inter airport Europe 2017: Trend of the “interconnected airport” opens up new possibilities for the airport industry

Press Release Date 02.08.2017

The 21st International Exhibition for Airport Equipment, Technology, Design & Services, inter airport Europe, will take place from 10 – 13 October 2017 at the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany. Just three months ahead of the show, with around 31,000 square metres of net exhibition space, the show has further grown in terms of stand space compared to the previous event. The trend currently driving innovation in the airport industry is the “interconnected airport”, which is therefore in the spotlight of this year’s show.

Three months ahead of the exhibition, around 620 exhibitors from 43 countries have already secured their stand space at the world’s leading airport exhibition. The most important exhibitor countries, besides Germany, are currently the USA, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, China and Switzerland. With around 31,000 square metres of net exhibition space, inter airport Europe has once again grown in terms of stand space compared to the previous event. Therefore, on even more floor space, exhibitors will present the most comprehensive range of equipment, technologies, design and services from all four exhibition categories: interRAMP (ground support equipment), interTERMINAL (technical terminal installations and services), interDATA (specialised hardware and software) and interDESIGN (architecture and furnishings). The latest solutions and equipment as well as innovative services for ground handling, terminal operations, airport IT and airport design are the main focus of inter airport Europe. This year, this is especially demonstrated through the new concept of the interconnected airport, which is currently an important topic in the airport industry.

The interconnected airport as the future vision

While a high level of automation and digitalisation in some areas of international airports has already been achieved, the role of IT up until now has been a separate function to support certain processes. As a result, the concept of the interconnected airport takes this one step further and is now also influencing hardware, services and other equipment.

“At present, airport operators are facing the challenge to implement a comprehensive overall IT infrastructure which is extending the usage of IT across all areas of the airport. Now, the focus is on the interconnection of all processes, for example passenger handling, maintenance operations, cargo management as well as various other terminal and airfield operations”, says Nicola Hamann, Managing Director of the organisers of inter airport Europe, Mack Brooks Exhibitions. “The integration of IT interfaces with airlines and other service providers within the airport and, beyond that, across various airports, is the next step forward. The interconnected airport is therefore the future vision of the airport industry, which is opening up various new possibilities in the airport industry. The solutions for this new concept range from apps for passengers as well as airport employees to cloud based systems for the planning and forecasting of passenger flows”, explains Nicola Hamann further.

On the one hand, the main advantages of digitalisation and automation of all airport-related processes lead to optimised operations, increased efficiency and security as well as an improvement of passenger experience, for example through measuring and the analysis of passenger flows and the flexible counteraction to bottlenecks during peak hours through mobile solutions. On the other hand, data security is gaining importance due to an increasing risk of cyber attacks that is caused by a higher level of digitalisation. Therefore, with the increasing degree of digitalisation, the demand for security concepts is rising equally.

Airport operators in demand of the latest equipment and innovative services for ground handling, terminal operations, airport IT and airport design can experience the latest trends first hand and are able to source the latest technologies for the development and expansion of their airports.

Information for visitors

For inter airport Europe visitors, a visitor brochure has recently been published in English and German. The handy guide contains an exhibitor list, the exhibition profile of inter airport Europe, detailed information about entrance fees as well as useful tips for travel & accommodation and the available travel offers. The brochure is available as a printed version and can be requested via the show website www.interairport.com/europe. In addition, the guide is also available as a direct PDF download on the website.

The online newsletter “inter airport News“ provides latest information about the show and the industry and presents the recent technologies and trends which will be displayed at inter airport Europe. The newsletter can also be requested via the website and is published monthly ahead of the show.

inter airport Europe 2017 takes place at the Munich Trade Fair Centre in Germany in halls A5, A6 and B6 as well as the spacious outdoor area. For the first time in the history of inter airport Europe, a Trade Fair Train will be operating on-site, making it easier for visitors to move between the halls and the outdoor area. Also for the first time, visitors will be able to experience a new Demonstration Area, where exhibitors of the outdoor area will be demonstrating their equipment. Here, visitors will have the opportunity to test machines and other large-scale exhibits themselves and see it live and in action.

The Munich Trade Fair Centre is well connected and easily accessible via Munich’s excellent public transport system. For the duration of the exhibition, regular shuttle buses will be running between Munich International Airport and the show grounds. Admission for visitors will be via the Entrance East.

The opening hours of inter airport Europe 2017 are from 10 – 12 October 2017, from 9.00 – 17.00 and on 13 October 2017 from 9.00 – 15.00. The pre-sale of entrance tickets starts from September via the Online Ticket Shop where tickets will be available at favourable prices. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased on-site during all four exhibition days.

Further information on inter airport Europe 2017 as well as the latest exhibitor list and useful tips for visitors are available on the show website: www.interairport.com/europe.