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KNOW YOUR COLLEAGUE

MAN ON A MISSION necessary resources to deliver on time, budget and scope.

BIAL Chief Operating Officer, Thomas Hoff Andersson aims You come with a reputation of improving airport efficiency at
to make airport experience more seamless and delightful CPH. How did you achieve that and will you be able to do that
even as passenger volumes continue to rise on a rapid pace here?
At CPH, we set up a team of Operations Analysts, to plan, predict
H andling operations at the BLR Airport comes with and control the capacity on a daily basis, based on 365-day
forecasting. This methodology enabled us to transform the
tremendous responsibility and multiple challenges as the
Airport has already breached its capacity with passenger
data-based operation. So, all decisions we took were based on
volumes reaching 33 million in 2018-19. But, Thomas Hoff airport from a gut-based decision-making company to a fact and
Andersson, the new COO of BLR Airport, has his vision well facts. Through this data we were able to make daily forecasts of
thought out and is ready to execute his ideas to make the airport check-in, security, immigrations and other ops, based on
experience seamless and delightful – even as traffic continues to operational data. Copenhagen Airport was named the Most
rise at a rapid pace. In an interview with Connect, Andersson Efficient in Europe by Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) for
spoke about his past career achievements and shared his ideas several years in a row. At the BLR Airport, we have – and will
that could further improve operational efficiency at BLR Airport. continue to introduce efficiency initiatives to cope with a growth
rate of 25% (from 26.9 million in 2017-18 to 33.3 million in
From Copenhagen Airport to BLR Airport. How has been the 2018-19).
journey so far?
What excited me is the fact that BLR Airport has come up with How should we manage the rapid growth?
wonderful initiatives, which most European Airports are still We need to control our assets more proactively. We need
considering . It is also the fastest growing major Airport in the to improve our capacity utilisation at the entry gates,
world. It is exciting and that is exactly why I wanted to be a check-in counters, baggage handling, baggage make-up
part of an Airport that is setting a trend in Airport operations, area and work closely with all sovereign functions to
globally. On the personal front, getting an opportunity to share data and transform the BLR Airport into an
work with a very talented group of people and being part of Operational Centre of Excellence. Bringing in new
this journey of delivering T2 is what inspired me to make this technology is only half the effort, the other part is
move. Moreover, India is one of the prime markets for aviation improving the process at every touchpoint.
in the world and it certainly has all the potential to be
centre of aviation in the coming years. What is your ambition for BLR?
My ambition is to design and deliver the best
Your thoughts on BLR Airport and what are passenger experience in the industry.
your immediate plans? Based on what I have seen and
It is an ambitious project and my job is to experienced around the world, BLR really
realise that the dream is achieved in a has the potential to become that unique
controlled manner, by taking necessary airport destination and be a true
steps. BIAL has embarked on a digital inspiration to other top international
journey which I want to continue further. airports. Currently we are ranked as
We want to set our own identity as we number 69 in the world by Skytrax,
embark on our new journey to make BLR however we have every reason to aim
Airport the Gateway to a New India. We for entering the top 15 list of world’s
have a very ambitious portfolio of projects best airports within the next three to
and we need to constantly prioritise to make five years. Ambitious, but definitely
sure we are doing the right things and that have the possible.

Thomas Hoff Anderson is a seasoned aviation professional, having served in the industry for nearly two decades in various
capacities. Thomas worked for SAS Scandinavian Airlines and the world's largest shipping firm - Maersk Group - before
moving to Copenhagen Airport-- the largest airport in the Nordic countries, with 30 million passengers in 2018 and one of
the oldest international airports in Europe, having begun operations in 1925. At the Copenhagen Airport, Thomas worked
as financial business partner, Head of planning & analysis, Director of Airport Optimisation and, finally, Director of
Passenger Experience, Terminal and Landside Operations. It was under his leadership, Copenhagen Airport bagged the
award for Most Efficient Airport in Europe by Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) several years in a row.

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