Aviation World 03/2016

Aviation World
3/2016
Finding Your Way
04
10
A Man Who Is Prepared for Anything
Europe’s Largest
Certified
Pharma Hub
14
Closely Intertwined with History
18
2
Check-in
Dear Reader,
Let’s reflect on Frankfurt Airport (FRA) 80 years ago, when the brand new “Rhine-Main
Airport and Airship Base” was inaugurated with the first landing of a Junkers Ju-52
plane in the summer of 1936. At that time, nobody could have foreseen how the airport would develop. FRA looked more like a farm – even with sheep and potato fields.
After WW2 and the famous Berlin Air Lift, the airport began its rapid expansion to become one of the world’s leading aviation hubs. This success has always been predicated
on the fact that the airport and its operator have adapted to new challenges – while
embracing innovation and industry leadership, and while introducing new offers and
services for customers.
Dr. Stefan Schulte,
Executive Board Chairman
Fraport AG
This is the underlying theme of our cover story (page 4), in which we once again explore
Frankfurt Airport’s response to changing market conditions. Specifically, members of
the Air Cargo Community Frankfurt who handle pharmaceuticals are now certifying
their activities under the IATA CEIV Pharma standard, in order to meet the increasing
requirements for all companies involved in transporting pharma products – which depend on a consistent temperature-controlled “cool chain”. The IATA CEIV Pharma standard (Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics)
ensures that facilities, equipment, operations and staff comply with the standards and
regulations expected from pharmaceutical manufacturers. This initiative will make FRA
Europe’s largest certified pharma hub. In addition, it will strengthen our role as a global
cargo gateway: for pharmaceuticals made right here in our region and Germany, as
well as for other products transhipped via FRA.
In this issue, we take you behind the scenes (page 12) to gain insight into our air traffic
control partners, the DFS German Air Navigation Services. We also examine the vital
job of the loadmaster on the ramp (page 14,), and we outline some of the changes in
recent years to make orientation and wayfinding more convenient for our passengers
(page 10).
I hope you enjoy reading this issue.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stefan Schulte,
Executive Board Chairman
of Fraport AG
04 Europe’s Largest Certified Pharma Hub
03 Fraport World
Finding Your Way
Keeping an Eye on the Sky
Loadmaster Agent: A Man Who Is Prepared for Anything
A Tourist Destination with a View
“Top Service Germany 2016” Award
Three Questions: New Ideas for the Airport
17 Airline Interview: Air Arabia Maroc
17 Airline World
22 80th Anniversary of Frankfurt Airport
Airline Portrait Singapore Airlines: Closely Intertwined with History
Lufthansa: New Destinations in the Winter Schedule
ANA: New Station Manager
FCS Takes on Cargo Handling for Egypt Air
Vietnam Airlines: More Frequent Flights to Vietnam
LATAM: New Station Manager
WOW air Becomes New FCS Customer
22 History World
80th Anniversary of Frankfurt Airport
Fraport World
3
Viral Video Campaign on Services at Frankfurt Airport
At first, it looks like a visitor is just filming
the landing of a Boeing 777 at Frankfurt
Airport on his smartphone. But then what
happens? Before the plane has even touched
down on the runway, it transforms into a
robot. And that is not all: Like so many
passengers at the end of a flight, first of
all the robot needs to use the bathroom.
But what is it behind this video that has
attracted considerable attention on the
Internet and has already been clicked on
more than five million times on the video
portal YouTube? “The video is the first
part of a campaign showing all of the services Frankfurt Airport has to offer. In
order to generate a lot of attention, at the
start of the campaign we focused on the
viral popularity of our robot FRAbot and
initially stayed in the background as the
maker of the videos,” explained Mike
Peter Schweitzer, Head of Media Relations
at the airport operator Fraport. Meanwhile, the popular protagonist has a new
name: FRAnky.
featuring the famous protagonist, of course.
FRAnky can already be seen performing
relaxing exercises in the specially created
yoga rooms at the airport and visiting
one of the shower rooms. “Bit by bit, the
shape-shifting robot will examine the different offers available to passengers at
Frankfurt Airport. He will show how passengers can make their stay an exciting
and enjoyable one,” revealed Thomas
Kirner, Head of Service Quality at Frankfurt
Airport.
The entire campaign helps reinforce the
airport operator’s new mission statement
“Gute Reise! We make it happen.” The
aim is to enhance the quality of stay, improve customer friendliness and gear the
existing range of services even more
strongly toward travelers’ wishes.
The videos can be found
on Frankfurt Airport’s
YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/
user/FraportundFRA
FRAnky goes exploring
Now Fraport is following up the great success of the first clip with more videos – all
25th Anniversary of the Fraport-MONITOR Passenger Survey
“How often in the past 12 months have
you flown via Frankfurt Airport?” For 25
years, the airport operator Fraport has
been looking into this and other questions
using the Fraport-MONITOR passenger
survey. In collaboration with the company
GfK Media and Communication Research,
data on the passenger structure are collected, analyzed and documented at the
airport. Passenger satisfaction has also
been examined for the past 20 years.
In interviews lasting ten minutes each and
held every fourth calendar day, some
29,000 travelers a year are asked about
their opinions and travel behavior. The
survey also picks up on different current
projects and special topics each month,
allowing the evaluation of new measures
to be checked quickly and optimized if
necessary. “Based on the valuable results
on current trends and the satisfaction of
our customers, we have been able to develop and continuously improve our offers
1991
The typical passenger at FRA
49%
40%
business travel
business travel
51%
60%
private travel
private travel
57%
41%
originating*
originating*
43%
59%
transferring
transferring
40
years of age
2015
41
*Trip starts/ends in Frankfurt.
in a targeted way over the past 25 years.
This is particularly thanks to the high level
of willingness to participate and provide
information shown by our passengers at
Frankfurt Airport. The 25th anniversary of
years of age
Fraport-MONITOR is a fitting occasion to
thank all of the survey respondents for
taking part,” emphasized Anke Giesen,
Executive Director Operations at Fraport
AG.
Europe’s Largest
Certified Pharma Hub
IATA experts to confirm quality of services for
temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical products
Fraport World – Keynote
5
6
Fraport World – Keynote
Each year, about 100,000 metric tons of
vaccinations, medicines and other pharmaceutical products pass through the airfreight
location at Frankfurt Airport on their way to
destinations all around the world.
A little jab can save lives. The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates, for
example, that measles vaccinations prevented the deaths of 13.8 million people
worldwide between 2000 and 2012.
Many of them were children. To eradicate
this highly contagious disease, the WHO is
therefore aiming for a worldwide vaccination rate of 95 percent, which has not
yet been achieved even in Europe. This is
just one example of why demand for vaccinations, medicines and other pharmaceutical products is continuously increasing – and why more and more of these
products are therefore being transported
all around the world.
“At Frankfurt Airport, pharmaceutical transportation already accounts for around five
percent of the total freight volume,” said
Dominik Mißkampf, Chairman of the
Pharma competence team in the Air Cargo
Community Frankfurt. Certification by
IATA is now intended to provide independent confirmation that the companies at
Frankfurt Airport offer reliable services
for these sensitive goods. The Air Cargo
Community Frankfurt initiated this process
and also plans to use it to improve processes and encourage dialog between the
different companies involved.
Location and expertise
More than two-thirds of the pharmaceutical freight at Frankfurt Airport is exports,
meaning that they are to be flown from
Frankfurt to destinations all around the
world. “Our airport is within reach by
truck for many pharmaceutical manufacturers. The short transportation times are
obviously a plus point when it comes to
shipping temperature-sensitive products,” explained Mißkampf. “It is equally
important for the companies involved at
the airport to have the right expertise for
handling these sensitive goods.”
In order to monitor the cold chain, pharmaceutical consignments usually contain a device for measuring temperature data.
This enables the recipient to see precisely whether the conditions
have been met – in the event of significant deviations, the medicines must be destroyed.
This is because for some pharmaceutical
products, such as insulin, it is essential that
the cold chain is not broken during transportation. Otherwise, medicines and vaccinations lose their effectiveness and have
to be destroyed. The air transport association IATA estimates that incorrect handling results in annual losses of between
USD 2.5 billion and USD 12.5 billion for
pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
According to the IATA, over 50 percent of
all temperature excursions occur while
products are in the hands of airlines and
airports. So does airfreight face particular
challenges when it comes to transporting
pharmaceuticals?
Challenge: many different parties involved
“Compared to other modes of transport
such as sea freight, the process chain for
airfreight contains more interfaces. This
means that the cold chain can potentially
be broken at many different points,” explained Mißkampf. The pharmaceutical
manufacturer hands over the goods to a
forwarding agent, who brings them to a
cargo handler at the airport, who then
Fraport World – Keynote
Staying cool at Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport provides over 7,000 square
meters of first line temperature-controlled
(–24 to +24° Celsius) and GDP-certified storage
and handling areas. Additional capacity comes
from specially designated pharmaceuticals
areas of many freight forwarders and other
cargo handlers.
Refrigerated containers are the premium solution for temperature-sensitive products.
They ensure a specific temperature from the dispatcher to the destination airport by
means of active refrigeration.
Particularly for products that need to kept within a temperature
range of between 15 and 25 degrees Celsius, “passive cooling”
is sufficient given the right weather conditions. This means
that the temperature is maintained by a
cooling ceiling only.
For the temperature-controlled transport of pharmaceutical products from
the warehouse to the aircraft and vice
versa, Fraport’s Ground Services offer a
special thermo transporter.
7
8
Fraport World – Keynote
At Frankfurt Airport, companies
along the entire process chain
are obtaining certification.
Special thermo transporters ensure that
pharmaceutical products are kept at the right
temperature on the apron. However, these
sensitive goods are also shipped as part of
general cargo pallets, where they are protected using thermocovers as necessary.
Then the pharmaceutical products are
loaded into pre-cooled cargo holds.
The IATA CEIV Pharma Certification for the Aviation Industry
In contrast to other standards such as the EU Good Distribution Practice Guidelines, the certification is specifically
designed for the aviation industry and is globally recognized.
Certification process:
Review of
pharmaceutical
processes
and facilities
Reporting of
any gaps
Findings
and
recommendations
Actions to
close gaps
Validation
Training courses for employees (quality management, risk analysis, standard operation procedures)
To ensure the success of the certification process, the Air Cargo Community Frankfurt e.V. and the IATA organize and coordinate special training courses for employees of the
participating companies. It also offers them a platform for joint work on overarching processes so that they can exchange experiences and ideas across company borders.
Fraport World – Keynote
prepares the consignment for the flight.
Here, they are collected by a ground
handler and handed over to an airline by
loading them into the aircraft at its stand.
“If just one company involved in the
supply chain lacks the relevant expertise
for these sensitive goods, then it might
not matter how well the others do their
job,” said Mißkampf.
Exchange of information is important
In addition to the handling itself, it is important for the exchange of information
between the different parties involved to
work properly. To take one example, pharmaceutical products do not have to be declared as dangerous goods. This means
that a general cargo pallet may contain,
among other things, medicines that cannot be stored above 25 degrees Celsius.
“All of the parties involved therefore need
to know that there is temperature-sensitive
freight on the pallet so that they handle
the unit accordingly and do not leave it
out, unrefrigerated in the sun too long, for
example,” said Mißkampf. “Information
about the transported products and the
corresponding declarations has to be forwarded throughout the whole supply
chain.”
This generally works very well at Frankfurt Airport, he said, and the individual
companies already provide the right conditions for fast, safe and reliable transportation of temperature-sensitive products.
“But the pharmaceutical industry that we
cooperate with closely is setting ever
higher requirements and increasingly
often requires transport companies to
have relevant certificates,” said Mißkampf.
To remain competitive, some member
companies of the Air Cargo Community
Frankfurt therefore decided to complete
IATA’s Pharma CEIV certification. “This
comprehensive certification of the entire
process chain enables us to have our
quality confirmed independently. At the
same time, we see the certification process as an opportunity for additional optimization of our services and processes.”
Certification by the start of 2017
At present, Perishable Center GmbH &
Co. Betriebs KG and Bolloré Logistics
Germany GmbH, both based in Frankfurt,
have already completed certification in
accordance with IATA CEIV Pharma. Other
companies at the location are currently
undergoing or beginning the certification
process lasting around nine months.
“Once the certification process for these
companies is complete, we will offer all
shippers a wide range of services based on
the IATA CEIV Pharma standard,” emphasized Mißkampf. For example, over 95 percent of cargo handling and around 85 percent of the apron transportation and loading processes performed at Frankfurt Airport
will then be certified. Many international
airlines with important stations in Frankfurt
are also currently obtaining certification in
line with this standard. Mißkampf said:
“The topic is simply relevant to all parties
involved in the supply chain. The highest
quality can be achieved only if we work
together.”
Dominik Mißkampf is the Chairman of the Pharma
competence team in the Air Cargo Community
Frankfurt and Senior Project Manager at Fraport’s
Ground Services.
“Temperature-Controlled Transport – Pharmaceuticals”
Competence Team at Frankfurt Airport
To strengthen FRA further as an airfreight location, the airfreight sector at
Frankfurt Airport established the “Air
Cargo Community Frankfurt e. V.” in
2013. The “Temperature-Controlled
Transport – Pharmaceuticals” competence team is one of four working
groups that deal with various different
cargo-related topics.
In addition to certification, the Pharma
competence team examines every
single process step for possible optimization potential, for example. Here, the
focus is on overarching solutions. Furthermore, the Community also cooperates closely with forwarders and pharmaceutical industry representatives to
ensure that the products and services at
the location meet the necessary requirements optimally. This also includes the
“Visit FRA Pharma” program, in which
representatives from pharmaceutical
companies can visit the location to find
out about the high performance level
and the many possibilities there. Further
information: [email protected]
9
10
Fraport World
Terminal 1 arrival level has been completely modernized. Following the redesign, the covered terminal forecourt now appears brighter, calmer and more open. The flow of traffic has also
Finding Your Way
What has the “Great to Have You Here!” program achieved so far?
This time, we take stock of the developments in the “Welcome &
Wayfinding” segment
Passengers heading toward their gates,
service staff cleaning the floors, announcements for individual flights sounding out
from loudspeakers – there is always a lot
going on at an airport. Especially for passengers who do not fly regularly or are
not familiar with the airport, all of this activity can be as confusing as a labyrinth. At
Frankfurt Airport, this is also intensified by
the sheer size of the terminals. “Passengers
need to be able to find their way easily in
any situation and in any place,” said Martina
Pfeffer, Head of Terminal Management at
Fraport. “If this is not the case, then no
matter how good our other offers are, the
passenger will not leave our airport 100%
satisfied.” This is why, as part of its service
initiative “Great to Have You Here!”, the
airport operator has now also placed a
focus on wayfinding possibilities – true to
the new mission statement “Gute Reise!
We make it happen.”
Understanding information
The question of signage at an airport is a
science in its own right. Nonetheless, adequate signage alone is not enough to help
passengers with navigation: “To enable
people to find their way easily, the information needs to be understood – even
though the people come from different
countries and cultures and therefore also
interpret visual information in very different ways,” explained Pfeffer. To overcome
this obstacle, in recent years Fraport has introduced multilingual display boards and
information kiosks, as well as creating the
possibility to translate signs using the FRA
app. “And those who prefer to get information in person are of course welcome to talk to our multilingual service
staff in the terminals,” said Pfeffer.
More up-to-date information has been
provided, for example, about waiting
6
times for security checks. “Passengers
want to catch their flight, so it is important for us to provide them with information like this,” explained Pfeffer.
“In doing so, we are placing an even
stronger focus on the needs of our guests
with the aim of improving the quality of
their stay.” And if passengers do not have
to spend a lot of time finding their way,
that means they have more time to enjoy
the other services on offer – such as
yoga, TV zones, work areas, shopping
and gastronomy.
been improved.
1
3
1) Around 100 information kiosks at both terminals
provide information in eight languages: German, English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and
Arabic.
2) Landed safely in Frankfurt, but now want to know
how to get to your destination? In pilot projects in the
arrivals halls of Terminal 1 and 2, all information on
trains, buses and long-distance buses can be found on
a display board. This also shows the time taken to travel
by car and the number of car-sharing vehicles available, as well as delays and traffic information updated
in real time.
3) Using the sign translator in the FRA app, passengers
can take photos of airport signs in the terminals and
have them translated into their native language. This is
possible for Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Korean
and Spanish.
4) Information boards provide real-time information,
for example, about waiting times for security checks.
5) The flight display in the terminals informs many
travelers in their native language. The current flight
status, such as “Gate open” appears first in German,
then in English and finally in the language of the respective destination. The information is currently available in Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Russian and
Spanish. French and Turkish versions are being prepared.
6) Another new project will enter the practical phase
this fall, when buses on the apron will start providing
current passenger and service information on information screens.
2
5
4
12
Fraport World
Keeping an Eye on the Sky
Around 2,000 air traffic controllers ensure safe and
punctual air traffic in Germany
With up to 10,000 aircraft movements a day, Germany is the country with the most air traffic in Europe.
DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS), which is
based in Langen, coordinates activities in the airspace to prevent dangerous approaches and ensure that flight schedules run smoothly.
A firm handshake, alert eyes and a friendly smile:
Ulrike Münzer is one of 2,000 air traffic controllers
across Germany. You would willingly trust this person with your life. This sounds admittedly dramatic,
but ultimately it is exactly what Münzer does. Every
day, and sometimes at night, the air traffic controller makes sure that thousands of passengers
and crew members pass through German airspace
and reach their destinations safe and sound.
Complex skies
When Münzer explains how the airspace is divided
up, it sounds fairly simple, but she herself admits
that the skies above us are “incredibly complex,”
at least as far as air traffic goes. Like roads or rail
tracks, predefined routes traverse various differently sized sections at several levels. As soon as a
jet taking off from Frankfurt is in the air, it leaves
the work area of the tower controllers and notifies
the arrival and departure controllers, who are based
at the control center in Langen. From here and three
other DFS centers in Bremen, Munich and Karlsruhe,
the so-called center or radar controllers monitor
German airspace and guide the aircraft from sector
to sector. Pilots are continuously given instructions
by radio and must adjust their altitude or direction
if necessary. At the destination, an air traffic controller monitors the descent and watches out for
speed and safe distances until the team in the
tower takes over again.
Complicated pattern on the radar
Most flights go according to plan and are announced
a long time in advance. Things get stressful if airplanes want to move into a different sector, for
example due to a storm, and thus exceed their individually determined capacity limit. “Like in a
game of chess, you always have to plan and think a
couple of moves ahead,” explained Münzer, pointing to the computer screen where the airplanes are
shown as squares steadily moving in all directions.
For a layperson, it is complicated enough to decipher the combinations of letters and numbers next
to the squares, which show aspects such as the
identifier and the altitude and speed, and figure
out which of the airplanes is flying higher or lower
than its neighbor. Münzer, who is responsible for a
specific sector to the east of Frankfurt Airport, always has her eye on up to 14 aircraft that are flying
in her area, either passing through or on their way
to or from Frankfurt Airport.
The air traffic controllers always work as a team. One
person watches the radar and maintains contact
with the cockpit while the coordinating controller
monitors weather reports and coordinates with the
teams in other sectors before handovers. “Elbow
coordination,” as the 49-year-old calls it, since
sometimes a little nudge from workstation to workstation is all that is needed to exchange information.
In general, everything happens surprisingly quietly
and above all calmly in the open-plan office at the
control center in Langen, even though there are
usually up to 100 employees working here at the same
time. Fully focused, Münzer’s colleagues speak into
their headsets to issue instructions to the cockpit
crew, producing no more than a subtle background
noise.
Intelligent assistants
Every day, DFS staff guide up to 10,000 flights
throughout Germany – meaning that there are
probably at least a million passengers and airline
employees a day relying on the DFS air traffic controllers to complete this very important task reliably.
In doing so, the controllers are supported by intelligent computer programs, which for example generate an optical warning signal in advance if two aircraft could possibly get too close to each other. DFS
is doing research into systems that further improve
these support functions, with the aim of relieving
the controllers of routine tasks to an even greater
extent so that they have more time available for individual monitoring.
This is challenging enough, Münzer explained,
because – unlike in training with the simulator –
“I cannot simply stop real operations if, for example,
ice and snow cause a backlog in airport operations.”
Often it is not about finding the best solution, but
rather the quickest one in order to ensure safe air
traffic: “Decisiveness is very, very important in my
job.” And that makes it draining. Two hours in front
of the radar are followed by a one-hour break, as
stipulated by the regulations.
The air traffic controllers from
DFS German Air Navigation
Systems keep a watchful eye on
the airspace over Germany,
which is criss-crossed by an intricate pattern of routes.
Fraport World
13
State-of-the-art technology
(small picture, left) is an essential component of airspace
management, even for experienced air traffic controllers like
Ulrike Münzer (below).
14
Fraport World
A Man Who Is Prepared
for Anything
As a loadmaster agent, Oskar Schmeichel coordinates
all processes relating to ground handling for an aircraft
Suddenly, things get hectic. Oskar Schmeichel gets
a call on his cell phone. While still on the phone, he
waves over two ground handling agents. “A passenger has not showed up, so now we need to offload the respective suitcase,” he explains to the
employees hurrying towards him. The Airbus A320neo
to Hamburg was actually ready for take-off and just
waiting for authorization to push back. It is 11:01
a.m., the clock is ticking and delays cost money.
Oskar Schmeichel (47) has
been working for Fraport’s
Ground Services for 21 years
and as a loadmaster agent for
the past 11.
Schmeichel climbs up into the pallet high loader
and drives it to the aircraft, where a handling agent
opens the door to the hold and unloads the first
container. The baggage items in it are loaded according to a particular system, so it does not take
Schmeichel’s colleagues long to find the suitcase,
which cannot travel without its owner for security
reasons. The container is loaded again and the
airplane can start the push-back only a few minutes later than expected – Schmeichel and his team
are finished with ground handling for LH010 to
Hamburg by 11:09 a.m.
Two jobs in one
Oskar Schmeichel is one of 610 loadmaster agents
working for Fraport’s Ground Services who coordinate the processes relating to ground handling for
all Lufthansa flights. A second coordinator from
Lufthansa is involved only if handling wide-body aircraft – simply due to the sheer quantity of suitcases
and cargo. Otherwise, the loadmaster agent alone is
responsible, performing the tasks of loadmaster and
ramp agent in combination (see box). But it is not just
last-minute calls like this that require Schmeichel to
concentrate hard and act fast: His day-to-day work
consists of a series of duties that need to be dealt
with precisely. Let’s go back an hour to 10:00 a.m.
Flight LH009 is expected at stand A16 in a few minutes. Deutsche Lufthansa’s load planning network,
Global Load Control, calculates the weight and balance to determine how the aircraft will be loaded
for each Lufthansa flight. And this is exactly where
the loadmaster agents’ work begins. Using his mobile data entry device MobIS-L, Oskar Schmeichel
logs on to the loading schedule in the Lufthansa
Global Load Control network and goes through the
upcoming ground handling process with the handling agents. They discuss how much cargo and
baggage is on board, how much time is available
Fraport World
“The loadmaster agent role that
we have developed with Lufthansa
is a good example of how we can
design ground handling processes
that are precisely tailored to the
needs of our airline customers.”
Christoph Horstmann, Operational Coordination
Team Leader at Fraport’s Ground Services
Top: Other airlines use the mobile data recording device
MobIS-L for internal documentation only when performing
for ground handling and who will perform which
tasks, before checking whether all the equipment
is ready and the stand is free of any debris (known
as FOD).
Then the airplane moves toward the gate with a
deafening roar of its turbines. Wearing ear protection, Schmeichel and his colleagues set out the
chocks. The routine sequence of the ground handling process begins: connecting the ground power,
securing the aircraft in line with regulations, docking the passenger bridge, unloading containers
with the pallet high loader, removing individual
baggage items from the belly of the airplane. Fuel
trucks, catering and cleaning staff arrive. At the
heart of the action, Schmeichel has an overview of
everything. He moves purposefully from one place
to the next, giving instructions and organizing what
needs to happen. He directs approaching tractors,
checks whether the cargo to be loaded is secured
properly and determines what needs to be loaded
first. When the captain appears on the stairs at the
back of the airplane and asks when the crew will be
picked up, the loadmaster agent coordinates this as
well, and then disappears into the airplane to
check how far along the catering and cleaning are.
“As a loadmaster agent, you need to have an overview of absolutely everything and also be good at
delegating,” said Schmeichel. At the same time, he
lends a hand wherever help is needed: whether it is
helping his colleagues load special baggage or waving over the beverage cart so that his colleagues can
get some refreshment – Oskar Schmeichel is a man
who is prepared for anything.
ground handling. At Lufthansa, it is directly connected with
the weight and balance system.
Middle: Oskar Schmeichel makes sure the cargo in the belly of
the Airbus is secured properly so that nothing moves around
during the flight.
Bottom: The work of a loadmaster agent includes a lot of
communication with coworkers.
Combination of jobs
The role of loadmaster agent combines two
jobs in one: Firstly, that of a loadmaster who
coordinates the loading and unloading of baggage and cargo during ground handling. Secondly, that of a ramp agent who maintains an
overview of all processes relating to ground
handling for an airplane, for example, whether
refueling, catering and cleaning are in progress. This special qualification exists only at
Fraport’s Ground Services at Frankfurt Airport.
It was developed in line with the requirements
of Deutsche Lufthansa, the airline for which
the job is primarily used. This combination of
jobs reduces costs and is also intended to simplify communication with Lufthansa’s global
load planning network.
Importance of documentation
The loadmaster agent documents each completed
step on the tablet-like MobIS-L. “It is very practical –
previously we had to document everything on
paper and clarify it by cell phone, now we have a
direct line to Global Load Control,” explained
Schmeichel. This enables changes to be communicated immediately. For example, if an additional
baggage container is needed, Schmeichel passes
on this information to Global Load Control and adjusts the loading schedule. Or, if necessary, he may
decide that cargo cannot be transported instead of
baggage because the weight limit would then be
exceeded. “I am responsible for ensuring that
ground handling for the flight is carried out properly and punctually, in line with the strict safety
conditions of the aviation industry, for example,
making sure that everything is loaded safely,” explained Schmeichel. He also sees this as the advantage of his job: “When just one person alone is responsible for ground handling, there cannot be
any misunderstandings. Once I have checked
something, I know that aspect has been dealt
with.” By 11:01 a.m., everything is done. Ground
handling for flight LH010 to Hamburg is complete.
But then Schmeichel’s cell phone rings. A suitcase
needs to be offloaded.
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Fraport World
A Tourist Destination with a View
Three Questions
New Ideas for
the Airport
Richa Bhasin,
Innovation Management Specialist
at Fraport AG.
One of the most popular leisure attractions in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region is
available once again following a facelift:
the Visitors’ Terrace at Frankfurt Airport.
Covering 1,800 square meters, the terrace
can accommodate up to 800 guests at
once. The redesign includes the addition
of a modern reception and attractive new
flooring in the outdoor area. Because of a
new protective fence, guests now no
longer need to clear a security check. This
opens up the possibility of temporarily
leaving the platform – to grab a snack, for
example, and then returning.
“Top Service Germany 2016” Award
The business newspaper Handelsblatt, the
University of Mannheim and the consultancy ServiceRating have awarded their
seal of quality “Top Service Germany 2016”
to the airport operator Fraport. This places
the airport among the 50 companies from
all economic sectors, all over Germany that
received this award. Whether it concerns
the yoga room, the gaming world or comfort services – the aim is to make passengers
and visitors feel at home during their stay at
the airport. This is also reflected in the
slogan “Gute Reise! We make it happen,”
a claim that the airport operator has committed to in its new mission statement.
For more than ten years, the “Top Service
Germany” competition has been giving
participating companies the opportunity
to have their customer focus evaluated
based on a scientifically validated focus
model. Both customer opinions and expert analyses are incorporated in the assessment. Frankfurt is the only airport
among the top 50 most customer and
service-oriented companies in Germany.
More information on the wide range of
services at Frankfurt Airport:
www.frankfurt-airport.com
> Flights & More
Ms. Bhasin, what is the Frankfurt
Airport Innovation Challenge?
In addition to our innovation management, we already have an established suggestion system at Fraport
that gives all employees the opportunity to contribute their ideas. This
has already led to many fantastic projects. But now we want to make use
of creative potential from outside the
company, which is why we launched a
public competition looking for ideas
to make Frankfurt Airport an even
more special place.
What was the response like?
Even bigger than we had hoped.
There were 9,000 visitors from a total
of 95 countries to the competition
website. They included passengers,
aviation fans, people who work in the
industry and people with no connection to aviation but with a general interest in innovation competitions. The
participants submitted a total of 624
ideas for a wide range of different
areas. These ideas were aimed at, for
example, new or improved services,
facilities or parts of the travel chain.
“We wanted to use creative
potential from the outside.”
Will the ideas really be implemented?
A group of Fraport experts examined
all of the suggestions submitted. Although there is no guarantee of implementation for the best contributions, we are currently examining
which of the ideas we can take on.
The winners: The decision of the jury was not
made until after this issue of Aviation World went
to press. An overview of the best ideas is available
at: www.fra-challenge.de.
Airline World
17
“Optimistic About the Growth of the Route”
Air Arabia Maroc is one of the newest airlines at Frankfurt Airport and is convinced
that it is well positioned for the future
Morocco is also known as “the gateway
to Africa,” which already highlights the
country’s hospitality. It has also been
given this name owing to its location in
the northern part of the continent. For
several years now, Air Arabia Maroc has
been contributing towards opening this
gateway even further. In this interview,
Adel Ali, Group CEO of the parent company Air Arabia, reports on the strategy
that will be used to do so in the years to
come.
Mr. Ali, Air Arabia Maroc is still a
relatively new subsidiary of Air Arabia as
it was founded in 2009. Why was it
founded?
The idea of establishing a hub in Morocco
was part of the Air Arabia Group’s vision
to expand into North Africa and Europe.
Morocco is not only ideally situated at a
far end of the Arab world and close to
Europe. It also enjoys a stable economy
and an emerging travel and tourism sector. Therefore, we had a clear vision when
we first started operations to contribute to
the Moroccan economy by flying more
people.
What strategy are you pursuing with
this airline?
Since Air Arabia Maroc took off to the
skies, we have constantly invested in
growth and customer service. The route
expansion strategy remains at the heart of
our operations. We have been serving
the European market well, and we look
forward to doing the same in the African
market when we are allowed.
Speaking of growth: How many destinations does Air Arabia Maroc fly to at
the moment?
Air Arabia Maroc flies to 19 destinations in
Europe from five Moroccan airports,
which makes a total network of 29 routes.
2016 will see the addition of two new
routes to our growing network: Fez –
Toulouse and Marrakech – Pau. More
destinations will be announced soon.
Adel Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer of Air Arabia.
You have also been flying to Frankfurt
twice a week for a year now. What was
the reason to expand your network?
The Frankfurt route was launched to
support the tourism objectives of the
Moroccan government. It aims to promote
tourism in the Marrakech region, and it
will be maintained during the coming
seasons, too. Moreover, it completes our
existing network to Germany as we were
already flying from Nador to Cologne.
What kind of passengers do you have so
far on this route?
Due to the nature of Marrakech as a leisure destination, the majority of our passengers on this route are tourists – and
Germans are the world champions when
it comes to tourism travel, with 54 million
Maroc’s parent company Air Arabia set up the airline
group in 2003.
trips of an average stay of five days. So we
are keen to have our share of this business, also by being present in Frankfurt.
How do things stand after a year in
Frankfurt?
We are looking at the long-term opportunities that this route has to offer and
working towards building it up. But we
are optimistic about the growth of the
route, which will depend on the current
season's results. We also appreciate the
cooperation we have with the management of Fraport. This cooperation is as
professional as required, and we are keen
to see it evolve in a positive way.
18
Airline World
Closely Intertwined with History
Singapore Airlines started small, but now it is hard to imagine
international flight operations without it
Germany has always played an important role in the
success story of Singapore Airlines – a long partnership connects the national airline of the city state of
Singapore with Frankfurt Airport in particular.
David Lim has been the Station
Manager for Singapore Airlines
at Frankfurt Airport since June
2016.
1972 was an important year for Singapore Airlines:
Not just because the airline added Frankfurt Airport
to its route network on August 1, but rather because this was the year when Malaysia-Singapore
Airlines split into two airlines: Malaysian Airline
System and Singapore Airlines. “That was when we
really started to grow. We constantly expanded our
route network and our fleet,” explained David Lim,
Station Manager for Singapore Airlines at Frankfurt
Airport. And it was a success: Today, the five-star
airline is among the top award-winning airlines.
It also got people talking when it became the first
customer of the Airbus A380 in October 2007.
Singapore Airlines currently uses 19 of these widebody aircraft for long-haul flights; another five have
been ordered and are due for delivery in 2018.
Singapore makes a big impression on visitors thanks to its
spectacular gardens such as the Gardens by the Bay (left), its
rich cultural heritage including the Mariamman Hindu
temple (middle) and the world's highest hotel pool at the
Marina Bay Sands.
Name changes come to an end
But it all started very small: Back in 1947 with a
twin-engine aircraft that flew between Singapore,
Penang Island and the Malaysian cities of Kuala
Lumpur and Ipoh three times a week. “The history
of Singapore Airlines is closely intertwined with
the history of Malaysia and Singapore,” explained
Lim. This is reflected not least in the frequent
changes in the airline’s name. To start with, it operated under the name Malayan Airways Limited,
then after the foundation of the Federation of
Malaya it became Malaysian Airways Limited and
later Malaysia-Singapore Airlines. These changes
came to an end in 1972. Since then, Singapore Airlines has grown while keeping the same name. And
its image has not changed much, either. The service staff on board still wear the traditional sarong
kebaya uniforms that were first introduced in 1968.
“Our philosophy is based on three pillars,” said
Station Manager Lim. “We stand for product excellence, service excellence and an extensive network.” As one of the first members of Star Alliance,
Singapore Airlines was able to expand its route
Airline World
19
At a Glance
– Arose from Malayan Airways Limited, which started flight
operations in 1947
– Since 1972, the airline has been operating under the name
Singapore Airlines
– Corporate headquarters in Singapore
– 13,983 employees worldwide, including 101 in Germany
(excluding cargo) and 28 at the airport traffic office in Frankfurt
– Revenues: USD 12 billion (fiscal year 2015 – 2016)
– 19 million passengers (April 2015 – March 2016)
– Fleet: Airbus A330, Airbus A350, Airbus A380 and Boeing 777;
107 aircraft in total
network enormously thanks to codesharing and cooperation with other airlines. Just recently, the airline agreed on a close collaboration with Lufthansa,
in which the two airlines will operate key routes
between Singapore and Europe on a joint-venture
basis. “Expanding our route network through cooperations and alliances is the future,” said Lim
with conviction.
A trust-based relationship
Right from the start, Frankfurt was an important
station for Singapore Airlines. Not just in terms of
establishing a direct connection to the financial
center and the economically strong Rhine-Main
region. As part of Germany, Frankfurt is also very
important to the airline’s European operations.
Station Manager Lim, who has been in Frankfurt for
only a few months, values the relationship with the
airport operator Fraport that has evolved over the
years: “There is close cooperation between Fraport
and Singapore Airlines. Our staff know each other
well and there is always an open communication
channel between our staff on day-to-day matters
and also between the management of both companies. This allows us to discuss issues openly and
quickly.” Lim is particularly satisfied with the organizational processes, such as those involved in
ground handling and baggage handling. “Fraport’s
way of doing business is very computerized and
digitalized. This speaks well for efficiency,” he said.
The latest projects include the introduction of Premium Economy Class and the resumption of direct
flights from Singapore to the USA, which were discontinued in 2013 and are now scheduled to start
again in October. Meanwhile, Singapore Airlines
already achieved a major goal in July this year when
it started flying to Düsseldorf Airport. “Germany is
the only European country in our network in which
we are serving three different airports,” said Lim.
But Frankfurt is still the most important German
location for the airline, as the Station Manager
makes clear. This is the case even just based on the
44 years that Singapore Airlines and Fraport have
been working together now, said Lim: “My predecessors also speak well of Fraport and so I am comfortable that I am dealing with a competent group
of people.”
The Singapore Airlines team at
Frankfurt Airport (above) makes
sure that passengers enjoy an
atmospheric start to their trip
to Asia. Rickshaws are just one
of the things awaiting them in
Singapore. Many passengers
also use the city-state as a stopover on the way to Australia or
New Zealand.
20
Airline World
With the three new destinations of (from left) Madeira,
Tromsø in Norway and Ivalo in Finland, Lufthansa's new
schedule will allow customers to escape the winter cold
or enjoy the snow and ice.
Lufthansa: New Destinations in the Winter Schedule
Whether you want to enjoy some snow
and ice or prefer to escape the winter,
Lufthansa is offering two new destinations
from Frankfurt in its winter schedule for
both options: Madeira and Lapland.
Starting from November 5, Madeira, the
island of flowers, will be just around four
hours away from Frankfurt on a non-stop
flight. The new destination in the middle
of the Atlantic will be served every Saturday by an Airbus A321 with more than
200 seats in Business and Economy Class.
LH1170 will leave the Lufthansa hub in
Frankfurt at 9:40 a.m. and reach Funchal
at 12:55 p.m. The return flight will take off
ANA: New Station
Manager
Narimatsu Kazuhisa was
appointed as the new
Station Manager of ANA
All Nippon Airways at
Frankfurt Airport starting in April. He has
worked for the airline
since 1992, including as
a flight dispatcher and in the Load Control and Passenger Service divisions. Most
recently Kazuhisa worked in the Operation Management Center in Tokyo. As
Station Manager, his focus is now on the
passengers: “ANA has been certified with
the highest five-star airline rating for five
years now thanks to the quality of the
standards we provide at our home base,
Tokyo Haneda Airport. With regard to
FRA, though, we have only limited time
and opportunity to communicate with
customers since most of our passengers
are here for transit. But we always try to
be friendly, kind and cheerful – offering
Japanese hospitality (O-MO-TE-NA-SHI) in
order to provide our best service.”
from Funchal in the early afternoon at
2:30 p.m. and land at Frankfurt Airport at
7:40 p.m.
There will also be new connections to the
far North, which is so popular among winter
sports enthusiasts, with flights to Tromsø
(Norway) every Saturday starting from
November 26, 2016 and flights to Ivalo
(Finland), also every Saturday, starting from
December 17, 2016. Flights to Tromsø,
located 350 km north of the Arctic Circle,
will be served by an Airbus A319 with
138 seats in two classes until March 25,
2017. LH870 will leave the Lufthansa hub
in Frankfurt in the morning and reach
Tromsø at 1:15 p.m. The return flight will
take off from Tromsø in the early afternoon at 2:10 p.m. and land at Frankfurt
Airport at 5:35 p.m.
Ivalo, Finland, has the northernmost airport in the European Union and is seen
as the “gateway to the North.” It will also
be served by an Airbus A319 with 138
seats in two classes until March 25, 2017.
LH846 will leave the Lufthansa hub in
Frankfurt in the morning and reach Ivalo
at 2:10 p.m. The return flight will take
off from Ivalo in the early afternoon at
3:05 p.m. and land at Frankfurt Airport
at 5:35 p.m.
FCS Takes on Cargo Handling for EgyptAir
EgyptAir already flies to Frankfurt Airport
with passenger aircraft on a daily basis.
Now, since July, Frankfurt has also been included in the network of the cargo division
of Egypt’s state-owned airline. It currently
serves the route on Sundays with an Airbus
A300–600 freighter. “EgyptAir Cargo has
decided on FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services –
part of the global WFS Group network –
and, of course, we very much welcome this
decision,” said FCS Managing Director HansGeorg Emmert. “We will give the airline
the best possible service with our offers.”
The EgyptAir Cargo fleet currently consists of four medium range wide-body
aircraft, two A300B4F and two A300–
600F. In addition, the airline uses the
belly capacity of passenger aircraft at the
affiliated company EgyptAir Airlines. As
such, EgyptAir Cargo operates more than
70 scheduled international destinations in
major cities in the USA, Canada, Europe,
Africa, the Gulf area and the Far East.
EgyptAir Cargo is expected to continue
expanding its cargo volume in the future,
including in Frankfurt.
Airline World
More Frequent Flights to Vietnam
Vietnam Airlines is steadily expanding its
range of flights for travelers to Vietnam
and Asia: From December 2016, passengers will be able to fly non-stop from Frankfurt to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City nine times
a week. Vietnam is a popular destination
that can be reached in just 10.5 hours
with the non-stop connection. The Vietna-
mese airline currently serves the Frankfurt –
Hanoi route on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and the Frankfurt – Ho Chi Minh City route on Mondays,
Wednesdays and Saturdays. Starting from
December, Vietnam Airlines will also fly from
Frankfurt to Hanoi (VN36) on Saturdays and
from Hanoi to Frankfurt (VN37) on Fridays.
The new Boeing
787–9 is used on
the route.
LATAM: New Station Manager
LATAM Airlines Group
has a new face in
Frankfurt, with Lillian
Bernardi as its new
Station Manager since
February. She began
her career at LATAM
Airlines Group in 1994.
After working in different airports as a
Service Coordinator, she was appointed
WOW air Becomes
New FCS Customer
The low-cost airline WOW air from Iceland
is one of the newest airlines at Frankfurt
Airport. Since June, it has been flying from
Reykjavik to Frankfurt six times a week.
FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services GmbH performs cargo handling for it. “We are delighted that WOW air has chosen FCS as its
cargo handler,” explained FCS Managing
Director Hans-Georg Emmert with regard
to the new customer. “As part of the global WFS Group network, FCS Frankfurt
Cargo Services is exactly the right partner
for an airline geared toward growth and
success as it provides sustainable support
for its customers, along with professional
services and quality.”
Adding Frankfurt to the route network is
another important step in the growth of
the airline, which was established in 2011.
Its founder Skúli Mogensen expects that
Frankfurt will soon take on a key role for
the airline and expects particularly good
development opportunities from this location.
Station Manager in Milan in 2007. In December 2012, Bernardi returned to Brazil
assuming the position of Manager of Airports in Latin America and the Pacific. In
2014, she was appointed Senior Coordinator Airport Services. Bernardi held that
position until moving to Frankfurt.
About This Publication
Publisher:
Fraport AG
Frankfurt Airport Service Worldwide
60547 Frankfurt, Germany
www.twitter.com/Airport_FRA
www.facebook.com/FrankfurtAirport
Layout: Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Anke Rabbeau
Editor-in-chief:
Sigrun von Kienle, Corporate Communications
Production and project management:
Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Dr. Claudia Klemm
Editors:
Anette Schmid, Fraport Ground Services
Ricarda Wahl, Airside and Terminal Management,
Corporate Safety and Security
Content, information and ideas for articles:
Susanne Kalbe, Sigrun von Kienle, Nicole
Ruschig-Brunck, Anette Schmid, Ricarda Wahl
Written by: Profilwerkstatt GmbH, Darmstadt:
Hannah Barthel (Chief Copywriter), Gesche Brock,
Johannes Büchl
Translations: EVS Translations GmbH, Offenbach
Printed by:
Airport Print Center, Frankfurt
Photo credits:
Fraport – p. 1, 2, 4, 7, 8 (all except logos), 9 (top),
10, 11, 13 (bottom), 14, 16, 20 (bottom right), 21
(top), 22 and 23 (central archive); Fotolia/Yuriy
Klochan/123rf – p. 6; FCS Frankfurt Cargo Services – p. 8 (logo);
Perishable Center Frankfurt – p. 8
(logo); Bolloré – p. 8 (logo); Lufthansa Cargo – p. 8 (logo); Swissport – p. 8 (logo); LUG –
21
p. 8 (logo); Celebi – p. 8 (logo); Air Cargo
Community Frankfurt e.V. – p. 9; DFS Deutsche
Flugsicherung – p. 13; Air Arabia Maroc – p. 17;
Singapore Airlines – p. 18 (top), 19 (logo and
bottom); Singapore Airlines, Bjoern Wilps – p. 18
(middle), 19 (middle); shutterstock/ Kanuman
(bottom left), Sabine Hortebusch (bottom
middle), Vichy Deal (bottom right) – p. 18; shutterstock/ Anilah (top left), Marina Sosnovskaya
(top middle), Victor Maschek (top right) – p. 20;
ANA All Nippon Airways – p. 20 (bottom left);
LATAM Airlines Group – p. 21 (bottom left);
Christian Christes – p. 21 (right)
Gute Reise!
We make it happen