Integrated Facility Management

Making Your Airport’s Facility Management More Efficient

The post-COVID Challenges for Airports

Following the global recovery in commercial aviation after the events of Covid-19, airports have sought new methods and strategies to increase the efficiency and performance of their assets and business processes. Staff shortages caused by Covid-19 layoffs, and aviation professionals transferring their skills and experience to new areas outside the aviation sector have diminished the talent pool of skilled workers available to fulfill job positions. The areas that have primarily been affected include baggage handling services, airport operations and facility management. This has increased costs for airport businesses seeking to attract new workers and training existing staff to fulfill these roles. As a result, airports are looking to improve the efficiency and performance of their facility management businesses. 

Integrated Facility Management: Managing complex infratructure like an airport is a challenging task
Managing complex infratructure like an airport is a challenging task © Flughafen München

What is Facility Management?

Facility Management (FM) in aviation can be considered as the management, upkeep and maintenance of airport infrastructure assets. It ensures airport infrastructure is well maintained, operating efficiently, safely, and securely for everyday use. Facility Management includes everything from the maintenance of baggage handling systems, the cleaning of terminal facilities, snow removal from airport aprons and runways, repair of electrical systems, and conducting central warehousing activities.

A Complex Task

Facility Management can be complex and split across a range of units and departments. For example, the clearing of snow on aprons and taxiways may fall under airside operations teams, and the management of energy and waste management under the airport´s environment department. The problem that can arise from this approach is poor communication between departments, ineffective and inefficient asset management, poor usage of staff resources and budget constraints. In an aviation market that is weakened from staff shortages, airports cannot afford to have their resources spread thin.

As a global airport consultant that has supported airports around the world in various Facility Management projects, Munich Airport International has developed an integrated approach to Facility Management, that improves the overall management, communication and efficiency of FM standards and practices. This approach has been implemented for some of our projects in North America and will be recommended for future Facility Management projects across our project portfolios. 

Our Approach: Integrated Facility Management

Our Integrated Facility Management (IFM) approach provides for FM to be placed under a central management, the Head of Integrated Facility Management.

The proposed Integrated Facility Management unit can be illustrated in the organisational structure on the right. It comprises of:

  • Technical Facility Management;
  • Facility Management Enterprise Asset Management; and
  • Facility Management Services.

The consolidation of Integrated Facility Management across three core business units has been designed to simplify the Facility Management process for airports. By combining all Facility Management areas into one portfolio or department, airports are able to more effectively allocate resources to where they are most needed and prevent communication inefficiencies across various airport departments. 


An overview of the three Integrated Facility Management Units
An overview of the three Integrated Facility Management Units © Munich Airport International GmbH

1. Technical Facility Management

The Technical Facility Management Unit comprises of the:

  • Object Managers, responsible for the oversight and management of infrastructure assets (e.g. a terminal infrastructure);
  • Services Center Department, which prepares and allocates work orders;
  • Special Systems Department: Specialists, who have expertise in baggage handling systems, passenger boarding bridges etc.; and
  • Electrical Systems, e.g. airfield and landside lighting.

2. Enterprise Asset Management

An effective and developed Enterprise Asset Management system is essential for an airport to have superior oversight of its infrastructure assets.

The Enterprise Asset management unit is responsible for:

  • Centralized FM Control Center/and Helpdesk;
  • FM software systems administration, operation, and evolution; and
  • Quality Control/Reporting for the FM Unit.

3. Facility Management Services

The Facility Management Services unit is comprised of:

  • Energy Supply (electricity, heating and cooling);
  • Fleet Service Management (De-icing, engineering and spare parts);
  • Central Warehousing (warehouse management and materials); and
  • Soft Services (Cleaning, waste collection, landscaping etc.).

The future of Integrated Facility Management 

This approach to Integrated Facility Management presents itself as a current solution for airport businesses navigating an everchanging aviation environment. As airport technologies develop and become more advanced overtime, it is more likely that we will see comprehensive changes and greater automation to Integrated Facility Management. 

One of the main areas in which we will see these changes is in the overhaul and technological advancement of Asset Management Systems and the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These systems and processes will play an integral role in streamlining and automating the approach to work orders, lifecycle management and the maintenance and management of infrastructure assets through one integrated digital platform. 

Some of the areas where we will see greater digitalization and use of Artificial Intelligence in everyday Integrated Facility Management include:

  • Risk Management: Using advanced Asset Management systems to help identify the best form of maintenance for an asset, e.g. planned, preventive or reactive maintenance. AI and machine learning can be used to predict how often an asset may require maintenance to avoid potential risks. For example, identifying weather patterns and trends to predict the likelihood of snowfall and when to conduct sweeping and snow removal activities.
  • FM Operational Management: Using Artificial Intelligence and historical data to better understand the operational needs and requirements for particular assets. For example, if one asset is consistently incurring high maintenance costs, efforts can be made to target potential issues before they become a financial burden to the airport business.
  • Budget Forecasting and Planning: An integrated asset management system will more effectively keep track of expenses by comparing historical costs for parts, services and inputs that have been used to manage and conduct maintenance of airport infrastructure assets. FM can use this information for asset cost forecasting activities and for the planning of new projects and completion of work orders.
  • Communication Methodologies: Digitalized Asset Management systems will assist streamlining communication avenues by sending automated alert messages, work order notifications and other instructions to Facility Management staff responsible for a particular asset. This alleviates the workload of an FM Helpdesk by streamlining notification and work order processes so they can focus on more strenuous activities.
  • Customer Experience: Being able to predict an asset breakdown or failure more effectively customers will be inclined to have a greater airport journey and experience. For example, preventing and apprehending a potential baggage carousel breakdown using preventive maintenance will ensure reduced wait times and inefficiencies for passenger’s colleting their baggage.

The ongoing development and enhancement of digital Asset Management Systems and Artificial Intelligence can revolutionize Integrated Facility Management. Technological advancements in this area will not only assist airport businesses plug the resource challenges and gaps they face, but ultimately streamline the efficiency of Facility Management processes, tasks and activities. It is up to airports around the globe to embrace technological advancements and be willing to adapt to new ideas and ways of conducting their business operations. 

Author

Thomas Riepler

Thomas Riepler

Munich Airport International GmbH
Consultant