At Qatar Aviation Services(QAS) we’re the sole ground handler at Hamad International Airport in Doha, providing end-to-end ground services to both passenger and cargo flights. During 2024, our team handled around 277,000 departing flights and 62 million individual items of luggage.
Given the scale of our operations, we are committed to applying new technology to achieve improved efficiency that delivers greater value to our customers and a better experience for our colleagues. It was this spirit which led us to work with Amadeus to complete the first-ever integration of the Altéa Departure Control Flight Management System (DCS-FM) with Amadeus’ Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS).
Connecting the two systems has had a profound impact on the way we handle bags. We estimate the new approach will save roughly 15 minutes of manual work per flight, and when rolled out across all flights, this is likely to equate to nearly 70,000 hours, or around 3,000 days of manual work in a typical year. More importantly, though, by removing this manual data entry work we greatly reduce the potential for error, which contributes to safer operations.
Amongst other tasks, a Flight Management System like Altéa FM is responsible for calculating the weight and balance distribution for a flight. In practice, (for containerized flights) this means deciding where each large ULD (huge silver containers holding up to 50 bags) should be placed in the hold to achieve optimum aerodynamism and to minimize fuel burn. Based on the weight of the aircraft, the system also calculates how much fuel is needed to safely complete the journey.
A Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS) helps to prevent lost baggage by tracking each bag throughout its journey and ensuring that only bags belonging to ticketed passengers are loaded on a flight. Every bag and its associated ULD is recorded in the BRS.
Before we come to the impact of this technology project, it’s important to explain the two options for loading an aircraft. Some aircraft are designed to be loaded with containers (ULDs) containing up to 50 bags e.g. widebody models, like the Airbus A380 and some narrow body planes, like the Boeing B737. Other models like the Boeing 737 do not use containers. Instead, bags are loaded directly into the belly of the plane using a conveyor belt and then positioned appropriately.
For simplicity, I’ve only focused on the containerized flight process here. However, we are using the new Altéa FM and BRS integration to simplify all the flights we handle, including belly loaded aircraft.
When a bag is checked-in by a passenger, it proceeds via the baggage handling system to the baggage hall where it is assigned to a ULD, with the ULD reference number recorded in the BRS – ensuring the airline knows where each passengers’ bag is stored. Baggage loaders then add the bags into each ULD.
Meanwhile, load controllers plan for ULDs based on the estimated number of bags. However, the actual information about the number of bags in each ULD and how those bags are distributed, as well as the ULD number, must be provided to the flight management system so it can decide how ULDs should be positioned in the aircraft’s hold. This process has always been manual – costing valuable time and introducing potential errors as humans must manually key information into the flight management system.
Thanks to the industry’s first integration of these two operational systems, this information now flows automatically from Amadeus Altéa FM to Amadeus BRS and vice versa.
Next, the ULDs themselves are taken to the ramp where they are scanned and loaded in the plane’s hold according to a specific Loading Instruction Report Form. This might sound simple, but how bags are loaded is essential to on-time performance and passenger satisfaction. For example, we need to know if passengers have connections, so their bags are positioned in the same ULD, which can be quickly unloaded on arrival, so they don’t miss onward flights. This is a crucial issue for our airline customers and their passengers because transferring bags from one plane to another for connecting passengers is widely known to be a primary source of baggage mishandling. Our new integration helps to mitigate this issue.
Load controllers planned the ULDs with estimate numbers of bags and where the ULD should be positioned. The actual number of bags in each ULD and how those bags are distributed as well as the ULD number , must then be provided to the FM.
Of course, aviation plans frequently change at the last minute. For example, if the aircraft available for a given flight changes, perhaps from a widebody to a narrowbody aircraft, then a completely new baggage loading plan is needed. If a flight is cancelled, all bags need to be offloaded and prepared again – here speed is of the essence.
Previously, this required more manual work to re-enter the baggage information to the flight management system all over again; however, following integration this information now flows automatically. This contributes to more responsive operations that support airlines during disruption scenarios.
With the newly established information flow, ULDs are now delivered to the aircraft bay in the same sequential order they are specified in the Loading Instruction Report Form, helping to ensure safe and accurate loading of the hold. Specific safety checks can now be easily performed to ensure ULDs aren’t loaded until planning is finalized and whenever plans in Altéa FM change, automatic alerts filter to all relevant agents, helping to streamline communication.
Secondly, by ensuring load plans are followed more precisely, we can be sure each aircraft is fully optimized for a fuel-efficient flight.
This initial deployment of integrated flight management and baggage reconciliation has yielded very positive results, with significant estimated time savings and a compliant process that enhances safety. We are working with our local regulator to gain their approval for the creation of a new electronic version of the Loading Instruction Report Form, reducing reliance on paper and helping to maximize the benefits of our newly connected operational process.
Following the successful implementation in Doha, we plan to extend the integration across the entire Qatar Airways network, where Amadeus BRS is used in stations across the world.