Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport has successfully completed the integration process in the ‘Airport-Collaborative Decision Making’ (A-CDM) program, a new working system to optimize the management of its operations.
The A-CDM program is a joint European initiative sponsored by Eurocontrol, ACI-Europe (‘Airports Council International’), CANSO (‘Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation’) and IATA (‘International Air Transport Association’) to improve the efficiency of airport operations, reducing delays, increasing the predictability of operations and optimizing the use of resources, both material (airspace capacity, runways, parking facilities) and human resources (handling assistance teams, airport management, airlines)
This project, whose different phases of development and implementation at Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport have been progressing step by step since the beginning of 2019, represents a radical change in what until now was the usual way of working at European airports. In pursuit of greater agility and efficiency in the management of their resources, the main agents involved in airport operations at CDM airports are committed to greater permeability vis-à-vis the other actors involved in the operation of each flight, committing to joint decision-making through the sharing of the information available to each of them.
Shared benefits
The A-CDM system allows Eurocontrol, airlines and handling companies, air navigation providers, and the airports themselves to share updated and accurate information that until now was not mutually known, with the consequent impact on flights and the benefit for all parties involved, passengers and the environment.
Airlines and handling agents will have data in advance will be able to plan their work better and will improve, among other things, their knowledge of the exact location of the aircraft at any given moment. In addition, they will be able to reduce the cost of ground movements due to lower fuel costs by reducing taxiing and waiting times at headways, which also has an impact on the environment and reduces the environmental impact.
Passengers will also benefit from improved punctuality, increased user satisfaction, fewer missed connections and better information and service during periods of disruption.
Currently, in addition to Malaga’s infrastructure, European airports where the A-CDM program is fully implemented include Amsterdam, Bergamo, Berlin Brandenburg, Brussels, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Helsinki, Lisbon, London Heathrow, Lyon, Milan Malpensa, Milan Linate, Munich, Naples, Nice, Paris CDG, Paris Orly, Oslo, Prague, Riga, Rome Fiumicino, Stuttgart, Venice, Warsaw, and Zurich (in alphabetical order). In Spain, in the Aena network, in addition to Malaga-Costa del Sol, the A-CDM is incorporated in the airports Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat and Palma de Mallorca.
