Optimised IT&T at Toronto
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Posted Date: 06/05/2008
Issue: Airline Handling International June 2008
Publication: Airline Handling International
Arup was responsible for the design of the information technology and telecommunication (IT&T) systems at Toronto Pearson and worked with the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) to develop and implement the comprehensive set of IT&T services offered by the GTAA. Arup is presently working at more than 30 other airports in the Americas and around the globe.
The competitive, dynamic and short-term nature of the aviation industry is particularly challenging for airlines looking to invest in the long-term planning and facilities required to support efficient, effective operations. This challenge, coupled with the fact that many airports are currently operating at or above capacity, creates the need and opportunity for airports to create shared common use services from which all airlines and airport stakeholders can benefit.
While many airports and airlines are starting to appreciate and capitalise on these opportunities, airlines operating out of the GTAA Toronto Pearson International Airport have been benefiting from the shared services approach since the opening of the first phase of Terminal 1. These services and facilities include common use/shared: passenger terminals; de-icing facilities; cargo warehouses; and comprehensive IT&T services.
The catalyst for creating common use/shared services at Toronto Pearson was the creation of GTAA and the vision of GTAA and major carriers serving Toronto Pearson. The privatisation of the formerly government-owned and operated airport provided the financing flexibility for GTAA to create Terminal 1 and the comprehensive suite of shared, common use services and facilities.
GTAA Chief Information Officer, Gary Long, was responsible for the commissioning of the de-icing facility and now manages delivery of the comprehensive suite of IT&T services at Toronto Pearson, including the following airport-owned and managed services: common use passenger processing; baggage tracking and reconciliation; radio and other wireless services; satellite television; flight information displays; internet and Local Area Network services; voice-over internet protocol telephony; and closed circuit television and security alarm monitoring.
To capitalise on opportunities presented by emerging IT&T technologies over the multi-year schedule of the airport development project, GTAA decided not to use the construction based procurement mechanisms and project management tools, wisely opting instead for a value-based approach to select and implement IT&T systems and services. This provided transparency and visibility and enabled GTAA to select IT&T systems and services based upon total cost of ownership and best value as opposed to lowest initial cost.
Systems and services that GTAA could benefit from during construction were selected and implemented early. Selection of IT&T systems and services, where technical advances were rapidly occurring or where costs were falling, was postponed until the last responsible moment. This enabled GTAA to benefit from technological advances occurring during development and construction and implement other new IT&T systems services early in the programme.
Under Long’s guidance, GTAA’s IT&T Department not only facilitates delivery of a broad range of superior services to all stakeholders but also provides more than $3 million in annual non-aviation revenues for the airport. When an airline enters the Toronto market, the GTAA works with it to identify and define IT&T requirements and then prepares a comprehensive proposal for all of the required services. Services are then delivered over the shared infrastructure that already supports the IT&T needs of GTAA and other stakeholders. The ability to provide a one-stop shop for all IT&T services makes it easy for airlines to come to Toronto and easy for them to grow once they establish a presence.
Because infrastructure and systems are already installed across the airport, the need to install new infrastructure and systems to deliver IT&T services is mitigated. This reduces costs and, more importantly, cuts the time needed to deliver new services. At the same time, it facilitates the most efficient use of scarce airport resources by enabling airlines to operate out of facilities anywhere at the airport.
One common characteristic of all these services is that infrastructure, technology, and applications necessary to deliver them are all owned by GTAA. This enables GTAA to establish and enforce service level objectives (SLOs) by measuring and managing the quality of service provided by each of the organisations that help GTAA deliver these services. The SLOs enable GTAA to make sure that the services meet or exceed the expectations of all users. Should one or more of the partners fail to deliver to expectation, they can easily be replaced.
The network operations centre (NOC) and service desk that support GTAA IT&T needs also manages and monitors the delivery of IT&T services to airlines and other tenants. Today, in addition to the $3 million in non-aeronautical revenues, the GTAA receives approximately 5,000 calls a month ranging from airline staff questions about how to turn on printers and load ticket stock to requests for new or additional services, right through to suggestions on how to make services even better. With the NOC and technical support staff all based at the airport, GTAA offers higher quality, more responsive service at lower cost than traditional IT&T service providers.
Sharing centralised airport-wide services also benefits passenger and cargo operations. Besides its comprehensive IT&T services suite, GTAA is equipped with a sophisticated airport traffic information management system consisting of an airport operational database (AODB) and resource management system (RMS). The AODB enables GTAA to collect, archive, and report on airport operations in real time, allowing it to measure, benchmark, and report on how well airlines use the airport assets they are allocated, as well the performance of ground handling and other service providers. The RMS incorporates sophisticated modelling and knowledge engineering tools that help GTAA optimise allocation of scarce airport resources by testing and optimising various scenarios.
John Segaert, Air Canada’s General Manager at Toronto Pearson, has always believed in the potential benefits of shared common use systems but was concerned about relinquishing control of IT&T systems and services the airline depends on to operate. Despite start-up problems when the shared common use services were first implemented, and the subsequent need to replace some of the initial operations partners, Segaert now reports that the quality of IT&T services offered by GTAA has always been, at a minimum, equivalent to the quality of previous services and is now superior.
In addition, the airline now benefits from the flexibility to connect to the network from anywhere in the airport without the costs and time delays associated with installing new infrastructure and cabling, as is required at other airports. This allows Air Canada to adjust its footprint at Toronto quickly to capitalise on changing business opportunities. Segaert also notes Air Canada benefits from the GTAA’s shared de-icing facility, which not only reduces de-icing costs but is also much more environmentally friendly than conventional de-icing services.
While the stars aligned for GTAA to create the common use shared information communication technology (ICT) services that airlines serving Toronto now benefit from, it is possible for other airports to implement the infrastructure and systems necessary to deliver similar shared common use ICT services. The process starts with creating a roadmap that defines the current state of IT&T systems and services, the airport’s vision for future systems, and the steps necessary to achieve this vision. After the roadmap is established, the first step typically involves addressing deficiencies in how IT&T decisions are governed (or, more often, not governed) at the airport.
At most airports, IT&T needs emerged before IT&T departments were able to support them, so individual departments started independently buying and managing IT&T systems and services with little or no central coordination. The result is that many airports do not benefit from economies of scale, have duplicate, redundant software licences, and do not have the IT&T standards necessary to facilitate integration and interfacing systems.
At the GTAA, IT&T decisions are governed by the ICT Steering Committee, which reviews and approves all IT&T related decisions and proposed changes to IT&T systems and services. All departments are represented on the IT&T Steering Committee; this facilitates communication, coordination, and assessment of IT&T decisions.
Centralised governance and control of IT&T decisions facilitates standardisation enabling the GTAA to benefit from economies of scale and capitalise upon opportunities presented by convergence of IT&T, building, and airport systems towards internet protocol-based communications.
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