UFIS Airport Solutions: Rome airport provides better service for persons with reduced mobility

UFIS Airport Solutions: Rome airport provides better service for persons with reduced mobility. UFIS Airport Solutions (UFIS-AS) has been awarded a contract by Aeroporti di Roma (followed by Athens and Hanover airports) to support them in providing services to persons with reduced mobility (PRM). The new application enables handling agents at the airport to plan and dispatch staff for the PRM service using UFIS-AS’s Resource Management System. The main driver for this project was the EC regulation 1107/2006 which came into full force in July 2008. Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) is one of the first airport companies in EC to introduce IT support for the planning and allocation of resources to provide the necessary services. The application will also provide the functions to gather status information on the services and to provide data for KPI measurement to ensure that the service levels required are met.

Physically impaired people used to face tremendous difficulties when they attempted to travel by air. To be blind, or to need a wheelchair for instance, caused serious problems for the ground handling personnel: It took time and organisation – and some airlines have even limited the number of transported persons with reduced mobility.

To change this situation, the EU has developed a regulation – 1107/2006 - that came into full force in July 2008. It stipulates that airports will be required to provide assistance to persons with reduced mobility (PRM) to enable them to make the same use of air transport as people who are not disabled.

These special services provide assistance in boarding and disembarking from the aircraft, check-in, baggage handling and transport within the airport area. UFIS has programmed a software to meet the requirements of this EU regulation: The new application enables handling agents at the airport to plan and dispatch staff for the PRM service using UFIS-AS’s Resource Management System.

Aeroporti di Roma (AdR) is one of the first airport companies in EC to introduce IT support for the planning and allocation of resources to provide the necessary services. The application will also provide the functions to gather status information on the services and to provide data for KPI measurement to ensure that the service levels required are met.

Effectiveness through Information Technology

Information technology can be an effective means by which such service provision can be optimized. Within its Universal Flight Information System (UFIS), UFIS Airport Solutions has included specialized features to help provide these services efficiently, from the perspectives of both the service provider and the recipient. The system interprets the load telexes (or the new Passenger Assistance List) to determine which flights need PRM support and how many passengers will require which form of support.

Also, flight and non-flight related requests for PRM support can be sent by the passengers themselves via the Internet or from kiosks or terminals at locations within the airport. Based on the information from the airlines and the passengers themselves, the Resource Management System (RMS) application will generate a staffing requirement based on the flight schedule, the times for the requested service and staff qualifications required to perform the necessary services.

Planning and Service

Depending on where the service needs to be performed the task can be assigned to a particular pool of staff situated at an appropriate location. The system maintains a database on the various employees showing their availability and qualification with relevant contact details. In addition, the RMS is also used to schedule the equipment necessary to perform the different services. Planning is the first part of the application. The second part is providing the actual service.

During actual operation, the individual employees in the PRM service department will be informed of the tasks they need to carry out and can enter the status of the tasks using PDA applications.

150,000 Services Every Year

First estimations from AdR are that the system will be used to manage approximately 300 people to carry out more than 150,000 services per year. Therefore it is crucial for the proper functioning of this company to have the equipment and the manpower planned accurately. Giosue Camereri, head of AdR operations, a key user of the UFIS RMS and the PRM project manager, sees the new application as a must and was pleased to have UFIS-AS’s and its local partner Softlab’s commitment to the project.

“All the airports within the European Community are facing the same situation,” said Anders Sagadin, UFIS-AS’s President and CEO. “We are happy that Rome’s example has been followed by Hanover and Athens airports in taking advantage of our new solution. We are pleased to be able to support them in providing the best possible services to their passengers.”

UFIS Airport Solutions has been providing integrated solutions for single and multi terminal and multi-airport solutions for single and multi terminal and multi-airport operations for the global airport community for more than two decades. The company’s Universal Flight Information System for passengers with reduced mobility provides these modules:

Resource Management

• Flight Information Management 
• Equipment Management 
• Human Resource Management 
• Status Management 

Information Systems

• PDA Task Management Information 
• Kiosk Application for Requesting Services 
• Information Services to Passengers (e.g. WLAN and SMS support) 

System Integration

• Operational Database 
• Integration of Wireless Communication Infrastructure 
• Telex Processing 
• System Event Logging 
• Audit Trail 
• Call-center Integration 
• www integration 

Contact:

UFIS Airport Solutions Ges. mbH,
Graz, Austria
Tel.: +43 316 32 85 30
Fax: +43 316 32 85 30 20
solutions@ufis-as.com
www.ufis-airport-solutions.com