ADB SAFEGATE Launches Safedock X, a New Era in Airport Gate Operations

ADB SAFEGATE’s new Safedock X Advanced Visual Docking Guidance System (A-VDGS) combines new surveillance technologies, modern display capabilities and advanced integration to ensure safe docking in all weather conditions and bring fully automated airport apron management a step closer to reality.

This latest member of the widely adopted Safedock family displays more information in more ways than ever before. It features a high-resolution full color display offering unprecedented clarity for both pilots and ground staff. Highly flexible, the new display can share more information to meet any apron management task, making it a key element in support of Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM), helping reduce delays and shorten gate turns.

Safedock X can also support separate displays for air crew and ground crew, while a mobile operator panel offers improved situational awareness and flexibility for ground crews.

An advanced sensor suite ensures fully automated safe docking in all weather conditions, allowing maximum use of gates and thus high traffic handling capacity. Safety is improved by the scanner’s ability to detect objects as small as 10 cm by 10 cm on the apron that could damage aircraft and by monitoring approach accuracy as aircraft enter the gate to avoid accidents and delays. A positive identification of the aircraft reduces the risk of it docking at the wrong gate.

The solution offers increased integration with other systems. Integrated with the Advanced Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (A-SMGCS) for greater situational awareness and accurate turn predictability, Safedock X acts as an A-SMGCS sensor to eliminate black spots near terminal buildings.

As well as improving apron utilization and thus raising airport performance, Safedock X offers low Total Cost of Ownership. With superior reliability and lifecycle costs, Safedock X has onboard preventive maintenance tools to minimize downtime. It also incorporates methods to manage heat efficiently, giving long component and system life, particularly in hot climates.

As a major development of the Safedock A-VDGS family, Safedock X will add to its impressive record of service. 18 million times a year, or every two seconds, an aircraft is safely docked with Safedock A-VDGS. Over 300 airports use Safedock A-VDGS and more than two billion passengers, or about half of all air travelers each year, get to the gate safely because of Safedock A-VDGS. 

“Safedock X represents a new era in docking systems and apron management, with many features that help make docking and aircraft turnaround safer, faster and more efficient,” says Christian Onselaere, CEO, ADB SAFEGATE. “With its advanced integration systems, Safedock X is a major part of our strategy to interconnect airside systems with landside operations. This will enable synchronization and management of landside resources such as baggage handling, catering, gate management and security as part of a long-term vision to help airports adopt Total Airport Management (TAM).”

“Safedock X brings the future of fully automated, tightly integrated and intelligent docking and apron management closer to reality.”

Safedock X is launched at Inter Airport South East Asia (27 February – 1 March 2019), where ADB SAFEGATE will also show its other solutions designed to drive safety at the airfield, apron and tower.