Regional Gateway editor Chloë Greenbank summarises the latest happenings across airports serving business, regional and low-fare routes.
This week’s newsletter is delivered to you fresh from the show floor of what organisers are describing as “the leading platform for the airport industry” – inter airport Europe 2019. Being held in Munich, Germany, until Friday 11 October, this year’s exhibition has welcomed 659 exhibitors from 40 countries showcasing a range of innovative products and services covering ground handling, airport equipment, terminal operations, airport IT solutions and airport design.
In a keynote speech opening the event on Tuesday 8 October, Nicola Harmann, managing director of Mack Brooks Exhibitions (the organisers behind the event), referenced growth in global passenger figures, stating that for manufacturers and providers of airport equipment and services, this growth is a driver for innovation and further technical development.
She also underlined that: “As the world’s leading one-stop shop for the global airport industry, inter airport Europe is predestined to drive interconnectedness and data flow between the different areas and services at the airport, from terminal operations, passenger and cargo handling through to ground handling.”
Meanwhile, Dr Michael Kerkloh, CEO, Munich Airport, urged airports, manufacturers and suppliers to commit to decarbonising aviation with the aim of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. “Embracing innovative technologies,” he said, will be integral in achieving this. Kay Bärenfänger, president of GATE, German Airport Technology & Equipment, referenced the future demands of the industry, with sustainability, artificial intelligence and autonomous driving all expected to be key drivers. “The experience of flying will change significantly by 2035,” he said. “I am interested in seeing how technology will develop for the airports of tomorrow.”
In keeping with the event’s focus on connecting the airports of tomorrow, Vanderlande was awarded the interFUTURE prize – a new category in inter airport Europe’s Excellence Awards. The Dutch company took the win in recognition of its BAGFLOW end-to-end baggage logistics concept, with Andrew Manship, Vanderlande’s board member and executive VP airports, revealing that “winning in this category is confirmation that we not only understand the challenges facing the aviation industry, but are able to define solutions that help it surpass them.”
Elsewhere on the show floor, Smiths Detection has been demonstrating how it is taking aviation security to new levels by showcasing its integrated checkpoint solution, which harnesses biometric technology to enable risk-based screening. Germany’s leading ground support equipment (GSE) rental company, HiServ, and Spain’s leading GSE maintenance shop, SERPISTA, announced their close co-operation going forward to enable international growth opportunities. Powervamp has launched its Sidewinder 2 to give airports a fast, simple and reliable power transfer system, while Semmco is showcasing its SMART Charge tyre inflator and SMART Check tyre gauge, and GSE manufacturer Mallaghan has unveiled its new airport bus with Ryanair as its launch customer. I also caught up with Plug Power to find out how they are partnering with German ground support vehicle manufacturer Mulag to bring hydrogen fuel cell-powered electric cargo tow tractors to Germany’s Hamburg Airport.
With two more days of the show to go there’s no rest for the Regional Gateway team. Come and find us in hall C6, booth 2058, where you can pick up the latest edition of Regional Gateway magazine and keep an eye on our website for more news from the show.
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