Reducing delays in flight departure is just one of the benefits to be expected from the implementation of the SESAR Airport Operations Plan (AOP). This was the initial conclusion of a SESAR validation exercise*, which took over the summer at Palma de Mallorca Airport in Spain.

Bringing together a team of airside and landside staff, the exercise showed how the AOP and associated monitoring processes can allow passenger flow to be monitored from security check points, providing early alerts to the airport operator, airlines and handling agents of any disruption to the “landside” passenger management process. Such disruptions may then also have an impact on the “airside” aircraft management process.  Early monitoring allows mitigation actions to be taken in order to minimise any effect on the Target Off Block Time (TOBT).

The exercise involved a real-time connection between landside process information in the AOP with airside information. The exercise showed that by sharing this information, the airport operator knew the percentage of passengers for a specific flight that had passed through security checkpoints at different milestones prior to departure or the Target Off Block Time (TOBT). On the airside, airlines and ground handlers were aware of the location of remaining passengers and so could adjust the TOBT accordingly.

Preliminary results suggest that the reliability of passenger numbers is a key element for ground actor decision-making.  It was also found that a dedicated track for “delayed passengers” in the security lanes was not necessary, and also that increased flexibility in the TOBT would provide extra efficiency in decision making at the airport but also in the exchanges with the Network Manager.

The SESAR validation exercise was led by AENA Aeropuertos, involving operational staff from participating airlines (Air Europa, EasyJet and Iberia) and ground handler Acciona and using prototypes developed by Indra.

*EXE-06.03.01 VP 549