Emad Fahmy, Systems Engineering Manager at NETSCOUT Middle East, explains the importance of network visibility for managing aviation travel surges.
Airline companies rely heavily on digital applications and networks to facilitate functions such as flight rescheduling, baggage handling, ticket modifications, and passenger communication. During summer travel surges, these networks experience a surge in online flight bookings and overall traffic.
In Dubai alone, 3.5 million passengers travelled via airplane during the Eid Al Adha break, with 252,000 travellers passing through Dubai Airports during that time. This poses a challenge for unprepared airlines, potentially causing network outages that disrupt travel plans. Downtime can lead to significant financial losses, operational issues, and reputational damage, making it crucial for airlines to prioritize network visibility and proactive measures.
In anticipation of increased travel this year, it is crucial for airports and airlines to engage in proactive planning and enhance network and application visibility within their environments. The consequences of outages can be severe, leading to passenger frustration, operational challenges, financial losses, and negative publicity that tarnishes the reputation of airports and airlines. Moreover, the aviation industry is highly competitive, leaving little room for error before losing the trust of frequent flyers.
The Importance of Network Visibility for Managing Aviation Travel Surges
Network visibility refers to the ability of airlines to monitor and manage their network infrastructure proactively. It allows real-time monitoring, proactive issue resolution, and efficient resource allocation. Using network visibility tools, airlines can detect anomalies, identify potential problems, and optimize their network capacity to ensure uninterrupted operations during peak travel seasons.
One of the advantages of network visibility is improved real-time monitoring. Airlines can closely monitor their network infrastructure, promptly identifying and addressing any issues that may arise. This allows for swift action and minimizes the risk of prolonged downtime. Additionally, network visibility enables proactive issue resolution by identifying potential network problems before they escalate. Airlines can take pre-emptive measures to prevent downtime, ensuring a seamless travel experience for passengers. Furthermore, network visibility facilitates effective resource allocation, as it helps identify network bottlenecks and optimize network capacity. This ensures efficient utilization of resources, minimizing the risk of network congestion and potential disruptions.
It is important for airlines to enhance their visibility of their digital environments in order to accurately identify the root cause of issues and address them before they impact customers. This is why both airline companies and airport operators should consider proactive strategies to prevent potential downtimes and mitigate associated risks.
Scalable Deep Packet Inspection
One effective way for aviation organizations to achieve this is by utilizing scalable deep packet inspection solutions. These solutions offer comprehensive visibility into the performance of applications and networks, allowing for efficient resolution of complex cybersecurity, network, and application disruptions. By quickly and accurately detecting and identifying the direct cause of any problem, these solutions streamline the resolution process.
Scalable deep packet inspection solutions can be applied across various aspects of a company’s network environment, including public, private, and hybrid cloud, as well as on-premises infrastructure. By supporting and processing large volumes of data within the network, these solutions ensure reliable digital services are provided to passengers throughout their travel experience.
Moreover, these solutions play a critical role in reducing mean time to repair (MTTR) and mitigating any network interference that could negatively impact passengers.
Ensuring seamless travel experiences is of utmost importance for airports and airline companies, particularly during high-demand periods like peak holiday travel times.
Travel surges present an opportunity for airlines to demonstrate the quality of their services, so it is essential that they deliver smooth, end-to-end experiences for passengers throughout their journey.
The operational difficulties witnessed during the recent winter holiday season underscore the significance of mitigating disruptions in digital services. These challenges serve as a clear example of the risks that can arise when appropriate strategies are not implemented.
By proactively monitoring and preventing potential network and application performance issues through the use of scalable deep packet inspection solutions, the aviation industry can guarantee that passengers receive the best possible experience. Ultimately, this proactive approach also ensures business continuity for airlines and airports.
