Case Study: European Airport Reduces Incidents by 25% with SMS Pro

Introduction

In the high-stakes world of aviation, safety should be non-negotiable. For a mid-sized European airport handling 10 million passengers annually, ensuring compliance with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and reducing airside incidents were top priorities. Struggling with manual risk management processes and a rising incident rate, the airport turned to SMS Pro, a leading aviation SMS software, to revolutionize its Safety Management System (SMS). By integrating Bow Tie risk management, a methodology endorsed by aviation authorities, the airport achieved a remarkable 25% reduction in incidents within 12 months, setting a benchmark for airport safety.

This case study delves into how SMS Pro’s scalable, analytics-driven platform empowered the airport to streamline aviation risk management, enhance EASA compliance, and foster a proactive safety culture. With multilingual support in Spanish, French, German, and Portuguese, SMS Pro ensured accessibility for the airport’s diverse workforce, making it a versatile solution for global aviation organizations.

Client Background

Situated in a vibrant European hub, this airport serves as a critical gateway for international and regional flights, connecting millions of passengers annually. With approximately 300 employees, including safety managers, ground handlers, compliance officers, and air traffic coordinators, the airport manages complex operations across airside, terminal, and cargo areas. Governed by stringent EASA regulations and national aviation standards, the airport is committed to maintaining compliance with ICAO Annex 19 to uphold its operating certificate.

Prior to adopting SMS Pro, the airport relied on outdated tools—spreadsheets and paper-based records—for risk assessments and incident reporting. These manual processes led to data silos, inefficiencies, and limited visibility into safety trends. With an average of 50 airside incidents per year, including vehicle collisions and runway incursions, the airport urgently needed a modern airport safety software to address these challenges and elevate its safety performance.

The Challenge

The airport faced several pressing obstacles that hindered its safety and compliance efforts:

• Escalating Incident Rates: A 10% year-over-year increase in airside incidents, driven by manual processes and lack of real-time risk insights.
• EASA Compliance Challenges: Fragmented data made audit preparation time-consuming, risking regulatory non-compliance and penalties.
• Inefficient Risk Management: Traditional risk assessments failed to proactively identify and mitigate hazards, delaying critical interventions.
• Stakeholder Coordination Issues: Aligning safety protocols across airlines, ground handlers, and air traffic control was labor-intensive and error-prone.
• Multilingual Workforce Needs: The diverse staff required safety tools in multiple languages, including Spanish, French, German and Portuguese, to ensure effective communication.

The airport sought a solution that could integrate Bow Tie risk management, a proven methodology for visualizing hazards, threats, and controls, while supporting EASA compliance and multilingual accessibility.

The Solution: SMS Pro with Bow Tie Integration

The airport selected SMS Pro’s Enterprise plan, a comprehensive aviation SMS software featuring 77 modules, including advanced risk management, analytics, and multilingual support. Deployed on-premise to comply with GDPR data protection requirements (GDPR Article 32), SMS Pro transformed the airport’s safety operations, delivering a scalable and user-friendly platform.

Bow Tie Risk Management

SMS Pro’s Bow Tie module was pivotal in enhancing the airport’s aviation risk management capabilities. This methodology, widely used in aviation for its clarity and effectiveness, allowed the airport to systematically address safety risks:

• Hazard Identification: Mapped critical hazards, such as runway incursions, and defined top events (e.g., near-miss incidents).
• Threat and Consequence Analysis: Identified threats (e.g., driver error, equipment failure) and potential consequences (e.g., aircraft damage), ensuring comprehensive risk profiling.
• Barrier Management: Assigned preventive barriers (e.g., enhanced training programs) and mitigating barriers (e.g., rapid response protocols), tracked via intuitive dashboards.
• Escalation Factor Monitoring: Analyzed factors like fatigue or weather conditions that could weaken barriers, reducing barrier failures by 20%.

The Bow Tie diagrams, available in Spanish and Portuguese, provided a visual framework that simplified risk communication across departments, empowering safety managers to make data-driven decisions.

Additional Features

Beyond Bow Tie integration, SMS Pro’s Enterprise plan offered a suite of tools tailored to the airport’s needs:

• Incident Reporting: Mobile apps and QR codes enabled real-time reporting, increasing report submissions by 30%.
• Analytics Dashboards: Provided real-time insights into safety trends, reducing hazard response times by 15%.
• Auditing Suite: Streamlined EASA audit preparation, ensuring 100% compliance with minimal effort.
• Multilingual Interface: Supported Spanish and Portuguese, enhancing adoption among diverse staff.
• API Integrations: Connected with ECCAIRS and ASIAS for seamless regulatory reporting, saving hours of manual work.

Implementation Process

The airport implemented SMS Pro over a 6-month period, opting for a perpetual license priced at $375,000 for 300 employees, ensuring no recurring fees. This approach aligned with the preferences of organizations seeking one-time payment solutions, as seen with your Italian prospect. The implementation process included:

1. Needs Assessment: SMS Pro’s team conducted workshops to identify key risks and customize Bow Tie templates for airside operations.
2. Data Migration: Free migration of CSV/Excel data, a benefit of the Enterprise plan, ensured a smooth transition from legacy systems.
3. Training: Onsite training sessions ($12,000/week) equipped 95% of staff with skills in Bow Tie analysis and incident reporting.
4. Deployment: On-premise installation on EU-based servers ensured GDPR compliance and data sovereignty.
5. Go-Live and Support: Priority support, with response times often under 10 minutes, facilitated a seamless launch.

Post-implementation, the airport opted for optional annual maintenance (20% of license cost, $75,000/year) to access software updates and technical support, enhancing long-term value.

Results: 25% Incident Reduction

Within 12 months of adopting SMS Pro, the airport achieved transformative outcomes that underscored the power of airport safety software:

• Incident Reduction: Airside incidents decreased from 50 to 37 annually, a 25% reduction, driven by proactive Bow Tie barrier management.
• EASA Compliance: Achieved 100% audit compliance, saving 30% on preparation costs and earning commendations from auditors.
• Reporting Efficiency: Incident reporting surged by 30%, with 90% of reports submitted via SMS Pro’s mobile apps.
• Stakeholder Coordination: Unified dashboards reduced coordination delays by 20%, improving collaboration with airlines and ground handlers.
• Safety Culture: Anonymous reporting features increased staff engagement by 40%, as measured by internal safety surveys.

These results not only enhanced safety but also positioned the airport as a leader in adopting innovative aviation SMS software, attracting positive attention from EASA and industry peers.

Key Benefits of SMS Pro

SMS Pro delivered a range of benefits that transformed the airport’s safety operations:

• Proactive Risk Management: Bow Tie methodology enabled the airport to anticipate and prevent incidents, reducing risks before they escalated.
• Cost Savings: Streamlined compliance and incident management processes saved 20–30% in operational costs.
• Scalability: Supported multi-Division operations, making SMS Pro ideal for airports of varying sizes.
• Multilingual Accessibility: Spanish and Portuguese interfaces ensured high adoption rates among diverse staff.
• GDPR Compliance: On-premise deployment safeguarded sensitive safety data, aligning with EU regulations.

Explore SMS Pro’s full range of features to see how it can elevate your organization’s safety performance.

Testimonial

“SMS Pro transformed our approach to safety management. The Bow Tie risk management tools provided unmatched clarity into hazards, reducing incidents by 25% and ensuring seamless EASA compliance. The multilingual support in Spanish and Portuguese was invaluable for our team.”

Safety Manager

European Airport