52 OPERATIONS October 2026 AirportImprovement.com IAH “We have a very orchestrated approach,” says Mamo. “Once we learn of an event, the position is turned to red so we can respond quickly. At the same time, that person is encoding information to the video walls. It keeps chatter down and ensures a great level of consistency.” The range of systems and the technology that strings them together are significant. “We have a lot of different protocols to help monitor airline operations,” Mamo notes. “We use radios, aircraft drone management, a drone spotter and radar services to alert us to diversions, flight cancellations and more.” He highlights the MaxPro ProWatch camera system as one of the most critical elements. It identifies emergencies like airfield breaches, runway incursions and excursions and fire. The system is layered on top of capable, knowledgeable IAH staff who run a top-notch ship, Mamo notes. The airport also leverages its proprietary “Passenger Journey Scorecard,” a real-time digital tracking platform that measures operational conditions from the moment passengers park until they board, as well as key steps along the way. Specifically, it collects performance data and customer feedback about eight key aspects that impact overall satisfaction: • Roadway traffic flow and congestion, • TSA checkpoint wait times, • Transaction times at Customs and Border Protection facilities, • Escalator function, • Wi-Fi connectivity • Restroom cleanliness, • Water pressure, and • Terminal temperature. “We have a proactive versus reactive approach, and we constantly monitor every gauge,” Mamo says. “When needed, we can dispatch personnel or contractors to stay ahead of the bell curve.” With so many tech-heavy systems, the airport installed an uninterruptible power system for the ICC. It is designed to act as an intermediary between the main power system and the emergency generator to ensure the ICC is never off-line. Weathering Storms Now into its second year of operation, the ICC has proved to be everything leadership hoped it would—including emergency shelter. Beyond being notoriously hot and humid, Houston receives powerful subtropical weather that blows in from the Gulf. “We get intense rainstorms here, and water pressure is something we watch carefully,” Szczesniak says. “If something happens, we have the ability to dispatch teams quickly based on the gauge readings.” When ICC personnel detect impending hurricane conditions, the airport doubles or even triples up on some roles for full coverage. And there’s no telling how long recovery efforts will take if the storm is bad. SCAN HERE TO LEARN MORE APRON LIGHTING SOLUTIONS ©2026 Musco Sports Lighting, LLC - ADLAL26-4 LAX Terminal 4 Los Angeles, California The Integrated Coordination Center uses some of the same desks as NASA.
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