INFORM GmbH Joins German Airport Technology & Equipment (GATE) Association – Empowering Industry Development Activities

How will we fly in the future? What technologies will be required to improve modern airport operations? INFORM GmbH will be looking even further outside the box and will work out solutions with a wide range of cooperation partners.

INFORM GmbH (INFORM, www.inform-software.com), a leading global provider of intelligent optimization solutions for airlines, airports and ground handling companies, is now a member of the German Airport Technology & Equipment (GATE) association. GATE is the trade association of the German aviation industry which brings together dozens of industry players like airports, airlines, service providers and aircraft manufacturers. It aims to answer key questions for the future of aviation and develop new solutions.

“We decided to become a member of GATE in order to discuss future aviation aspects at an early stage, and to be able to make a positive contribution to the aviation industry with our software modules,” stated INFORM Solution Manager Alexander Wendorff. He explained the decision further, saying, “It has always been our endeavor not to focus only on our products, but to look outside the box and understand the different needs of our customers and the broader market.”

Autonomous Driving and Sustainability

INFORM will initially contribute its expertise in two working groups. One of them will deal with the topic of autonomous driving on the apron. Whether in baggage transport, docking of jetways or steering passenger buses, as well as fueling trucks or cabin crew buses, autonomous driving will become increasingly important in all areas of the airport. GATE’s autonomous driving working group creates concepts for the standard use of autonomous vehicles on the apron. The other working group focuses on all aspects of sustainability. The participants discuss and examine solutions for making airports more energy efficient and thus more sustainable. The ultimate goal is airports with no CO₂ emissions.

GATE promotes these working groups and maintains an industry-wide and aviation policy network. The members are mainly companies based in Germany, but GATE is also active throughout Europe. The diversity of the membership was also an important aspect for INFORM to join the association:

“Today, product innovations are often not created in the respective development departments of a single company, but in cooperation with several project partners,” explains Alexander Wendorff. “New ideas, concepts and prototypes need, as early as possible, a real environment in which they can be tested and further developed.”

Innovation Platform for Real-Life Testing

Therefore, GATE, in cooperation with the airport Rostock-Laage, has created the platform, InnoAirport, where companies can design, optimize, test, and present their products and services in the real environment. INFORM is likely to join the next workshops of its working groups in November 2020 and January 2021.