Ahmed Ben Bella International Airport, Algeria (ORN)

problem statement

Ahmed Ben Bella International airport (ORN) serves the city of Oran, Algeria and the surrounding region.

The national airport services management (EGSA) of Oran has launched a massive infrastructure modernisation, to elevate the customer services to the highest international standards. The project includes the domestic and international terminals’ parking areas, over 26 entry and exit lanes, and the relevant access routes.

EGSA was looking for a future-proof parking system providing stress-free ingress and egress to different stakeholders (passengers and airport employees alike), smooth and secure movement, and modular scalability to accommodate future upgrades and expansions.

NTF, longtime partner for HUB, has won the airport tender by proposing a smart parking system with backwards compatibility with the existing parking devices (Parqube) and ability to connect with JMS management software: Jupiter.

background

Oran is known as the capital of the west part of Algeria, and one of the most important metropolises of the Mediterranean basin: it hosted the 19th edition of the Mediterranean Games in 2021 and welcomes thousands of travelers every year. Its airport is the gateway to the natural and cultural assets of the country, and a primary driver for the tourism sector development.

The ESGA project comprises the construction of a new international terminal, the expansion of the freight building capacity, and the modernization of the old international terminal, to be dedicated to the increasing domestic traffic.

The new international terminal is an intelligent building with an excellent energy performance, through the installation of solar panels and a rainwater recovery system. Its parking system levels up to the modern design and efficient performances of the new structure.

client requirements

• Scalable, compact, and efficient parking units
• Ticketed and ticketless entry and exit
• Advanced management system JMS, backward-compatible with existing devices to enable ORN staff to monitor all stations from a single point
• Handheld and desk fee computers as a back-up solution in case of traffic congestion
• Installation, commissioning, and 2-year warranty services managed by NTF
• Pay stations with ticket reading and pay-by-plate functionalities
• Integration with license plate recognition technology by Quercus (ANPR)
• Integration with parking guidance signs with LED visual messages
• Premium barriers in Jupiter color for 26 parking lanes

results

The Smart Parking System installed by NTF is designed to provide users with a streamlined and stress-free parking experience, thanks to advanced automation and efficient way-finding.

HUB Parking Technology and NTF are long-time partners for ORN airport: the parking expansion and renewal adds 42 HUB Jupiter parking devices to the 20 existing ParQube units, to serve both the existing and the newly built car parking area, totaling six zones with 26 lanes and 3,500 spaces. 

The areas cater to different user groups and feature varied configurations accordingly: domestic flights (two areas), staff parking, international flights, taxi area, and a multi-floor facility divided into two sub-sections (street level and two floors for long stay and subscribers).

The first week after the inauguration of the new international terminal parking lot (October 2022) over 9,600 car transits per day were managed without a hiccup.

The backward compatibility of the Jupiter system has enabled NTF to connect all the new devices to HUB’s management software, JMS, which oversees the previous stations. This ensures ORN staff continuity in parking operations, a high degree of flexibility and guaranteed futureproofing of their systems. They will be able to monitor, manage and upgrade all present and future stations from a single place.

For drivers, access is either ticketed or by scanning employees and suppliers’ badges. Either group will shortly benefit from the installation of license plate recognition (ANPR) cameras, which will provide a ticketless option and even smoother access.

The flexibility of the Jupiter solution does not stop there. All 11 pay stations feature both ticket reading and license reading payment. Four variable message signs indicate the occupancy of the main parking area, thus guiding drivers to less congested lanes. During traffic peaks, dedicated personnel will provide in-lane support through handheld payment computers and will reroute subscription renewals to manned kiosks with desk payment computers.

JMS intuitive interface and advanced reporting capabilities enable ORN parking staff to manage operations from a centralized service point, optimize assistance time, and be ready to scale or integrate with third-party platforms whenever this might be required.

The new system is set to crown a truly seamless user journey, in line with EGSA vision of service excellence.