As any regular flyer will know, sometimes it is more aggravating waiting to be taken to your aircraft than it is getting through the departure gate the first place.
In another world's first, however, Dubai Airports aims to eliminate that hassle for passengers at Dubai International (DXB) Terminal 2.
The latest innovation takes the form of an intelligent traffic system (ITS), which optimises the coordination of buses used to shuttle passengers from T2 departure gates to the aircraft.
The use of new technology to improve service and boost capacity as part of its DXB Plus programme is designed to elevate capacity at DXB to 118 million by 2023.
“It is another world first for DXB. It is the first time this technology has been implemented and used in this manner,” said Bryan Thompson, the senior vice president – development at Dubai Airports. “The system is fail-safe, and provides a fully automated solution to coordinate bus scheduling which in turn reduces wait times for departing passengers.”
The new system improves efficiency by ensuring buses are fully utilised, increasing the average number of passengers per bus trip from 40 to over 60. It reduces the number of bus trips by 20 per cent which in turn limits fuel burn and emissions. And it alleviates congestion during peak operations, according to Dubai Airports
“DXB Plus initiatives are in line with smart government and proof that technology can be applied to many parts of our business to improve the passenger experience, boost efficiency and help us augment capacity,” said Mr Thompson.
And the new system will benefit a significant number of air travellers. DXB is the world’s number one airport in terms of international passenger traffic and number three globally in terms of total passenger traffic as reported by Airports Council International.
chnelson@thenational.ae
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