Gatwick said it opted for Amadeus' "cost effective" cloud technology to speed up the implementation time of A-CDM, rolling out the Amadeus portal to 300 users "in just eight weeks". The aim of the A-CDM standard is to bring the entire airport ecosystem (airport operators, airlines, ground handlers and air traffic management) together to operate more efficiently and transparently, sharing accurate information in a timely manner.
This is designed to deliver better air traffic management with fewer delays and increased capacity, as well as an improved passenger experience thanks to an integrated approach to operations. The Amadeus A-CDM Portal provides aggregated views of the status of airport operational activities based on real-time flight, passenger and other operational data. It can predict future flight problems over a three to four-hour period, identifying which flights might be delayed and how they can be turned around faster to make sure they leave Gatwick on time, even if they arrive late.
Michael Ibbitson, CIO at London Gatwick Airport, said: "We have received extremely positive feedback from our Amadeus A-CDM Portal stakeholders. It is easy to use and enables them to make better decisions that contribute to smoother and more efficient operations. The portal supports all partners at the airport involved in activities, from refuelling and de-icing and to ground handling and cargo. Those employees have access to real-time data about what's happening across London Gatwick - it's a game changer."
He added: "We estimate that thanks to Amadeus' A-CDM Portal, we will be able to increase capacity to more than 40 million passengers a year on a single runway following wider adoption of the portal in the next year or so."
John Jarrell, head of airport IT at Amadeus, said: "Communication gaps still prevail in the airport ecosystem - a collaborative approach is key to align all aspects such as disruptions, flight information, number of bags on board and passengers in transit. We hope to see other airports follow Gatwick's innovative use of the Amadeus A-CDM Portal."
Earlier this year, Gatwick Airport put out to tender a contract for support services for its SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Gatwick sought a supplier for application maintenance, database administration, middleware management, fix development, reporting, testing, and other services.
Image credit: London Gatwick Airport