Airside and Terminal Operations: Overall Management

Fraport ensures safety, security, cleanliness, and  functionality with innovative processes and products.

Terminal  Management covers the overall management of terminal facilities and passenger  processes at Frankfurt Airport.

What we do in Terminal Management:

• We provide safe, secure, rule-compliant terminal facilities
• We are responsible for operational safety,  operability, and cleanliness of the terminal facilities: in particular, we  guarantee public safety
• The Terminal Duty Managers are responsible  for operational management, and are available 24 hours a day as points of  contact for all terminal management issues
• We provide our passengers with customary  services such as information, a lost & found office, and a communication  center
• We control passenger flow
• We supply departing and arriving passengers  as well as meeters and greeters with current flight data at critical points of  decision

Here  are the General Terms and Conditions regarding provision of  counters for passenger handling as well as sales and ticket counters

Safe, efficient, and customer-oriented: how Fraport organizes activities in the movement areas.

In the Aviation Airside area – beyond  the security checks – we ensure safe, efficient, and customer-oriented control  of traffic and operations in the movement areas.

• We handle aircraft taxiing operations on the apron.
• We tow,  marshal, secure, and park aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft tugs.
• We plan and  assign aircraft handling positions and gates.
• We gather and  process all relevant flight schedule, flight operations and status data.
• We coordinate  winter services.
• We coordinate  and approve construction and maintenance work in the aircraft movement areas  (e.g. runway repairs).
• We conduct  and monitor airside operations to ensure safe and rule-compliant operations at  Frankfurt Airport in line with Section 45 of the German Air Navigation  Certification Order (LuftVZO).
• We perform aircraft accident investigations in compliance with Section 4 ($) Clause 2 of the German Aviation Accident Investigation Act (FIUUG) on behalf of the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU).

To handle aircraft taxiing operations,  we work closely with the control tower of DFS German  Air Navigation Services. This enables us to coordinate air traffic during the  transitions between the respective control zones and to act rapidly and  effectively in the event of emergencies.

Assistance from  technology

An array of technical systems help  staff to ensure that operations run smoothly:

• The FDPS  (Flight Data Processing System) supplies the staff in Central Apron Control  with all the flight plan data they need.
• The ACCS  (Apron Control Communication System) provides radio connections.  
• The RMS  (Resource Management System) is used to plan and assign aircraft parking  positions and gates. Cameras help to monitor areas of the apron that are hard  to see.
• The employees  of Apron Control receive data on landings and aircraft towing operations via  the FOGS system (Follow-Me Guidance Support).
• The FAST MS system helps air traffic controllers to  handle taxiing and the high traffic volume efficiently.
  

A system for exchanging information and optimizing  decisions

Airport Collaborative Decision-Making (Airport CDM) is a process initiated by the EU which aims to improve operational efficiency at airports and to connect them to the European air traffic management network. Its particular focus is on optimizing the aircraft turn-round process.

The Airport CDM process is based on  the exchange of information between the partners involved, i.e. the airport  operator, the airlines, the handling and air navigation companies, and the  European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation, Eurocontrol, as the  network manager. Exchange of up-date, high-quality information by all partners  gives them an improved and shared awareness of situations. As a result, they  can optimize their decision-making. Consequently, in conjunction with other  process elements, the system is intended to improve punctuality in the  turn-round process and optimize the use of resources. Airport CDM also helps to  reduce delays overall.

In April 2008, we reached a joint  agreement with DFS German  Air Navigation Services to carry out an Airport CDM project at Frankfurt  Airport.

In  place since 2011

The Airport CDM process has been  applied in normal operations at Frankfurt Airport since February 2011. The  following six Airport CDM process elements have been successfully implemented  here:

• Information  exchange
• Airport CDM  milestones approach
• Pre-departure  sequencing
• Variable taxi  times
• Collaborative  updating of flight information
• Airport CDM  in adverse situations

They have improved stability of airside processes. In addition, slot adherence has increased. This in turn is reflected by an overall rise in outbound punctuality. In December 2011, Eurocontrol awarded Frankfurt Airport a certificate for successful implementation of Airport CDM.

Further information on  Airport CDM.