Airport Operational Solutions (AOS) provider Gentrack announced today that Bristol Airport in the UK has selected the Airport 20/20 solution to support its expanding airport operational requirements and drive for customer service excellence.

Bristol Airport is one of the UK’s fastest growing airports, with passenger numbers ranking it in the top 10 busiest airports in the region. Continued investment in the airport’s facilities, to support growth to 10 million passengers per annum, included a search for a new airport management system that would enable the airport to efficiently operate at this extra level of capacity.

Bristol Airport head of operations support Phil Holder said: "Bristol Airport reviewed its current systems, which had been in place for 15 years, and although had proved to be very reliable, they lacked the functionality required to meet the current business need and its future expansion plans.

"A comprehensive tender process took place to identify a supplier that could provide an airport management system that would encompass the functions related to optimising the management of flights and allocation of key physical assets of the Airport and also importantly provide an extensive and flexible aeronautical billing module.

"We wanted to engage with a supplier that could help Bristol Airport to be innovative, bringing in new technology and ways of operating that would help Bristol Airport as it moves towards becoming a 10 million passenger airport by 2020.

"After an extensive evaluation process we shortlisted two preferred bidders. Gentrack 20/20 was finally selected and awarded the contract, not only because of the fact that they have very comprehensive, tried and tested products, but because of their flexible ‘can do’ attitude. Bristol Airport looks forward to working closely with 20/20 and building a long lasting and productive partnership.

Airport 20/20 general manager Nigel Farley is very pleased with the opportunity to partner with Bristol Airport as they continue to innovate.

Mr Farley said: "We’ve invested significantly in the Airport 20/20 solution to meet the requirements of airports transitioning through a new era of improved airport operational efficiency and passenger experience. Bristol Airport was seeking a supplier that that could bring innovation and new technology to help them disseminate real-time operational information to all stakeholders at the airport and this is precisely where 20/20 excels.

20/20 is designed to support an airport’s mission critical operations, providing at its core a centralised operational database for collecting and distributing real-time flight related information to operational teams working at the airport plus passengers. The 20/20 AOS provides Bristol Airport with a fully integrated airport operational system based upon the latest open standards, with a roadmap for future upgrades, integration points and system add-ons as the airport business grows to 10 million passengers by 2020."

The project includes the delivery of Gentrack’s fully integrated Airport 20/20 solution consisting of operational database, resource management, flight information display, message broker, interactive dashboards and aeronautical billing.

Bristol Airport joins a growing community of Gentrack airport customers in the UK and Ireland including London City, Dublin, Birmingham, Leeds-Bradford and Newcastle Airports.

"Gentrack has a growing team of technical and support expertise based in the UK working with our airports and utilities customers in the region. New offices established recently in London provide for growing our teams by at least 50% in the coming two years, to support continued demand for our leading solutions for airports and utilities."

Whilst 20/20 has been used in the UK since 1979, the 20/20 suite is now deployed in airports across Ireland, Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Asia with the recent aeronautical billing project at Hong Kong International Airport taking the total implementations worldwide over one hundred.