GEC NEWS WIREMalaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, tested new biometric passenger processing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Main Terminal as part of its 21st anniversary celebration held recently. SITA, the global IT provider to the air transport industry, and Malaysia Airports have signed a Memorandum of Understanding MOU for exploring joint opportunities and collaborative innovation for Malaysia Airports’ digital initiatives.
SITA first collaborated with MAHB on advanced passenger solutions in 2005 at Kuala Lumpur Main Terminal and extended the partnership in 2014 to include new technology at Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2. Between the two terminals, the SITA AirportConnect Open common-use infrastructure supports more than 600 workstations, 110 self-service kiosks and 6 mobile check-in units.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 is equipped with a further 30 Scan and Fly self-service bag drop units. SITA’s common use platform reduces the complexity of airlines check-in, baggage drop and boarding. Also in use at both terminals are SITA baggage solutions, BagManager and BagMessage, which improve baggage processing efficiency and help ensure on-time departures.
As part of the celebrations, SITA Smart Path was showcased. It uses facial biometric ID management technology to automate the travel journey from check-in to boarding. Once registered, travelers need to only have their faces scanned without having to produce documents at every stage of their journey. The technology is designed to easily integrate into existing airport and airline infrastructure, including standard common-use systems, check-in kiosks, self-service gates for secure access, and boarding.
Malaysia’s air passenger traffic is set to grow 4.9% in 2019, up from 2.5% last year. In 2018, Malaysia Airports launched the Happy Guests, Caring Hosts Service Culture Transformation Programme. This is a commitment to service excellence and to portray Malaysia as a developed country with a first-world service culture. By partnering with SITA, the organisation remains committed to delivering world-class service qualities by embedding a customer-centric culture to ensure a seamless passenger journey.
Sumesh Patel, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: “We are honored to be a long-term strategic partner of Malaysia Airports, and pleased to showcase Smart Path and embark on a collaborative innovation initiative at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. We look forward to the next project with Malaysia Airports as we work together to constantly seek ways to enhance service levels and elevate the customer experience at the airport.”
Key takeaways
- Malaysia’s air passenger traffic is set to grow 4.9% in 2019, up from 2.5% last year.
- SITA collaborated on advanced passenger solutions in 2005 and extended the partnership in 2014 to include new technology.
- SITA AirportConnect Open supports 600+ workstations, 110 self-service kiosks, 6 mobile check-in units.
- Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 is equipped with a further 30 Scan and Fly self-service bag drop units.
- SITA’s common use platform reduces the complexity of airlines check-in, baggage drop and boarding.
- SITA baggage solutions, BagManager and BagMessage, improves baggage processing and helps ensure on-time departures.
