Jan Willem Kappes, senior vice president of global sales at Assaia, explains how best to manage the turnaround and maximize aviation’s most valuable asset.
Two of the industry’s most expensive and scarce resources – aircraft and airport gates – converge at a single operational flash point: the turnaround. This short but critical interval, during which an aircraft is prepared for its next flight, has long been a black hole of missing information for airport and airline operations. Now it is becoming a focal point for strategic innovation, especially as capacity constraints and rising traveler demand put mounting pressure on the air transportation system.
Crunch the numbers
According to IATA, the global airline industry is expected to see strong passenger growth in 2025, with traveler numbers reaching 5.2 billion, a 6.7% increase from 2024. This growth will be driven by strong global demand but is also expected to be tempered by ongoing supply chain challenges. Aircraft availability remains a central obstacle: KPMG’s 2025The Supply Strain report found that more than 650 aircraft were grounded inNovember 2024 alone, and a record high of 17,000 airplanes remained on backorder that year.
Each idle aircraft represents not just a missed opportunity but a multimillion dollar asset losing value every minute its on the ground. At the same time, airports are contending with gate shortages, and are often unable to expand due to spatial or environmental constraints. With the cost of constructing a new gate averaging US$300m, optimizing the use of existing infrastructure is essential.
Keep it moving
The turnaround is where these two assets meet. Managing it effectively is key to keeping aircraft flying and gates available.Yet the process is complex, involving dozens of coordinated activities that must occur in sequence and on time. Traditional oversight, based on manual monitoring and fragmented systems, struggles to keep pace with modern operational demands.
This is where Assaia’s ApronAI is proving transformative.By using computer vision to monitor apron activity in real time, it provides airports with a detailed, dynamic view of turnaround performance. Cameras installed at gates feed video to the system, which uses AI to detect key stages such as fueling, loading and jet bridge movement. These events are time-stamped and analyzed, offering operations teams immediate insights to preempt delays and ensure safety.
ApronAI also supports smarter gate use.With accurate, real-time visibility into turnaround progress, planners can makedata-driven decisions that minimize idle time, reduce unnecessary towing and avoidgate conflicts. This helps airports stretch limited resources further, without compromisingservice quality.
Changi Airport is reported to expect an increaseof up to 12 additional turnarounds per day once it deploys AI turnaround optimizationacross its entire facility.
For airlines, Assaia’s TurnaroundControl complementsApronAI by delivering similar capabilities from the airline’s perspective. It tracks performance across stations, flags deviations from schedule and enables proactive management of ground handling teams. This helps reduce turnaround variability, supports on-time departures and improves the airport’s overall operational resilience.
Leading carriers, including United andAlaska Airlines, are already working with Assaia to apply these tools at scale.The collaborations demonstrate how real-time data and AI can enhance both day-to-day operations and long-term performance planning. Assaia’s 2024Turnaround Benchmark Report analysis found that there was an up to 25% increase in turns per gate per day with ApronAI, and an up to 6% decrease in ground delays overall.
Together, TurnaroundControl and ApronAI offer a shared operational tool for airports and airlines that enables a real-time, objective view of turnaround performance and replaces guesswork with data. WithAI-driven visibility and control, airports and airlines can unlock new capacity, boost efficiency and safeguard the profitability of their most valuable assets, right where they meet.
Some heading goes here
It is our firm belief that the future of aviation should be free of delays.
With this in mind, for the past year, Assaia has hosted a bi-monthly Roundtable for airline representatives to discuss ramp safety, including the challenges experienced post-Covid, such as staff turnover, a lack of experienced staff, and time pressures for the ramp crew. With the recent FAA mandate on Safety Management Systems (SMS), Assaia has just opened up the Roundtable to airports to facilitate increased collaboration.
Roundtable discussions have affirmed the importance of using data-driven solutions to move away from manual monitoring and toward real-time automated intervention to prevent incidents and improve behavior. At the recent American Airlines safety management system conference, Assaia discussed computer vision's potential as a tool to strengthen SMS strategies. Airline safety experts agreed that real-time automated alerts are the way forward to improve safety and facilitate safety-aware behavior. Analyzing and understanding historical data can help advance regulations and standard operating procedures
SMS strategies. Airline safety experts agreed that real-time automated alerts are the way forward to improve safety and facilitate safety-aware behavior. Analyzing and understanding historical data can help advance regulations and standard operating procedures
Image caption goes here
Some heading goes here
It is our firm belief that the future of aviation should be free of delays.
With this in mind, for the past year, Assaia has hosted a bi-monthly Roundtable for airline representatives to discuss ramp safety, including the challenges experienced post-Covid, such as staff turnover, a lack of experienced staff, and time pressures for the ramp crew. With the recent FAA mandate on Safety Management Systems (SMS), Assaia has just opened up the Roundtable to airports to facilitate increased collaboration.
Roundtable discussions have affirmed the importance of using data-driven solutions to move away from manual monitoring and toward real-time automated intervention to prevent incidents and improve behavior. At the recent American Airlines safety management system conference, Assaia discussed computer vision's potential as a tool to strengthen SMS strategies. Airline safety experts agreed that real-time automated alerts are the way forward to improve safety and facilitate safety-aware behavior. Analyzing and understanding historical data can help advance regulations and standard operating procedures.
With this in mind, for the past year, Assaia has hosted a bi-monthly Roundtable for airline representatives to discuss ramp safety, including the challenges experienced post-Covid, such as staff turnover, a lack of experienced staff, and time pressures for the ramp crew. With the recent FAA mandate on Safety Management Systems (SMS), Assaia has just opened up the Roundtable to airports to facilitate increased collaboration.
Roundtable discussions have affirmed the importance of using data-driven solutions to move away from manual monitoring and toward real-time automated intervention to prevent incidents and improve behavior.
At the recent American Airlines safety management system conference, Assaia discussed computer vision's potential as a tool to strengthen SMS strategies.
Roundtable discussions have affirmed the importance of using data-driven solutions to move away
Roundtable discussions have affirmed the importance of using data-driven solutions to move away
At the recent American Airlines safety management system conference, Assaia discussed computer vision's potential as a tool to strengthen SMS strategies. Airline safety experts agreed that real-time automated alerts are the way forward to improve safety and facilitate safety-aware behavior. Analyzing and understanding historical data can help advance regulations and standard operating procedures.
Side image goes here
With this in mind, for the past year, Assaia has hosted a bi-monthly Roundtable for airline representatives to discuss ramp safety, including the challenges experienced post-Covid, such as staff turnover, a lack of experienced staff, and time pressures for the ramp crew. With the recent FAA mandate on Safety Management Systems (SMS), Assaia has just opened up the Roundtable to airports to facilitate increased collaboration.
Roundtable discussions have affirmed the importance of using data-driven solutions to move away from manual monitoring and toward real-time automated intervention to prevent incidents and improve behavior.
Side image goes here
At the recent American Airlines safety management system conference, Assaia discussed computer vision's potential as a tool to strengthen SMS strategies. Airline safety experts agreed that real-time automated alerts are the way forward to improve safety and facilitate safety-aware behavior. Analyzing and understanding historical data can help advance regulations and standard operating procedures.
Testimonials
Using technology to move the aviation industry forward is in Alaska’s DNA, our teams have already been using Assaia to improve our aircraft turn processes, and we’re thrilled to help expand technology that will make us safer, more efficient, and offer an even better guest experience. This partnership represents the future of machine learning applications in aviation and will translate into significant advances in our industry.
Pasha Saleh
Corporate Development Director, Alaska Airlines
The use of Assaia's TurnaroundControl has provided our Airline Partners, Ground Handlers, and Service Providers with full visibility of the aircraft turn processes. The data, predictability, and visibility enhances our collective efficiency and resilience at Toronto Pearson. Paired with our A-CDM initiative, Assaia's TurnaroundControl provides crucial data driving A-CDM processes, a reduction in turn times, and a noticeable increase in on-time performance.
Dean Wright
Associate Director, Gating & Airport Flow
The way Turnaround 2.0 uses AI and machine learning to boost our zone controllers' efficiency is remarkable. They can now manage multiple gate activities with more focus on handling exceptions, rather than multitasking.
Turnaround 2.0 is more than a tool for the present; it's a foundation for 'United Next,' growing with us and helping us surpass our operational goals efficiently.
Daniel Reed
Director of Station Operations, United Airlines
Our focus is to use innovation to make our operations smoother. We have selected Assaia because of the capabilities of the tool. But it is also really important for us that it has a good record of successful implementation, so we know it will deliver for us, for our airlines and ultimately for our passengers.
Dr Babett Stapel
Managing Director, Fraport Slovenjia
We are optimizing all our processes on the apron to shorten the time each aircraft needs to be on the ground, which benefits both our passengers and our airline partners. This is a common issue across our airports and we are talking to all of them about this technology.
Claus Grunow
VP of Corporate Strategy and Digitalization at Fraport
We are pleased to partner with Assaia to implement the ApronAI Turnaround Control solution at T4. This new solution will not only optimize operations and our work with our business partners, but will also help us to ensure a first-class customer experience at T4.
Roel Huinink
President and CEO, JFKIAT
The real-time and historical insights that can inform both airport and airline operations make this solution a clear winner for everyone.
Craig Paul
Director of Technology & Innovation , Halifax Stanfield International
Assaia's product allows airports and airlines to collect, track, and analyze data in real time; this innovation removes inefficiencies and optimizes performance.
Jim Lockheed
JetBlue Ventures
We’re creating the airport of the future, and innovation in apron operations will directly improve the passenger experience. We are laser focused on innovations that will make Pearson and its whole apron ecosystem more efficient while reducing our carbon footprint.
Deborah Flint
President and CEO GTAA
SEA needed an innovative solution to our capacity problem and have worked with Assaia to optimize the turnaround process resulting in reduced taxi times and increased passenger satisfaction. Assaia has exceeded our expectations, consistently delivering on-time & on-budget.
Samer Tirhi
Airline Scheduling Coordinator, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
With the help of Predicted Off Block Time from Assaia. JFKIAT Operations can be proactive to reduce or eliminate any delays and gate holds
Stephen Tukavkin
VP IT & Digital, JFKIAT
We are proud to be partnering with the Assaia team in our mission to use technology to improve the efficiency and safety of the airport environment.
Raghbir S. Pattar
Director of Airports Transformation, IAG
I had mentioned before, great innovation on your part. With these types of improvements, T4 is always leading at JFK. Thank you
COPA Station Manager
JFKIAT
We’re working hard on becoming an airport of the future, and this involves rethinking every part of our ground operations. Assaia’s ApronAI is an integral component of our vision for the ramp of the future.
Abhi Chacko
Head of Innovation & Commercial IT Services, Gatwick Airport
Assaia’s technology adds critical data points to CVG’s early-stage neural network for operational advancements. Structured data generated by artificial intelligence will provide information to make decisions, optimize airside processes, and improve efficiency and safety.
Brian Cobb
CIO, CVG Airport
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