DXB adopts AI-driven turnaround management across all stands in partnership with Assaia
Dubai Airports Company will deploy an AI-powered turnaround management solution from Assaia across every aircraft stand at Dubai International (DXB). The goal: sharper situational awareness, tighter coordination and consistent performance across the airport community.
By applying real-time data and AI, Dubai Airports expects greater precision in the turnaround process with key partners, including Emirates, flydubai and dnata. The collaboration is set to reduce delays, improve on-time performance and create smoother journeys through DXB.
"Our partnership with Assaia reflects how we are applying advanced technologies to enhance reliability and shape the next generation of airport operations. Insights gained at DXB today will help us reimagine what's possible at the airport of tomorrow." - Majed Al Joker, chief operating officer, Dubai Airports
Assaia's system is already in use at major hubs such as Toronto, New York JFKIAT, Rome and Seattle. "We're thrilled to partner with Dubai Airports and Emirates to bring our AI-powered turnaround solution to the world's busiest international aviation hub," said Jan Willem Kappes, chief commercial officer, Assaia.
What the solution does (from an operations perspective)
- Creates a live view of turnaround milestones to reduce ambiguity on stand.
- Flags delays and deviations early so teams can intervene before the schedule slips.
- Standardizes processes across handlers and airlines for more predictable block times.
- Improves cross-team coordination (airline, ground handling, gate, catering, cleaning, fueling) with shared facts, not opinions.
- Builds a reliable data trail for continuous improvement, SLA management and OTP reporting.
Expected business outcomes
- Fewer turnaround-related delays and missed departure slots.
- Stronger on-time performance and more stable day-of-operations.
- Better stand utilization and tighter schedule integrity during peak banks.
- Lower misconnect risk and a more consistent guest experience.
Scope and key partners
The rollout covers all aircraft stands at DXB. Coordination will include core aviation partners-Emirates, flydubai and dnata-and service providers across ground handling, fueling, catering and cleaning. This unified view streamlines decisions at the stand and in the operations control center.
What leaders should do next
- Define clear KPIs: turnaround predictability, OTP, delay minutes per flight, and SLA adherence by task (e.g., bags off/on, fueling start/finish).
- Align governance: who acts on alerts, escalation paths and decision rights between airline, handler and airport control.
- Integrate with A-CDM processes so shared timestamps and milestones feed the airport's common operating picture. See overview: EUROCONTROL A-CDM.
- Plan change management and training for ramp crews, gate teams and OCC. Make the "single source of truth" visible and actionable.
- Set a feedback loop: weekly reviews of alerts, root causes and process tweaks; publish improvements so teams see progress.
- Protect data quality and privacy: standardize event definitions, audit timestamps and ensure secure access by role.
Why this matters for management
- More predictability means fewer costly recovery actions (tows, re-crews, rebooks).
- Fact-based decisions reduce debate time and shorten the path from alert to action.
- Consistent processes across stands and partners lower variance, which improves network reliability.
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