Nice Cote d’Azur manages operations in real time

Airport Operations Centre places Nice as one of the most advanced airports in Europe

Nice airport is amongst one of the most advanced bases in Europe in terms of operations management.

The APOC (Airport Operations Centre) enables the optimisation of resources and supports the development of traffic whilst factoring in what may disrupt flights to and from the airport.

The new facility is 500m2 and consists of multiple control screens. In order to work at the facility, staff need to be strictly trained. Information can be exchanged in real time, as well as identifying relevant solutions, initiating their implementation and verifying their effects of terminals and airport surroundings. Passengers can also expect flights to be more punctual.

“Having further developed our integration into Europe's airspace with the implementation of our A-CDM in October, we are now fully equipped to support the resumption of air traffic by offering both our partners and passengers the best guarantees regarding our operations management,” said Frank Goldnadel, Chair of Board of Directors at Aéroports de la Cote d’Azur. “The gains expected range from better punctuality to smoother passenger flows with, as a common thread, improved safety, especially in terms of health protection.”

This monitoring system is able to centralise different aspects of the airport’s resources, such as aircraft stands, boarding bridges, self-service check-in terminals, luggage conveyor belts and car parks. An airport duty manager is present at the facility to manage operations and make decisions in real time due to the hypervisor. This is a unique IT system which allows for real time management and is always communicating with partners, airlines, ground handling teams and security personnel.

Facilitating smooth passenger flows is also paramount to ensure there are no problems with road traffic or car park saturation. Within the terminals, high concentration areas are monitored to implement social distancing measures.

A team is able to intervene quickly in the event that any equipment fails. If something if affected by deterioration, such as a weather-related problem, then a shorter command chain enables solutions to be quick and efficient.