Innovation in aviation is probably the most overlooked aspect of the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic hammered the aviation industry. Passengers are down, airlines are struggling and tens of thousands lost their jobs.
Yet the system continues. People adjust for the conditions, they look at the options presented as solutions and they move forward. This unstoppable force pushing the industry forward during its worst crisis ever shows a resilience that makes me extremely optimistic for the post-COVID future.
Companies were quick to adopt modifications to meet the new reality and those on the horizon like biometrics have sped up deployment tenfold. No one has developed solutions to meet COVID, they’re using what they have to push past COVID.
ATS Worldwide is an example of one of these innovators. Founded in 2016 by Stan Malicki and Vince Howie, the company has developed an electric system to tow aircraft from the gate to the runway without the need for diesel tugs or aircraft engines to push planes forward.
Howie tells me the company is set to put a test system online at Ardmore Municipal Airport in 2021 that will bring this concept to reality.
The idea predates the pandemic, but the ATS system could be a crucial tool in the post-pandemic world. Airlines have shed about 30,000 jobs since the pandemic began and most of those are never coming back. A system like this gives total control of aircraft ground movement to the tower while giving the airport a piece of infrastructure that can optimize airside movement.
Meanwhile, the Biden Administration will pay a lot more attention to air pollution and reducing emissions, so ATS is becoming a reality at a time the industry will need them most. Major airports with multiple runways miles from the terminal would offer a way for aircraft to taxi to and from the runway without burning fuel the entire time.
One airline even told Howie it would allow them to cut the number of people it needs to move a plane into its MRO hangar from six to two.
ATS is just one example of the many building innovative products to change operations, but it’s a great example of how just one company could have such a profound impact.
We’re all sick about hearing about the “new normal” and what it means for airport operations, but I think it’s better to think about the future as an opportunity and not a necessity. It’s not often you have a once in a lifetime event to blow up the old system and allow you the freedom for change.
