ADB SAFEGATE recently installed its Safedock Advanced Visual Docking Guidance Systems (A-VDGS) and SafeControl Apron Management solution at the new Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC).

Automated docking and apron management help streamline apron operations at Salt Lake City International Airport

The new airport, which opened Phase I in September and October 2020, was designed to reduce taxi times and aircraft idling. The ADB SAFEGATE solution will support airlines with safe, precise automated docking and a more efficient apron operation.

“In North America, we are seeing airlines request Safedock A-VDGS be added to their gates. More and more airports are responding to this because our technology helps airlines get their planes to the gate and back in the air, quickly and more safely in all operating conditions,” said Joe Pokoj, CEO Americas, ADB SAFEGATE. “We have a strong history with Salt Lake City International Airport, particularly in airfield lighting, and are excited to be part of this important project.”

ADB SAFEGATE will provide 80 Safedock T1 A-VDGS as well as its SafeControl Apron Management (SAM) solution as part of a larger gate project awarded to JBT Aerotech for delivering passenger boarding bridges (PBB). In the first phase, 47 Safedock systems and SAM have been deployed on schedule. The remaining Safedock units will be deployed in phase II scheduled for a 2024 unveil.

The company has collaborated with JBT AeroTech to provide data to the Jetway JetDock® automated PBB docking system. In this installation Safedock data containing details of where an aircraft stopped, in relation to its designed park position, is utilized by the JetDock® system. This enables the bridge to automatically drive and dock with an aircraft, speeding up the entire turn. A safety interlock restricts the Safedock and JetDock® docking activity if the bridge is not in its predefined park position to avoid collisions between the aircraft and the bridge.

ADB SAFEGATE has also integrated Safedock and SAM with the other JBT AeroTech ground equipment (Ground Power Units and Preconditioned Air) so that it can alert airlines about potential equipment issues and provide current status and usage to help streamline operations and maintenance. SAM uses flight information from the Airport Operational Data Base (AODB) to prepare the A-VDGS for an arrival and sends real-time gate availability information back to the AODB.

The new SLC construction project, worth $4 billion, started in 2014 and will continue through 2023/24. In 2020, the airport unveiled Concourse A – west on September 15, 2020 where Delta Air Lines occupies 25 gates, including six international gates. This is Delta’s second largest hub in the country. Concourse B-west opened on October 27 with 20 gates for Alaska, American, Frontier, JetBlue, Southwest and United Airlines.