Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport Equipped with a "Super Brain"

Recently, the Intelligent Integrated Operations Control Center (IOC) of Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport completed full-process integrated commissioning and joint testing of its production information system. Entering the IOC operations hall at Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport, reporters saw a new airport gradually taking shape in the digital world on a huge 110-square-meter LED screen.

A "Visible" Airport: One Screen "Houses" the Entire Airport

On the large screen, parking lot footage from the Ground Transportation Center (GTC) updates in real time. In the future, which entrance is queuing and which lane is congested—and the source of the congestion—will be clearly identified. Rail transit arrival information is also connected in sync, so that when trains are about to enter the station, the IOC will be able to know in a timely manner. In the public video feed of the baggage system, the operational status of baggage tags at domestic check-in, international check-in, domestic departure, and international departure counters is clearly visible. Where baggage peaks occur, manual intervention can be promptly applied to baggage handling. Wu Fuxin, deputy director of the Operations Management Office of the Airport Operations Command Center, pointed to the large screen and explained that at Gaoqi Airport, systems were relatively independent: the airfield managed the airfield, the terminal managed the terminal, and the parking lot managed the parking lot. Now, the IOC at Xiang'an International Airport has fully interconnected these data and used 3D digital twin technology to recreate the entire airport in three dimensions. The goal is "whole-airport management"—not maximizing the efficiency of any single link, but optimizing the operation of the entire airport. Wu Fuxin said, "In the future, before passengers even arrive, transportation, check-in, baggage, boarding, and other links will already be coordinated within one system."

A "Precisely Calculating" Brain: Support in Place Before the Aircraft Lands

"Three minutes before a flight lands, the estimated time of arrival (ETA) prediction accuracy reaches 98%." Fang Jinsong, product manager of the Product R&D Department at Zhaoxiang Technology, offered an analogy: ETA is like an "accurate arrival forecast" for inbound flights. While the aircraft is still in the air, the system has already calculated its landing and gate-arrival times and dispatched stands, ground services, and baggage loading and unloading in advance—so staff do not have to wait idly, and neither do passengers. Fang Jinsong said that of the 11 algorithms behind the IOC at Xiang'an International Airport, eight perform flight operations timing predictions, while the remaining three handle support, monitoring, and resource assessment, becoming more accurate with use. This means that the IOC, as the "brain" of Xiang'an International Airport, will become "smarter the more it is used."

"Controllable" Coordination: Once an Event Is Triggered, Multiple Parties Act Simultaneously

"A traditional operations control center is like a pair of eyes, while the IOC at Xiang'an International Airport has an additional 'brain,'" Wu Fuxin said by way of analogy. Relying on the underlying logic of a "network plus event bus," if an abnormal event occurs at the airport, it will be automatically identified and instructions and tasks will be automatically dispatched. The command hierarchy has been compressed from five levels to two, ensuring that once an event occurs, multiple parties know about it and handle it simultaneously. More critically, there is "human fallback": algorithms only provide recommendations, and final decision-making authority remains firmly in the hands of duty personnel. The system will not automatically issue execution instructions.

A "Well-Used" Experience: Shorter Queues, Less Waiting

Technology stays behind the scenes, while benefits are delivered on the front line. Wu Fuxin said: "Flight punctuality is better assured, responses to connecting and special-needs passengers are faster, handling during typhoons is more orderly, and there are fewer baggage errors and long waits for shuttle buses." In other words, in the future, although passengers will not see the IOC large screen, they will feel shorter queues and less waiting. Currently, the IOC has completed five stages of integrated commissioning and testing, with more than 8,000 simulated flight movements, over 7,000 person-times participating in the joint testing, and a 100% script execution rate. Within this month, the first large-scale full-process comprehensive drill will also be organized, making a final sprint for the smooth opening of Xiamen Xiang'an International Airport by the end of the year.