PRESS RELEASE. Dublin Airport, Ireland’s busiest airport, is expanding its infrastructure and adding new technologies to support passenger growth. The airport has chosen ADB SAFEGATE to provide its Safedock Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems (A-VDGS). The company will also link its SafeControl Apron Management (SAM) to support Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) on the apron. With this, Dublin Airport will be able to increase efficiency at every stage of the turnaround process, reduce delays and unnecessary fuel burn, and better utilize resources.

Docking guidance and apron management systems to support the airport’s  A-CDM journey
“Dublin Airport recorded its busiest year in 2018 and, with growth expected to continue, we’re making huge investments in infrastructure, “ said Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. “In the past, delays have occurred to aircraft turnaround times such as airline marshallers not getting to stands on time and inbound aircraft held off stand for several minutes blocking the apron. This no longer happens on A-VDGS equipped stands. A-CDM with A-VDGS is the norm across Europe and is best practice across leading international airports. Ramp efficiency has already improved, which benefits us as well as our airlines and passengers.

AVDGS is another example of technology enhancing airport processes that deliver huge benefits for the airport, its airline customers and passengers, according to Dublin Airport Managing Director Vincent Harrison. “This system will improve airport safety and efficiencies and supports Dublin Airport’s continuing drive for sustainability .

A-VDGS for faster aircraft turnaround
ADB SAFEGATE will supply 94 Safedock T1 A-VDGS. The automated system offers many features that will heighten safety and reduce delays through faster aircraft turnarounds. The low visibility function allows pilots to park aircraft in poor weather conditions, such as mist and dense fog, to significantly reduce weather-related delays. The apron scan function ensures safety and further reduces delays by detecting vehicles and other objects in the way of arriving or departing aircraft. The Safedock system’s large screen and intuitive guidance is easy to read for pilots and ground crews. Faster docking allows ground operations staff to get to the aircraft quicker, thereby reducing turnaround time.

SafeControl Apron Management to improve predictability, traffic flow and operational efficiency
ADB SAFEGATE is also supplying SafeControl Apron Management, as part of a service contract. SAM connects the Safedock A-VDGS to other airport systems such as the Airport Operational Database (AODB)* to support A-CDM. Critical information such as exact on and off stand times and expected and actual times for various turnaround procedures and departure sequencing are fed into the A-CDM system. Airport and airline staff can view this data to work faster and make better decisions. This improves predictability, traffic flow and operational efficiency. This also reduces the airport’s carbon footprint as aircraft and ground vehicles need not run their engines unnecessarily.

To provide information and feedback during incidents and enhance overall security and situational awareness in the apron area, the Safedock A-VDGS will include a built-in camera to record all arrivals and departures. The camera is connected to the airport’s CCTV systems via the SAM system.

“Dublin Airport’s vision is to be the best performing European airport, and A-CDM is critical to this,” said Christian Onselaere, CEO, ADB SAFEGATE. “Not only are our docking systems critical for an effective A-CDM rollout, but our end-to-end expertise across the gate, airside and now landside, will come in handy to help Dublin Airport realize its vision.”

The Safedock installations commenced in March 2019, and are expected to be completed by early 2020.
*The integration of the SAM system to the airport’s AODB was handled through ADB SAFEGATE Airport System’s Integration Broker (AS-IB), part of ADB SAFEGATE’s Total Airport Management offering. The AS-IB platform supports integration of existing systems allowing, for example, an existing AODB to be retained unchanged while new systems are installed using new interface technology. The Integration Broker simplifies airport system integration and is central to the operations at many leading airports around the world.

Press Releases
Find the Press release on the web pages of Dublin Airport and ADB SAFEGATE.

ADB SAFEGATE is a leading provider of solutions that boost efficiency, improve safety and environmental sustainability and reduce operational costs for airports, airlines and ANSP’s. The company works with customers to identify performance bottlenecks and jointly solve them through integrated solutions that improve airport and airline performance. These solutions address every aspect from approach to departure – airport traffic handling and guidance, airfield lighting, tower-based traffic control systems, intelligent gate and docking automation, services and advanced analytics. ADB SAFEGATE has more than 1,100 employees across 45 nationalities in 25 countries, and operates in more than 175 countries, serving more than 2,500 airports globally.