Smarter airport operations

Bengaluru International Airport in India wanted to maintain its competitive edge by improving operational efficiency and collaboration and by capitalizing on real-time insights. With huge growth potential for air travel in India, airport officials turned to IBM to help them more agilely manage the needs of passengers, tenants and airport operations, while controlling costs.

IBM’s Smart Airport Enabler will be used to integrate disparate systems and processes across the airport, create a scalable platform for future growth, and create a common view of airport operations across multiple internal and external stakeholders.

Daniel Bircher, director of operations at Bengaluru International Airport, says, “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.”

The Smart Airport Enabler is an aviation standards-based architecture and corresponding set of standard airport operating procedures. It forms the foundation for future initiatives and airport expansion plans, and will enable faster decision making, especially during the airport’s peak period, according to IBM.

Rahul Sharma, Partner, IBM Global Business Services, India/South Asia Region, explains, “Each stakeholder within the airport--whether it be airport operations, airlines, retailers, ground handling providers--is interconnected with the other. An airport that is able to simplify business interactions within these key stakeholders can deliver better services and become more efficient.”

(Image courtesy of ShutterStock)