5 ways Trimble is making airports faster and safer

Airports are critical nodes in the global transportation network, requiring precision, safety, and efficiency in their construction and maintenance. Advanced technologies from Trimble^® are playing a crucial role in meeting these demands. Here are five ways Trimble is revolutionizing airport construction, operations and maintenance.

1. Enhancing flight operations safety

Ensuring the safety of flight operations is a significant challenge in airport management. Trimble advanced technologies, such as the Trimble MX50 mobile mapping system and SX10 scanning total station, are pivotal in this regard. Proyform Global, a Madrid-based company, utilized these technologies to gather high-resolution geospatial data quickly and efficiently. Airports like Madrid, Barcelona, and Bilbao use this data to detect issues, such as pavement deformations on maintenance roads, airport roadways and taxiways.

The data also allows for conducting obstacle studies, performing luminance distribution studies and pinpointing the exact locations of aerial navigation aids. This comprehensive data integrates seamlessly into the airports’ existing GIS, providing a unified platform for analysis and decision-making.

By leveraging Trimble mobile mapping and scanning technologies, airports can enhance operational safety, ensuring potential hazards are identified and addressed promptly. Read more of the case study here.

2. Precision in landing procedures

Accurate landing procedures are critical for safe and efficient airport operations. The UK Ministry of Defence, for example, requires precise positioning data for the navigation aids at each airfield to maintain accurate airfield maps. These maps are crucial for the maintenance of runways and keeping safety measures up-to-date.

Thales Group, a global technology firm, was hired to survey UK airfields, using Trimble technology to improve the accuracy and efficiency of landing procedures. They employed the Trimble CenterPoint^® RTX correction service, which provides reliable accuracy and consistently fast convergence times. This service saved 10 to 15 minutes per survey, achieving an accuracy of less than 2 centimeters.

The high level of accuracy provided by GNSS technology allows airports to optimize landing paths, reduce fuel consumption, minimize environmental impact and improve efficiency in landing procedures, resulting in reduced delays and an enhanced passenger experience. Read the full customer story here.

3. Comprehensive asset lifecycle management

Digital technologies are enabling a new approach to designing, building, operating, and maintaining airports: airport asset lifecycle management. Airports generate more asset data than ever but often lack an efficient method to access, share, analyze, and report on this data.

Trimble Cityworks, now part of Trimble Unity Maintain, addresses this challenge by streamlining the inspection process. Airports, required to perform various FAA-mandated inspections daily, can now use Trimble Cityworks to ensure compliance with FAA 14 CFR Part 139 regulations. These inspections cover airfield assets such as lights, signs, pavement, navigational aids, and security items.

By digitizing the inspection process, the Trimble solution reduces labor hours, minimizes operating costs, and provides critical operational information. This allows airport authorities to gain insights from benchmarking data and better address airfield safety risks. The GIS-centric map interface, flexible search capabilities, and integrated mobile application make it easier for airports to log inspections and ensure compliance.

4. Seamless runway reconstruction

Runway construction is one of the most critical and complex tasks in airport infrastructure projects. In 2021, Luxembourg Airport's operators needed to complete the runway reprofile without disrupting daily scheduled take-offs and landings. They opted to build a new runway with different asphalt layers over the existing one.