auxiell | Case History Bologna Airport

increase in passenger attendant service costs
(at constant volumes)

of the time
(passenger safety supervision)

Laura Nobili - Operational Services Manager - Aeroporto G. Marconi

Giovanni Spagnulo - Supervisore Terminal - Aeroporto G. Marconi

Cristian Esposito - People Analytics & Process - Aeroporto G. Marconi

Recognised as a 'strategic airport' for the Central-North region, Bologna Airport serves approximately 10 million passengers annually, ranking seventh among Italian airports. Situated in the heart of the Emilia-Romagna food valley and key industrial districts for automotive and packaging, the airport caters to a catchment area of 11 million residents and 47,000 companies, emphasising export and international expansion, particularly toward Eastern Europe and Asia.
The company's objective is to transform Bologna Airport into one of Italy’s most modern and efficient airports.

Employees

Turnover (2023)

EBITDA (2023)

SCAN

Lean Gap Analysis® in Delivery

To analyse the current state of the process for assisting passengers with reduced mobility, the auxiell-Bologna Airport team conducted a series of analyses to map the entire passenger flow process – from arrival at the airport to the moment they take their seats on the aircraft. The mapping highlighted significant waiting times at various points in the process, impacting both security – if the passenger stopped at an unsupervised point – and costs due to the one-to-one relationship with the operator. Additionally, the analysis identified waste, particularly in terms of operator waiting time and movement.

Lean Gap Analysis®

An essential phase for measuring and analysing current processes and identifying the gaps between the present and desired states. During this phase, a 'snapshot' of the current state of processes is taken, focusing on quantifying waste, identifying potential problems and opportunities for improvement, and timing all steps. Gaining a clear understanding of process performance is crucial for determining the most effective countermeasures to eliminate the root cause of the issue, as well as for planning future actions and determining which KPIs to monitor to improve efficiency.

Identified gaps

High waiting times in the process

The mapping revealed significant waiting times at various points in the process, resulting in an increased safety risk if the passenger was not accompanied by an operator and added costs when an operator was present.

Aircraft delays due to passengers with reduced mobility

Passengers with reduced mobility were not always escorted to the aircraft in time, leading to delayed take-offs and potential penalties imposed by the airline on the airport.

Low process efficiency

Due to the high variability in demand for assistance requests, the number of operators on duty was at times excessive – resulting in more operators than needed and an increase in operating costs – and at other times insufficient, causing service disruptions and delays for passengers.

Limited versatility of operators

Operators lacked the necessary skills to handle all stages of the process, resulting in the need to employ additional operators to cover all tasks, which increased costs.

Passenger wait times due to the lack of transport resources

Passengers with reduced mobility require specific transport, such as ambulifts, to be escorted onto the aircraft. Prolonged waiting times were sometimes caused by poor planning of transport resources – either in terms of numbers or arrival times – or by their unavailability due to maintenance.

PLAN

Lean RoadMap® in Delivery

Once the gaps were identified, we moved on to the next phase of the project, the PLAN phase. Using the Lean RoadMap®, we defined the sequence of implementing the most suitable lean techniques to achieve the objectives agreed upon with the Bologna Airport team. 

Lean RoadMap®

This is the phase in which the future state of the analysed process is planned from a multi-scenario perspective. Once the most appropriate scenario is chosen from a technical and economic standpoint, we move on to planning the steps to implement it. The Lean RoadMap® identifies the activities to focus on and the timelines for completing them.

The path forward

Redesigning the workflow with a pull system

To eliminate the need for continuous supervision by the operator, the process was restructured by introducing breaks in the flow, through the creation of dedicated waiting lounges where passengers with reduced mobility who arrive early can wait safely until their flight time approaches. The newly designed pull system only activates the operator when the downstream stages are ready to accommodate the passenger.

Redesigning the information flow

To manage fluctuations in demand and ensure the appropriate number of operators, a continuous measurement system was put in place with annual, monthly, and daily timeframes. With this data, a demand forecasting tool can be created to guide resource planning more accurately.

Internalising the final handling phase between gate and aircraft

To gain better control over the final phase and reduce or eliminate delays in aircraft departures, all related activities were internalised. This allows for direct management of the operators, improving the process's efficiency and positively impacting service quality.

Implementing KPIs and problem-solving

To ensure continuous improvement after implementation, the introduction of a KPI system was planned. This system will measure the process in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, highlighting any issues and triggering a structured approach to resolving them.

DO

Delivery Overall Transformation

Which lean activities and techniques enabled us to achieve our goals?

Redesign of operational flow and re-layout

The team implemented a new operational flow by establishing three dedicated waiting areas – located at the entrance, post-security checks, and at the gate (the final point before boarding). These areas serve as designated spaces where operators can assist passengers with reduced mobility. Four distinct roles were assigned to operators to clarify responsibilities: those manning the waiting areas and those assisting passengers during departure and arrival flows. This change eliminated the previous one-to-one relationship between operator and passenger. Instead, all passengers in the waiting areas are supervised by a single operator. The benefits are numerous: on one hand, passengers with reduced mobility are always attended to by at least one operator; on the other hand, the operators dedicated to assistance have reduced waiting times, converting them into time spent on transfers.

Implementation of the planning process

A planning process was developed based on the new operational flow to assess resource requirements – in terms of operators and equipment – on daily, monthly, and annual horizons (primarily for budgeting purposes). This allowed for proper management of recruitment, training, and investments in advance. Additionally, the existing daily scheduling management software – already in place within the company – was updated to align with the redesigned operational flow. These updates streamlined communication among operators and provided essential data for performance measurement.

Integration of the handling phase with ambulifts into the operational-information flow

The final phase of the process, which involves transferring passengers with reduced mobility from the pier to the aircraft, was internalised. A dedicated team of ambulift drivers was established, focusing solely on this phase of the process. Integrating these drivers into the operational and information flow enabled Bologna Airport to manage the process end-to-end. This dedicated team significantly reduced delays, ensuring ambulifts are always available, which in turn enhanced the perceived quality of service for passengers.

Developing operators' skills to ensure multi-functionality

To further enhance efficiency, drivers were trained to independently assist passengers with reduced mobility, and passenger attendants were trained to operate ambulifts. This was achieved through a structured two-month training programme involving over 50 employees. Upon completing the training, all employees were considered multi-skilled, which simplified the planning process. The benefit of this approach is the ability to manage larger volumes with fewer resources, as operators can be allocated to process stages where there is peak demand at any given time.

Problem-solving and continuous improvement

By analysing data from the information flow, specific KPIs were identified to monitor and improve the process. These KPIs track the quality, time, and costs associated with service delivery. An operational team was established to analyse these indicators, ensuring sustained performance in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. This team addresses emerging issues and fosters innovation through new improvement initiatives.

CHECK

Have we achieved our goals?

Aircraft delays caused by the passenger attendant service were reduced by 83%.

Passenger attendant service costs decreased by 20% despite a 27% increase in requests. Given this rise in volume, without the improvement measures, the costs of the escort service would have been 37% higher today.

The safety management of passengers with reduced mobility has been maintained at 100% throughout their time at the airport.

Waiting times for passengers with reduced mobility when entering and exiting the airport have been reduced to below the targets set in the airport’s service charter.

Over 50 operators have expanded their skills through training programmes.

The tools developed have made the planning system more robust and objective, guiding personnel in determining the number of operators needed based on demand fluctuations, while maintaining stable service quality and timing.

As part of continuous improvement, a decision was made to further reduce flight delays caused by the process of assisting passengers with reduced mobility. Through KPI analysis and the problem-solving process, the root cause was identified: the unavailability of transport vehicles due to breakdowns and malfunctions. As a result, a project was launched to analyse, redesign, and ultimately transform the maintenance processes for all airport vehicles.

02

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Bologna Airport

Performances achieved