Iberia, Panasonic, and Spain’s AENA airport authority unveiled the latest technology and most advanced applications that will be used to manage all handling services at Iberia’s T4 hub at Madrid-Barajas airport.
Iberia is using a range of Panasonic, mobile devices to increase efficiency in all tasks involving the aircraft, which will serve to boost the punctuality of the more than 600 flights the Spanish airline operates each day at Madrid-Barajas airport.
The technology will make the T4 the world’s first airline hub in which mobile devices are used in all processes and tasks. Iberia’s Deputy Coordination and Hub director Dimitris Bountolos said: “We are witnessing a real milestone in the industry –no other handling operator has deployed mobile devices to coordinate all ramp services.”
Specifically, Iberia has developed advanced software applications that can be accessed from the Panasonic devices and that will facilitate and improve the efficiency of such basic and vital tasks as the following:
- aircraft maintenance
- refuelling and inspection of ground equipment –platforms, stairs, push backs, etc.
- baggage handling including loading/unloading, sorting, and delivery
- coordination of all tasks to prepare an aircraft for take-off (refuelling, loading meals, cargo, etc.)
- de-icing (when required)
Advantage of a mobile system: real-time data and anticipation.
The use of Panasonic mobile devices gives Iberia ground staff access to real-time information about all processes, helping them to anticipate possible incidents, improve the management of available resources, and reduce the time required for completing each task.
For Iberia, the key advantages of mobility are to be found in the enhanced efficiency with which all handling tasks are coordinated and performed, the resulting increase in punctuality, and the environmentally desirable elimination of paper in all ramp operations.
Iberia is now equipped with shock-proof, weather-proof devices with high-visibility displays, suited for use in the airport environment.