Integrated ATM and Airport Systems

Denver International Airport will be deploying Saab’s Aerobahn® De-icing Manager to provide all airport stakeholders with a common de-icing process management tool for more efficient winter operations. In addition, the airport is receiving a Saab surface multilateration system to provide precise aircraft location and identification information directly to its Aerobahn Surface Manager and De-icing Manager.

The Aerobahn De-icing Manager integrates airport surface surveillance from Saab multilateration and flight data to provide users with real-time situational awareness of de-icing pad activity. Users at Denver, including the airport, airlines and de-icing service providers, can schedule and sequence aircraft into centralized de-icing pads; track de-icing queue lengths and occupancy times; and automatically record de-icing process milestones. In addition, the De-icing Manager features a number of predictive elements that facilitate better planning of the de-icing process, including estimated de-icing queue entry, pad entry, occupancy and exit times, and the generation of recommended push back times that help to limit queue lengths.

“With Saab’s Aerobahn De-icing Manager, Denver International now has a common, shared platform that enables all relevant stakeholders to better plan, manage and evaluate de-icing events for more efficient operations,” said Ken Kaminski, general manager of Saab ATM. “This is in stark contrast to the current paradigm where each stakeholder operates during winter operations without having access to the same information and means to collaborate.”

Saab multilateration uses multiple low-maintenance, non-rotating sensors to triangulate aircraft location based on transponder signals to provide Aerobahn with precise aircraft position and identification regardless of weather conditions. The multilateration system at Denver will cover all runways, taxiways and gate areas.

The Aerobahn Product Suite (Surface Manager, Departure Manager, Airport Dashboard and De-icing Manager) is designed to improve the efficiency and collaboration of airport authorities, airlines and air navigation service providers. It is the industry’s most widely-deployed airport operations management system, currently in use at 25 airports world-wide, including five of the 10 busiest airports in the U.S. (Atlanta, Denver, New York – JFK, Charlotte and Phoenix International Airports.) Aerobahn played a key role in Atlanta achieving their lowest level of delays in 2012 since measurement began in 1990.