One week has passed from the wrap up of Parking Network BV event APNE at Heathrow Airport in London. As a first timer at their 11th edition, I would say it was a pleasure to connect with so many airport pro’s from the UK and all over Europe – a complex segment of business when it comes to parking management.
Surprisingly enough, their challenges and objectives are more than partially similar to those that we as system integrators face across all elements of the parking industry on a daily basis, from smaller businesses through to large Local Authorities and Retail Operators.
Parking is a key revenue generator for international airports and smaller regional hubs alike, right after landing fees and flight tickets - a steady trend that is set to continue to increase in the future.
In line with this, tech savvy users and frequent travelers will demand ever-easier access, seamless navigation and flexible payment options throughout their parking experience – just as much as they do in every other aspect of our increasingly digital life.
To accompany and respond proactively to these trends, only a dynamic and holistic combination of flexible technologies will cater to both operators and users’ needs: get parking right & quick for travelers, profitable, and easy to manage by local staff.
While we talk airport parking, it is easy to forget that drivers are not only travelers, but also employees of the airport, whose shifts alternate 24/7 in order to keep the facility up and running. The correct management of the parking lots including their demand is a must for the balance of occupancy and operation - as the airport industry in growing in most parts of the world, employees will weigh more and more in the efficient and flexible usage of terminal parking areas.
If I had to think of an exemplary airport installation where the capacity is monitored and acted upon, Copenhagen (CPH) would be the first one – no doubt.
HUB has been a long-time partner to CPH and followed through the evolution of the airport from an international hub to a world-class airline center. Just as many other thriving airports in Europe and around the world, CPH faces some challenges, such as physical limits to grow their footprint: as most airports, they are close to downtown and have no available areas for planning additional parking facilities. What looks like an obstacle can be approached with a digital tool, which allows real-time visibility on the occupancy of the spaces, and provides the precise insight needed to take proactive decisions, based on data. For HUB, this is done by JMS, which has proved to be an essential add-on to the parking installation at CPH “Since we can only build on top or beneath the existing parking area, JMS gives us the ability to discover in real time what happens to the flow if we close a specific area. Hence JMS data can help define where to build a new area”, tells Johnny Worum, Parking & Taxi Services Manager at CPH.
Managing a complex airport needs the cooperation to be taken at multiple levels, from the technician layer up to the control room and assistance functions, up to the engineering and the management.
CPH engineers and technicians have attended training in the UK, with HUB’s team.