El Dorado Leads Latin America with Innovative A-CDM Aircraft Management System

El Dorado International airport in Bogotá has taken a groundbreaking step by becoming the first airport in Latin America to adopt an airport Collaborative Decision Making (A-CDM) system. This innovative move, led by OPAIN and tech giant SITA, is set to revolutionize how airports manage operations across the region.

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The A-CDM system enhances real-time communication between airlines, ground services, and air traffic control. This improved coordination means better use of resources on the ground and more efficient runway management—leading to fewer delays, lower fuel usage, and enhanced punctuality.

“Wiht El Dorado’s rapid growth as one of Latin America’s busiest airports comes the challenge of maintaining efficiency,” said Natali Leal, CEO of OPAIN. “The A-CDM system helps us tackle these challenges directly by fostering collaboration among all parties involved. This teamwork is crucial for enhancing passenger satisfaction while ensuring our growth remains sustainable.”

The integration at El Dorado includes SITA’s suite of tools like the Pre-Departure Sequencer (PDS), Airport Management System (AMS), and Operations Manager—all designed to streamline airport functions.

“Latin American airports are facing a surge in traffic complexity,” noted Shawn Gregor from SITA americas. “By 2024, we expect regional air travel to hit 773 million passengers—a 5.5% rise from last year according to ACI-LAC.There’s an urgent need for solutions that enhance operational efficiency and resilience.”

The benefits seen with A-CDM aren’t just theoretical; European airports have already reaped meaningful rewards from its implementation—saving around 360,000 kg of fuel annually while cutting down delays by over 2,000 minutes each year! These improvements also lead to better forecasting capabilities and reduced waste in air traffic flow management slots.

A-CDM has proven its worth at major European hubs too; EUROCONTROL reports that it has narrowed the gap between scheduled take-off times and actual departures from an average of 14 minutes down to just about 5–7 minutes! Such predictability allows smoother flight operations while enabling air traffic control systems to accommodate up to 3.5% more flights during peak times.