LATAM, Brazil’s first airline to monitor ground operations with cameras and artificial intelligence

Dergam Mousa

2 years ago

LATAM Airlines became the first airline in Brazil to monitor part of its airport operations using cameras and artificial intelligence. The company has just installed the technology at São Paulo/Guarulhos airport, its largest hub, to measure in real time the punctuality, quality and efficiency of its aircraft ground operations. This can reduce the average time aircraft spend on the ground and was tested and developed over 12 months by LATAM Labs in collaboration with software company Synaptic Aviation.

For Rafael Walker, Global Director of Customer Service at LATAM Airlines Group, the company’s innovation in Brazil represents a significant advance in the intelligent collection of data for a complete overview of the operation. “With data in hand we can achieve more operational efficiency and, consequently, a better experience for our customers, with quality and safety. It is our commitment to constantly look for ways to make your journey ever simpler, faster and safer.”

HOW LATAM’S NEW MONITORING SYSTEM AT GUARULHOS AIRPORT IS WORKING

LATAM’s new monitoring system uses cameras and artificial intelligence to track every movement of the operation around its aircraft on the ground. Like a true real-time x-ray, it provides operational metrics (update of expected take-off times, boarding gate usage time and ground power unit connection times). It also prevents foreign object damage, checks the status of the jetway and provides compliance reports that help the airline maintain safety measures around the entire aircraft on the ground. The result is a highly safe operation in all aspects.

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Notably, artificial intelligence comes into action when it detects that a LATAM aircraft is approaching the boarding/disembarkation gate and immediately starts tracking all ground activity initiated around it to provide a real record of the events entitled to video clips of the most relevant moments.

LATAM LABS: INNOVATION SINCE 2020 FOR SIMPLER, FASTER AND SAFER TRIPS

Since November 2020, LATAM Labs has been the LATAM Group’s permanent innovation hub for testing new disruptive ideas that arise both inside and outside the company. The hub tests ideas from its own employees and external ecosystems (universities, entrepreneurs, startups and knowledge centers) in real operating environments of the airline. Among the ideas already tested by the hub and implemented in the company are the document validation project with artificial intelligence, the application of neural networks and deep learning in the customer experience during their trip and the development of autonomous artificial intelligence.

Through LATAM Labs, several LATAM areas, such as Airports, Customer Service, Customer Experience and Products, Cargo, Human Resources, Legal, Compliance, IT and Flight Standard, interact with the innovation ecosystem.