London Gatwick Airport’s Community app, conceptualized by Gatwick for the airport industry, has been shortlisted for seven national awards, including for the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards and the Digital Impact Awards.
Launched in early 2016, the app provides the entire workforce with real-time information about airport issues on their smartphone. Gatwick staff make up 25% of the current 10,000 users at the airport, with the remaining 75% working for other entities on the airport campus including airlines, ground handlers, retailers, tenants, police and immigration services. Most staff have downloaded Community on their personal smartphones.
Information communicated via the application includes departure or bag delivery performance data, hourly passenger departure and arrival numbers, aircraft turn milestones, airport contacts, a fault reporting facility, localized airport weather information and public transport updates. Information alerts can also be tailored so only information relevant to job are received.
Gatwick devised the Community app concept in partnership with software developer AirportLabs. From the outset it was designed and built as a digital platform which can be used by multiple airports. AirportLabs now offer this as a fully managed service to any airport in the world. Since its launch, it has been rolled out at 12 other airports across the world, including Edinburgh, Bristol and Milan Airports.
Cathal Corcoran, chief information officer, Gatwick Airport, said, “Gatwick is among the top five airports in the world when it comes to technology innovation. The airport Community app is one of the ideas we have pioneered for the wider airport industry and it has become a great success.
“The app helps us to keep the entire workforce on campus in tune with the airport. About 10,000 employees from 250 entities use the app at Gatwick. I am delighted to hear that Gatwick has been shortlisted for these awards and look forward to hearing the final results.”
Fabio Degli Esposti, chief information officer, Milan Airport, said, “The airport Community app is one of the initiatives that we analyzed with great interest since the early days of its availability on the market. Soon after, we decided to adopt it for the great opportunities and potential benefits that the app could bring to our internal operative processes and activities”.
David Gammie, IT director, Edinburgh Airport, said, “Seeing the success of the Community app deployment by Gatwick, we implemented it at Edinburgh in the summer of 2016. The Community app has quickly become the primary channel for cross campus communication.
“Edinburgh has then introduced additional functionality such as fault reporting and real-time security queue times on the Community app, which is now available for other airports. This illustrates the value of collaboration among airports on multi-airport platforms.”
Gatwick’s Community app has been shortlisted for three Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, with the results announced on November 14, 2017, and four Digital Impact Awards, with the results announced on 17 October 2017.
