For many years, there have been various environmental regulations and initiatives directed at airports. Agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), as well as industry associations such as the Airports Council International (ACI) and International Air Transport Association (IATA), all have played an important role in advancing a more environmentally-conscious industry.
Airports have become much more proactive in adopting sustainability practices and programs. They opt for green buildings, initiating stronger environmental management policies and using more energy-efficient heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and co-generation systems. All of these actions have contributed to their lower carbon footprints.
One area which intensified their “green” focus is ground support equipment (GSE) operations. In addition to initiatives such as the broader use of diesel-electric hybrid or pure electrical GSE/vehicles, electrical charging stations and “green taxiing,” airports are applying sophisticated optimization software to advance their eco-sensitive priorities.
Ground Support Equipment’s Emissions to the Air
From airport taxi trolleys to luggage carrying systems, ground support equipment (GSE), in fact, can have an adverse effect on air quality. Increased air traffic has, in turn, created a higher demand for GSE with correlating increases in air emissions.
While the emissions of aircraft have been monitored for some time now, the focus on GSE has been limited. Consequently, there is not much data to indicate its environmental impact.
More recently, however, airports have begun scrutinizing their GSE and ground transportation methods with the goal to reduce emissions. Measures such as converting diesel belt-loaders and bag tugs to electric GSE has contributed to airports’ environmental resource conservation and emissions.
By applying advanced software, greater positive changes can be achieved.
Software Supporting Airports’ Eco Goals
Optimization software is helping airports enhance various airport operations including ground support activities. INFORM’s GroundStar solutions for planning, scheduling and operations management, for example, are being applied to achieve better resource planning and management, and to optimize the travel time of an airport’s passenger transport buses, catering vehicles and loading/unloading equipment. This leads to lower fuel consumption.
The GroundStar planning and operation solutions for gates and stands are also positively impacting terminal operations by facilitating gate changes that keep aircrafts’ gate selections closest to their original gate.
Regarding the ground fleet management, advanced mapping software, such as GS GroundFleet, enables airports to better identify the location of their GSE, including its status (i.e., moving or stationary) and whether equipment is due for maintenance. Through this enhanced intelligence, airport staff is armed with the data they need to make better decisions in the more efficient use of GSE.
Their ability to better manage GSE also contributes to an airport’s lower fuel consumption, maintenance costs and fleet size, stemming from improved equipment utilization and maintenance.
Frankfurt Airport’s Environmental Stewardship
One airport recognized and awarded for its environmental stewardship is Frankfurt am Main International Airport. As Germany’s largest commercial airport, it is the fourth busiest in Europe and has long been at the forefront of spearheading environmentally-sound and innovative practices. The airport has implemented measures to reduce cargo-transporter fuel consumption and uses mobile units for HVAC as well as ground power units (GPUs) and diesel and electric high loaders with its GSE.
Since 2013, the airport has been using INFORM’s GS Ground Fleet and GS Airport Map software for localization and telemetry monitoring, maintenance support, and the reporting and detection of foreign (unauthorized) equipment utilization. GS GroundFleet provides all necessary information on GSE from dollies to high loaders in real time. Using its comprehensive filter functions and color coding, airport personnel gains a quick and easy overview of GSE. By promoting strategic planning and preventive maintenance, unexpected equipment problems are reduced. The solution stores daily operation data in the system, which can be used to produce individual reports for further analysis and process optimizations.
All of these are important standalone benefits, but particularly impressive when viewed in the context of the considerable savings Frankfurt Airport has achieved. These include equipment reductions (i.e., from 70 GPUs to 64 GPUs; 120 high-loaders to 118 high-loaders) for significant cost savings and fuel savings, as well as a reduction in manually picking up operating hours for reduced workloads.
Airports have an opportunity to harness the power of optimization software to advance their “go green” initiatives relating to GSE and facilities’ enhanced environmental management. The value added is in the related savings generated along with enhanced efficiencies and resource management.
Alexander Wendorff is a Solution Manager at INFORM GmbH, where he has served for almost 24 years. His role in assisting the company’s aviation clients encompasses a wide range of skills from project management and process improvement to business strategy and logistics. He has been instrumental in numerous successful optimization software solution roll-outs.
