HIA launches ‘Digital Twin’ initiative

Hamad International Airport (HIA) has officially launched an innovative ‘Digital Twin’ initiative as part of its smart airport programme. This Digital Twin provides a real-time view of the airport through an intuitive 3D interface. Its powerful analytical engine integrates information from multiple airport systems to provide intelligent recommendations to help optimise operations.  

The development combined 3D modelling techniques, data-analytics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to deliver improved, faster and data-driven decision making. The Digital Twin manages aircraft stand conflicts, enables effective responses to alerts and monitors the health of critical airport assets. Additionally, it effectively utilises the right data at the right time to allow optimisation of resources to minimise asset downtime. 

The airport industry is increasingly recognising the potential of Digital Twin technology to support critical airport operations. HIA’s Digital Twin initiative has been recognised as the ‘Smart Solution of the Year’, earning it an award at the Qatar IT Business Awards. 

Senior Vice President Technology and Innovation at Hamad International Airport, Suhail Kadri stated: “Hamad International Airport, in conjunction with industry partner SITA, is actively shaping the future of the airport industry by being one of the few airports in the world to develop a functioning digital twin and experiment with challenging use cases, ushering in a new era of efficiency.” 

“This one-of-a-kind technology will continue to mature and radically change how operational teams across the airport consume information and make decisions. We are delighted to be first movers in this area and accelerate the adoption of this breakthrough technology, which will ultimately benefit passengers, our airline partners and all airport stakeholders,” added Kadri. 

Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East and Africa commented: “Many congratulations to HIA for winning the ‘Smart Solution of the Year’ award. We’re delighted that our digital twin technology was part of that win.” 

“The Digital Twin has huge potential for airports looking to streamline their operations, which are hugely complex, involving many stakeholders, assets and activities. By creating the digital twin of an airport, we can capture everything that is happening at the airport in a holistic view. This has enabled HIA to make more informed decisions and improve their operations”.