Ground Support Worldwide recently spoke with Michael Bettua, CEO and co-founder of Volan Technology, and Ramsey Nuwar, vice president of airports and aviation, about how real-time location technology is helping airports improve safety, operational efficiency and the passenger experience. The conversation below has been edited for length and clarity.

GSW: What challenges in today's airport environment led Volan Technology to develop its platform?

Michael Bettua: Airports function much like small cities, with thousands of vehicles, pieces of ground support equipment and personnel all moving simultaneously. Yet many airports still have limited visibility into where those assets are at any given moment.

We built Volan to address three primary challenges: improving ramp safety, strengthening security and increasing operational efficiency. Whether it's preventing unauthorized vehicles from entering restricted areas, ensuring escorted visitors remain compliant with FAA requirements or helping airports better manage congestion on increasingly busy ramps, real-time location data gives operators the information they need to respond immediately rather than after an issue has already occurred.

GSW: How does the technology actually work?

Bettua: We use small, credit card-sized location devices that can be attached to vehicles, equipment or personnel badges. Those devices continuously report their location to a live airport map.

Operators can establish geofenced areas throughout the airport and receive alerts whenever an asset or person enters or leaves a designated zone. Construction projects are a good example. Airports can monitor contractors in real time and immediately know if someone moves outside an authorized work area.

The system also supports two-way communication. If someone approaches a restricted area, the badge or locator can vibrate and display a warning before they inadvertently enter a location where they shouldn't be. That helps prevent many of the unintentional incursions that occur today.

GSW: How does your approach differ from legacy tracking technologies?

Bettua: GPS works well outdoors, so we use it where appropriate. But airports aren't limited to outdoor operations. Assets and personnel constantly move into terminals, baggage areas and other indoor spaces where GPS becomes unreliable.

Our platform combines GPS with Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networking to maintain continuous visibility both indoors and outdoors. Unlike traditional infrastructure that often requires extensive installation, our network essentially creates itself once the devices are powered on.

Many airports have experimented with technologies like RFID or conventional Bluetooth beacons, but those systems typically provide only proximity information or depend on fixed infrastructure. We wanted to create a solution that delivers continuous, accurate location information across the entire airport environment.

GSW: How can this type of visibility improve aircraft turnaround performance?

Ramsey Nuwar: Every aircraft turnaround is like an orchestra. Fuel trucks, baggage equipment, tugs, catering vehicles and other support equipment all have to arrive at precisely the right time.

By tracking those assets in real time, operators can immediately identify where critical equipment is located instead of relying on radio calls to find it.

Bettua: That's exactly what we're seeing today. Many operations still rely heavily on walkie-talkies to locate equipment. If a fuel truck isn't at the gate when it's needed, supervisors often spend valuable time calling around trying to find it.

With live location data, dispatchers immediately know where every vehicle is and whether it can reach the aircraft on time. That visibility helps prevent delays from cascading through the rest of the day's schedule. It also creates an objective operational record that can help determine the root cause of delays afterward.

GSW: What types of airports are the best fit for this technology?

Bettua: The greatest value comes at larger, more complex airports where there are hundreds or thousands of moving assets. Our customers include facilities such as JFK Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Amazon Air.

We've also focused on making deployment extremely simple. A starter deployment can be operational in just a matter of minutes using a single gateway and several tracking devices. Because the system operates independently using cellular connectivity, airports don't necessarily need extensive involvement from their IT departments during implementation.

GSW: Cost has traditionally been a barrier for many airport technologies. How have you approached affordability?

Bettua: That was one of our primary design goals. Traditional location systems often require significant investments in hardware, installation and infrastructure.

Our approach is designed to be substantially less expensive while remaining highly scalable. Airports can begin with a relatively small deployment and expand as their operational needs grow.

Nuwar: The affordability is important because airports aren't just tracking expensive vehicles. We've been asked to track everything from passenger mobility carts and baggage carts to snowplows, mowers and even ladders. That only works if the technology is economical enough to be deployed broadly across an operation.

GSW: The industry is talking more about AI, digital twins and connected airport operations. How does location data fit into that future?

Nuwar: Airports already generate enormous amounts of operational data. The challenge now is making sure those systems communicate with one another so operators can make better decisions.

Artificial intelligence will play a significant role by helping airports analyze that information more quickly and improve everything from operational efficiency to the passenger experience.

Bettua: We see location data becoming one of the foundational inputs for those technologies.

We're already working with companies in the digital twin space because they want accurate, real-time information on the movement of vehicles and equipment throughout the airport. Digital twins provide powerful operational analytics, while our focus is supplying the live data that allows airport teams to respond immediately to what's happening on the ramp.

GSW: Beyond airport operations, how can passengers benefit from real-time location technology?

Bettua: We're already seeing airports use the technology to improve customer service.

At JFK Terminal 4, for example, mobility carts are tracked throughout the terminal, allowing passengers to see estimated wait times at pickup locations based on the real-time location and availability of carts.

Other airports are using the system to monitor baggage carts so staff can reposition them based on passenger demand rather than waiting until shortages occur.

Those applications demonstrate that the same operational visibility helping airport staff can also create a more predictable and less stressful passenger experience.