Taking off with FM

When it comes to airport management and maintenance, what appears seamless is actually a mammoth task. FM firms disclose the complexities...

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Dubai International Airport is considered the world's busiest airport by international passenger traffic. It retained its position as the world's busiest in December 2021, with over one million more seats than the next busiest, London Heathrow, according to aviation consultancy OAG.

Being the busiest, it's critical for airport facilities to operate at the highest levels of efficiency and reliability. For FM firms, meeting the needs of passengers, airlines, staff etc., while maintaining the assets is a complex balancing task.

But what does FM entail at airports? Airports around the world have moved away from in-house services to out-sourced services, says Jiji Francis, senior director operations, Berkeley Services UAE. Some of the services they have outsourced includes, cleaning, MEP services, security, waste management, pest control services, landscaping, specialised systems like elevators, baggage handling, CCTV, BMS, fire alarm and fire-fighting etc., trolley management services and support services for airport operation

Francis says: “It is more economical for airports to outsource services to specialised FM services providers, as it will reduce their operational cost, improve efficiencies through innovative and sustainable practices from specialist service providers, remove bureaucracy (normally involved in government entities), offer longer asset life cycle due to professional maintenance activities, and above all ensure deliverance of good customer experience."

Talking specifically about hard services, Kelvin Vargheese, senior director of TFM, Farnek says that FM systems would include but not limit to, HVAC, lighting, UPS, BMS, plumbing, civil, furniture & special airport systems