Munich, Germany—Munich Airport remains one of the best-connected airports in Europe that’s according to a recent study by OAG (Official Airline Guide), a leading institution for data collection in the aviation and travel industry. The Bavarian aviation hub takes sixth place in Europe in terms of the number and quality of flight connections.
This positions Munich among the best transfer airports after London Heathrow, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Paris Charles de Gaulle. The excellent connectivity of Munich Airport can be attributed to the rapid resumption of air traffic after the COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as travel restrictions were lifted, the Lufthansa Group, Munich’s largest operator, and its partner airlines decided to resume most flights.
In September 2023, 79 airlines offered regular nonstop service from Munich to 204 destinations in 60 countries. Fifteen of these destinations were within Germany. A total of 142 destinations were located in 36 European countries. An additional 47 destinations were served in 23 countries outside Europe.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – As part of the ongoing operational readiness trials for the new Terminal A ahead of its opening in November, Abu Dhabi Airports is conducting the largest live trial and testing exercise to date, with more than 6,000 volunteers selected from the community in Abu Dhabi.
The operational trials involve playing an essential part in robust simulations that are designed to stress-test the equipment, staff and procedures, in key operating areas of the terminal. In addition to Abu Dhabi Airports staff members, the volunteers include students, families and stakeholders from the aviation ecosystem.
The systems and processes that are being tested include check-in and baggage, security screening, boarding gates, immigration and customs. At immigration, volunteers are testing the speed and accuracy of the document and customs inspections. Meanwhile, at boarding and departure, the tests include scanning the boarding passes of volunteers and assessing the procedure preparedness to communicate changes regarding flight information.
Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and Interim CEO at Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Our commitment to excellence has driven our journey to prepare for Terminal A’s opening, as we are focused on conducting extensive large-scale assessments to ensure the speed, efficiency and delivery of operations. I would like to thank the volunteers who have participated in these trials for their unwavering support as we gear up to welcome passengers to Terminal A in November.”
For the duration of September and October, Abu Dhabi Airports will continue to embark on large-scale testing exercises of Terminal A’s facilities and are welcoming participation from volunteers. If you would like to take part in the trials, you can register your interest in the following link: www.volunteers.ae/list.aspx
These trials are critical to delivering the best passenger experience and efficiency when the new terminal opens its doors to the public in November this year.
Covering 742,000 square metres of built-up area, Terminal A is among the largest airport terminals in the world and will significantly increase Abu Dhabi International Airport’s passenger and cargo capacity contributing to the acceleration of the emirate’s economic growth.
With the capability to handle 45 million passenger capacity per year, and process 11,000 passengers per hour, the terminal will provide the foundation of Abu Dhabi’s tourism sector expansion and cement its position as a global gateway and aviation hub.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates—Abu Dhabi Airports has announced the forthcoming opening of its state-of-the-art new terminal at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Known as Midfield Terminal Building during the construction phase, ‘Terminal A’ is scheduled to begin operations in early November 2023.
Adding a world-class facility to Abu Dhabi’s rapidly evolving transportation infrastructure, the opening will mark a significant milestone for the emirate that has the potential to transform the local aviation ecosystem, strengthen Abu Dhabi’s growing reputation as a destination of choice for travellers, and further boost its position as a global hub for trade and business.
Equipped with the latest technologies, Terminal A boasts a range of interconnected biometric systems that will invite passengers to enjoy the speed and comfort of a seamless, digitised journey from pre-travel to boarding gate, facilitated by self-service kiosks, streamlined security checkpoints and state-of-the-art baggage handling systems.
Covering 742,000 square meters of built-up area, Terminal A is among the largest airport terminals in the world and will significantly increase Abu Dhabi International Airport’s passenger and cargo capacity. Once operational, the new terminal will accommodate up to 45 million passengers per year, be able to process 11,000 travellers per hour and operate 79 aircraft at any given time.
The imposing and memorable architecture of Terminal A has won international design awards and adds an architectural landmark to Abu Dhabi’s cityscape. Blending modern, lightweight aesthetics with functional brilliance, the building’s glass exterior maximises natural light while creating a monumental civic space inside the terminal.
In line with the UAE’s sustainability aspirations and targets, the building features energy-efficient lighting, advanced Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems and has incorporated sustainable materials in its construction.
As a major step towards realising Abu Dhabi Airports’ commitment to limiting its operational carbon footprint, a fully integrated solar photovoltaic system has been installed on the roof of Terminal A’s car park, which currently powers a three-megawatt (MW) plant that is saving nearly 5,300t of CO₂ annually.
The terminal will also feature an array of world-class amenities, including luxurious lounges, relaxation zones, and spa facilities where travellers can rest and rejuvenate before or after their flights. With 163 retail and food and beverage outlets catering to a wide variety of tastes and preferences, the retail offering within Terminal A will appeal to both leisure and business travellers.
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “As Abu Dhabi’s new gateway to the world, Terminal A is an embodiment of Abu Dhabi Airports’ commitment to support the emirate’s sustainable economic development. The opening of the facility, which is on par with the largest and grandest on our planet, turns over a new page in Abu Dhabi’s 55-year aviation history. A beacon of modernity and sophistication, it will be a pivotal driver for our emirate’s growth by spurring tourism and trade.”
Elena Sorlini, Managing Director and interim CEO, of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Terminal A underscores our dedication to providing our international passengers and partners with a premium airport experience. The terminal exemplifies our commitment to excellence and offers exceptional services that meet the evolving priorities of today’s travelers. Through leveraging the latest technologies, Abu Dhabi’s reimagined airport experience will offer a seamless passenger journey, fostering connectivity, interactions, business, trade, and tourism, all of which are essential elements in strengthening Abu Dhabi’s position on the world stage.”
New Delhi, India—India will build nine new “greenfield” airports to meet the steep rise in domestic and international air passenger traffic, the Emirates news agency WAM reported.
WAM added at least 41 existing airports in India are being upgraded with state-of-the-art infrastructure and new facilities at a cost of rupees 980 billion (about US$12 billion).
The high capital expenditure plan for upgrading existing airports with heavy traffic is being undertaken primarily by the Airports Authority of India, Retired General V K Singh, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said in a written communication to the Parliament.
Under the Indian government’s Greenfield Airports Policy (GFAP), 21 new airports were sanctioned “in principle” some time ago, Singh said. “Out of these, 12 greenfield airports have been operationalized.”
According to the GFAP, “If any developer, including a state government, desires to develop an airport, they are required to identify a suitable site and get the pre-feasibility study conducted for the construction of the airport and submit a proposal to the central government for site clearance. This will be followed by in-principle approval.”
Kannur in Kerala state, which enjoys heavy traffic to and from the Gulf, is one of the 12 greenfield airports that have become functional under the GFAP. Calicut, also in Kerala with a high number of passengers and airlines from the GCC countries, is one of the airports being upgraded, the Minister said.
DUBAI, UAE—Dubai International (DXB) marked the first half of the year with a new milestone—welcoming more than 41.6 million travelers, surpassing its passenger traffic record in the 2019 pre-COVID period.
Cargo volumes at DXB also surged in the second quarter by 16.1% y-on-y at 453,500 tons. But total freight volume for the first half of the year fell by 6.2 percent compared to last year to 853,500 tons.
The world’s busiest international hub said it registered a robust performance throughout the second quarter with passenger traffic surging by 42.7% year-on-year to reach 20.3 million. May was the busiest month during Q2, with 6.9 million travelers.
Propelled by a strong Q2, DXB’s H1 traffic totalled 41.6m guests, up 49.1% compared to 27.9m recorded in H1 2022. DXB handled a total of 201,800 flights in the first half, up 30.2% year on year, up 13% compared to the same period in H1 2019. The average number of guests per flight during the first half reached 214, while the load factor was 77%.
“It’s been a rewarding first half for Dubai International and amidst increasing guest numbers, we take great pride in knowing we are continuously delivering with operational excellence and providing an exemplary guest experience. As we recover with our H1 traffic surpassing pre-pandemic levels, we remain committed to ensuring every guest who travels through our airport leaves with a smile,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, the operator of DXB.
DXB’s baggage performance continues to be world-leading, and in H1 2023, baggage volume increased by 7% compared to pre-pandemic H1 2019 levels. This year so far, DXB handled approximately 37.2 million bags without compromising baggage delivery to customers – 92% of all baggage was delivered within 45 minutes to customers.
DXB received numerous accolades, including a certification from Airports Council International for its ongoing efforts to prioritize a safe and inclusive airport experience for guests with physical and hidden disabilities – a significant milestone. And welcomed several new airlines to the DXB family, further expanding connectivity to new destinations and countries.
India continues to lead as DXB’s top destination country in terms of traffic, with 6m guests in the first half, followed by Saudi Arabia with 3.1m guests and the United Kingdom with 2.8m guests. Other leading destinations include Pakistan (2m guests), the U.S. (1.8m guests), Russia (1.3m guests) and Germany (1.2m guests).
The list of top city destinations was led by London with 1.7m guests, Mumbai (1.2m guests), and Riyadh (1.2m guests) following in a close third. DXB is connected to 257 destinations across 104 countries through more than 91 international airlines.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands—Leading global air and travel services provider dnata handles up to 42,000 tons of delicate flowers each year from its advanced Amsterdam cargo facilities.
Orchids, chrysanthemums, and the ever-popular roses are the most popular types of 27,000 tons of flowers imported, arriving daily into the European continent from key source markets in East Africa and South America. One of the busiest times of the year is the two- to three-week window before Valentine’s Day in February, with multiple freight aircraft arriving each day to supply Europe’s love birds.
dnata’s Amsterdam facilities also manage the export of 15,000 tons of flowers annually, primarily the home-grown gerbera, gypsophila and peonies.
“Understanding our customers’ requirements is crucial to ensuring perishable items such as flowers preserve their freshness and longevity, maintaining the value for our customers. Our customer-oriented team and best-in-class facilities ensure that perishable cargo is processed quickly and efficiently throughout the transportation process,” said Jan van Anrooy, Managing Director, dnata Netherlands.
To keep temperature control of flowers, speed of handling while limiting manhandling of the product is key, from unloading off the aircraft, into the dnata facility and on to the trucks and freight forwarders. dnata’s highly-trained teams can typically empty a full freighter aircraft of flowers, and load them on to forwarding trucks in around 90 minutes. If required, dnata’s cool chain facilities at its Amsterdam hub provide cold storage to maintain freshness, before they are transported to market, auctioned and distributed throughout Europe.
dnata currently provides ground and cargo handling services to 37 airlines at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) with a team of 1,000 dedicated aviation professionals, who handle 10,000 flights and move 540,000 tonnes of cargo annually.
In 2024, dnata will significantly enhance its operations in The Netherlands by opening a fully automated cargo centre, dnata Cargo City Amsterdam at AMS. One of the largest and most advanced facilities of its kind, including certifications for sustainability and eco-friendly design, the 61,000 m2 facility will use cutting-edge technologies and be capable of processing over 850,000 tonnes of cargo annually. This will include perishables, pharmaceuticals, dangerous goods, mail, live animals, aircraft engines and vehicles.
Established in 1959, dnata offers quality and safe ground handling, cargo, travel, catering and retail services in 38 countries across six continents. In the financial year 2022-23, dnata’s customer-oriented teams handled over 710,000 aircraft turns, moved over 2.7 million tonnes of cargo, uplifted 111.4 million meals, and recorded a total transaction value (TTV) of travel services of US$ 1.9 billion.
Dhaka, Bangladesh—Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. (BG) has partnered with SITA to adopt a suite of state-of-the-art connectivity solutions that will increase network speeds, optimize the airline’s operations, and reduce expansion costs.
SITA said SITA Connect Go, its new Secure SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) solution designed specifically for the air transport industry, will be used by BG.
Using this suite of solutions will empower the airline with an increased bandwidth of up to 600%, enabling unrivaled speed, flexibility, and agility to connect quickly and securely to applications and systems at their town and airport offices.
These enhancements have been extended to BG at no additional cost demonstrating a reduction in total cost ownership as BG expands its network, SITA noted.
The deployment will improve the airline’s performance by giving the IT operations team a granular view and full visibility into their network usage and application performance. This will enable better decision-making and critical business application performance. It is all managed through a centralized platform that simplifies network management and orchestration.
The deal comes as SITA and BG celebrate 50 years of partnership and will future-proof the airline’s operations for planned growth, ensuring BG is ready to embrace a hybrid cloud environment in the future and add new applications as and when they need to.
“We’re thrilled to commemorate a 50-year partnership with Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd. and provide the latest cutting-edge connectivity solutions that will be the foundations for their next growth chapter. Connectivity is the backbone of our industry, and smart, efficient, and agile technology operations will be the defining factor for success in this next era of air transport. We’re excited to support BG in their ambitious plans and look forward to many more years of powerful collaboration,” said Sumesh Patel, President, Asia Pacific, SITA.
Shafiul Azim of Biman Bangladesh Airlines Ltd., MD & CEO of BG, described SITA as an “effective and trusted technology partner of the airline for half-a-century, saying, “Ensuring our airline’s applications and systems are optimized is critical. With SITA Connect, we can infuse our entire operation with lightning-fast and secure connections that can be adapted over time as we scale. We’re delighted about the planned growth from 21 aircraft to 45 by 2030 and look forward to ensuring smooth and reliable air travel for passengers in the coming years.”
Hong Kong—Hong Kong’s largest independent handler, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl), is beefing up security at its SuperTerminal 1 facility, with the introduction of robot patrols.
The first security robot is about to enter service, initially patrolling car- and truck parking areas, and export goods handling areas, mainly during the peak night-time period; but the robot will also be deployed during daylight hours as required.
In addition to stepping up anti-theft measures and reinforcing awareness of Hactl’s rigid security program, the new security robots will also monitor the condition of cargo throughout the company’s giant site, and will record any incidents of damage, to provide video evidence in the event of claims investigations.
The robot features a thermal imaging camera, a high-resolution camera with a wiper for outdoor use, a LiDar technology sensor for navigation and multiple ultrasonic sensors for collision avoidance. It can operate on any paved surface.
“The security robots will complement our existing CCTV system, providing footage from more angles to assist in security and cargo claims evaluation. Their presence will also send a clear message that Hactl is maintaining thorough observation of all its operational areas around the clock,” said Wilson Kwong, Chief Executive of Hactl.
“By reducing reliance on human patrols, we are freeing up valuable night shift security staff resources to focus on making our security regime even more proactive, flexible and responsive to any incidents. This is a significant step forward in strengthening our overall security program.”
This is the third area of Hactl’s business which has seen the introduction of robotics. During the pandemic, Hactl introduced sanitisation robots to help reduce the risk of infection among its workforce, and more recently launched a robotic Automated Parts Store to dispense urgent spare parts which are needed around the clock to maintain its massive automated handling systems.
Beek, the Netherlands— Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST) unveiled in June its newly renovated runway allowing more flights to land and take-off in the second largest cargo hub in the Netherlands.
MST invested EUR35.3 million to upgrade the airstrip as part of a plan to extend its operational length to 2,750 meters by January 2025. The project is part of the company’s overall infrastructure development plan to invest EUR100 million in the airport over the coming years.
Sustainability was the key theme of the ceremony, with an electric plane used to officially open the runway after RWTH Aachen University professor Dr Günther Schuh delivered a speech on the future of sustainable aviation.
“Today, we are celebrating the launch of our newly improved runway and looking back over the hard work that has gone into the planning and execution of this project – but we are also looking forward,” said Jos Roeven, Chief Executive Officer, Maastricht Aachen Airport. “The decision to inaugurate the runway with an electric plane is symbolic of our commitment to ensure the sustainability of this airport for years to come.”
Cargo operations have now returned at MST, with Turkish Cargo operating five flights a week out of the hub.
Royal Jordanian and Emirates SkyCargo have also continued their operations at the airport, both running two flights each week.
The regional airport is gearing up for the summer rush as it opens its doors to passengers – Ryanair will operate 12 flights each week to six destinations, while Corendon will run 18 flights each week to seven destinations.
It comes after Royal Schiphol Group finalized a deal with Limburg province in June to take a 40 percent stake in MST in a bid to future-proof the regional airport through joint investment.
Leiden, Netherlands— Samotics, a leading provider of real-time actionable insights to eliminate industrial energy waste and unplanned downtime, has been selected by London Stansted Airportto help reduce airport delays for its 27+ million annual travelers by improving the reliability of critical baggage handling equipment.
One of the main barriers to reducing delays at airports is baggage handling equipment failures. During peak seasons, baggage handling functions run at 150% capacity, leaving no room for downtime. When equipment unexpectedly malfunctions, it causes significant delays to boarding and reclaiming luggage.
To overcome this challenge, London Stansted Airport selected Samotics’ SAM4 Health solution to increase reliability and meet industry uptime standards. Until now, 80% of baggage handling downtime at London Stansted Airport was due to mechanical faults leading to the failure of conveyors.
SAM4 Health addresses this by delivering continuous insights into the health and performance of critical assets. This empowers maintenance teams to take proactive measures against developing faults and prevent unexpected breakdowns. The system’s superior detection performance across both electrical and mechanical faults will enable London Stansted Airport to identify and prevent over 90% of potential faults up to five months in advance.
Paul Marshall, Reliability Engineer at London Stansted Airport, said: “At London Stansted Airport, we are constantly striving to enhance the passenger experience. By leveraging Samotics’ SAM4 system, which has already been proven at a leading international airport, we can increase the reliability of our baggage handling system to significantly reduce delays and impact on travelers.”
Jasper Hoogeweegen, CEO at Samotics said: “Our technology helps airports address a fundamental challenge by identifying and resolving developing faults before they happen. With accurate health and performance data, operational teams can schedule maintenance at their convenience rather than reacting to an unforeseen fault. With less downtime, passengers and airlines benefit from reduced delays and a smoother travelling experience. We look forward to supporting London Stansted Airport to harness the potential of proactive maintenance.”
Samotics’ SAM4 Health solution will be rolled out to dozens of baggage handling systems located across arrival and departure halls.
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