• Provided Perth Airport and Virgin Australia with confidence that the new Terminal 1 Domestic would operate seamlessly from day one.
  • Using a controlled environment, trialled the new facility and staff to test operation to deliver an enhanced passenger experience.
  • Applied structure and discipline to engage, inform and lead multiple stakeholders to achieve a common goal.

As the new home of Virgin Australia in Perth, including the flagship roll out of its new self-service technology, the opening of Perth Airport’s Terminal 1 Domestic facility was of national importance and received significant media attention.

The purpose built Terminal 1 Domestic facility allows Virgin Australia passengers to transfer seamlessly between regional, interstate and international services in one convenient location. Features of the AU$200 million Terminal 1 Domestic include 28 domestic check-in kiosks and 14 hybrid self-service bag drop desks with a new fast-track check-in system, 12 aerobridge departure gates and an extensive central retail and dining area.

To prepare the new Domestic facility for opening, Arup provided holistic Operational Readiness, Activation and Transition (ORAT) services.

The implementation of Arup’s ORAT process successfully trialled the integrated operation of the new facility to de-risk the opening and deliver a seamless transition into live operations.

Arup worked closely with airport and airline stakeholders over a two year period to meticulously plan, prepare and implement an ORAT process specifically for the new Terminal 1 Domestic facility. This process focussed on complete stakeholder readiness, which included training, familiarisation, activation and transition, trials and migration management.

A fundamental aspect of Arup’s ORAT process was the delivery of a coordinated program of trials designed to progressively test the facility’s operational and support functions. This culminated in a 12 week implementation period of intense on-site activity. This included stakeholder activation and training activities and a program of 28 trials to progressively test the new facility and its systems, people and processes.

The new Terminal 1 Domestic facility opened successfully on 22 November 2015.

"We had a very successful start, I hope it’s an omen for the future but both the first arrival and the first departure were ahead of time.”

–  Brad Geatches, CEO, Perth Airport

To view the full artticle please go to: http://www.arup.com/projects/perth_airport_t1_orat