Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has opened a new Integrated Hactl Control Centre (iHCC), creating a 24-hour single command point.
It centralises operations control, systems control and maintenance control for the first time, with duty managers monitoring the entire SuperTerminal 1 facility – from traffic management at its truck parks through the many different functional areas of the terminal, to airside cargo dispatch.
Monitoring and control was previously decentralised to individual departments, which created a time lag in data collection and sharing.
The iHCC provides comprehensive real time data, and workload forecasts for the coming eight hours, enabling instant adjustments to be made to staffing and resources to cope with any unexpected workload peaks.
It also serves as a fully-integrated emergency centre to ensure effective decision-making and proactive responses to crises.
Hactl’s self-developed cargo management system connects all stakeholders such as government bodies, airlines and freighter forwarders, and processes around a million data transactions a day. There is also a comprehensive 3D Schematic Display System, which graphically shows the position of all cargo and equipment in the terminal’s cargo handling systems; clicking on any ULD or box displays its details and status.
The iHCC is equipped with a CCTV monitoring system covering all 1000+ cameras located throughout the terminal and a flight tracking system assists in predicting aircraft arrivals, and a unit-building monitoring system shows the progress of building and breakdown of units at the terminal’s 466 workstations. AI-based workload forecasting assists managers in making more informed and consistent decisions.
The centre is already proving its value is dealing with the problem of empty containers taking up storage locations in Hactl’s container storage system, due to severely-reduced passenger flight frequencies. Real time data allows the duty manager to make decisions ahead of time.