Innovation time

Aeroporti di Roma’s head of innovation and digital, Giulio Ranucci, tells us more about how the airport operator is fostering innovation at its airports and across the aviation ecosystem.

Around 44.4 million passengers passed through Rome’s Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) operated Fiumicino ‘Leonardo Da Vinci’ (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA) airports in 2023.

Fiumicino is the biggest airport in Italy and one of the main hubs in Europe. In term of quality, it is a perennial winner of the Best Airport in Europe Award for airports handling over 40 million passengers in ACI’s Airport Service Quality (ASQ) customer excellence survey.

And FCO is one of only 12 airports in the world to achieve a 5-Star Airport rating from Skytrax.

Once you lead in terms of quality and customer experience you should always challenge yourself to do better and define the standards of the airport of the future. One way ADR aims to do this is through our long-term strategy of enhancing the customer experience at our airports through the use of cutting edge technology and innovation.

People: The engine of innovation

We believe that employees are the key to allowing start-ups to build the airport of the future. This belief has led us to create what we call the Innovation Cabin Crew, a group of around 30 ADR staff who are our digital champions and effectively mentor start-ups so that they better understand how to implement their services inside a smart city.

In addition, ADR understands that the most groundbreaking ideas can come from anyone, not just a select few. This philosophy is embodied in the ADR Hangar Programme, a revolutionary corporate entrepreneurship initiative launched in May 2024.

This programme invites all ADR employees to form teams and submit ideas that address specific innovation challenges. It isn’t just about collecting ideas, however, as we view it as more of an immersive learning experience.

Participating teams receive support from mentors, refine their proposals, and get the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a high-level committee. The winning team sees their concept come to life and even gets to participate in a prestigious international innovation event.

This programme not only encourages creativity and problem-solving but also empowers employees and fosters a sense of ownership.

Innovation Hub: A physical space for collaboration

ADR’s commitment to fostering innovation extends beyond virtual spaces as we have created a dedicated Innovation Hub within Terminal 1 at Fiumicino Airport.

This 700sqm space provides start-ups with a real-world environment to develop, test, and refine their ideas as part of ADR’s strategy to transition its airport assets into a smart hub.

“We are accelerating our transformation process towards a smarter, more reliable and safer airport, in the name of sustainability, and the lever of innovation is a central strategic guideline,” says ADR CEO, Marco Troncone.

“It is a road to be travelled by attracting and developing stimuli and ideas from the global ecosystem, in an Open Innovation logic, and by stimulating the contribution of the best national and international partners.”

Runway to the Future Acceleration programme

Our Runway to the Future Acceleration programme showcases our dedication to fostering global innovation.

A few years ago we launched an international Call4Ideas to select the best international start-ups and their innovative solutions and, in the first two phases alone, received more than 600 submissions and implemented 23 proof-of-concepts (PoCs) with a 40% conversion rate in terms of rollout.

As a result, during the first innovation programme, ADR was able to make improvements by accelerating start-ups in the following areas:

– Operational Efficiency: Assaia and Grasp delivered solutions in the field of punctuality, efficiency and airport handling capacity improvement and also increased operational performance through an autonomous passenger distribution system.

– Customer Experience: Airports.ai and Airsiders embedded a chatbot and a real time wayfinding system in our mobile App to improve the user experience and personalise it with customised solutions and guidance from the kerb to the departure gate.

– Commercial Performance: An autonomous robot from Ottonomy.io was deployed to make safe and contactless food and beverage deliveries to passengers in the new Pier A in Terminal 1.

– Sustainability: Assaia and Safety Environmental Engineering respectively helped ADR reduce CO2 emissions during aircraft turnarounds and allowed it to remotely monitor the status of FCO’s solar panel systems and automatically schedule maintenance when required.

The second phase of the Future Acceleration programme proved that the successes of the first one was no fluke, as the start-ups onboard this time around led to improvements in the following areas:

– Operational Efficiency: Aeroficial Intelligence and Auxilia respectively delivered solutions that improved the efficiency and safety of airside operations and the effectiveness and performance of security checkpoint.

– Customer Experience: ADR partnered with ZestIoT to introduce real-time terminal boarding monitoring via its web app, ensuring anxiety-free travel for passengers. It is also working with Whill to provide autonomous services for passengers with reduced mobility, testing their technology directly with our passengers.

– Commercial Performance: ADR selected Hamsa ID to develop innovative biometric solutions integrated with a payment system at our F&B outlets to provide a seamless experience.

– Sustainability: ADR supported ReLearn to improve waste sorting using AI, simplifying and streamlining the process for passengers to identify and separate waste accurately.

ADR recently completed the application process for the 3rd Global Call4Startups. The aim of this one is to discover cutting edge solutions aligned with the company’s strategic priorities, highlighting the industry’s current focus on efficiency, sustainability, and passenger experience.

ADR’s goal is to rethink airport operations to build a smart and interconnected ecosystem. In order to this, in the Smart Operations & Processes Challenge, we are focusing on future trends such as robotics and autonomous operations.

In terms of robotics, we are looking at solutions to support operators in the performance of repetitive or physically intensive tasks. Use of wearable technologies to support operators and introduction of robotics in airport processes in order to improve existing systems.

When it comes to autonomous operations, we are considering the development of solutions based on autonomous or remotely controlled systems for transport or for the management of technical activities outside and inside terminals. Specifically, we seek solutions in the context of baggage handling, PRM management and for all passenger security and check-in activities.

The response to the 3rd CALL4STARTUPS has been good, attracting an impressive 716 project submissions from 389 start-ups, demonstrating the creativity and potential of start-ups worldwide.

It is worth noting that the programme received applications from all over the world, with 40% hailing from Italy and the remaining 60% representing a global spectrum of innovation.

A global network for innovation: Airports for innovation

Further solidifying its commitment to collaboration, ADR spearheaded the creation of the groundbreaking Airports for Innovation Network in late 2022.

This first-of-its-kind initiative brings together world leading airports and airport operators (AENA, Dallas/Fort Worth, Vancouver, Oman Airports, Dubai Airport and Tokyo Narita among others).

By fostering knowledge sharing and collaboration, this network aims to collectively develop innovative solutions and redefine the passenger experience on a global scale. With over 800 million passengers managed by the network’s member airports, the potential impact of these collaborative efforts is significant.

The Airports for Innovation initiative aims to reach three main goals:

• Design innovative solutions, propose and test effective models that could be standardised and extended to other airports and adopted  by the wider aviation community in the long-term

• Support the industry in developing and implementing solutions that could help redefine business growth

• Promote innovation and joint solutions, to redefine and enhance the passenger experience with a more sustainable and innovative approach.

Investing in the future: ADR Ventures

In February 2023, ADR took another bold step towards the future by launching ADR Ventures, our very own Corporate Venture Capital fund.

This fund provides strategic support and investment to the most promising start-ups identified through the Runway to the Future Acceleration programme. The fund has strategically invested in Ottonomy, an autonomous robot fleet to make contactless deliveries for both indoor and outdoor environments, and Assaia, an aviation software that provides airports and airlines with complete visibility of turnaround operations.

By providing financial backing, ADR Ventures helps these start-ups scale their solutions commercially, accelerating innovation within the aviation industry.