The latest news from ACI’s World Business Partners

Heinemann extends Sydney concession

Heinemann Australia has celebrated five years at Sydney Airport by extending its duty free concession at the gateway until 2029.

The news is a major coup for the company, which has operated a Heinemann Tax & Duty Free store at the airport since 2015.

“I’m delighted that we have attained this agreement extension, as it not only highlights our partner’s trust in us, but it also reflects the success of our company, as well as our brand at Sydney Airport,” says Marvin von Plato, CEO of Heinemann Asia-Pacific.

“The new agreement is based on a collective shared vision concerning an evolution and optimisation of the current space,” says Richard Goodman, managing director at Heinemann Australia.

“These include renovations of the Perfume & Cosmetics area and multiple new zones for customers to shop and dwell.

“In this respect, we will start converting our Heinemann Tax & Duty Free stores accordingly in 2020. The new retail spaces will set a benchmark for modern duty free shops with an upgraded design and with the newest brands to offer our passengers the very best of airport retail.”

At the heart of the company’s plans to elevate the shopping experience at Sydney Airport even further is the introduction of new zones to create an even more seamless customer experience.

These areas include generational spaces featuring on trend and new brands targeting brand-driven passengers giving them access to new luxury products.

Billund to become home to remote tower complex

Danish air navigation service provider, Naviair, has selected an integrated remote tower and approach system from Frequentis DFS Aerosense to help it manage rising traffic demand at Denmark’s regional airports and ease the workload on its air traffic controllers.

“Naviair will initially establish a remote tower centre at Billund Airport to manage surrounding air traffic, with the intention of providing central air traffic control services to other regional airports, instead of locally from individual airports,” reveals Navair CEO, Carsten Fich.

He insists that locating all air traffic control operators in the same facility will create a better and more flexible working environment for ATC staff, noting that Navair is “looking forward to working with Frequentis DFS Aerosense on this project.”

The integrated tower and approach centre is a combination of a remote digital tower (RDT) and an approach automation solution (PRISMA APP). This is the first time that both a digital tower and approach services have been combined as one integrated system.

Expected to be operational at Billund in 2022, the centre will be multi-remote tower ready, meaning further airports wanting to obtain the benefits of RDT can be added in the future.

Frequentis DFS Aerosense was formed in 2018 after Frequentis and DFS Aviation Services successfully worked together on a remote tower project for Saarbrucken Airport in Germany, whose traffic is now digitally controlled from a facility 450 kilometres away in Leipzig.

MRO Blockchain Alliance

SITA is to play a key role in the newly formed MRO Blockchain Alliance, aviation’s first industry-wide investigation into the use of blockchain technology to track, trace and record aircraft parts.

The new alliance comprises leading organisations covering every aspect of the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) chain, from part manufacture and repairs to logistics and smart contracts.

The alliance believes that the use of blockchain will simplify and speed up parts tracking while enabling the secure sharing of information between industry stakeholders.

While PwC estimates that the use of blockchain could increase aerospace industry revenue by as much as 4% or $40 billion, while cutting MRO costs globally by around 5% or $3.5 billion.

SITA’s role as the air transport community’s IT provider is to manage governance for the global alliance, support the working groups and deliver all required blockchain technology components compliant with SPEC2000 and SPEC42 standards.

Matthys Serfontein, SITA’s president of air travel solutions, comments: “This initiative is part of SITA’s ongoing exploration of blockchain, a technology that we believe promises tremendous opportunity for streamlining the sharing and recording of information across the air transport industry.”

Malta Airport expansion plan ready for take-off

The Design Solution is to play a key role in what has been described as the most radical programme
of development and innovation in the history of Malta International Airport.

Planned to address the airport’s continuing traffic growth, the transformational plan for the terminal includes a major expansion of floorspace from 18,000sqm to 31,200sqm, particularly in the check-in hall, security area and departure including a significant increase in check-in capacity.

Complementing the operational expansion, the development plan also places great emphasis on enhancing the passenger experience and the sharing of a distinct ‘sense of place’.

According to the airport, the terminal planning elements incorporate a more natural and effective passenger journey through the terminal, thereby enhancing passenger flow and exposure to the retail and food and beverage offers.

Outlining the architectural plan, Graeme Johns, director of The Design Solution, notes: “The plan incorporates three main areas of expansion to the terminal, collectively enabling us to implement a change of image to the exterior appearance of the building that, carefully co-ordinated with our planning input, will help deliver a smarter flow and a new experience for the passenger.

“The axial nature of the original building was used to deliver an order to the main architectural elements, thus maintaining the airport’s twin wish to retain the architectural symmetry and design aesthetic of the building.”