King Khalid International Airport launches advanced control center

RIYADH: Riyadh Airports Company inaugurated an advanced airport operations control center at King Khalid International Airport to boost efficiency and sustainability in operations, as well as improve passenger experience.

The control center is the main hub in an airport where internal and external partners work together to manage airport operations.

The center lets parties make decisions based on real-time information and establishes systems to enable a common focus by all airport stakeholders on punctuality, process quality and improvements.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, president of the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation; Ghazi bin Abdul Rahim Al-Rawi, chairman of the board of directors of Riyadh Airports; and Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Maghlouth, Riyadh Airports Company CEO.

Commenting on the launch of the center, Al-Maghlouth said: “We are pleased to inaugurate the Operations Control Center at KKIA, which will enable Riyadh Airports Company to fully control all its operations in its various facilities. It allows for data-driven proactive measures, which contribute to better planning processes.”

The control center will manage almost 700 daily flights including passenger and freight aircraft.

It aims to improve the level of services provided to more than 30 million passengers annually.

It will help in the immediate sharing of information and more effective decision-making to enhance the flow of operational movement.

The center includes more than 25 operational, security and service agencies and contains the latest operational systems related to the management of resources, operational monitoring, and performance indicators for airport management around the clock.

In April this year, Al-Duailej launched the advanced digital platform OFOQ as part of Riyadh Airports Company’s digital transformation efforts.

It came as part of the broader objectives of the Kingdom to become a global leader in the digital economy.

OFOQ acts as a central database and management tool for all operational processes in KKIA. By providing insights into operational procedures from a single platform, OFOQ enables proactive and data-driven decision-making measures, helping to improve planning processes, minimize disruptions and improve the passenger experience.

The resource management system feature enables teams to automatically control and schedule airport procedures, such as aircraft parking, opening and closing check-in counters as well as passenger boarding gates, and managing baggage conveyors.

The OFOQ platform also features a Flight Information Display System that provides accurate and efficient flight-related data in a real-time environment.