Amadeus Partner with Microsoft to Launch ‘Virtual Operations Centre’

To guarantee that aircraft depart on time and passengers have a positive experience, hundreds of diverse contributors must collaborate closely to deliver flawless operations at the airport. This is exactly what Amadeus and Microsoft hope to achieve with the launch of the ‘Virtual Operations Centre’.

In times of disruption, when unforeseen circumstances like inclement weather, medical problems, or threats might prompt an immediate response or the need for change, and airports have to move resources like stands and gates rapidly, this cooperative effort is even more crucial.

Sixty-seven per cent of airlines are seeing more or similar levels of disruption than in 2019, according to a recent Amadeus poll with 150 senior aviation experts. The biggest obstacle hindering better management of disruption is a ‘lack of common technology that brings stakeholders together’.

Actors find it challenging to exchange information, develop a shared situational awareness, and communicate efficiently in the modern world due to information silos and groups utilising disparate communication technologies.

In light of this, Amadeus has created a completely new method for overseeing airport operations utilising Microsoft products.

A wide range of stakeholders, including airlines, airports, border control, and service providers, may now collaborate in an entirely digitalised airport operations centre thanks to the launch of the Amadeus Virtual Airport Operations Centre (APOC).

The solution from Amadeus is a Microsoft Teams app that helps stakeholders collaborate to manage daily operations more effectively around a single plan and facilitates quicker reaction times for the aviation sector in the event of disruption.

Crucially, airport stakeholders gain from the capacity of Microsoft Azure Machine Learning to model the effects of various strategies, allowing for constant improvement.

Rudy Daniello, executive vice president of airport and airlines operations at Amadeus, commented, “The aviation industry is working hard to deliver flights on time with minimal disruption, often in challenging circumstances.

“Yet we know data silos and outdated communications channels are making the job even harder. That’s why we’ve invested and worked with Microsoft to deliver a virtual operations centre that can super-charge collaboration and improve decision-making at the airport. APOC represents our second joint venture with Microsoft and is a testament to the robustness of our partnership.”

By offering a single, comprehensive view of an airport's operational health, unified communication channels within Teams that replace sporadic emails and phone calls, and event-driven alerts that proactively prompt stakeholders to act on recommendations, the innovation responds to the industry's call for better ways to collaborate.

When combined, these talents facilitate the making of well-informed decisions that lead to enhanced operational outcomes and responsiveness.

Julie Shainock, managing director of travel, transport and logistics at Microsoft, said, “Information silos in aviation are preventing the industry from reaching its operational potential.

“Everyday opportunities to better optimize operations are missed because stakeholders can’t access a single source of information and haven’t had the necessary decision-support tools.

“The combination of our experience in cloud computing and user experience, with Amadeus’ deep understanding of aviation processes, means we’ve been able to accelerate development to answer the industry’s need for a comprehensive, shared operations management tool.” 

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