Airport operations, ground traffic control, environmental aspects and safety requirements put high demands on airport winter services. Telematics systems such as apronfleet support winter service operators to fulfill these demands. Features such as precise and detailed mission documentation including vehicle and driver identification, type and amount of de-icing material, precise position monitoring of the vehicles, and airport area referencing give evidence on the complete activities of each day during the winter season.

On-board computers in the vehicles are connected to the control units of the vehicle’s winter service body and gather all necessary data in order to precisely document the amount of de-icing material applied to the apron surface. The data are transmitted regularly to the dispatch centre via GSM/GPRS or W-LAN and are shown on as vehicle movements and operations online on the graphic map on the dispatcher’s working position. This information enables the dispatcher to exactly determine apron areas where the winter service has already been conducted as desired and where additional operation should take place. The exact knowledge of the winter fleet activities thus ensures the necessary safety of aircraft operations on the apron, taxiways and runways while making optimal use of personnel, vehicles and de-icing material.

All data are stored in a data base and can be used for mission analysis or season reportings to controlling and environmental departments, in case of insurance claims, or to reply to customer complaints.

Apronfleet can easily be combined with summer services, ground handling equipment and other fleet management task on the airport and thus offers a complete and cost effective telematics solution for all departments on modern airports.