Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE), the operator of Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in Ethiopia, has deployed ADB Safegate’s Safedock Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems (A-VDGS) to help alleviate aircraft congestion at fourteen remote stands.
Getaneh Adera Nigussie, director airport facilities, EAE, said, “Ethiopian Airlines is one of our busiest airlines at the airport and operates many international routes. Manual parking at remote stands was causing flight delays, especially during peak hours, and was increasingly becoming a risk Ethiopian Airlines refused to take. There was an urgent need to transform the current manual processes at the remote stands. ADB Safegate had been a long-standing partner, providing us airfield lighting solutions in the past, therefore it was only natural for us to turn to them for this key project.”
As part of the turnkey deployment, ADB Safegate provided the masts, cabling and installation of the A-VDGS at the fourteen stands. Together with the control system, the automated solution reduces congestion caused by aircraft waiting to pull into occupied or unstaffed gates and eliminates delays that occur when the appropriate personnel are not available. The system further improves efficiency by reducing taxi-in times and shortening turnaround times. Safedock A-VDGS ensure safe parking in tight spaces by verifying aircraft/gate compatibility and preventing parking of incompatible aircraft at adjacent gates to avoid the risk of wing-tip collisions.
Christian Onselaere, CEO, ADB Safegate, said, “Our vision has always been to deliver a safe and efficient gate operation for airports and their airline partners. Bole International Airport is an important hub for East Africa. With the installation of Safedock A-VDGS and our control system, we have been successful in automating apron operations to make the aircraft parking and turnaround process safer and more efficient for EAE’s leading customer, Ethiopian Airlines, thereby improving overall airport performance.”