Christian Onselaere is currently director of ADB Safegate. He has over 30 years of international experience in the airport industry and the telecommunications industry in leadership roles in general management, sales and marketing, product management and research and development (R&D) throughout Europe and Asia. Christian holds a Master's degree in Computer Science and Electronic Engineering from the University of Ghent in Belgium.
"Sustainability is what enables aviation to grow and the whole industry must work together to achieve it.
The Global Market Forecast forecasts that air traffic will grow at a rate of 4.5 % per annum, an increase of 33,000 passengers. Are airports prepared to handle this growth in passenger numbers?
Airport growth is nothing new. In fact, air traffic has doubled every 15 years since the 1970s. Airport congestion is an upward trend and many airports around the world have already reached or even exceeded their operational capacity. When airports reach their capacity limit, punctuality suffers and this can result in delays for travellers. It is a waste of time and money for passengers, airlines and airports, it gives a bad reputation and it causes cities to see reduced opportunities. Are airports ready? The industry is expanding its overall capacity and new airports, infrastructure, runways and terminals are being added. However, the planned expansion is still insufficient and will not meet the growing demand for air travel, fuelled by an ever-growing middle class around the world. But there are other ways to meet demand and, in fact, in most cases airports can do much more than they have done so far.
What is ADB Safegate's proposal for the airport of the future? How can airports be greener if the aviation sector continues to have a huge impact on our planet?
To date, airports have always been structured in "compartments", whereby gates, runways and the tower have functioned independently. This sometimes makes it difficult to have an overview of the complete sequence from aircraft approach to take-off. As many of today's airports were built and entered into service in the 1960s and 1970s, they are now "locked in" to cities, so there is limited scope for increasing the space they occupy in response to increased demand. In addition, existing infrastructure is often not used in the most efficient way, which often means that airport operations do not reach their maximum capacity. The ADB SAFEGATE model is based on collaboration and getting the different parts of the airport to work together and look beyond their respective departments. This approach allows for the optimisation of operational processes, as well as improving the efficiency and performance of the airport. Generally, this also means that airports become greener. Thus, although air traffic demand is increasing overall, improved operational efficiency will mean that aircraft spend less time waiting on the ground and flying standby circuits, and therefore, in theory, less fuel will be burnt and there will be fewer CO2. Sustainability is what enables aviation to grow and the whole industry must work together to achieve this. So by developing our work and combining our expertise in gates, runways and the tower to create solutions that increase airport efficiency, we are also contributing to a greener industry.
In which markets have you identified new opportunities for aeronautical engineering in the near future?
Airport congestion and therefore, limited resistance is the daily reality faced by many large airports, creating major problems, whatever the weather. Airports must constantly look for ways to take advantage of opportunities while managing capacity and growth. The list of questions that airports must answer is long: How to manage growth? How to drive profits and control costs? How to comply with the latest regulations? How to operate more sustainably? How to improve safety and security?
In an increasingly globalised world, is it possible to preserve and enhance the characteristics of each airport to reflect the culture to which they belong?
Yes, and this may be even more so in a globalised world where it is even more important to highlight the uniqueness and particular characteristics of each country or city. Airports play a very important role in being responsible for the first impression visitors have of a city, and there are numerous examples of the efforts of the world's best airports to reflect the quality of life offered by their respective cities. When designing an airport, the architect has to go far beyond simple construction: it must reflect the soul of the city. For us at ADB SAFEGATE, designing an airport takes on a very special meaning. When we talk about design, we often refer to the design of runways or how to make the airport's operational processes optimal; however, as with architecture, every airfield is different. Each airport has its own characteristics and a one-size-fits-all solution does not fit all, but needs to be adapted to the requirements of each airport, its environment and its business objectives. Our strategy and our work as consultants is based on understanding these objectives and creating cost-effective solutions to solve each airport's most pressing challenges. This can encompass all aspects of air traffic management and control, from approach, take-off/landing and taxiing lighting to tower traffic control systems and intelligent boarding gates to berthing automation.
How do new technologies improve the passenger experience at airports? What do you think of the idea of the airport as an "air city"?
As a direct consequence of the growing demand for air transport, some large commercial airports have become hubs for international transport and act as gateways to countries and continents. They have grown to become destinations or "air cities". This, of course, has led to a greater variety of services and an improved passenger experience. This increases the non-aeronautical revenue potential for airports and for the full range of terminal-based businesses. However, ADB SAFEGATE focuses on solutions and technologies that improve airport efficiency and performance from aircraft approach to take-off. We contribute to a better passenger experience in the areas of efficiency, safety and sustainability. We offer optimised gate, runway and tower solutions. Our solutions reduce taxi and layover time, increase predictability and reduce the workload for airport air traffic controllers, resulting in an improved passenger experience.
With over 100 years of experience and having worked with more than 2,000 airports, what is your approach to providing the most cost-effective and sustainable solutions?
Again, every airport is unique, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution. But I can say that an essential element is working with airports to work towards a common and well-defined goal. The first step for the client to achieve its efficiency, safety and sustainability goals is to listen and understand the airport's operations and needs. To do this, our experts conduct a detailed analysis of the traffic flow and operational processes at the runways, tower and gates. Once we have identified the areas where improvements are needed, we go on to create a new operational plan to meet the airport's business and strategic objectives. We then work with the airport to design a completely new solution for airport operations that integrates the various systems to implement new, streamlined operational processes. Helping airports improve their performance from aircraft approach to take-off not only defines our vision, it is what we do every day. We use the results of tower, runway and gate analysis and thus the airport's needs to create intelligent and highly integrated airport operations. We continuously increase airport performance with operational integration programmes such as Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) or Follow The Greens (FTG) and with direct requirements such as SESAR's PPC (Pilot Common Project) initiative.
What can you tell us about the main projects ADB SAFEGATE is currently working on?
We started by talking about the growth in air traffic demand and the need for collaboration between the various parties involved. SESAR's Airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) programme has so far been implemented at 20 European airports as a direct response to airport congestion; it is an essential programme for increasing airport capacity. In a project at CDG and ORY, ADB SAFEGATE will be responsible for the design, implementation, maintenance and support of our SafeControl - Apron Management System and our Safedock Advanced Visual Docking and Guidance Systems (A-VDGS). These systems will strengthen the A-CDM decision-making process at both airports.
Another recent example is the UK's fastest growing airport outside London, Birmingham Airport. We have long experience of its runway and gate infrastructure and are currently installing a comprehensive tower solution that will enable the implementation of the A-CDM programme. This will improve real-time information sharing between the various airport stakeholders: airlines, ground handlers and air traffic controllers. At this airport, one of the many results we expect to achieve is improved predictability.
Together, and thanks to our holistic approach, we strive to maintain long-term relationships with our clients. When Abu Dhabi International Airport decided to embark on one of its most ambitious expansion projects, ADB SAFEGATE was selected as the main contractor. The multi-year framework contract covers the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the works and the servicing of the runway lighting systems. This partnership will enable the airport to increase its agility, improve the passenger experience and create greater capacity to handle increased air traffic, while ensuring very high levels of regulatory compliance and aviation safety.
Another interesting project is at Lahore airport in Pakistan, where operations are affected by heavy fog every winter. We helped prepare the airport for bad weather with a project involving the gates, runways and tower that increased traffic from 5 to 29 aircraft in low visibility conditions in just 12 months.
With 900 employees, we have a presence in more than 175 countries and work with more than 2,000 airports globally, from the world's busiest airports to smaller airports in emerging markets. We have many projects on the go and although, like the industry in general, we are very busy, each new project is as exciting for us as the first. Just a few days ago we signed two new contracts: one in Sri Lanka and one in Chile. It is a pleasure for me to work in such a dynamic and innovative industry as aviation and to work with such passionate and knowledgeable people. I never stop learning.
