millions of dollars per year.
Airport staff in a modern Airport Operations Centre take many things into account when making decisions. According to the travel IT specialist, the problem today is that the tools used have a static configuration. This prevents the team from dynamically adapting their plans, to consider changes or priorities in the airport environment. SITA’s Total Optimizer enables airport teams to dynamically set the relative priority of different elements of management, such as operational performance, capacity provision, revenue generation, cost efficiency, passenger experience and sustainability.
Stefan Schaffner, VP of Airports at SITA, described the solution as ‘one of the biggest innovations yet in the sphere of total airport management’. Its development is the result of collaboration between SITA and major airport authorities, among them GTAA. Schaffner explained: “We regularly interview our customers and other industry stakeholders to find solutions to the complex challenges they face now and in the future. In this respect, our new SITA Airport Operations Total Optimizer is a giant step forward to addressing the needs of our airport customers of different sizes and from countries the world over.”
SITA partnered with Toronto Pearson Airport to deploy a prototype of Total Optimizer that was integrated with GTAA data sources. GTAA staff were able to dynamically optimise stand allocation plans, simply by setting the relative priorities of the airport. The predicted savings, operational efficiencies, and additional revenues were then demonstrated to the Toronto Pearson team.
