Pune Airport

Following Bangalore Airport’s example, Hyderabad Airport will soon introduce ‘Face Recognition Facility’ for air travellers.

Passengers flying from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) can get past all security checks and board the airplane by simply looking into the camera.

Here’s how it will work:

• After a one-time registration at the entry gate, passenger details will be stored and facial features will be captured by the ‘Hi-Tech’ Cameras. The details will be the passenger’s unique signature
• The next time that passenger has to board a flight, they won’t have to show the boarding pass. They’ll just have to stand in front of the camera
• The camera will analyse and match the details and the passenger can gain entry
• This technology will also be used at the security checks and the passenger won’t need to show the boarding pass there as well.
• The boarding pass information will be integrated into the new system. It will automatically verify the information with the Airline DCS (Departure Control System).

This process will not only help the passengers but the airport staff as well.

The technology has already been tested for staff entry and will go live for passengers once the airport gets all the necessary approvals from regulatory authorities. It is said that this process will be implemented by the end of 2018.

E-boarding has already been introduced by Hyderabad Airport, therefore, it will be easy to implement this technology.

In the coming few days the airport will be rolling out a pilot project to make an airport journey completely paperless. They will do this by using biometric identification of a passenger to replace tickets and boarding passes.

Germany’s technology giants, Siemens, is all set to digitize operations at the Bangalore Airport to simplify airport systems and enhance customer experience.

The group’s subsidiary, Siemens Postal, Parcel & Airport Logistics (SPPAL), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to digitized the airport operations and infrastructure using the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Artificial Intelligence and Data Analysis.

Managing Director and CEO of BIAL, Mr. Hari Marar, released a statement saying that Bangalore Airport is a pioneer and leader of change in the Indian aviation industry. BIAL’s aim is to introduce more digitally advanced and innovative services so that the passengers and stakeholders get the benefit of future technologies.

He also went on to say that with the signing of the MoU for digitalisation, BIAL is once again gearing up for a leading position in India together with SPPAL.

Here’s how SPPAL may digitize Bangalore Airport-

• With a view to improve operational efficiency, the subsidiary will use MindSphere, an open cloud-based IoT operating system of Siemens.
• The technology will standardize real-time exchange of quality-assured data. This will create more transparency of information and thus improve processes between the various stakeholders at the airport.
• Another way it will benefit the airport is by improving the baggage handling system.
• It is also planning to optimize aircraft spare part management at the airport using predictive analysis.
• Data analysis and Artificial Intelligence will be implemented in the later stages of development

SPPAL recently opened a new MindSphere Application Centre (MAC) in Dubai, which will be used to develop future-oriented analytics and IoT solutions for airports, airlines, freight service providers and ground-handling services.

As the country’s third busiest airport after Mumbai and New Delhi, Bangalore airport handled 25 million (250 lakh) passengers in 2017. With such technologies being implemented, BIAL will surely be able to help modernize the airport and improve passenger experience.

Hyderabad Airport is officially one of the best airports in the world, in terms of service quality!

The international airport has been ranked ‘world No 1’ for ‘Airport Service Quality’(ASQ) by the Airports Council International (ACI) in the 5-15 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) category.

The CEO of GMR Hyderabad International Airport (GHIAL), Mr. S.G.K Kishore, was there to receive the award at the ASQ awards ceremony, organised at the ‘2018 ACI Customer Excellence Global Summit’ at Halifax in Canada.

Mr. Kishore has said that the award is a recognition of the airport’s relentless efforts towards service excellence and customer delight. It will be their endeavour to continuously raise the bar and exceed customer expectations.

He also went on to thank the stakeholders, including the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Immigration, Customs and service providers such as airlines and airport staff for their constant support in helping the airport achieve this status.

The award was presented by the President and CEO of Halifax Stanfield International Airport, Ms. Joyce Carter.

Hyderabad Airport has been ranked No.1 for the second consecutive year and has been in the top 3 rankings for the past 9 consecutive years. The airport was adjudged World no 1 Airport in this category for the year 2016-2017.

In a bid to transform passenger experience and make the airport futuristic, Bangalore Airport has said that it will implement ‘Facial Recognition’ facility to make the boarding process paperless.

Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) and Lisbon-based digital and biometric solutions service provider, Vision-Box, have signed an agreement to launch paperless biometric self-boarding technology.

Below are a few key points about this technology:

• The airport is set to become the first airport in India to have an end-to-end solution for paperless air travel.
• BIAL expects that the technology will be implemented in the first quarter of 2019.
• Jet Airways, Air Asia and SpiceJet will be the first carriers to use this technology for their passengers.
• The goal of the programme is to simplify the journey by making it paperless from registration at the airport to boarding a flight.
• The technology will identify passengers by their face as they move across the airport.
• Passengers will not have to present their boarding passes, passports or other physical identity documents.

According to BIAL’s Managing Director & CEO, Mr. Hari Marar, ‘A passengers face will be their boarding pass’.

He also said that Vision-Box’s state-of-the-art biometric technology, combined with its passenger flow platform, will enable a seamless journey for passengers, without obstacles, waiting lines or hassles.

The Biometric boarding system has had a positive effect on airports all around the world. The introduction of such a technology in India will streamline the boarding process and who knows? Queues at the airport might become a thing of the past!

Nearly two years after a resolution was passed in the Maharashtra Assembly, Mumbai Airport has finally been renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji ‘Maharaj’ International Airport.

On Thursday, Union Ministry formally approved a request from the Maharashtra government to add ‘Maharaj’ to the name.

Union Aviation Minister, Mr. Suresh Prabhu, confirmed this news by tweeting about it. He said that   Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is now Chhatrapati Shivaji ‘Maharaj’ International Airport and was very thankful to the current government for approving this decision. He also congratulated the people of Maharashtra via the tweet.

A demand to add the honorific was first made in 2016 by BJP MP Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, a descendant of the Maratha warrior king. Following that, the Maharashtra assembly passed a resolution to rename the airport and the railway station.

While Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) became Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus soon after, the proposal to rename Mumbai’s international airport was pending.

The airport’s renaming will mean that airport authorities will have to make a lot of changes, from informing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to changing all the boards on the airport premises. The civic authorities will also have to change the signage on the city roads that lead to the international airport.

Mumbai airport is no stranger to changes in its name. Built to serve bombers of the Royal Air Force during World War ll , it was known as RAF Santacruz in the 1930s. Post-independence, it came to be known as Bombay International Airport.

In 1970, once the international travel started booming in India, the airport shifted its international operations to a new terminal near Sahara Village in Andheri. That terminal was referred to as Sahar International Airport, while the original Bombay International Airport came to be known as Santacruz Airport.

In 2006, the airport was privatized and the two terminals were collectively referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai.