Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has turned to IBM to help it manage the demands of its passengers, tenants and airport operations.
Smart Airport Enabler will not only decrease the cost of deployment and maintenance of current and future systems at the airport, it is also expected to bring about an overall increase in airport service quality. It will help increase efficiency in interactions between the airport, airlines and other stakeholders, lowering overall cost of operations at the airport.
The airport is one of the first airports in the world to successfully implement the latest international standard Aviation Information Data Exchange (AIDX) format, created by international aviation bodies International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airlines for America (A4A) and Airports Council International (ACI), to exchange flight information between airlines, flight data providers and airports using the IBM-designed architecture. This will allow the airport to communicate real-time information about airport operations and situational awareness with other airport stakeholders.
As a leader of change in Indian aviation, Bengaluru International Airport recognized the need to improve operational efficiency and capitalize on real-time insights in order to increase its competitive edge. The airport’s annual air traffic volume increased by 7% during 2011 and the number of passengers increased to 12.53 million from 11.24 million in 2010.
“As the hub for business travel and the gateway to south India, we are committed to creating a great customer experience; achieving operational excellence is therefore critical for us. As a leader in the Indian aviation industry, we are proud to be the first to adopt the first aviation standards-based integration methodology that reinforces our position as one of the best airports in the world” said Daniel Bircher, Director Operations, Bangalore International Airport Ltd
“Each stakeholder within the airport, whether it be airport operations, airlines, retailers, ground handling providers, is interconnected with the other,” said Rahul Sharma, Partner, IBM Global Business Services, India/South Asia Region, “An airport that is able to simplify business interactions within these key stakeholders, can deliver better services and become more efficient.”
The Smart Airport Enabler is a component of the IBM Airport Operations Management Systems. This solution was developed by IBM’s Software Labs and implemented for Bengaluru International Airport by IBM’s Global Business Services division.
IBM recently launched its Airport Solutions Lab in New Delhi. India is one of the leading nations at the forefront of developing smarter airports that are designed to handle the exponential growth of air travel. The lab is staffed by a network of global experts that have deep expertise in aviation.
India is poised to move from the ninth largest civil aviation market to the top five in the world within the next decade. It is also projected that passenger loads could increase threefold from about 143 million in 2010-11 to 452 million by 2020-21.