Quebec Airport first to use new SITA service to unlock data
ACI-NA CONFERENCE, SAN JOSE, CA - Québec City Jean-Lesage International Airport has become the first airport in the world to implement SITA’s innovative Aviation Operational Statistics (AOS) Data Transformation service allowing it to have data from multiple airlines seamlessly incorporated into its airport management system.
This new community messaging service from SITA allows the airport to automatically process information directly from all the airlines’ operational messages to use for airport resource planning and allocation. Now actual arrival and departure times, passenger counts and load figures from Movement (MVT/MVA), and Load/Distribution (LDM) messages are all seamlessly incorporated using XML into SITA’s Airport Management System, which is used at Quebec. This valuable information is automatically fed into SITA’s unique “action boards” providing the airport managers the highest quality data for effective real-time decision making.
Marc-André Bédard, Manager Strategic Planning, Québec City Jean-Lesage International Airport, said: “A huge volume of data is available to airports from the airlines but traditionally it is tied up in a complex and un-harmonized eco-system of formats and applications. By using SITA’s next generation messaging service we can take the various feeds from the airlines that fly to Québec Airport and have them in modern XML format. The information then flows easily into our management systems for immediate processing.
“We at Quebec Airport work closely with our airline customers and we need this information about actual flight times, passenger numbers, loads, flight delays and a variety of other details to allow us to allocate facilities, resources and services in the most effective way. With this new messaging system from SITA we are making the best use of shared data to improve the experience for all airlines and their passengers travelling through Quebec Airport.”
Information can be used in a variety of ways, for example if an airport or ground handler knows an arriving flight has a large number of passengers and load it can allocate more resources to manage this aircraft and divert staff and equipment from flights that require less support. Effective use of data is most apparent during times of disruption such as inclement weather when an airport can make decisions that take account of all factors as it reallocates manpower, equipment, gates, etc.
Rukmini Glanard, Vice President Communications and Infrastructure Solutions, SITA, said: “Quebec Airport is leading the industry transforming Type B messages into XML using the Type X Distribution Service and integrating them into its airport management system. Collaborative decision making is a priority for airlines and airports around the world but it is dependent on the effective flow of data between parties. SITA’s new data transformation service unlocks the data traditionally tied up in legacy systems making it usable with all modern applications.”
The service was successfully trialled at Quebec Airport for three months during which major efficiencies were demonstrated. SITA AOS Data Transformation avoids delay and errors through manual processing. It also avoids the airport having to develop and maintain expensive and complicated in-house messaging interfaces. In addition to the benefits it brings to overall operations, the service has also been shown to improve the accuracy it brings to the airport’s reporting and billing processes.
Quebec International Airport currently serves 10 airlines operating 350 flights each week to 54 destinations. In the region of 400,000 messages will be received by Québec airport in a single year to be used in a variety of daily operations and decisions.
SITA Community Messaging handles more than 30 billion operational messages per year serving over 2,400 organizations within the air transport community. SITA’s unique presence at airports worldwide gives it unprecedented access to operational data from the vast majority of airlines, airports and ground-handlers.
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