Finland plans to use AI for improved airport efficiency

Finnish airport operator Finavia plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to cut delays at Helsinki Airport, after achieving strong efficiency gains and cost savings during a trial at a regional airport. Finavia, which operates Finland’s 21 airports, initially commissioned consultancy firms Fourkind and Reaktor to streamline operations at the small Kittilä Airport in Lapland. Most of the year, Kittilä only receives one or two flights a day. However, during the peak winter season, Kittilä was struggling to cope with a surge in tourists, creating recurring delays and overcrowded departure gates. “The humble-sized airport was spread thin trying to fit a higher-than-normal amount of planes to only 12 parking lots, while also securing enough airport buses and drivers to transport people between gates and planes. With frequent scheduling interruptions and unpredictable weather, the delay-causing puzzle was hard to crack,” Finavia said. Finavia, Fourkind and Reaktor used AI to optimize aircraft parking during a peak period in December 2018. That trial led to a 61% reduction in airport-related flight delays, cut average delay times by 66% and saved an estimated E500,000 in one month.<br/>