Hamad International Airport (HIA) in Qatar has launched a Digital Twin initiative as part of its smart airport program to provide a real-time view of the airport through a 3D interface.
The digital twin’s analytical engine integrates information from multiple airport systems to provide recommendations to help optimize operations. The development combined 3D modeling techniques, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver faster and more data-driven decision making. The digital twin manages aircraft stand conflicts, improves responses to alerts and monitors the health of critical airport assets. Additionally, it uses data to optimize resources and minimize asset downtime. HIA’s Digital Twin initiative has been recognized as the ‘Smart Solution of the Year’, earning it an award at the Qatar IT Business Awards. HIA was also named the World’s Best Airport of 2022 at the Skytrax awards at Passenger Terminal Expo 2022.
Suhail Kadri, senior vice president of technology and innovation at Hamad International Airport, stated, “Hamad International Airport, in conjunction with industry partner SITA, is actively shaping the future of the airport industry by being one of the few airports in the world to develop a functioning digital twin and experiment with challenging use cases, ushering in a new era of efficiency.”
“This one-of-a-kind technology will continue to mature and radically change how operational teams across the airport consume information and make decisions. We are delighted to be first movers in this area and accelerate the adoption of this breakthrough technology, which will ultimately benefit passengers, our airline partners and all airport stakeholders.”
Hani El-Assaad, SITA president, Middle East and Africa, said, “Many congratulations to HIA for winning the ‘Smart Solution of the Year’ award. We’re delighted that our digital twin technology was part of that win. Digital twin has huge potential for airports looking to streamline their operations, which are hugely complex, involving many stakeholders, assets and activities. By creating the digital twin of an airport, we can capture everything that is happening at the airport in a holistic view. This has enabled HIA to make more informed decisions and improve their operations.”
