From paper lists to predictive precision

"We didn’t have PC’s, everything was written down. And if you wanted to know if a plane was ready? You just looked outside or went to the aircraft to ask." That’s how Erik Derogee, who began his career at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 1985, remembers his early days at airport operations. 

Now, 40 years later, Derogee looks back on a career that spans the transformation of Schiphol from a compact hub into one of Europe’s busiest and most technologically advanced airports. We sat down with him to reflect on the evolution of airport operations: from paper flight lists to real-time turnaround predictions. 

In 1985, when Derogee’s journey at Schiphol began, it was a very different place. “I think we had about 10 to 12 million passengers a year back then,” Derogee recalls. “Now there are more than 70 million. That’s a huge difference, operationally, too.” Derogee started at Schiphol as an apron officer, he then worked as an apron controller in the Apron Tower and in 1995 as an Airside Operations Manager. Today he represents Schiphol in the European SESAR-program developing solutions to improve the Air Traffic Management system. 

Back then, the airport’s layout was more compact, with just three piers in operation. At that time the construction of the E-pier had just started. Aircraft were smaller, and widebody jets were still a rarity. “A lot of flights were operated by Fokkers, Douglas Aircraft, and the old Boeings. Within the Netherlands we had flights operating short routes to places like Maastricht, Eindhoven, Groningen or Twente, a distance of about 100 miles,” he says.

While the core process of a turnaround- deplaning, unloading, cleaning, and prepping- hasn’t changed much, the way it’s managed has transformed entirely. 

“Today, everyone can see a flight’s schedule in the palm of their hand, including predicted TOBTs and delay reasons thanks to Deep Turnaround,” Derogee says. “Back then, it was all manual. Only at the Operational Centre’s the CISS (Central Information System Schiphol) was available as an operational database. Each evening we reviewed all flights for the next day. Inbound flights were printed on yellow paper and outbound flights on blue paper. The prints were distributed to the different operational partners. Everyone involved within operations used a copy so that they had an idea at what time planes would come and go, well, sort of. It was our hand-held version of real-time data, just 12 hours old. Of course CISS had the more actual information, but was not available for individual staff members” 

But the information was often vague and up to interpretation: “When a plane took off from Paris, the local airline representative or ground handler sent a telex-message to the destination airport that it had left. But did that mean it left the gate or took off from the runway? We didn’t know. Everything was a guess. Expected arrival times were given with quite some margins.” 

With so much uncertainty, gate allocation was changed quite often. “You never really knew when a plane would arrive, exactly. A Lufthansa flight might be expected first, but then a British Airways flight would show up instead.  Gate planning was more of an art than a science.” 

Turnarounds were equally reactive. “When we saw a catering truck still at the stand just before the scheduled off-block time, someone had to go checking it. The handler might say they needed 10 more minutes but that could mean 8 or 15. We had no insight into the processes of ground handlers or airlines.” 

Right now, Deep Turnaround provides the airport with live insights and accurate predictions about the real TOBT. Which, according to Derogee promotes teamwork and makes a huge difference in OTP. 

Before Collaborative Decision Making (CDM), even basic terms like “arrival time” were fuzzy. “Did it mean the landing time on the runway? Parking at  the gate? Passenger in the terminal? Everyone had their own definition,” Derogee shares. 

CDM standardised those definitions and improved data sharing in Europe. Schiphol began implementing CDM around 2010 and fully integrated into the European A-CDM system by 2018. Today it’s used at over 35 airports. 

“CDM was the start,” Derogee says. “But Deep Turnaround (also see How Deep Turnaround enhanced A-CDM efficiency) is one of the next steps. It helps predict TOBT more accurately. If handlers follow that, we don’t have to keep switching plans. That stability is crucial.” 

Derogee is now working on several European SESAR-projects which aims to make Air Traffic Management even more precise and more predictable. “One of the things we are developing is a direct Airport-to-Airport coordination: When capacity is tight, we currently go to Air Traffic Control and ask for regulation, reducing inbound flights. But that affects everyone. Now, Schiphol is exploring more targeted solutions. “We’re testing with airports like Athens, Brussels, and Copenhagen. If a delay only affects a specific airline or handler, we try to isolate those flights, maybe delay them 20 minutes, so the rest can operate on time.” 

It’s a smarter, more surgical approach to managing traffic. And it’s just one more step in Schiphol’s journey from paper lists to predictive precision. 

And there’s more to come, shares Derogee: “In a new SESAR-project we will develop new ways of looking at Total Airport Management introducing a general prediction view of all processes.  Where Deep Turnaround already gives a prediction of the time handling will be ready, the next step will be to connect this to other operational processes, like for example passenger boarding. 

Note: Deep Turnaround is implemented at, and supporting, multiple airports. If your airport is also looking for ways to improve turnaround operations through insights and collaboration, simply request a Deep Turnaround demonstration.