Indian airports more connected than ever

By Maneesh Jaikrishna, ‎Vice President - India and Subcontinent at SITA

Airports are becoming increasingly connected – and complex as a result. By 2030, 18,000 airline communication connections will be needed at the world’s airports, of which there’ll be 500 more in operation. New aircraft, more stakeholders, more passengers – and all eager to put the latest technology to work.

Reliable, secure, high performance connectivity is essential to meet these challenges as well as connectivity demands and expansion plans.

Prioritizing Performance in a Dynamic Industry

An overriding need is for high levels of connectivity, data services and security for increasingly bandwidth-hungry applications, not only in hub airports but also for airlines with networks covering remote regions. The requirement is for reliable, secure, high performance communications – consistently across the world’s airports – for airlines, ground handlers, maintenance companies, other airport tenants and the airports themselves.

In India, the government’s initiative to focus on low-cost no frills airports, there is a greater need to use technology to operationalize efficiencies and minimize costs.

The aviation industry in India is on the brink of a transformation, predicted to be the third largest in just three years and the largest by 2030. Airlines, airports and their technology partners are compelled to find smarter intuitive connectivity solutions.

SITA is meeting this demand, with AirportHub, an airport-wide shared connectivity platform offering reliable, flexible and cost-effective communication services to airlines, ground handlers, and maintenance companies based at the airport. It simplifies how aviation companies connect to their central systems and applications from their airport destinations.

Today AirportHub is used by 300+ customers with over 3,500 connections in operation. Join the AirportHub program and become another enabler in this growing community of next-generation connected airports.

As shared infrastructure, it allows airlines and other airport-based companies to connect all their applications and IT systems at an airport easily, while making the opening of new routes much quicker.

Information exchange

A second over-riding need is information exchange. The air transport community needs simple access to standard and secure sources of shared air transport data, both globally and locally.

Information exchange is therefore a crucial focus, enabling data sharing for collaboration, operations and business improvement.

Examples are the exchange of data required to optimize aircraft turnaround or passenger flow, where many players not only need data from several sources involved in operations, but also need to consume it in a timely fashion and an understandable format.

This must be backed up by excellence in service and delivery, as well as a focus on continuous efficiency and cost improvement. These are part of parcel of our approach.

To match the dynamism of the Indian passenger, the aviation sector must focus on those mega-trends and technologies that will deliver better insights into our passengers and operations, improve ‘life on the go’ and enable better passenger relationships and operational efficiencies.

Smarter At Every Step; Discussions that Make an Impact

Growing challenges in the aviation sector have necessitated modernization at every step of the passenger’s journey to optimize productivity and profitability, to improve operational efficiencies and enhance the passenger’s experience. Investing in smart technology is a necessity to participate in the global economy.

The air transports industry must rationalize their processes and increase incorporation of new technologies that have the potential to significantly decrease operational costs and enhance passenger experience at every step.