WBP NEWS

The latest news from ACI’s Asia-Pacific and global World Business Partners.

NEW MILESTONE FOR DELHI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’S TAXIBOT

Indira Gandhi International Airport’s semi-robotic aircraft towing vehicle, TaxiBot, has successfully completed 1,000 operations, reducing the Indian gateway’s CO2 emissions by 532 tonnes and helping save 214,000 litres of aircraft fuel in the process.

Introduced two years ago as part of the gateway’s goal to become a net zero carbon emissions airport by 2030, TaxiBot boasts an 800-hp hybrid-electric engine and can be controlled by the pilot in the aircraft cockpit.

No actual towbar is required for the taxi, with the vehicle lifting the aircraft’s nose wheel to direct it towards or off the gate.

“Delhi Airport is one of the leading airports globally in terms of adopting environmental sustainability related initiatives,” says Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO of operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL).

“With the implementation and continuous use of TaxiBot, DIAL continues its journey of making Delhi Airport one of the most sustainable airports globally.

“The reduction in carbon emissions by use of TaxiBot establishes DIAL as an environment-friendly organisation. This is a major milestone not only for DIAL but also for the aviation sector globally in terms of promoting and adopting alternative and green taxiing solutions.”

TaxiBots are jointly manufactured by TLD and Israel Aerospace Industries, with TLD sister company, Smart Airport Systems (SAS), responsible for marketing, deployment and after sales services.

Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) currently uses two TaxiBots to carry out push and pull-back operations for three airlines, with the numbers set to grow to up to 15 over a period of four years.

The vehicle itself has been certified by India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), as well as by the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) in the US; EASA in Europe; and the CAAI of Israel.

Sustainability conscious DEL is the first airport in the Asia-Pacific region and one of only four in the world to achieve Level 4+ ‘Transition’ status in ACI’s Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.

BAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM IN INCHEON’S TERMINAL 2 TO BE UPGRADEDBAGGAGE HANDLING SYSTEM IN INCHEON’S TERMINAL 2 TO BE UPGRADED

Siemens Logistics has won a major order for the large-scale expansion of the baggage handling system in Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 2.

In addition to supplying extensive baggage conveying and sorting technology, Siemens will be responsible for the technical project management, the layout design and the software solutions. The project scope also includes integrating the new equipment into the existing system.

Incheon director, HoSeok Kim, noted: “The best partner is vital for the planned capacity expansion. Siemens has proven for years that we can rely on the company’s comprehensive expertise and long-standing experience.”

ENHANCING SECURITY AT SINGAPORE CHANGI

Singapore Changi, one of the most innovative and technologically advanced airports in the world, has selected Genetec to enhance and upgrade its security systems.

The three-year project, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023, will see Genetec Security Center – a unified security platform that blends IP security systems within a single intuitive interface – underpinning the airport’s security operations, with a specific focus on the video surveillance system across its terminals. The contract was awarded to Genetec following a rigorous competitive tender process.

“Increasingly, our airport customers are understanding the deep business insights Security Center is capable of delivering, its ability to inform and create value for multiple areas of an airport business operation and improve the overall passenger and employee experience,” said Giovanni Taccori, Genetec Inc’s commercial lead for transportation in Asia-Pacific.

WFS AWARDED SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Worldwide Flight Services (WFS) has been recognised for its safety efforts at Hong Kong International Airport, which has presented it with Safety Excellence Awards for its fuelling and baggage handling services.

The ‘Extraordinary Contribution and Efforts on Airport Safety’ certificates, are signed by Vivian Cheung, Airport Authority Hong Kong’s executive director of airport operations, who also recognised the individual efforts of six members of WFS’ staff at HKG.

“Safety and security are WFS’ most important core values across the company’s global network,” stated the company’s managing director for Hong Kong and Singapore, James Carey.

“We are honoured to have received these awards and are extremely proud of our fuelling and baggage handling teams for upholding the highest safety standards expected by WFS and our customers.

“Thank you to Airport Authority Hong Kong for their leadership through these awards and appreciation of the suppliers and partners which maintain the airport’s first-class safety culture.”

AAHK’s annual Airport Safety Recognition Scheme awards recognise organisations with outstanding achievements in the field of aviation safety, occupational safety and health performance, safety promotion and culture.

They honour companies which meet HKG’s strict safety targets for all areas of airport operations, including ramp safety, and aim to inspire a robust safety culture and inspection/audit programme.

Based on pre-COVID operations, WFS Fueling provides into-plane fuelling services for more than 40 airlines operating some 65,000 flights per year at HKG, while WFS Holding’s baggage handling teams handle approximately 2.7 million passenger bags per month, including check-in, transfer, air-to-sea, sea-to-air and out of gauge (OOG) baggage.

WBP PROFILES

AERO ENABLE
Location: Thailand
Type of business: Consulting and Management
Contact: Thananuwat SRIRASANT
E: thananuwat@aero-enable.com
W: www.aero-enable.com

Founded in 2018 in Songkhla, Thailand, Aero Enable specialises in aviation technology, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Human Health. Its expertise in aviation technology is in passenger processing systems, operational systems, aviation revenue systems, innovation technology and aviation immigration systems. The company’s focus is on providing service solutions for airports, airlines, border control agencies, travel firms and on-site hospitality companies.

NATIONAL FIREFIGHTING MANUFACTURERS FZCO (NAFFCO)
Location: Dubai, UAE
Type of business: Equipment
Contact: Ketan Sethi
E: ketan.sethi@naffco.com
W: www.naffco.com/uae/en

NAFFCO was founded in Dubai, UAE, to become the world’s leading producer and supplier of life safety solutions. By recognising the importance and convenience of having easy access to multiple safety services, we became specialised by offering complete solutions under one roof for all types of high quality firefighting equipment, fire protection systems, fire alarms, addressable emergency systems, security systems, custom-made vehicle such as fire trucks, ambulances, mobile hospitals and airport rescue firefighting vehicles (ARFF).

WANZL GMBH & CO KGaA
Location: Germany
Type of business: Equipment
Contact: Michael Tscharntke
E: airport@wanzl.com
W: www.wanzl.com

Wanzl Metallwarenfabrik GmbH is the world’s leading manufacturer for passenger luggage trolleys and luggage trolley systems. In addition, Wanzl offers a wide variety of solutions around entrance and exit gates enabling continuous efficiency improvement in ground operations.