SUPPLIER INTERVIEW Firing on all cylinders Jérôme Cauboue, product business manager at Airbus Public Safety and Security, discusses how the latest in turnaround technology can save time and money by seamlessly coordinating airport stakeholders W hat are the key features of Agnet Turnaround? Launched in 2024, Agnet Turnaround is a combination of an application designed for tarmac operators and a web solution for their team leaders, to solve daily operational challenges. In detail, with communication capabilities such as group and direct calls, the solution enables operational turnaround stakeholders to share their status and information with each other in real time, enabling efficient and productive cooperation. Ground staff also benefit substantially from automation capabilities with Agnet Turnaround. Indeed, the innovative solution provides automatic updates regarding flight arrivals, automatic alerts when needed, automatic human resources assignments, automatic communications groups based on flights and automatic reports. As we believe that the on-time performance (OTP) level depends on the degree of cooperation between aviation stakeholders, Airbus’s smart and secure solution was developed for airports, airlines and ground handlers. Operational efficiency is about instantly contacting the right people, making the right decision at the right time and supporting teams in the field. Not only does collaboration help reduce delays but it also offers benefits to optimize turnaround time. Airbus officially launched Agnet Turnaround at Passenger Terminal Expo 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany ABOVE What are the next development steps for your solution? Our main objective is to tell the aviation industry about all the positive impacts of enhanced communications and collaboration, with new-generation and cost-effective solutions such as Agnet Turnaround. Our platform greatly contributes to the digital transformation of ground operations as it gives all parties involved the relevant information in real time so they can make the appropriate decision. We want to demonstrate the added value of such capabilities and build a community around such transformation projects. In terms of applications, we are also looking for new partners to enrich Agnet Turnaround with video analytics capabilities, automatic invoice solutions and IoT platforms, among other things. Last but not least, we will keep taking the practical needs of our customers into account, through a comprehensive catalog of devices and accessories to ensure an enhanced user experience. For example, how to make the most of Agnet Turnaround features on a smartphone while wearing gloves. Is there anything else that you would like to add? The aviation industry is facing one of its biggest challenges ever: meeting the growing demand for air traffic while facing a recruitment crisis and having to significantly reduce its environmental footprint. There is no choice but to take urgent actions such as leveraging key automatic solutions and integrating an operational communications and collaboration tool into airport systems, to reduce operational inefficiencies, unnecessary energy consumption, excessive noise and traffic congestion. Most airports, airlines and ground handlers today use old-generation communications solutions and/or messaging applications that are not secure for their turnaround operations. In any case, they are not adapted to ground staff’s needs, constraints and critical missions. To do their job efficiently, they need seamless collaboration within and between turnaround teams, real-time situational awareness and automated work processes. More than ever, overall operational efficiency is all about doing better, safer and faster. Agnet Turnaround offers all that. EXHIBITOR BOOTH 1718 Why is collaboration so important in the airport? In the airport environment, the various stakeholders involved in turnaround operations – which are very complex – are highly interdependent. In other words, the inefficiency of one party, due to disruptions in communications, for example, always impacts the overall performance and leads to operational, financial and commercial consequences for every other involved party, with travelers at the end of the chain. Furthermore, ground staff often face urgent challenges that require immediate support, taking into account constraints such as bad weather conditions, a noisy environment or occupied hands. Every minute counts. According to the latest industry reports, each minute of delay costs the airline carrier an additional US$100. The aviation industry is facing one of its biggest challenges ever Airbus To find out more, scan the QR code or visit criticalcommunications.airbus.com www.PassengerTerminalToday.com 66 Passenger Terminal World APRIL 2025
Passenger Terminal World Passenger Terminal World April 2025 Issue: Page 66
