International IIR Conference "Airport IT", Berlin

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, airport operators have invested substantial amounts on development, but the multi-billion-euros investments primarily flow into infrastructure and less into processes that improve efficiency.

International competitors, such as Dubai or Kuala Lumpur, spend far more on automated operations. In these locations, new technologies enable processes to be efficiently monitored, allowing the flexible assignment of corresponding resources; for example, by employing RFID transponders, individual cargo containers can be automatically registered and their transportation controlled at the airport. According to the findings of a Booz Allen Hamilton study, costs can be lowered and productivity increased by intelligently linking various airport processes (aerobrief.com, 2007-11-27). Applications include the automatic allocation of personnel for passenger check-ins or luggage handling based on the passenger's individual electronic booking data.

CUSS and CUTE

At the IIR Conference "Airport IT", on 28 and 29 May 2008 in Berlin, international industry representatives will discuss how international airports can reduce costs and increase productivity by efficiently implementing terminal processes. T. P. Anantheswaran, IT Director of Mumbai International Airport, will discuss the integration of airport management systems using Unified Communications (UC). In addition to UC implementation, he will also cover UC integration through CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) and CUSS (Common Use Self-Service). Vienna Airport has been able to substantially improve services for passengers by integrating CUSS. In her lecture, Hedi Weihsinger from Vienna Airport will speak about the various ways in which self-check-in models are being developed. For instance, Internet check-in and automatic baggage check-in (CUDOP – Common Use Baggage Drop-Off) are already conceivable options.

Airport CDM

As the first European airport to do so, Munich Airport initiated the routine operation of CDM procedures in June 2007. Airport CDM stands for Airport Collaborative Decision Making, and is part of the Airport Operation Programme from Eurocontrol. CDM advantages include reduced turbine engine running times and shorter waiting periods on the runway, but, above all, improved planning for operational processes (aerobrief.com, 2007-07-04). As a representative of Munich Airport International, Marc Lindike will cover the methods, opportunities and risks involved in IT convergence.

Eamonn Cheverton from BAA (London, UK) and Dr Ulrich Lang from Object Security (Cambridge, UK) will lecture on the current status of CDM systems. They will outline the secure integration of complex systems as well as the employment of SOA (Service-Oriented Architecture), and also provide an update on SESAR, the research project on air-traffic management in standard European airspace. Jack Wang from Continental Airlines (Texas, USA) will explain how the integration of SOA in airports and airplanes can make travelling more pleasant for passengers.

The complete programme for the IIR Conference "Airport IT" is available on the Internet at: www.aviation-conferences.com/airport-it

Contact:

Carsten M. Stammen
Press Officer
IIR Deutschland GmbH
Westhafenplatz 1
60237 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
Telephone: + 49 (0)69 244 327-3390
E-mail: carsten.stammen@informa.com