GroundStar eNewsletter

Flightcare Trusts GroundStar to Streamline and Optimise its Operations
On 24th November last, the starting shot was fired for a contract for a new GroundStar project, signed by Ignacio Garrido, Managing Director of Flightcare and a group of other Flightcare representatives from Belgium, Spain and Italy. >>

National Aviation Services Modernises Processes and Control with GroundStar
National Aviation Services (NAS) and INFORM signed GroundStar contract in December
2009. >>

Düsseldorf Airport and its Ground Handling Subsidiary Go for GroundStar
INFORM has signed contracts with SITA Airport IT for a major roll-out of IT systems at both Düsseldorf Airport and its subsidiary Düsseldorf Airport Ground Handling. The project is being undertaken by INFORM and its partner topsystem. >>

Total Airport Management Suite
Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology awarded co-funding for an aviation Research and Development project named TAMS - Total Airport Management Suite running from 2008 to 2011.

INFORM is a member of the strong partnership that has been assembled to combine the expertise of leaders in aviation logistics research, air traffic control systems, airport handling processes, systems integration and change management.

The TAMS approach takes into account complex existing and future logistical, procedural, organisational and IT system demands by recognising the large number of processes, constraints, dependencies, stakeholder interests and responsibilities at a hub airport. It is focused on maintaining situational awareness so as to anticipate impacts of developing new constraints and to enable collaborative solution-finding strategies on-the-fly in an Airport Operational Control Centre, which can be set up either centrally or de-centralised and will serve the needs of all stakeholders at a hub.

As the basis for the future development, an Airport Collaborative Decision Making 16-milestone integration was created between an ATC queue management system (Arrival- and Departure Manager), a surface management system (Surface Manager) and a turnaround management system (TMAN-HubControl) following the EUROCONTROL concept of monitoring and guiding the entire flight trajectory.

However, TAMS will go beyond Airport CDM in three aspects:

• Consider both airside and landside processes and their dependencies in a balanced manner.
• Extend the time horizon of its scope to a pre-tactical range of several hours and thus enable what-if analysis capabilities for decision making.
• Introduce new concept elements, like the Airport Operations Plan and the Airport Operations Control Centre.

The diagram depicts how APOC suggestions will provide orientation for the existing tactical operation centres without infringing on their local decision making authority.

A suite of IT-systems, both commercial-off-the-shelf products and novel solutions addressing the requirements of an APOC, is integrated to dynamically support the collaborative planning and steering process.

INFORM’s special TAMS R&D activities encompass

A Further A-CDM compliant development of its HubControl tool including:
– advanced cost model-based ground handling optimisation algorithms
– improved operations monitoring via web, PDA, cell phone and scanner technologies
– additional alert capabilities for resources in situations of need to know
– improved visualization of handling process progress through its airport map
– enhanced measurement and visualization of key performance indicators

B The specification of workstation requirements for the Airport Operational Control Centre.

C The creation of a change management concept including the A-CDM and the TAMS concept.



Egypt Air Ground Services Adds to the GroundStar Family
Egypt Air Ground Services Company (EGS) just issued a Letter of Intent announcing their decision to implement GroundStar to support and enhance its operation at Cairo International Airport. >>

Upgrades and New Systems Combined with a Merger at Finnair
Finnair is implementing GS Rostering and GS Planning at its Northport and Finnair Catering subsidiaries. GS RealTime will be upgraded at the same time as Northport’s and Finnair Catering’s systems are merged. >>