When managing thousands of ground operations employees across multiple airports, keeping licenses, permissions, and shift planning synchronized is critical and incredibly time-consuming. Icelandair partnered with Dreamix to automate its workforce management processes. The result? Over 1,200 hours saved annually, zero human error in permission assignments, and streamlined operations that give management real-time visibility into employee capabilities across their entire ground operations network.
The Story of our Partner
Our partner, Icelandair, is Iceland’s flag carrier and a leader in the competitive transatlantic aviation market. With a fleet of 55 aircraft and transporting over 5 million passengers annually, the Iceland-based carrier has built its business model around Iceland's unique geographical position as a natural midpoint between North America and Europe.
With almost 4000 employees, the airline has become synonymous with accessible transatlantic travel. Icelandair is recognized as one of Europe's most punctual airlines during peak travel seasons - a reflection of their operational efficiency. With a focus on continuous innovation, Icelandair continues to modernize its fleet and expand its network of destinations across both continents.
The Opportunity
Running safe, compliant ground operations means ensuring every employee has the right training, permissions, and shift assignments. At the time, Icelandair was managing this through four interconnected systems: a digital training platform where employees earn licenses, an HR system storing employee information and licenses, an access control system issuing permission cards, and a shift scheduling system matching employees to flight operations.
These systems needed to work in concert. When an employee completes training in the training platform, their licenses flow into the HR system. That license should trigger permission for updates in the access control, granting access to specific equipment or restricted areas. Finally, the shift scheduling system needs to know who has which qualifications to properly match skilled employees to incoming and outgoing flights.
The relationships weren't straightforward. Licenses and permissions didn't map one-to-one - a single license could correspond to multiple permissions, and vice versa. Employees often hold multiple roles across departments with different equipment access needs.
For a long time, Icelandair's staff navigated this intricate web of permissions manually, by checking, cross-checking and updating the relevant systems. Their staff was doing admirably, but they recognized that by automating the process, they could free up valuable time and resources and reduce the potential for errors.
The Dreamix Solution
We began with a comprehensive architectural overview to map the systems and identify optimal integration points. Our first priority was establishing a solid data foundation. Through collaborative research with their team, we identified opportunities to enhance data accuracy and synchronization. We also built flexibility to handle various employment arrangements, including ground operations staff who hold multiple positions - each with its own set of equipment access requirements based on their primary role assignment.
Working closely with the ground operations team, we created comprehensive mapping logic translating licenses into correct permissions. With the technical foundation in place, we developed an intelligent automation system with three core capabilities:
Intelligent Permission Management
When an employee earns a new license through training, the system reads that data, applies sophisticated mapping logic, and determines the precise permissions that employee should have across all systems. The automation accounts for:
- Department-based restrictions: All employees can operate equipment relevant to their assigned department
- Multi-role employees: Staff holding positions across multiple departments automatically receive the correct permissions for each context
- Daily synchronization: Permission updates flow automatically to all relevant systems, ensuring everyone's access rights reflect their current qualifications
Proactive Compliance Monitoring
The system continuously tracks equipment usage for every employee and automatically identifies when someone is approaching the 90-day inactivity threshold that would cause license expiration. Ground team management receives automated reports one day in advance, giving them time to:
- Schedule refresher training before licenses expire
- Extend licenses if operationally necessary
- Adjust shift planning to ensure compliance without disruption
Real-Time Visibility
Management now has a complete, up-to-date view of employee capabilities, license status, and permission assignments across all systems. They can make informed decisions about shift planning and resource allocation with confidence that the data is accurate and current. The system handles complex scenarios seamlessly, from employees with multiple department roles to contract-based crew members with different permission requirements.
We conducted extensive testing across standard cases, edge cases, and complex multi-role, multi-department situations before go-live.
The Results
Our work together results in saving over 1,200 hours of manual work annually, freeing staff to focus on higher-value operational tasks. Automated synchronization ensures permissions are always accurate and up to date, eliminating the risk of outdated licenses, incorrect equipment access, or scheduling unqualified employees.
Management now has complete visibility into employee capabilities, license status, and permission assignments across all systems. The automated alerts for license expirations keep the team ahead of regulatory requirements, receiving advance notice rather than discovering expired licenses reactively. The system handles complex scenarios and scales with the business without manual workarounds.
What was once a time-intensive manual process is now a streamlined, automated system supporting safe, efficient ground operations at scale.
