ADB SAFEGATE’s automated aircraft docking and integrated apron management systems have been installed at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to optimise gate use and aircraft operation visibility.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the seventh busiest airport in the US, is working with ADB SAFEGATE to add Safedock T1 Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems (A-VDGS) and SafeControl Apron Management (SAM) integration software as part of the airport’s redevelopment project at Terminal 1.

The state-of-the-art gate solution will optimise existing airport infrastructure to unlock capacity through more efficient and smoother operations.

As the largest airport serving the Bay Area, San Francisco International Airport’s passenger growth every year places demands on gate capacity. The Safedock systems will provide safe and precise automated parking of aircraft at the gate, and the SAM system will integrate the A-VDGS with other airport systems to improve the visibility of aircraft operations to and from gates and further streamline gate turns.

“Leading airports around the world are tackling capacity concerns in multiple ways,” said Christian Onselaere, CEO, ADB SAFEGATE. “We are excited to partner with a high-profile airport like San Francisco International Airport to help them meet demand. Our long-term plan will manage predicted increases in capacity and by integrating our solutions with other operating systems, SFO will get more out of its current infrastructure.”

More than 40 boarding gates, both international and domestic, will be equipped starting mid-2018. Some of these are newly constructed gates while others are refurbished. All systems will go online as soon as they are installed. The project is expected to continue until 2020.