These have been hectic days for the international aviation industry, after two years of stoppages caused by the pandemic: last week Inter Airport Europe 2021, the leading event for manufacturers of technologies, equipment and services for the airport supply chain, closed in Munich , while in the Middle East the Dubai Airshow, the world event dedicated to aerospace, celebrated the return in grand style. In both salons, the “Made in Italy” has stood out, driven by the tricolor symbol brand, Leonardo.
From Check in to the track
But behind the giant controlled by the Mef (and thanks to its role as a “sentinel” on investments in gestation on international markets) a chain of small and medium-sized Italian operators with distinctive skills is being structured, able to offer a functioning airport turnkey , from the design of the infrastructure to the construction of the runway, from the handling scanners to the control tower radars. And for the first time ATI-Air Tech Italy, this is the name of the association born in full Covid which represents 35 companies in the sector (out of a hundred suppliers in Italy for 3 billion euros in turnover), presented itself together, with a delegation of 23 members, at a world trade fair such as the one in Munich, exhibiting in the Italy pavilion – the largest and brightest of the entire German fair, thanks to the support of Ice Agenzia and Maeci – high-tech solutions 100% Made in Italy.
Covid baptism for the association
The extended lockdown has disrupted the plans of air equipment suppliers, who have sharpened their wits and sharpened innovation to seize the opportunity to ride the green and digital conversion of flight platforms. “We were born at the worst moment in aviation history – comments the president of Air Tech Italy, Giulio De Carli, who spoke at Inter Airport Europe to talk about” Better airports for people “- but in the field of artificial intelligence and electrical solutions and sustainable, we Italian companies are at the forefront. We discount the small size compared to competitors, but this also makes us more flexible and reactive. And now we can present ourselves together, with integrated solutions, pooling skills and experiences, to gain space on international markets and work with global institutions and partners. It is the first time that we participate in a European fair of international scope and that we can meet side by side with the equivalent associations of France (Proavia), Germany (Gate), Great Britain (British Aviation Group), much more consolidated than us because they operate on the market for a decade “.
The scenario of the stopovers: dynamic and green
ATI today represents about a third of Italian companies in the supply chain of solutions for air traffic, ground services, handling, engineering, construction, consultancy, IT, and concentrates more than half of the turnover (1.7 billion euros) and 60% of total exports with the goal – set for 2021, postponed to next year due to Covid – to aggregate another fifty companies. “The aviation sector collapsed by 80% last year in Italy and it is estimated that it will not return to 2019 levels before the end of 2023”, underlines Sebastiano Veccia, deputy technical oversight director of ENAC, the national civil aviation authority , one of the sponsors of ATI and now committed to reviewing the 2030 national airport plan, moving the bar to 2035 and with new goals: “More than enlarging the airports – Veccia remarks – we need to make better use of and make the current infrastructures more sustainable and efficient , investing in IT and digital technologies, AI, big data, rail-air intermodality, to allow a smooth passage of the passenger, without barriers and delays, from home to the plane. The old plan was static, now a dynamic vision of the single airport will be introduced, integrated into the territory and its tourist and industrial development ».
One Works from the track to Voip
He is working on the construction of the “smart airport” One Works, a Milanese integrated architecture and engineering company (150 profiles), which designs large infrastructures where passengers and vehicles meet, multimodal hubs of people and vehicles: he has signed the Doha and Riyadh metro and is working in Calabria on the masterplanning of the new airport on the motto “Net Zero target” that the airport sector has set itself. “Covid has dramatically accelerated innovation processes in the name of sustainability. Reducing emissions also means e-mobility in the airport and electrification of all energy sources », remarks Giulio Corte, director of the One Works Infrastructure BU.