Every day, airport teams handle thousands of flight movements, gate changes, passenger updates, and schedule disruptions. Amidst this fast-paced environment, one thing that remains constant is the need for accurate, real-time flight information. Whether it is a passenger finding their gate or a ground handler coordinating baggage operations, timely data is essential for keeping everything moving smoothly.
Flight information systems (FIS) are the backbone of this coordination. They connect multiple departments, from air traffic control and airlines to ground services and terminal operations, ensuring everyone has the right information at the right time. However, implementing or upgrading these systems is not just a plug-and-play solution. It involves aligning infrastructure, integrating data sources, training staff, and ensuring ongoing reliability.
In this blog, we will explore the essential focus areas when adopting or upgrading airport flight information systems. From deployment preparation to post-launch monitoring, this guide will help airport leaders make smarter decisions that lead to smoother operations.
AFIDS Setup Guide: Ensuring Operational Readiness
AFIDS (Airport Flight Information Display System) is a real-time operations and display platform that allows airlines, handling agents, fuel operators, and Air Traffic Control (ATC) to enter, track, and share flight data across all airport departments. It supports inputs in ICAO or IATA formats, manages stand allocation, baggage timings, ground service data, fuel reporting, and integrates with FIDSnet for passenger-facing displays.
AFIDS also helps airports reduce delays and vehicle congestion by streamlining apron operations and ensuring accurate, automated billing through its ALDIS-powered invoicing tools. Therefore, deploying AFIDS effectively is essential to maximise these benefits, and the following points outline the key steps for a smooth and reliable implementation.
Airport Flight Information Systems Checklist | Credit: ChatGPT
1. Pre‑Deployment Planning
- Validate display infrastructure, including monitors, network capacity, and power availability, to ensure it meets AFIDS requirements.
- Confirm data feeds from the Airport Operational Database (AODB), Air Traffic Control (ATC), airlines, and apron systems are ready for integration.
- Define roles and responsibilities by assigning specific contacts across IT, operations, communications, and apron management teams.
- Secure licensing and support agreements with Airport Information Systems (AIS) to guarantee access to technical support and regular updates.
2. Configuration and Integration
- Establish data validation rules to flag discrepancies between scheduled flight data and live operational updates.
- Integrate AFIDS with billing systems like ALDIS to capture accurate chargeable events for automated invoicing.
- Set up rule-based alerts for delays, diversions, or missing milestones to help operations teams respond quickly.
- Configure access controls and audit trails to ensure accountability across airline, apron, and operations teams.
- Integrate apron-specific workflows, such as stand allocation, ground service inputs and baggage timings, to maximise turnaround efficiency and coordination with ATC. Read also: The Importance of Apron Management.
3. Testing and Training
- Conduct technical tests to simulate real-world scenarios, including interruptions to data feeds, power outages, and emergency broadcasts.
- Run integrated drills with apron staff, Air Traffic Control, and baggage teams to verify coordinated responses during irregular operations.
- Provide role-specific training, ensuring IT teams are confident in system maintenance, operations staff can update and monitor displays, and apron teams can manage stand information effectively.
4. Go‑Live and Post‑Launch Checks
- Monitor system logs and uptime daily to track display availability and reduce delays caused by data latency.
- Carry out routine system audits to verify the accuracy of incoming data feeds and identify any discrepancies.
- Gather operational staff feedback to evaluate workflow efficiency, accuracy of updates, and relevance of alerts.
- Schedule quarterly reviews with AIS to apply necessary software patches, refresh display templates, and evaluate performance trends.
When AFIDS is set up the right way, it makes everyday airport operations easier for everyone involved. As a result, teams can coordinate more smoothly, apron delays become less frequent, and there’s better control over how resources are used. It also helps reduce congestion and cut down on unnecessary environmental impact.
FIDSnet: Web-Based Airport Flight Information Systems Network
FIDSnet is AIS’s secure, web-based flight information service that provides remote access to live flight data for airlines, handlers, airport operations, and other stakeholders. It supports role-based dashboards, multi-device access, and automated notifications, enabling coordinated decision-making and real-time situational awareness. Moreover, FIDSnet ensures airports benefit from improved communication, accurate planning, and faster disruption management. The checklist below outlines the essential steps to implement FIDS network successfully in an airport:
1. Getting Ready for Deployment
- Make sure the platform is accessed over HTTPS, which uses TLS/SSL encryption to keep all data secure in transit. It is also important to review your firewall settings to ensure only approved network connections are allowed.
- Identify user groups and access requirements by defining teams that require access to real-time data, such as airlines, ground handlers, operations staff, and management.
- Map data sources, confirming flight schedules, Airport Operational Database (AODB), ATC feeds, and other systems supply consistent, accurate data.
- Activate licensing and service agreements with AIS to ensure timely access to the platform, support, and updates.
2. System Configuration and Customisation
- Define user permissions, assigning role-based access to control which users can view or edit specific data.
- Design tailored dashboards, setting up live summaries for delays, gate changes, apron updates, and performance metrics.
- Optimise for multiple devices, ensuring desktop, tablet, and mobile interfaces are intuitive and responsive for field and office users.
- Enable alert messaging to quickly communicate delays, diversions, or emergency notifications.
3. User Preparation and Handover
- Provide user training, distribute clear guides and conduct walkthroughs for operations staff, airlines, and handling agents.
- Conduct Irregular Operations (IROPs) scenario drills, simulating delay spikes and gate reassignments to test system responsiveness and coordination.
- Implement reporting workflows, standardising how teams extract data such as daily reports, delay analyses, and trend monitoring.
4. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
- Verify data integrity and compare live dashboard information with official sources every day to monitor inconsistencies.
- Collect user feedback regularly, consulting with internal teams and partner stakeholders on dashboard usability, data accuracy, and alert relevance.
- Plan for scalability, reviewing system performance during peak holiday or seasonal traffic and coordinating capacity upgrades with AIS, if needed.
This FIDSnet guide ensures that your airport’s web flight information service is secure, user-friendly, and reliable, aligning with operational needs from deployment through ongoing management.
Maximising Value Post-Deployment
As airports grow busier and technologies advance, AFIDS and FIDSnet cannot remain static. After deployment, these systems must evolve alongside your airport’s operations. Airport managers should:
- Conduct quarterly system reviews by working with AIS teams to assess system health and apply necessary updates.
- Analyse performance metrics using built-in analytics to identify delays, operational bottlenecks, and passenger pain points.
- Plan for feature enhancements by adopting new AIS modules, such as automated billing or advanced data reporting, as operational needs expand.
Following this good practice enables airport operations leaders to deploy AFIDS and FIDSnet effectively and keep them optimised for long-term efficiency and passenger service improvements.
Conclusion
Reliable flight information includes every part of airport operations, from passenger communication to staff coordination and regulatory compliance. AIS’s AFIDS and FIDSnet provide robust solutions for these needs. AFIDS, with its integration of apron workflows and ALDIS-powered automated billing, ensures operational efficiency, while FIDSnet enables secure, real-time access to live flight data for all key stakeholders. But their impact depends on structured planning, thorough configuration, targeted training, and continuous optimisation.
To make things easier, we have created a practical checklist that summarises each key point. Enter your email below and get the full airport flight information systems checklist delivered straight to your inbox.
AIS works closely with airport teams to ensure every deployment runs smoothly and delivers measurable results. If you are planning an upgrade or looking to streamline your current systems, let’s start a conversation and see how AFIDS and FIDSnet can work best for you.
