London Heathrow Airport (England, United Kingdom) has selected the Airhart orchestration platform from Smarter Airports, a joint venture between Copenhagen Airports and Netcompany, under a multi-year agreement. London Heathrow Airport, the United Kingdom’s primary hub airport, will use the Airhart system as a central operational platform supporting functions including the airport operational database, airport collaborative decision making and the airport operations plan, with Netcompany supporting implementation and future development. The platform is intended to integrate operational data, support coordination across terminals and provide predictive planning capabilities aligned with European and global operational standards.

Smarter Airports stated that Copenhagen Airport (Denmark) and Munich Airport (Bavaria, Germany) have also adopted the Airhart platform, reflecting a wider adoption of integrated digital orchestration systems among large international airports.  

Humberside Airport (United Kingdom) has awarded a contract to atg airports, a United Kingdom-based specialist in airfield ground lighting systems, to upgrade its approach lighting infrastructure. The project involves the supply and installation of a new LED approach lighting system, together with upgrades to the associated power and circuit infrastructure. Humberside Airport serves the Humber region in north-east England and supports passenger, cargo and offshore energy-related aviation operations.

Works include the installation of two IEC-specification Micro200 constant current regulators designed to control power supply within the airfield lighting system. These regulators are intended to support operational reliability and system performance.

The project also includes the supply and installation of FX862AP elevated LED approach lights together with isolating transformers. The LED lighting units will replace conventional lighting equipment as part of the approach lighting system upgrade.

Approximately 5,000 metres of 6 mm 5 kV primary cable will be installed to form the airfield ground lighting series circuit. The contract also includes testing and commissioning of the new approach lighting system to verify operational performance and compliance with aviation lighting standards.

Centralny Port Komunikacyjny, the Polish state company developing the new airport between Warsaw and Łódź (Poland), has received six bids for passenger boarding bridges.

The procedure concerns the design, manufacture, delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of 92 passenger boarding bridges for the future passenger terminal, comprising 72 in the base scope and 20 optional units. After the initial application stage, submissions are being checked for completeness, and five bidders will be invited to participate in competitive dialogue, with contract award planned between 2026 and 2027.

Applications were submitted by a consortium of Sezo Invest (Poland) and ShinMaywa (Singapore); FMT Sweden AB (Sweden); Albert Ziegler GmbH (Germany); a joint bid from Adelte Airport Technologies and TK Airport Solutions (Spain); and the Polish branch of Comsa Instalaciones y Sistemas Industriales, a Spanish engineering company.

The selected contractor will prepare detailed technical documentation and workshop designs, then manufacture, supply, install and commission the boarding bridges, and provide maintenance services once the airport becomes operational.

The company is conducting parallel procurement procedures for other airport systems, including the baggage handling system and terminal transport equipment such as lifts, escalators and moving walkways. The new airport forms part of a national transport programme integrating air, rail and road infrastructure and is planned to handle 34–44 million passengers annually in its initial operating phase.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will trial electric autonomous shuttles at Newark Liberty International Airport (New Jersey, United States) as part of plans linked to the new AirTrain Newark system. The agency will test zero-emission self-driving vehicles from Oceaneering, Ohmio and Glydways in separate two-week periods in non-public areas of the airport. The trials are intended to simulate a high-capacity shuttle network operating in a complex airport environment and will inform a potential formal request for proposals expected in 2027.

The autonomous shuttles are being evaluated as a potential connection between existing airport facilities and the new AirTrain Newark, which is under construction and scheduled to open in 2030. Planning is also underway for a future Terminal B adjacent to a future AirTrain station.

The initiative follows an October 2024 request for innovation seeking proposals for an electric autonomous transport network linking two locations approximately 762 m (2,500 ft) apart over a five-year period. Selected firms also undertook winter testing to assess performance in snow and cold conditions.

The Port Authority has conducted multiple autonomous vehicle demonstrations since 2022, including public trials at John F Kennedy International Airport (New York, United States) and earlier shuttle testing at Newark Liberty International Airport.

The trials are taking place alongside the Port Authority’s USD 3.5 billion programme to replace the existing AirTrain Newark system, which opened in 1996 and is not designed for expansion. Newark Liberty International Airport handled nearly 50 million passengers in 2024, compared with approximately 30 million when the AirTrain opened, and AirTrain ridership is forecast to increase by 50% by 2040.

Airports in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica have taken delivery of new aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles manufactured by Oshkosh Airport Products. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States), operated by Aerostar Airport Holdings, has acquired a Striker 6×6 aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle to expand its emergency response fleet. The vehicle carries 11,356 litres (3,000 gallons) of water and 1,590 litres (420 gallons) of foam, with roof and bumper-mounted turrets capable of delivering up to 4,731 litres per minute (1,250 gallons per minute) with a reach of approximately 70 metres (230 feet). It also includes a TAK-4 independent suspension system, rear steering to improve manoeuvrability during emergency response operations, an Eco-EFP foam testing system and a 10 kW onboard generator. The vehicle was acquired through the Oshkosh Airport Products stock programme and is scheduled to enter service in early 2026 following commissioning and operator training.

In Costa Rica, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has received two Oshkosh Striker aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles for Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (Liberia, Costa Rica) and Tobías Bolaños International Airport (San José, Costa Rica). The 6×6 and 4×4 vehicles are part of a four-vehicle procurement programme valued at USD 8.01 million, with two additional vehicles scheduled to arrive from the United States on 11 March 2026. The equipment is undergoing technical verification and preparation at Juan Santamaría International Airport (San José, Costa Rica), with full commissioning expected in April 2026 after installation and staff training in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization safety requirements.

Agereh Technologies, a Canadian developer of AI-enabled transport monitoring systems, has secured its first commercial airport customer through a multi-year software-as-a-service agreement with an unnamed large US airport. The contract covers multi-terminal deployment of the company’s passenger-flow monitoring, asset-tracking and door-sensor systems, with installation already initiated across the airport. The agreement establishes long-term operational use of the platform at the airport, although the facility name, project value and deployment timeline have not been disclosed.

Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport (Argentina) will implement an AI-based ramp monitoring system supplied by Synaptic Aviation, a provider of airport operational analytics technology. The deployment follows a 90-day proof-of-concept trial and will cover all passenger gates at the airport using more than 60 locally installed cameras to provide continuous monitoring of ramp activity and aircraft turnaround processes. The system is designed for on-premises operation in line with national data security and sovereignty requirements and will allow airport operators to track operational milestones and detect process deviations.

Information generated by the platform will be shared with airlines and ground handling companies operating at the airport to support operational coordination. The implementation was carried out with the involvement of Aeropuertos Argentina, the national airport operator managing the facility, together with airport IT and operational management teams and government stakeholders to ensure regulatory compliance and privacy protection.

The installation represents an airport-wide operational technology deployment intended to support monitoring, safety oversight and efficiency management in daily ramp operations.

Melbourne Airport (Victoria, Australia) has completed deployment of the Veovo Intelligent Airport Platform as part of a long-term operational technology partnership. The system introduces a web-based airport operational database integrating flight schedules, resource allocation and operational data into a single platform accessible across the airport, enabling operational staff, planners and ground handlers to use shared real-time information. The platform is designed to highlight operational alerts and required decisions so teams can respond to disruptions and manage daily airport activity using a unified system.

Melbourne Airport, which handles more than 37 million passengers annually, implemented the platform to support rising traffic and operational complexity. Veovo, a New Zealand-based airport technology provider, is also supplying a revenue-management system for aeronautical billing at the airport, with deployment planned later in 2026.

Idemia Public Security, a France-based provider of biometric identity technologies, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Elenium, an Australia-based developer of airport self-service automation systems, to integrate biometric identity processing across airport passenger journeys. The partnership combines Elenium’s airport automation platform with Idemia’s biometric passenger processing and baggage identification technologies. The integrated system is designed to link passenger identity verification across multiple airport processes, including check-in, baggage drop, security control, lounge access and boarding.

The system also connects baggage management processes with biometric identity verification in order to enable digital passenger identification across multiple airport touchpoints. This integration is intended to support contactless passenger processing from terminal entry to aircraft boarding.

Elenium’s self-service technologies are currently deployed by more than 45 airlines and 35 airports worldwide and have supported passenger processing for approximately 1.7 billion travellers. The planned integration will combine these systems with Idemia’s artificial intelligence, biometric recognition and computer vision technologies.

Publisher’s note: The articles in this special report, compiled for inter airport Europe, are a few select samples from the biweekly Momberger Airport Information newsletter, published since 1973. The newsletter is an advertising-free, global airport news service that consists of 9 modules and allows subscribers to customize their own newsletter package. The modules that make up the biweekly newsletter are: Airport Development (DEV), Calendar of Events (CAL), and the subscriber-selectable modules Airport Operations (OPS), Management, Ownership & Finance (MGT), Ground Support Equipment (GSE), Air Traffic Services (ATC), Consultant & Contractor / Sustainable Aviation (CON), Airport Information Technology (AIT), and Maintenance Base & FBO (MRO). For more information, a sample of a complete newsletter issue, and to order an annual subscription, please visit www.mombergerairport.info.

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