Israeli startup IntellAct develops AI platform to minimize flight delays

Flight delays often frustrate passengers and cost airlines billions of dollars annually. These delays lead to long passenger lines and widespread chaos at airports worldwide.

Jerusalem-based startup IntellAct, established in 2017, has developed an AI software platform that could potentially reduce flight delays by 50%. The technology offers a solution to integrate its video analytics software with the airport’s IT system through CCTV cameras. The software also enhances the passenger experience and reduces carbon emissions, making it a win-win solution for airlines, passengers, airports and the environment.

Udi Segall, the founder and CEO of IntellAct, explained how IntellAct's AI-driven software minimizes uncertainties related to flight operations.

“Passengers are often requested to get to the airport three hours in advance, but they are not sure whether their flight will leave on time,” Segall said. “Our promise is removing the chaotic aspect, removing the level of uncertainty and providing airports and airlines with a reliable and predictive environment to mitigate delays."

Segall estimates that each delayed minute costs airlines over $110.

“A holiday season is not a surprise as it is recurring,” he continued. “Over time, as our system collects and gathers historical data and information, it fuses advanced machine learning and video analysis algorithms to identify recurring delays and safety risks, so there is no reason to be surprised.”

“We can look at patterns about how long it takes to board a plane during periods in which more families with children are traveling, which is the case during the holiday season versus business travelers during regular season to allow for more effective scheduling,” Segall explained.

He believes flight delays are mainly due to “turnaround management, that is how quickly airlines and ground staff can prepare an incoming flight to an outgoing one.”

“This is the hot potato, meaning airlines’ operational efficiency which includes a web of tasks from cleaning the plane, loading and unloading cargo, boarding and deboarding passengers, refueling, to restocking supplies – this is where the visibility of ground handling and airline teams are limited,” Segall assessed.

During an interview with the Times of Israel, he described the system as a monitoring tool that tracks every stage of the process using airport CCTV cameras. It analyzes the data to provide actionable insights and recommendations, helping to optimize airplane turnaround times.

“It works just like a healthcare app can make recommendations about what you should do to get in shape by monitoring your daily moves,” he said. “As such, the system helps the airline and airport staff to have a better predictability of whether a flight is going to leave on time, and allows them to improve scheduling.”

The Israeli flagship airline, El Al, which has invested in the startup, has conducted a pilot program using the AI platform at Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport. Segall described the program as a success.

IntellAct's AI-platform could potentially become a game-changer for airports worldwide, especially during peak travel periods with high passenger volumes.