Over the past year, the introduction of a sophisticated Material Requirement Planning (MRP) tool, powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning, helps the inventory team predict future spare parts consumption. With parts on hand, the team can promptly execute engineering work orders, resulting in quicker maintenance responses and fewer disruptions for airport guests.

The MRP tool has improved forecast accuracy by 30%, allowing for precise inventory planning and reducing excess stock by 12%. This optimisation enhances capital utilisation and ensures that resources are available when needed.

Emmanuel Augustin, VP of Supply Management at Dubai Airports said, "We leveraged AI and real-time data to streamline our inventory management, improve efficiency and enhance the quality of service we provide to our key customers, both our internal business functions and the millions of guests who travel through the airport. As the first airport in the region and the first government entity in Dubai to implement this system, it underscores our commitment to innovation and operational excellence.” 

Improved forecasting has led to a 24% increase in service levels, enabling faster response times for facility maintenance and enhancing the overall guest experience. The reduction of ageing work orders by 82% ensures that maintenance tasks are addressed promptly, minimising downtime and maintaining high standards of airport operations.

The automation of the inventory ordering process has improved efficiency by 400%, seamlessly integrating the creation of purchase requisitions and significantly reducing manual workloads. 

The advanced data analytics provided by the MRP tool have strengthened decision-making processes, allowing Dubai Airports to leverage real-time data for enhanced performance. This has also ensured adherence to new regulations, maintaining the airport’s commitment to operational excellence and regulatory compliance.

ROVAR, a UK-based start-up, won the challenge for its future-focused smart guide, using augmented and virtual reality to enhance the guest experience. The guide offers helpful information throughout the traveller’s journey and allows exploration of the airport pre-departure using augmented reality through smartphone technology. 

The judging panel, led by Dubai Airports' SVP of Terminal Operations Essa Al Shamsi, Director of Corporate Planning Kate Ganley, Vice President of Design Neil Kee, and Senior Manager of Corporate Strategy Shamoil Tayabji, played a crucial role in evaluating the finalists' innovations and guided the selection of ROVAR's smart guide solution. Commenting on the VISTA challenge, Essa Al Shamsi, SVP of Terminal Operations at Dubai Airports, said: "We are thrilled to announce ROVAR the winner of our guest experience innovator challenge. Their solution aligns with our vision to enhance the guest experience and embodies the forward-thinking that our industry needs. This victory is a milestone for ROVAR and we look forward to seeing their idea take flight”. 

The smart guide homepage synchronises with the guest’s GPS,  highlighting services and facilities in real-time for an enhanced brand experience at the airport. Integrated virtual wayfinding ensures a personalised journey, with the added benefit of in-flight content control through the smartphone. ROVAR's solution promises to elevate the guest experience at DXB through AR, wayfinding and personalised retail opportunities. 

VISTA, Dubai Airshow's dedicated start-up event, served as a dynamic platform for innovators, creators, and disruptors within the aerospace industry and facilitated a connection between start-ups and investors. This year's VISTA challenge invited five finalists to present their ideas to enhance the guest experience for travellers transiting through DXB. Each finalist had a three-minute window to showcase their project, followed by an interactive Q&A session with a panel of judges comprising influential decision-makers from the aviation industry. 

Dubai Airports has already implemented a queue monitoring sensor system and invested in self-service technologies with Emirates to enhance customer experience and operational efficiency. Collaborating with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) and other strategic partners, a seamless biometric path from check-in to boarding was developed. Furthermore, a passenger flow module predicts demand and plans required manpower resources, ensuring secure, fast, and efficient operations from kerb to boarding gates.

The award was presented at a prestigious ceremony held in Montreal, Canada, at the 41^st General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) recently. Dubai Airports was recognised for its efforts as a leading player in the global aviation industry in implementing its ongoing sustainability programmes. Some of these projects include the replacing of 150,000 conventional light fixtures across DXB's terminals and airfield with significantly more efficient LED lights, introducing electric and hybrid ground service vehicles, and building a 15,000-panel solar array at DXB’s Terminal 2, the largest at any airport in the Middle East.  

Commenting on Dubai Airports’ achievement, Omar Binadai, Executive Vice President of Technology & Infrastructure at Dubai Airports said: “We are delighted to be recognised as a positive force within the industry – one that is helping to support the global aviation community on its journey to a more sustainable future, and an organisation that is both fully aligned with, and committed to, helping the UAE’s wider efforts in achieving long-term climate action goals.”

Established in 2016, the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Aviation Award aims to shine a light on countries, businesses, and individuals around the world by recognising their contribution to the success of aviation industry. This triennial award reflects UAE’s commitment to promote aviation and support to ICAO’s ‘No Country Left Behind’ initiative.

This year, the second edition of the Award was divided into three categories that represent a unique mix of aviation business, including outstanding resource contribution to ICAO programs, best aviation sustainability program (Environment or Socio-economic Pillars), and aircraft cabin noise-research and development category. 

Dubai Airports has been named the winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the Most Innovative Workplace Redesign During Covid-19 category in the seventh annual Stevie Awards for Great Employers.

Dubai Airports was recognised with a Gold Stevie® Award for undertaking a number of impressive initiatives during the Covid-19 pandemic to protect the health and wellbeing of employees, customers, and guests. This included the redesign of the Dubai Airports workplace with the installation of onsite testing and vaccination facilities and making these available free of charge for all staff and their families.

A series of important technology changes were also implemented in a very short period – redefining ways of working at Dubai Airports. This included the introduction of an online collaboration platform and relaxing of video conferencing restrictions to enable remote working, rollout of DAInsignia e-signature platform enabling 100% digital workforce with the ability to work from anywhere as well as the automation of HR employee services which helped to eliminate paper and enhance the employee experience. Not only did these changes improve efficiency but also enabled true contactless work maximising safety for all employees.

Welcoming the win at the awards, Majed Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Airports said, “Dubai’s and the UAE’s response to the pandemic has been hailed globally as exemplary in how it balanced the safety and well-being of people while also protecting the economy and thousands of livelihoods across sectors. We knew that the restoration of consumer confidence was the first critical requirement towards achieving meaningful recovery, and we worked accordingly to ensure that our employees and customers felt confident in our ability to keep them safe and protected at DXB.”

The Covid 19 – Response Categories in this year’s Stevie Awards recognise innovative redesigns of workplaces during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep employees, customers, and others safe and productive.

The special category was created to honour the contributions of HR individuals, teams, and entire organizations that have worked valiantly over the year to keep employees safe, healthy, employed, paid, and informed.

More than 100 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year’s Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie Award winners.  Winners in the Employer of the Year categories were determined by a unique blending of the ratings of the professional judges and more than 80,000 public votes.  The public vote was sponsored by HiBob.

The new contact centre blends live and technology-enabled services for travellers to access support via phone, email, live chat, social media on @DXB and @DubaiAirports platforms, as well as WhatsApp for business, which is coming soon.

Dubai Airports began testing the new integrated DXB service earlier this year to ensure seamless operations and guest support. The contact centre includes 24/7 bilingual support as well as the most updated and consistent information across all channels, including automated flight status check without having to speak to an agent. When needed, automated routing is available to key DXB partners including Emirates, dnata, the General Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA), Dubai Customs and the Road Transport Authority.

“The new DXB contact centre exemplifies how Dubai Airports is making significant enhancements to the guest experience at every customer touchpoint. It is our commitment to deliver a best-in-class guest experience with every conversation while creating a safe, smooth, fast, and enjoyable journey,” said Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports.

 “The investment in customer service excellence at DXB supports the vision of the Dubai government to deliver innovative and integrated customer service. Our customers can now enjoy timely and efficient support across all contact centre channels in real time and on their channel of choice.”   

Dubai Airports is partnering with Teleperformance, a leading provider of integrated business services, to deliver this best practice omni-channel solution by combining an integrated blend of human and digital tools to support guests quickly and easily with a high degree of customer satisfaction.

DXB guests can access the customer contact centre through the following:

• By calling 04-224 5555
• Via email at customer.care@dubaiairports.ae
• On webchat through the Dubai Airports and DXB&more websites
• Through @DXB Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels
• Through @DubaiAirports Facebook, Instagram and Twitter channels
• Through a verified WhatsApp account at 04-224 5555 (coming soon)

On June 22^nd, an Emirates A380 bound for Amman, Jordan was the first aircraft to depart from the new runway and shortly after, an Emirates A380 arriving from Sydney, Australia touched down, marking the official reopening of DXB’s Northern Runway and return to operations ahead of the busy summer travel period.

Following a strong start to 2022, with more than 13.6 million travellers passing thorough DXB in the first quarter, the highly complex engineering project was completed according to schedule in preparation for the peak travel season, with a busy summer period expected, and the football World Cup in Qatar bringing an extra influx of passengers towards the end of the year, as well as longer term growth in the next decade.

Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports, said: “The northern runway rehabilitation project was a key strategic move by Dubai Airports and its partners in the aviation community to invest in the infrastructure at DXB and shows our ongoing commitment to passenger care and operational excellence, while enhancing the safety, operational efficiency, and capacity of our airport well into the future.”

Griffiths added, “We are delighted to report that some elements of the project were delivered ahead of schedule, allowing us to fully prepare to a return to dual runway operations at the world’s busiest airport on time. Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our teams and service partners supporting us, our state-of-the-art infrastructure will continue to provide the same world-class customer experience for tens of millions of passengers for many years to come.”

A workforce of over 400 engineers and field experts, as well as 3,800 personnel worked around the clock to reconstruct the 4,500-metre central strip of the runway, as well as associated taxiways and graded safety strips. In addition, over 4,230 fully addressable LED airfield lights have been upgraded and reinstalled, along with the latest technology in the Navigational Aid and the Meteorological Equipment (MET) systems, further improving safety and increasing the operational capacity of the northern runaway.

To ensure a seamless traveller experience and provide continuity in customer service while the essential work was being performed, Dubai World Central (DWC) was reopened and handled more than 1,000 flights per week from multiple international carriers including flydubai, SpiceJet, Indigo, Gulf Air, Air India Express and Qatar Airways during the 45-day transition period. 

Dubai Airports is marking the World Environment Day by kicking off a new waste management initiative that will play an integral role delivering on its commitment to keep 60% of all waste from Dubai International (DXB) from entering landfills by the middle of 2023.

As part of the new programme, the operator has implemented an innovative food waste treatment plan which is expected to capture and compost more than 2,000 tonnes of food waste annually from food and beverage outlets, lounges and hotels across DXB terminals and concourses. Decomposing food waste in landfills results in the emission of methane gas which is 72 times more harmful to the environment than CO2.

The innovative new food waste plan was created in partnership with Dubai Airports’ waste management partner BEEAH Group, the Sharjah-based sustainability pioneer. It uses a special high-tech biodigester compost system installed in multiple locations across DXB that dramatically increases the speed at which food waste breaks down and becomes reusable compost and clean wastewater.

The DXB waste diversion strategy is designed to sustain a resilient waste management system that identifies the least economic, environmental, and social impact methods to capture, treat, reuse, or recycle all forms of waste. To date, the programme has already achieved greater than 40% reduction in waste, including a special initiative that captures 100% of all cooking oil used in airport F&B outlets and converts it to biodiesel fuel.

“Capturing and diverting all forms of waste from landfills is a strategically important component of our waste management programme. While airport operations contribute a very small percentage of the overall waste generated at DXB, we are working in close partnership with airlines, F&B facilities, and all other partners across the airport to make a unified commitment to achieving and surpassing our 60% waste reduction objective,” said Jamal Zaal, Vice President of Safety and Sustainability at Dubai Airports.

“BEEAH Group is committed to being Dubai Airports’ partner to create a range of innovative new programmes to capture and find a useful purpose for all forms of waste in the most practical and impactful ways possible. Deploying Power Knot technology across all DXB terminals and concourses is a great example of that innovation and will put us on the path to achieve our goal of eliminating food waste and achieving our waste diversion targets,” said Rafael Sanjurjo Lopez, CEO Bee’ah Tandeef.

World Environment Day is led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and is celebrated by millions of people across the world. Held annually since 1974, it has grown into the largest global platform for environmental outreach. The campaign slogan for World Environment Day 2022, hosted by Sweden, is “Only One Earth” and is focused on living sustainably in harmony with nature.