UFIS Airport Solutions - Integrated Solutions for Airport Operation and Management

UFIS Airport Solutions (UFIS-AS) has been providing integrated solutions for single and multi-terminal airports, and multi-airport operations for the global airport community for more than two decades. The UFIS-AS companies in Austria, Norway, Singapore, Spain and Thailand form the structure to provide the best possible solutions and services to customers worldwide.

Universal Flight Information System

Universal Flight Information System (UFIS®), UFIS-AS's sophisticated traffic and resource planning and management system, is used to optimise resources and maximise service offers.

The objective of the system is to provide integrated enterprise applications with interfaces for seamless integration of all IT systems within the entire airport community. Modules for flight information management, resource planning and management, flight information display, etc. enable the customers to share centralised, up-to-date and accurate real-time information.

Ground operation control centre (GOCC)

Airlines are taking steps to cut costs in all areas, including ground handling and airport charges. An airport can compete by offering not only a cost-effective service but also the high quality punctual service that airlines require. This means airports and handling agents must streamline their operation to ensure they can meet these demands with highly efficient levels of manpower and equipment.

This development is leading many agents and airports to set up centralised operation centres to help manage the various activities they perform at the airport. Using UFIS as the information hub, airports and handling agents have been able to cut costs and improve efficiency, enabling them to offer a better service to their customers – the airlines and the passengers.

Integrated airport management systems

Integration is one of the strengths of UFIS. The systems can be integrated through its own middleware for interfacing with other systems or by making use of standard middleware products like WebSphere MQ.

As far as operations centres are concerned, five UFIS packages play a fundamental role:

• Flight information manager
• Airport terminal resource manager
• Hub manager
• Status manager
• Resource manager (personnel and equipment)

Airport information management systems (AIMS)

Our airport information management systems' (AIMS) essential ingredient for efficient airport operation is a highly available source of reliable information covering all aspects of airport operation. Airports are beginning to realise the savings to be gained through such integration, which can extend beyond the integration of operational systems to include other systems such as facility and building management, security systems and CCTV.

UFIS applications have been used to form the AIMS at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thailand. These include the airport operational database, flight information management system and gate management system. Using these applications, the airport management handles all operations from a central airport operations centre.

Central airport operations centre

This airport operations centre is seamlessly integrated with other specialised control centres for security, network management and crisis control. Through the integration platform UFIS integrates more than 40 IT systems, enabling the airport to have one central database containing the most up-to-the-minute information that these systems use.

In this project at Suvarnabhumi Airport, UFIS-AS took a step further in delivering fully integrated airport solutions by adding industry-proven standard solutions for particular areas, such as facility management, simulation and passenger processing, directly into UFIS. In this way UFIS-AS can offer a one-stop-shop for AIMS solutions.

Baggage handling systems

The UFIS-AS product portfolio also includes BRAINS®, a control system for baggage handling systems. Integrated closely with the PLCs, BRAINS is a fully modular software suite with more than 70 modules. These standardized software modules, on both high and low levels, enable us to replace software at airports during full operation.

BRAINS is the trademark and software concept of UFIS Airport Innovation, part of the UFIS Airport Solutions Group. UFIS Airport Innovation, with offices in Oslo and Barcelona, has a special place in the organization and broadens the integrated airport solutions portfolio.

Operational business process engineering

The services offered by UFIS-AS help airports to manage complex integration projects including start-up and trial operations for new green-field airport or airport expansion projects. The services can also be deployed to optimize existing airport facilities and resources (operational fitness check). This check provides a sound cost-benefit analysis to support decision-making and master planning.

These services include:

• Program and project management services
• Master system integration
• Program planning and monitoring / reporting
• Contract administration and quality control
• Process engineering
• Training and operational readiness monitoring