Astra Group has completed the design, manufacture and installation of wayfinding signage at Manchester Airport’s Terminal 2 (United Kingdom). The project forms part of Manchester Airports Group’s GBP 1.3 billion (USD 1.7 billion) transformation programme at Manchester Airport, the United Kingdom’s third-largest airport. The expansion is intended to increase terminal processing capacity from around 2,300 passengers per hour to approximately 7,000.

The work, delivered over two years in cooperation with Mace Group, a United Kingdom-based construction and consultancy company, and BAM Construction, a European construction contractor, covered signage across the airport approach, forecourt, check-in areas, departures zones and the terminal pier.

Installations include external gate signage, wall-mounted maps, flight information displays, digital totems and internal directional signage, together with room and lift directories designed to support passenger navigation through the terminal. The completed signage scheme was named Wayfinding Scheme of the Year at the 2026 Sign Industry Awards.  

Manchester Airport (United Kingdom) has implemented biometric identity technology in its new Terminal 2 to manage passenger flows across shared infrastructure. Manchester Airports Group, a United Kingdom-based airport operator, has partnered with Amadeus, a Spain-based travel technology company, to deploy a system that enables domestic and international passengers to use the same arrival and departure facilities. The platform verifies passenger eligibility to access specific terminal zones without repeated manual checks.

Passengers travelling within the Common Travel Area can move through the terminal without additional controls, while international passengers are directed to standard United Kingdom border processes, including eGates and officer-managed checks operated by UK Border Force. The system supports more efficient use of terminal space and reduces operational complexity.

The biometric platform is currently processing tens of thousands of passengers each month, with automated identity reconciliation rates reaching close to 99% across inbound and outbound journeys. It is in use with multiple airlines, including Aer Lingus, Aurigny, British Airways, easyJet and Loganair.

Analogic Corporation has been awarded a contract to supply explosive detection systems at Heathrow Airport (United Kingdom), one of the world’s busiest international hubs. The agreement, awarded by Heathrow Airport Limited following a competitive procurement process, covers the deployment of fourth-generation Explosive Detection Systems across multiple terminals.

Analogic will supply and install its SeleCT Hold Baggage Screening systems for integration with existing baggage handling infrastructure, supporting upgraded screening processes.

The project also includes deployment of Analogic’s Blue network to connect screening equipment across terminals, alongside provision of workstations for security operators, supervisors, maintenance teams and training personnel.

The upgrade forms part of a broader programme to modernise baggage screening at the airport, aligning with evolving security detection standards and operational requirements.

Heathrow Airport, located in London (England, United Kingdom), serves as a major global hub handling high passenger volumes and complex transfer operations, making baggage screening efficiency and compliance a critical operational function.

The companies state that the new systems are intended to improve both security performance and processing efficiency, supporting long-term regulatory compliance and operational continuity.

Cornwall Airport Newquay has introduced three new aviation fire appliances to enhance emergency response capability and support sustainability objectives. The new vehicles, supplied by Rosenbauer, replace the airport’s previous Panther fleet introduced in 2008 when the site transitioned from military to civilian use.

Each appliance is equipped with high-reaching extendable turret technology and carries up to 12,000 litres of water with firefighting foam, enabling response to incidents anywhere on the runway within three minutes.

The fleet will operate on hydrotreated vegetable oil under a 12-month trial, with the renewable fuel capable of reducing lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 90% compared to conventional diesel.

The delivery also marks the 100th Rosenbauer Panther supplied in the UK and Ireland, while the airport continues to support regional connectivity and emergency services, including air ambulance and coastguard operations.

BEUMER Group, a Germany-based supplier of baggage handling, sortation and logistics systems for airports and parcel operators, has partnered with Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML, one of Europe’s leading research centres for logistics and material flow technologies. The companies have established a three-year “Enterprise Lab” in Dortmund (Germany) focused on the development of mobile robotics, bringing together BEUMER engineers and Fraunhofer researchers in a shared innovation environment.

The programme will develop a scalable mobile robotics platform using standardised onboard systems, sensors, localisation and fleet management, supported by dedicated research staff and testing infrastructure.

The collaboration is designed to accelerate the transfer of research into operational products, with applications including automated parcel sortation and airport baggage transport systems.

The initiative forms part of Fraunhofer’s established “Enterprise Lab” model, enabling closer integration between industrial development and applied research to shorten innovation cycles. #1265.GSE1

Frankfurt Airport has deployed the first PAX MX2 dual-lane security screening system developed by Vanderlande in collaboration with Fraport AG. The system enables passengers to prepare and collect hand luggage across two parallel lanes, delivering similar throughput to conventional checkpoints while requiring less space and improving resource efficiency. Additional features, including automated tray handling, remote image analysis and ergonomic design, are intended to reduce queue times, streamline operations and improve working conditions for security staff.

The Dutch Ministry of Defence has ordered 26 airport firefighting vehicles from Rosenbauer to replace existing crash tenders used at airports in the Netherlands. Rosenbauer, an Austrian manufacturer of firefighting equipment, will supply PANTHER 6×6 aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicles through Kenbri Fire Fighting, its distribution partner in the Netherlands. The fleet will include seven vehicles equipped with high-reach extendable turrets and 19 units fitted with roof-mounted turrets.

The extendable turret system allows firefighting from a distance using a telescopic arm reaching approximately 16 metres, while roof turrets can discharge water, foam or extinguishing powder at rates of up to 9,000 litres per minute with ranges exceeding 90 metres. The vehicles accelerate from 0 to 80 km/h in less than 33 seconds and are designed for airport firefighting operations.

The vehicles are equipped with pumping and monitoring systems, high extinguishing agent capacity and driver assistance systems, and comply with International Civil Aviation Organization and National Fire Protection Association standards for airport rescue and firefighting services.  

Bordeaux Airport (France) has selected Alstef Group, a French provider of airport automation and baggage handling systems, to deliver a new centralised baggage handling system. The system will be installed in a new Central Building located between Halls A and B as part of infrastructure upgrades at the airport. The project is intended to introduce a fully centralised baggage handling architecture designed to manage baggage flows and support future passenger traffic.

Alstef Group will install an XSORT cross-belt sorter with five injection points, 11 sorting chutes and three departure carousels. The project also includes integration of a BagSort sort allocation computer system, installation of a new arrivals baggage carousel and upgrades to 19 check-in counters in Hall A and 26 in Hall B.

Bordeaux Airport handled 5.9 million passengers in 2025 and served 92 destinations in 30 countries through 26 airlines. Alstef Group will also provide a maintenance contract of at least two years following commissioning of the baggage handling system.  

Schneider Electric, a France-based energy management and automation company, has launched a new integrated operations platform for airports. The Integrated Platform Operations Center (IPOC), built on AVEVA software, combines energy management, automation systems and operational data into a single real-time environment. The platform provides a unified view across airside, terminal and landside operations, replacing fragmented systems with a shared interface for airport teams.

The system is designed to support operational coordination by enabling real-time monitoring and faster decision-making based on integrated data from multiple airport functions. It also incorporates energy data alongside operational inputs, allowing airports to align energy consumption with actual demand.

A comparable AVEVA-based system implemented at Barcelona–El Prat Airport (Catalonia, Spain) replaced 20 separate systems, integrating terminal, baggage handling, HVAC and power plant operations into a single platform.

Malta International Airport (Malta) has awarded Leonardo a contract to modernise the airport’s baggage handling automation system as part of the terminal expansion programme scheduled for completion in 2028. Leonardo, an Italian aerospace and technology company, will supply and install a complete baggage handling system designed to process up to 5,000 bags per hour. The installation includes an automated reception and storage system intended to manage increasing passenger traffic and peak operational periods.

The system is based on Leonardo’s MBHS high-speed baggage sorting technology and will be integrated with the airport’s security infrastructure, including inspection areas compliant with European Standard 3 screening requirements. The technology also incorporates automation software designed to provide full traceability of baggage flows throughout the airport.  

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Texas, United States) has awarded Alstom a contract to upgrade its Skyway automated people mover system and extend operations and maintenance services. The EUR 380 million (USD 437 million) contract includes replacement of the existing system with 16 new Innovia APM R vehicles, upgrades to station infrastructure, installation of a new Operations Control Center and modernisation of train control and communications systems. The works are intended to increase system capacity and support passenger flows across terminals.

Alstom will also continue operating and maintaining the system for 15 years with a dedicated team, supporting reliability as part of the airport’s broader expansion programme.

Denver International Airport (Colorado, United States) has awarded a contract to install a new baggage handling system in Concourse A as part of the concourse expansion programme. Gilmore Construction, a Colorado-based contractor, will serve as the general contractor, while Daifuku, a Japanese manufacturer of material handling and airport baggage systems, will supply and integrate the system. Industrial Constructors/Managers (ICM), a United States industrial contractor, will act as the lead mechanical subcontractor responsible for installing several kilometres (thousands of feet) of conveyor equipment and eight baggage make-up units.

The automated system will connect the concourse centre core with Module 10 West and will be installed in phases, beginning with Modules 5 to 10 before continuing with Modules 1 to 4. Completion of the installation is scheduled for the second quarter of 2027.

Denver International Airport, one of the largest airports in the United States by passenger traffic and land area, is planning infrastructure expansion to accommodate up to 100 million passengers annually by 2030.

TK Elevator, a German manufacturer of vertical transportation systems, including passenger boarding bridges for airports, will present a digital apron operations platform at Passenger Terminal Expo in London (United Kingdom) from 17–19 March 2026. The company will demonstrate a connected apron system combining its Apron Vision visual docking guidance system with the MAX Automate platform for remote and automated passenger boarding bridge (PBB) operations. Apron Vision uses LiDAR and sensor technologies to provide aircraft stand monitoring and docking guidance in all weather conditions. Sensor units positioned across multiple aircraft stands allow apron activity to be monitored through a single digital platform rather than through stand-by-stand guidance systems.

MAX Automate enables operators to control multiple passenger boarding bridges from a central workstation using integrated hardware and software. Assisted and automated docking functions rely on camera and vision technologies designed to guide bridges accurately to aircraft doors. According to TK Elevator, the platform has already been used for more than 500,000 remote PBB operations at a major European airport hub.

Passenger Terminal Expo is an international airport industry event bringing together airport and airline representatives and suppliers, with more than 11,000 participants and over 400 exhibitors and speakers expected at the 2026 edition in London.  

ADB SAFEGATE, a global supplier of airport airside technology systems headquartered in Brussels (Belgium), announced on 4 March 2026 that it has divested its Terminal business line to focus on airside operations. The company stated that the strategic decision will concentrate investment and development on airfield lighting systems, intelligent power technologies and digital platforms supporting airfield, apron and air traffic control tower operations. Research and development activities will also expand through the company’s ADB SAFEGATE LABS programme, which enables testing of new technologies with airport partners.

ADB SAFEGATE is also upgrading its research, development and manufacturing facilities in Machelen (Belgium) to increase production capacity and support the development of new airside technologies.

In addition, the company announced the launch of the Airside Innovation Summit, a forum intended to bring together airport operators, regulators and technology providers to discuss developments in airport safety, automation, digitalisation and sustainability.  

Swiss aviation technology company Assaia has launched StandManager, an artificial intelligence-based system designed to optimise aircraft stand and gate allocation at airports facing growing capacity constraints. The platform continuously analyses live operational data to automate stand and gate assignments and dynamically adjust buffer times for aircraft movements. Instead of relying on fixed schedules and manual planning, the system predicts operational changes such as early or delayed arrivals and reallocates stands accordingly within the airport’s operational rules.

StandManager integrates with Assaia’s existing ApronAI platform, which uses computer vision to monitor aircraft turnaround processes and predict milestones such as off-block times. By linking turnaround performance, towing status and delay predictions directly to stand allocation, the system aims to improve resource planning across airport operations.

Assaia said the platform has been developed in response to increasing pressure on airport infrastructure as global passenger traffic continues to grow faster than airport capacity. According to the company, the use of dynamic predictive buffers could increase effective stand capacity by up to 5% without additional infrastructure investment.

The system has been developed in partnership with Transformers Group, which specialises in open-architecture resource management systems for airports.

SITA, a Switzerland-based provider of aviation IT solutions, has launched a cloud-based baggage analytics platform alongside outlining a broader operational model for airport performance. The new system, SITA Bag Radar, integrates data from baggage messaging, reconciliation and departure control systems into a single analytics environment, combining historical data, real-time monitoring and predictive tools to identify risks such as missed connections, mishandled baggage and operational bottlenecks.

The platform provides web-based dashboards for operational teams and connects with existing infrastructure and selected third-party systems without requiring major system changes, enabling earlier intervention in disruptions and supporting deployment at individual airports or across wider networks.

In parallel, SITA states in a new white paper that airport performance is increasingly constrained by fragmented operational coordination rather than physical infrastructure.

The report introduces a Total Airport Management model that integrates data across stakeholders into a shared operational view, supported by predictive analytics and real-time decision-making to manage interconnected flows of passengers, baggage and aircraft.

It argues that traditional siloed processes fail to optimise performance, with inefficiencies shifting across operations, and identifies rising demand, increasing complexity and limited infrastructure expansion as key drivers for change.

SITA outlines a three-step approach involving consolidation of operational data, integration of performance targets and coordinated management of airport processes, aiming to improve resource allocation, operational stability and overall capacity utilisation.

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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