LAS, IAH and LAX Choose Safegate For New Gates

Sept. 21, 2012
Safedock Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems will help maximize potential and improve safety

Brooklyn Park, MN (September 2012) – Safegate Airport Systems, Inc., a member of the Safegate Group and the largest provider of advanced visual docking guidance systems (A-VDGS) and ramp management technology, is pleased to announce that its Safedock A-VDGS is now providing automated docking on gates at the new Terminal 3 at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport  and the recently renovated Terminal D at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Safegate will also install docking guidance systems on gates at Los Angeles International Airport  as part of the New Tom Bradley International Airport Project.

McCarran is recognized as a global leader in aviation technology, and the new T3 has furthered that reputation by employing 100 percent common-use systems. By utilizing Safedock A-VDGS on all T3 gates and Safegate’s gate operating system (GOS) to network gates and integrate with airport information systems, McCarran has created a common-use gate operation that provides the flexibility needed to maximize gate capacity and improve performance.

The Safegate GOS provides real-time gate information and processes flight information to start the docking. The Safedock A-VDGS uses a laser scan to verify an approaching aircraft type and the system’s LED display guides pilots to the proper stop position without the need for marshallers. The automated system gets aircraft to the gate without delay and T3 ground personnel are free to focus on other duties to further improve turn times and passenger service

In anticipation of Lufthansa’s A380 aircraft update for its Houston-Frankfurt service, the Houston Airport System (HAS) recently completed a redesign of the gate and ramp area at IAH Terminal D that included wider gates and new jet bridges to accommodate the new large aircraft. The project also added Safedock A-VDGS at each gate, and on August 1 the system safely docked the first A380 aircraft to arrive at IAH.

Foreign flag carriers serving Terminal D supported adding Safedock to provide uniformity for their pilots accustomed to docking with Safedock around the world. Pilots know it is difficult to see marshallers when parking large aircraft and Safedock is always visible to both pilots with clear instructions to direct them to the exact stop position. Safedock’s aircraft type safety check and adjacent gate rules prevent any attempt to park incompatible aircraft at adjacent gates to avoid the potential for accidents.

The airport will utilize Safedock’s Ramp Information Display System capability, to communicate important arrival and departure information to ground crew. Safedock’s integrated camera will provide IAH operations with a live view of all gate activity to strengthen security surveillance.

The contract also includes Safegate’s new gate operating software, SafeControl – Apron Management.

According to Jeff Bream, Houston Airport System’s acting assistant director of technology infrastructure, “The Safegate system will allow us to ensure ramp safety and increase efficiency by integrating with our flight information system and feeding critical gate utilization information to our AODB. We also foresee interfacing with future systems such as ground radar to further improve operations.”

The Tom Bradley International Terminal expansion at LAX will include 18 new and larger gates, including nine to accommodate the new generation of larger aircraft such as the Airbus A-380 and Boeing 787.

The new gates, expected to open early 2013, will include Safegate’s automated docking systems to help ensure safe operating practices on the ramp.

According to Nate Mortenson, Area Sales Manager for Safegate Airport Systems, “The airport wanted safe, visible docking for the airlines at Tom Bradley International Terminal and Safedock will deliver a heads-up approach to docking that will improve situational awareness. Because pilots can park aircraft without marshallers present, there will be less opportunity for human error and fewer people in the danger zone of arriving aircraft.”

To further reduce the opportunity for error and improve safety at the gate, the fully-automated docking system will interface with passenger boarding bridges at Bradley and dockings will not be allowed to commence until the system verifies that the bridge is in its safe position. Safegate will also preprogram aircraft restrictions for each gate, including adjacent gate restrictions, into the Safedock system so that aircraft exceeding those restrictions are not allowed to dock, which can avoid the potential for collisions with facilities or other aircraft.

About the Safegate Group
Safegate Airport Systems of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, is a subsidiary of the Safegate Group which has its headquarters in Malmö, Sweden. Safegate provides real-time gate intelligence through integration of its Safedock advanced visual docking guidance systems (A-VDGS) with airport/airline systems and other equipment on the ramp. In addition to ensuring the most efficient, safe and environmentally-friendly ramp operation during regular conditions, Safegate offers a real solution to improving performance and customer service during severe weather events by getting more aircraft to the gate. Safegate Group has delivered nearly 5,000 Safedock systems to more than 200 airports around the world. Twelve million times a year, once every three seconds, an aircraft is docked using the Safedock system. www.safegate.com.