Saab Introduces Aerobahn De-icing Manager

The Aerobahn® De-icing Manager from Saab is now available for airport operators, airlines, and de-icing companies to proactively manage and track the aircraft de-icing process. The De-icing Manager adds to Saab’s widely-deployed suite of airport and airline automation tools that are creating more reliable and cost effective flight operations.

The De-icing Manager integrates airport surface surveillance and flight data to provide users with real-time situational awareness of de-icing pad activity. Users can schedule and sequence aircraft into centralized de-icing pads; track de-icing queue lengths and occupancy times; and automatically record de-icing process milestones.

In addition, the Aerobahn De-icing Manager features a number of predictive elements that facilitate better planning of the de-icing process. This includes estimated de-icing queue entry, pad entry, occupancy and exit times, and the generation of recommended push back times that help to limit queue lengths.

“The de-icing process is a critical operation that requires situational awareness, communication and sharing of common information between airlines, airport operators and de-icing service providers,” said Ken Kaminski, general manager of Saab ATM. “The Aerobahn De-icing Manager enables all stakeholders to better plan and coordinate during a snow event, reducing taxi time, fuel burn and flight delays even when the weather is at its worst.”

The Aerobahn Product Suite (Surface Manager, Departure Manager, Airport Dashboard and De-icing Manager) is designed to improve the efficiency and collaboration of airport authorities, airlines and air navigation service providers. It is the industry’s most widely-deployed airport operations management system, currently in use at 25 airports world-wide, including five of the 10 busiest airports in the U.S. (Atlanta, Denver, New York - JFK, Charlotte and Phoenix International Airports).