Mexicali International latest airport managed by GAP to move to SITA’s common-use platform

Mexico City | August 6, 2019– Grupo Aeroportuario Del Pacífico, S.A.B. de C.V or “GAP”, which operates airports in the Pacific region of Mexico, has moved its 11th airport onto the SITA AirportConnect Open platform. By using this world-class technology, GAP plans to drive growth by attracting international carriers to General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport, known as Mexicali International Airport.

Located in Baja California, close to the border between the United States and Mexico, Mexicali is the northernmost airport in Mexico. It enjoyed record growth in 2018 with annual passenger numbers rising 42% from 2017, making it the fastest growing among the 12 airports in Mexico managed by GAP.

At Mexicali, SITA will provide the latest common-use self-service kiosks, check-in areas and boarding gates running on SITA AirportConnect Open. SITA’s technology brings new efficiency to the airport, as all airlines can share the same check-in and boarding equipment while international airlines can operate in the same way they do at other airports around the world.

Juan Francisco Martinez Mira, IT and Innovation Quality Director at GAP, said: “SITA is the ideal technology partner for GAP. Together we have developed an IT plan across our group so that our costs for SITA’s services are harmonized across all the airports we operate. At Mexicali the solution SITA has provided will improve capacity and allow us to grow our passenger numbers further. Currently, the vast majority of traffic is domestic but with SITA’s world-class technology we hope to increase international passenger numbers.”

Elbson Quadros, SITA Vice President, Latin America, said: “Our technology partnership with GAP supportsthe development of airports in Mexico with 11 airports managed by the group using our systems. The investment in this technology has the benefit of improving the airport experience by processing passengers quickly and providing easy self-service options. It also allows airlines to operate easily using common-use standards, which will encourage the growth of international traffic.”

Passengers that fly from Mexicali are already using SITA’s technology. This includes SITA’s S5 self-service kiosks. These next-generation kiosks, which are proving very popular with Mexicali’s passengers, can be used for a number of self-service processes including booking, changing a reservation, check-in and printing bag tags.

Largest airport in China chooses SITA kiosks for Air China passengers

Beijing | March 27, 2018– Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA), which handles more than 95 million passengers a year, has chosen air transport IT specialist, SITA, to provide technology to boost capacity. Asia’s busiest airport is using SITA’s self-service kiosks for passenger check-in services on all Air China domestic flights departing from Terminal 3. The new kiosks are designed to support the wide range of travel documents typically used by passengers on these flights.

BCIA will use up to 70 SITA AirportConnect^® Kiosks to help Air China process passengers faster, while freeing up airport and airline staff to focus on other aspects of the passenger experience. They feature boarding-pass and bag-tag printers; passport and Chinese ID card readers; and large user-friendly screens. Uniquely, they support a wide range of travel documents including those of Hong Kong/Macau and Taiwan residents travelling to mainland China, as well as ex-pats who reside in China permanently.

Ms. Li Lei, Terminal Management Department, Beijing Capital International Airports, said: “SITA’s technology plays an integral role in helping us realize our ambitions to implement a truly end-to-end self-service experience for our passengers. The new self-service kiosks with the Chinese card reader functionality is a big bonus for Air China’s passengers. Flexible technologies like this help us transform and improve the passenger experience across the airport.”

With rising passenger numbers, BCIA continuously looks to technology to maximize efficiencies. The development of end-to-end self-service has a particularly important role to play.

May Zhou, VP, and General Manager of SITA China, said: “We’ve had a strong relationship with both Beijing Capital International Airport and Air China for a long time now. It’s great to see SITA being recognized for its high quality daily operations and maintenance at the airport. These self-service kiosks will drive efficiencies at the airport and together they will process close to 20,000 passengers per day. Saving passengers’ time is a win-win for everyone.”

The self-service kiosks make use of the existing CUTE platform SITA has deployed at BCIA, making the implementation process labor- and time-efficient. Although primarily for use by Air China, the kiosks can also be used by other domestic airlines that use Air China ground handling solutions.

First payment solution to support secure payments on common-use platforms now available

Brussels, 2017 Air Transport IT Summit | May 24, 2017– SITA has launched the first payment solution which addresses the need for airlines to be able to accept payments securely at airports when using a shared IT infrastructure. SITA AirportConnect Common Use Payment Service enables payment transactions by multiple airlines on a single payment terminal. Importantly, this is possible with any, and all, of the departure control systems the airlines choose to use.

Airlines use common-use or shared IT infrastructure at airports around the world and this ground-breaking solution has been developed by SITA to support airlines that wish to accept payments at common-use check-in desks, kiosks and bagdrop areas for baggage fees, upgrades and other ancillary charges. SITA’s new solution uniquely combines point-to-point encryption (P2PE) technology, with Europay, Mastercard, Visa (EMV) and Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant chip card payment terminals, applications and processes, to allow multiple merchants to use the same terminal while meeting PCI security standards.

SITA has implemented this service with a major European airline at a common-use airport where rigorous testing proved the effectiveness of the encryption technology for chip, magnetic stripe and contactless card payment transactions.

SITA’s common-use payment service meets the unique operational challenges of airlines. It allows airlines to share the same point of sale (PoS) and PIN entry devices (PEDs) at the airport, while continuing to use their preferred payment service providers and banks. This maximizes the benefits of the airline’s existing commercial relationships. Importantly, the service is also designed to minimize fraud risks by implementing encryption with EMV card readers and provides support for a secure payment solution aligned with credit card brand approvals.

Barbara Dalibard, CEO, SITA, said: “This new service, integrated with our SITA AirportConnect platform, allows airlines, airports and other air transport industry stakeholders to accept credit card payments in a common-use environment in line with Payment Card Industry standards. Our service features point-to-point encryption to provide a powerful, flexible solution for all stakeholders to ensure the protection of customer data.”

P2PE in SITA AirportConnect Common Use Payment Service delivers significant benefits including making account data unreadable by unauthorized parties. It “de-values” account data because it cannot be abused – even if stolen. In addition, P2PE can simplify compliance with PCI DSS (Data Security Standard) requirements for airlines and airports by reducing the number of addressable requirements during a PCI security assessment.

SITA AirportConnect Common Use Payment Service further enhances the community values that are central to common-use across the industry. It is the culmination of work with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Common Use Working Group in collaboration with various payment industry leaders, including Verifone, Thales and Smart Technology Solutions.

Peter Galvin, Vice President Strategy at Thales e-Security said: “Thales’s extensive expertise and leadership in the payment security market, enriched by our long-standing partnerships with leading payments processing vendors, allows us to help innovators such as SITA deliver the high levels of performance and security required for payment processing.”

The payment terminals available as part of SITA’s service are capable of supporting PCI compliance requirements for an airline’s passenger credit card data handled through SITA’s CUTE/CUPPS/CUSS system. PCI compliance certification, however, still requires an end-to-end security review by each airline of its own full payment process.

Initially available for SITA AirportConnect workstations, the service will be rolled out to support SITA’s common-use kiosks and bagdrop stations over the coming months.

• AirportConnect^® Open allows multiple airlines to use the same infrastructure

Athens | November 22, 2016– Fraport Greece, which will soon be responsible for operating, maintaining and upgrading 14 Greek regional airports over a 40-year concession period, has selected SITA’s state-of-the-art common-use terminal equipment (CUTE) to be implemented at all its airports.

Fraport Greece’s investment in the 14 regional airports is aimed at promoting the surrounding cities and regions as tourist destinations, driving increased passenger traffic, supporting both local and national economies, and providing high-quality services to passengers as well as other airport users and stakeholders. Key to this investment in infrastructure is SITA’s common-use systems, which will allow the airlines to work seamlessly at the Fraport Greece airports and to share check-in desks, kiosks and boarding areas while accessing their own airline-specific systems.

SITA AirportConnect® Open is the only common-use platform that fully integrates solutions both for agents and passengers. It delivers seamless self-service from check-in to security and boarding all the way to border security on arrival. It is Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliant, supporting the security requirements of the credit card industry. SITA has supplied its AirportConnect® Open solution to more than 420 airports worldwide.

Alexander Zinell, CEO of Fraport Greece, said: “Well-managed airports worldwide have proven that they also serve as economic engines for their communities. Our aim is to reposition the 14 airports as modern, competitive gateways that support the growth of the regions and the country’s tourism industry overall. Technology will play a central role in achieving our vision for an improved passenger experience and SITA is a key partner in providing the state-of-the-art technology solutions required.”

Fraport Greece is currently working on development plans for the 14 airports that take into consideration the specific needs of each location. In total, Fraport Greece will invest around €330 million in the development of the airports’ infrastructure until 2020.

Dave Bakker, SITA President Europe, said: “With our experience in more than 1,000 airports globally, SITA has the expertise and technology to ensure that we provide the right solution for each airport. Our CUTE solution allows any airline to quickly set up and operate from any of the airports, helping Fraport Greece elevate the experience for airlines as well as their passengers.”

• New check-in kiosks part of airport’s drive to implement IATA’s Fast Travel Initiative

Manama | May 3, 2016– In a drive to improve the passenger experience and deliver increased flexibility to its airlines, Bahrain Airport Company (BAC) will this year introduce SITA’s self-service check-in kiosks across Bahrain International Airport.

SITA will install and manage six new AirportConnect® S4 Kiosks at the airport, with four kiosks to be introduced in the economy check-in area and two in the first and business class check-in area. The new S4 kiosks provide a vastly improved passenger experience with large 19-inch multi-touch screens.

Along with the new kiosks, SITA will provide its AirportHub™ shared connectivity platform, enabling airlines to migrate their back offices from legacy or direct connections systems to a cloud-based communication link.

Mohamed Yousif Al Binfalah, Chief Executive Officer of BAC commented: “This project is the first step towards the company’s vision of implementing IATA Fast Travel Initiative which will significantly enhance the passenger experience at Bahrain International Airport. This initiative will offer benefits of self-service check-in to passengers to facilitate the passenger journey.”

Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East, India and Africa said: “Kiosks have proven to be an extremely versatile interface for a wide range of airport functions and services. Having worked with airlines, airports and governments around the globe has allowed us to develop kiosk products across all touch points in the airport journey and SITA has already delivered more than 10,000 kiosks to airports and airlines globally.”

• SITA provides passenger processing and baggage solutions for klia2

Kuala Lumpur | June 24, 2014– SITA, the world’s leading air transport IT and communications specialist, has helped provide a smooth start to flight and passenger operations at Kuala Lumpur’s new airport terminal, klia2.

SITA’s AirportConnect Open platform automates passenger processing for the terminal, which officially opened 2 May, helping the airport and airlines to provide exceptional service. The SITA Departure Control System reduces the complexity of check-in and boarding, and its baggage solutions, BagManager and BagMessage, improve baggage processing efficiency, helping to ensure on-time departures.

AirportConnect Open enjoys more than 70% market share among airports globally that have implemented common-use infrastructure. Around the world, more than 300 airlines use SITA’s AirportConnect Open to process millions of passengers every day in more than 525 airports.

Dato’ Azmi Murad, General Manager, Operations Services, Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad (MAHB), which operates the airport, said: “With SITA’s technology and support, klia2 is processing large numbers of passengers and their bags quickly and efficiently, for great on-time performance. Our operations would not have gone as smoothly without SITA. We are also delighted that all airlines – Air Asia, Malindo, Cebu and Tiger – are already onboard and using the new system. Our agreement with SITA has enabled us to procure bulk discounts for all airlines at both KLIA-Main and klia2.”

With passenger traffic at klia2 expected to reach 24 million over the next 12 months, SITA’s technology will serve as an important platform for growth. Using the new platform, airlines can access their respective IT applications in real time on shared equipment. They can also use any airport desk, gate or self-serve kiosk for passenger check-in and boarding for maximum flexibility and convenience. This platform is also ready for other self-service initiatives such as self bag drop, which falls under IATA’s FAST (Fast and Seamless Travel) program to offer more choice and control for passengers and lower costs for the industry.

Ilya Gutlin, President, SITA Asia Pacific, said: “We have collaborated with KLIA for nearly 10 years, helping them innovate and transform their operations with new technology. SITA’s AirportConnect Open helps enhance service quality for passengers, while further strengthening KLIA’s status as one of the world’s best airports. The platform serving both the main terminal and new klia2 enables the airport and its airlines to handle more passengers with the same resources.

“It also future proofs the airport infrastructure to enable airlines to deliver new capabilities to the airport quickly, such as enabling pre-departure screening of passenger data. We look forward to growing with KLIA and working with Malaysia Airports to enhance services and improve efficiency at their terminals”

The new 10-year deal with MAHB is an innovative extension of the SITA system currently in place in KLIA’s main terminal. Between the two terminals, SITA now provides more than 600 common use workstations, 110 common-use, self-serve kiosks and six mobile check-in units.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport is one of Asia’s major aviation hubs and is the 11th busiest airport in the world by international passenger traffic. In 2013, the airport handled more than 47 million passengers and over 600,000 metric tons of cargo. Since its inauguration in 1998, KLIA has won numerous awards from international organizations such as Skytrax and the International Air Transport Association. The airport was recently recognized as the second best airport in its size category, in the Skytrax 2014 World’s Airport Awards. It was also recently named traveller’s third favorite airport in the Top 10 Airports Worldwide category of the Smart Travel Asia 2013 Best in Travel Poll.

Melbourne | February 18, 2014– SITA is delivering technology advances to Melbourne Airport’s passengers as the airport switches all of its passenger services to SITA’s common-use platform. The airport’s switch follows the recent successful implementation of SITA’s common-use passenger self-service kiosks and automated bag drop. SITA’s AirportConnect Open common-use platform will now power all 275 workstations, including check-in counters and boarding gates, throughout the airport’s international terminal.

The investment in SITA’s technology will allow the airport operator to maximize the use of its terminal facilities and enhance the experience for the 25 international airlines and 30 million passengers who currently use the airport. The new facilities are  part of Melbourne Airport’s biggest transformation since it opened more than 40 years ago, which will see up to $10 billion invested over 20 years and passenger numbers doubling to 60 million by 2030.

Chris Woodruff, CEO, Melbourne Airport, said: “Over the next two years Melbourne Airport is investing $1 billion in a development plan which includes the transformation of our international terminal. By working together with SITA and using technology in new ways we will be able to improve our processes to make the journey smoother for passengers and the airlines that serve them.

“SITA’s flexibility, innovation and dedication to our industry were why we chose to partner with SITA. We believe this partnership will benefit us as well as airlines, ground handlers and passengers as we work with SITA to introduce innovations for more efficient operations.”

In September 2013, Melbourne Airport was one of the first airports in the world to introduce international Common-Use Self-Service (CUSS) bag drops. Working with technology partners SITA and BCS Group, it now provides self-service units so passengers can ‘tag and drop’ their bags without queuing for a staff member. The bag drops are proving successful with more than 90,000 bags self-checked by passengers since implementation. This process now takes passengers an average of only thirty seconds.

Ilya Gutlin, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: “Melbourne Airport is focusing on serving both its passengers and airlines better. By implementing SITA’s common-use platform across the airport, Melbourne is delivering a world-class, future-proofed system from which to launch innovative services.

“This switch to SITA by Melbourne Airport cements our partnership at this exciting time of the airport’s expansion and development.”

SITA’s platform at Melbourne Airport complements the six steps of the IATA Fast Travel initiative, which is designed to improve passenger processing and the overall passenger experience through innovation, automation and processing efficiency. The delivery of CUSS check-in is part of this initiative.

The move to SITA’s platform is underway and full implementation is expected by the end of this month.

Istanbul | December 18, 2013–

Turkish Airlines will install 80 new self-service check-in kiosks from SITA in three of Turkey’s busiest airports to enhance customer service for its 38 million annual passengers. With the new kiosks, SITA reaches a landmark 2,000 S3 AirportConnect kiosks delivered worldwide, bringing efficiency and flexibility to airlines, airports and passengers.

Mehmet Buyukkaytan, Senior Vice President, Ground Handling Operations, Turkish Airlines, said: “Turkish Airlines is growing at double-digit rates, while maintaining its strong reputation on service quality. SITA’s kiosks shorten aircraft turnaround time and help us optimize our resources. Most importantly, they support increasing passenger satisfaction by reducing queues and offering more flexibility to the passengers on their travel experiences.”

To celebrate the 2,000^th S3 kiosk deployed globally, SITA has presented Turkish Airlines with a black kiosk specially-branded with the airline’s logo and a floor decal reading ‘2000^th SITA S3 kiosk.’ The special kiosk is located at Turkish Airlines’ headquarters in Istanbul.

Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East, India and Africa, said: “Turkish Airlines has a long history with our self-service technology, so it’s very rewarding for us to celebrate our 2,000^th S3 kiosk together. The new kiosks will help the airline process more passengers more efficiently, especially during peak travel times. In fact, our studies have shown that the kiosks can help increase passenger processing speed by as much as 25%.”

Turkish Airlines has already installed approximately 70 new kiosks at Istanbul’s Atatürk International Airport. The airline plans to deploy 10 additional kiosks in total in Esenboğa International Airport, Ankara, and Adnan Menderes Airport, Izmir.

Turkish Airlines has now positioned itself as an important player within the global aviation community and has won a significant number of awards that reinforce this status. The airline scored a resounding success at the 2013 Skytrax World Airline Awards, with air travellers voting the airline as the “Best Airline in Europe” the third year running. Already having the world’s fourth largest flight network and flying to 243 destinations in 105 countries, Turkish Airlines continues to grow by adding new destinations to its expanding network.