Newcastle International Airport, Case Study

1. CASE STUDY
CONSULTING • TECHNOLOGY • OUTSOURCING
Reaching new heights with IT
THE CHALLENGE 3. Revised and upgraded Management
Information Systems.
AS THE AIRPORT AND ITS STAFF WRESTLED
SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE CHALLENGES
4. Ongoing work on business continuity
OF CHANGE IT BECAME OBVIOUS THAT and resilience for the new systems.
THE IT SYSTEMS IT WAS USING, WHILE
TRIED AND TESTED, WOULD NOT BE ABLE
TO RISE TO THE NEW CHALLENGES
POTENTIAL REALISED
WHICH WOULD BE REQUIRED OF THEM.
BACKGROUND
This project is currently still in progress but
there are key benefits targeted even at this
Newcastle International Airport is the primary THE SYSTEMS HAD WORKED WELL FOR
early stage of the project:
airport in the North East of England and STANDARD, RELIABLE PROCESSING,
BUT THERE WAS NOW A NEED FOR A NEW
services the needs of all types of travellers
• Collaboration and sharing of data
COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO PROVIDE
and many of the major airlines.
and information.
TIMELY AND ACCURATE MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION WITHOUT THE INTENSE
• Reduced cost of IT support.
The airport has undergone radical change LEVELS OF MANUAL INTERVENTION WHICH
in the last 12 months including massive HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN REQUIRED.
• The elimination of unnecessary manual
restructuring, change of management and
data manipulation with an attendant
a complete revision of its business strategy.
reduction in costs.
IMPLEMENTATION
The issues outlined above are being
During the course of the creation of • Better management information leading
addressed in two distinct phases: to better and more timely decisions.
a revised business strategy new senior
management had to confront a range
1. A complete IT strategy review was carried • Systems which can match the aspirations
of challenges including the need to carry
out to establish the needs of the airport. of the new airport team.
out a complete review of all aspects of This culminated in the creation of a forward
the airports computer based business plan and associated costs and benefits for
the complete upgrade of the Airports
systems and infrastructure to ensure that quot;Waterstons have the necessary depth
software, hardware and security over a 4
the systems would grow with the airport. and breadth of understanding, not just
year period.
of the technology, but also the
fundamental business processes that
2. The IT Strategy review process has been drive our operations.quot;
followed by a period of systems selection,
Lars Friis, Finance Director, Newcastle
implementation and project management.
International Airport
The areas included in the implementation
phase of the project are:
1. Complete upgrading of the hardware and
infrastructure including new file and print,
email and web site infrastructure.
2. The selection and introduction of new
Accounts, Asset Management and Flight
Information Systems.
Waterstons Limited Liddon House Belmont Business Park Durham DH1 1TW T (0191) 384 5891 F (0191) 386 6255 E info@waterstons.co.uk www.waterstons.co.uk