Manchester Airports Group appoints technology firm to aid passenger flow

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) has appointed New Zealand headquartered technology firm, Veovo, to improve passenger flow at its three UK airports.

MAG, the UK’s largest airport operator which runs Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports,  is taking steps to keep queue times at a minimum for consistently smooth arrival, departure and transfer experiences as it returns to pre-pandemic traffic levels.

Through its new partnership with Veovo, MAG will deploy the business’ Passenger Flow Management solution across its three airports to better understand how people move through them and how this can change from flight to flight. The system will provide actionable intelligence to tailor airport services and reduce wait times.

Veovo’s sensor-agnostic analytics platform means MAG can use any combination of sensors that best suit their physical space, ceiling heights, lane layout and business needs.  The system will use a combination of LiDAR, 3D Stereo cameras and the airport’s Wi-Fi infrastructure to understand the movement of passengers through the terminal. It will show queue times at key process points and provide flight-specific insights on appearance profiles, dwell times and movement.

Nick Woods, Chief Information Officer at MAG, said:

“Passenger flow can differ significantly depending on the airline, time of day, and destination – impacting terminal operations in different ways. By understanding how people travel from kerb to gate with Veovo’s Passenger Flow Management system, we can make data-driven decisions to improve experiences.”

James Williamson, Veovo CEO, commented:

“This partnership marks a significant milestone in MAG’s strategy to revolutionise the customer experience by helping passengers seamlessly move from kerb to gate. We’re excited to embark on this journey with MAG and see the positive impact of Veovo’s predictive insights in delivering a great passenger experience today while supporting more data-driven long-term planning.”