Dubai airport's increasing use of artificial intelligence has led to more flights on time, faster turnarounds and direct revenue potential of an additional $300,000 a day at the world's busiest international hub.
DXB, which handles 1,400 flights daily, has recorded a 95 per cent on-time performance for flights after adopting AI systems, compared to about 80 per cent previously, said Bashar Dbissi, senior manager of airfield systems at Dubai Airports.
He said the higher efficiency had been achieved "by implementing AI in different touch points including passenger-processing systems, baggage processing and aircraft-handling systems," he told The National.
The use of AI and cameras to monitor ground-handling has resulted in an average reduction of five minutes per flight turnaround, or 45,000 hours annually, Mr Dbissi added.
AI projects have also helped the land-constrained airport address capacity limitations, increasing revenue by handling more aircraft and offering better passenger experience as planes depart on time.
"It gives more passenger satisfaction because if you depart on time, I generate more money and you're happy," he said. "By implementing these initiatives we can squeeze in another 35 to 42 flights per day ... so we're talking about thousands of passengers that can be squeezed into the existing capacity per day."
This results in increased direct revenue potential for the airport of about $300,000 daily, it is estimated.
Increased capacity to add more flights also gives airlines more choice and potential additional revenue, Mr Dbissi said. "We were hitting limiting on our capacity and these limits were obstacles in the way of Emirates and flydubai to accommodate their new aircraft," he said.
"We gave them the capacity to fast-track the delivery of their aircraft and fast-track new segments," he said. "We gave them, let's say, a playground to start utilising their new equipment in DXB rather than waiting for DWC," he said, referring to the terminal that will be completed in 2032 at Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai.
The Inside Brief: Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths on the future of aviation
Faster passenger processing
The airport is using advanced technology to funnel more passengers through the security and immigration checkpoints more quickly.
The so-called Red Carpet initiative allows eligible passengers to complete departure procedures within seconds and without documents. The newly introduced service has been developed by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs Dubai in partnership with Dubai Airports.
"Today it is processing about 20 per cent of the total passengers in business class and they are planning to escalate that to 80 per cent and then after that, they will roll it out to economy-class passengers," Mr Dbissi said.
The idea is to tackle all bottlenecks, from aircraft turnaround to baggage optimisation to passenger processing.
"To have a seamless journey, we need to [work on] every single touch point, from the time you come by taxi until the time you board the plane," he said. "We are working on every single touch point to make the flow faster. If you flow faster, I can process faster, I can take-off faster."
DXB is expected to handle 95.3 million passengers by the end of the year and reach the 100 million mark in the next 18 months, Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, said this month.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
Blue%20Beetle
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Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company%20profile
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Samaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
