Changi Airport Group

Changi Airport Case Study
Changi Airport Group – Future Ready

Changi Airport Group (CAG) needed to replace the heart of
their operations, a trusted but now-aging system, with a
modern and reliable airport database facilitating the latest
communication mechanisms.

CAG required there to be zero impact on existing operations
during the migration to ensure their leading airport status and
maintain their mission:
“To be the world’s leading Airport Company, growing a
vibrant air-hub in Singapore and enhancing the
communities we serve worldwide.”
In 2014, for the second year running, Changi Airport was awarded SkyTrax’s “World’s Best
Airport”
Ultra is proud to have their systems selected to be the heart of the airport’s operations and
to enable Changi Airport to achieve their mission.
Changi Airport Growth
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Pax (x 1,000,000)
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
The Challenges
Challenges for the new system included:

Proven reliability of the new system with a target of 99.99% availability.

Scalability for 100% growth. CAG expect a yearly growth of 5% and are expanding the airport
infrastructure. Airfield capacity is being improved adjusting departure times and routes to maximise
runway usage. The new system must be capable of growing with the airport.

Modern communication methods to simplify and reduce costs for future integration while also
supporting 50 legacy interfaces. Ultra’s experience in airport integration means our systems are
designed for compatibility with both legacy and modern communications methods.

Support the transfer of 500 staff FIDS displays and 80 operators to the new system. A simple, intuitive
interface would be required to minimise user training.

Migrating the legacy interfaces to the new system without affecting airport operations.

Coordinated support of the system by local IT in Singapore for the next 9 years. Providing fast
response to issues and expertly designed improvements to systems.
How did Changi Airport meet the challenge?
CAG made a bold and wise step to introduce an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) along with
replacement of the AODB. Ultra, as pioneers of both AODB and ESB in the airport industry, were
commissioned to deliver a package including:

Proven reliability. Per minute costs for an aircraft delay is estimated at nearly $80 per aircraft,
(http://www.airlines.org/Pages/Annual-and-Per-Minute-Cost-of-Delays-to-U.S.-Airlines.aspx) not
including indirect costs from fines and loss of passenger goodwill.

Support for both legacy and future technologies. Ultra’s systems are designed to handle both legacy
and modern communications methods.

Zero operational impact. Ultra understand that no two airports are the same. A technology migration
plan was designed using Ultra’s proven methodology and adjusted for Changi Airport’s particular
environment.

Migration of 500 staff FIDS displays and 80 operators to the
new system. This was made easier by the simple and intuitive
Ultra interface products.

Local staff training. Local staff were trained in the support of
the Ultra products enabling them to maintain the systems and
also to migrate other airport systems to the newer SOA XML-based services.

Optimised hardware footprint. Standard Intel rack-mount servers were deployed with software
configured for 100% growth. Simple hardware expansion is under the control of CAG if further
expansion is required (e.g. for T4).
The project The project aim for successful completion before the end of 2011 was successfully met.
Ultra coordinated the migration through CAG to ensure that all users and airport staff were
fully aware of the day by day progress.
• CAG’s requirements were captured and any customisation to the systems were defined.
Requirement Capture
• The new system was configured to operate alongside the existing system so that a gradual
migration could take place. A series of readiness trials were undertaken to prove the
Configuration
system was ready for the final push.
• A phased migration plan was put into operation, starting with an initial feed of live data
from the existing system to new system and forwarded to the 500 staff displays around the
airport.
Migration • Once this operation was proven, the next phase involved a step-by-step cutover of
interfaces from the old to new system.
“UltraDB is the heart of our airport IT operation
and UltraIB is its circulation”
Mr Steve Lee
Chief Information Officer, Changi Airport
The Benefits to Changi Airport 
Operations at Changi Airport were migrated to the new Ultra systems at the end of 2011 with no
disruptions to airport operations. The new systems have been supporting much greater growth in the
last 3 years.

Since installation in 2011 the AODB has provided 100% availability, giving a stable base to support
and optimise the airport operations.

Ultra is providing assistance to Changi Airport with the phased migration of systems to the new XMLbased services providing future-proofing for system integration at the airport. This simplifies and lowers
the cost of future integration.

The Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) approach provided by the Enterprise Service Bus allows easy
distribution and re-use of data, e.g. for analysis and improving airport efficiency

The SOA approach provides a known interface to which any new airport systems can accurate quote
allowing the airport to benefit from like-by-like quotes and minimising unknowns.

Changi Airport has a reliable infrastructure fit for business over many years to come
CAG’s annual report is entitled
“Future Ready”
The hub of Changi Airport IT infrastructure certainly is.

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