State-of-the-art software and applications
are enhancing all types of ramp activity
the trial period. The most
impressive performers receive
investment from a multimillion
pound digital fund and
are integrated with day-today
operations immediately.
This year will be the second
time IAG has a cargo-specifi c
category.
“The idea behind Hangar
51 is that both IAG and IAG
Cargo see huge potential in
disruptive technologies from
start-ups,” said Carly Morris,
Head of Innovation at IAG
Cargo. “We give them a foot
in the door and mentor them
throughout the accelerator.
We trust them to bring their
technical expertise, but we
identify how it will fi t in with
the problems we face in the
industry. The great thing with
start-ups is it can all happen
very quickly. Last year, one of
the air cargo applicants was the
British software company Emu
Analytics, and they started
working with us at Heathrow
airport the day after Hangar 51
ended.”
Emu Analytics, which is
also working with Transport
for London (TfL), uses its
real-time location platform
Flo.w to capture and analyse
data from moving objects. It
turns the data into striking
visual representations that
Most airlines working
with cargo.one to date are
high-value carriers, including
Finnair, AirBridgeCargo and
Lufthansa Cargo. Claussen
describes the recent recruit
Finnair as “innovative, bold
and fun to work with”. But
some less forward-thinking
airlines are not yet ready to
combine capacity with pricing.
“When we started there was
a near universal belief that
airlines would never make
their trade secrets available
to third parties. They would
just give you a price, but not
let you know what capacity
was available. But it makes no
sense to have a price without
knowing the capacity. In the
last two years, this attitude
has fi nally started to change,”
Claussen notes.
The rise of machine learning
Airlines are beginning to
appreciate how tech start-ups
armed with machine learning
and powerful computers might
be able to speed up processes.
For example, International
Airlines Group (IAG launched
its Hangar 51 global
innovation programme four
years ago. Hangar 51 is a ten
week accelerator for selected
start-ups who are embedded in
IAG’s daily operations during
help businesses to optimise
their processes. For IAG Cargo,
the data comes from ground
vehicles, sensors, dollies or
unit load devices. It highlights
scenarios where the cargo
might not reach the aircraft in
time, or when assets are in the
wrong place.
“Most of the benefi ts are
around being more proactive
in dealing with potential
congestion and delays, rather
than being reactive,” says
Richard Vilton, CEO. “We’re
also implementing machine
learning platforms that predict
queue forming well before
you’d notice it in the real
world.”
Following its rapid rise to a
prominent role in the aviation
sector, Emu Analytics attended
the World Aviation Festival
in London at the start of
September. The festival invited
speakers from easyJet, Fraport
and VINCI Airports, as well
as tech companies, to share
insights about how digital
technology might transform
aviation logistics. Vilton is
keen to fi nd new international
customers and there’s a strong
possibility that IAG’s Spanish
hubs will be interested in
implementing Emu Analytics’
Flo.w platform.
“There are different
challenges at every airport,
but the software will always
produce valuable insights.
“Air cargo is a growing
industry and there will be
more and more demand for
slick operations and tools that
can facilitate that,” Vilton
enthuses.
www.airlogisticsinternational.com October 2019 27
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