 "IBM Helps Bengaluru International Airport Become Smarter")
Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has turned to IBM to help it more nimbly manage the demands of its passengers, tenants and airport operations in the face of massive growth potential for air travel in India while controlling the volatile costs that often impact the industry.
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.
IBM’s Smart Airport Enabler will seamlessly connect disparate systems and processes across the airport and create a scalable platform for future growth. This will ultimately help the Bengaluru Airport to bring together a common view of its operations across multiple internal and external stakeholders, with an aim to provide passengers, tenants and airport clients with efficient and best in-class services.
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 recognised the need to improve operational efficiency and capitalise on real-time insights in order to increase its competitive edge. The airport’s annual air traffic volume increased by 7-percent during 2011 and the number of passengers increased to 12.53 million from 11.24 million in 2010. The airport will now use IBM’s Smart Airport Enabler to help manage the complexity of the airport and its operations.
“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. It ideally positions airports such as Bangalore International to create much needed business flexibility in a dynamic and demanding environment.”