An airport runs to the rhythm of its turnarounds. When one slips, the effect spreads: the departure sequence is reworked, a stand stays occupied longer than planned, the next arrival waits, apron traffic is disrupted. For airport operations, the quality of airport turnaround and A-CDM depends heavily on information the airport does not produce itself: the ground handler’s.
Turnpilot helps the ground handlers at your airport see every turnaround in real time and announce times that hold.
Airport turnaround and A-CDM: where information is missing
A TOBT that does not always reflect the ramp
In A-CDM, the TOBT is the handler’s promise. It drives the TSAT and therefore the departure sequence. Yet it is often updated late, or from an estimate made from memory, for lack of an overall picture of baggage, loading and boarding progress. The result: sequences recalculated at the last minute and limited confidence in announced times.
Stands released late
A pushback that slips is a stand that stays occupied. At a busy airport, the next arrival waits or is reallocated, with knock-on effects on jet bridges, buses and remote stands.
A partial view of what happens on stand
The airport sees the aircraft arrive (AIBT) and leave (AOBT). In between, the turnaround is a black box: problems become visible only once they hit the sequence. And when an incident occurs on stand, establishing the facts takes time.
A lot of equipment in a confined space
Ground support equipment from several providers shares the same service roads. Equipment that cannot be found or is badly positioned weighs on apron flow.
What Turnpilot brings to the airport
- Better-informed TOBTs — The handler updates its TOBT from the actual progress of the turnaround. Turnpilot exchanges with A-CDM: the airport receives a more reliable time, earlier.
- Readable turnarounds — Turnaround control shows the status of every flight in real time, ranked by risk. Delays are handled before they reach the departure sequence.
- A better-orchestrated apron — The apron map and GSE tracking show where the handler’s equipment and carts are, cutting searches and unnecessary movements.
- Facts when incidents happen — Time-stamped images owned by the operator help establish what happened on stand: see cameras and evidence.
How it works at your airport
Turnpilot is first and foremost the ground handler’s tool. If you provide some or all of the ground handling yourself, the ground handler solution applies directly. If handling is contracted to one or more providers, Turnpilot becomes common ground: each handler runs its own turnarounds, and the airport benefits from TOBTs that hold.
Turnpilot replaces neither your airport operational systems nor your A-CDM. It sits on top of existing systems, reads them, and returns more reliable information. Each party keeps its data; access is set role by role and organisation by organisation.
The benefits for airport operations
- A more stable departure sequence — TOBTs that hold, so fewer last-minute recalculations.
- Stands released on time — Fewer arrivals waiting, better use of contact and remote stands.
- Better airport punctuality — Fewer ground-caused delays, with an effect on your airlines’ OTP.
- Shared facts — A common basis for performance reviews with handlers and airlines.
- Safer stands — Clear tasks and fewer unnecessary equipment movements on the apron.
These effects are levers, not numerical promises. They are measured before and after, using data you and your handlers already hold: see our approach to benefits. To go deeper on the TOBT, read our article on A-CDM and the TOBT for ground handlers.
Data and confidentiality
An airport with several handling providers demands strict separation. Each handler sees its own operations, each airline its own flights, the airport what concerns it. Images serve operations and evidence, with no identification of individuals. The principles are set out on the security and data page.