Adelte, a Spanish engineering group based in Barcelona and a specialist in the design and manufacture of airport and seaport passenger boarding bridges (PBBs), has been contracted by Spanish airport operator AENA to implement its Arcos remote-control operating system, which allows PBBs to be remotely operated from the airport’s technical control room and maneuvered autonomously to and from all types of commercial aircraft.
The company will replace all current boarding systems at Seville Airport, and design, manufacture and install six PBBs, six pre-conditioned air units (PCAs), six ground power units (GPUs) and 14 visual docking guidance systems (VDGS).
Adelte says the objective of its Arcos system is to efficiently reduce operating times and accurately dock and undock PBBs in all weather conditions, while reducing the airport’s opex by centralizing PBB operations.
In 2020, the system was successfully tested with four airlines at Seville Airport and with PBBs that were not designed and manufactured by Adelte, proving that the system can be implemented with any PBB made by any OEM. Furthermore, Bureau Veritas has certified the system as compliant with Directive 2006/42/EC on machinery, rating it as a secure system with all the necessary ISO guarantees to operate PBBs remotely.
Patxi Artiz, airport business unit director at Adelte, commented, “Arcos is the solution that will mark a turning point in PBB handling and have an impact on airport operations around the world. It stands for highly efficient procedures, significant cost savings and reduction in docking and undocking times, which benefits both passengers and airport operators.”