SITA's applications will manage everything from landing to take-off, as well as all passenger processing and baggage management systems, from check-in through to boarding. Up to 75 flight departures per hour and 3,500 flight operations per day are expected; and some 1,000 bags per flight will be processed, it has been calculated. Upon completion of all of the phases of the project, the airport's capacity will reach over 200m passengers annually, making it one of the world’s busiest airports.
Hani El-Assaad, SITA's President, Middle East, India and Africa, commented on the undertaking. “Airports are without a doubt one of the most connected public spaces. SITA’s role is to provide and integrate all these systems to provide effortless airport management while elevating passenger experience and satisfaction. We remove the complexity so that the contractor can focus on what is really important: the passenger.”
The first phase of the infrastructure development includes SITA’s departure control system and its common-use platform, allowing multiple airlines to connect and use the same check-in and boarding facilities. SITA will also implement automated passenger access control that will validate all types of boarding passes against travel documents at key touchpoints, such as security and boarding. In total, SITA will provide 1,041 check-in and boarding workstations, as well as 90 touchpoints where passengers can validate their boarding passes.
Finally, SITA’s baggage management technology will also ensure airlines flying to the airport are able to track their bags at every stage of the journey, meeting IATA’s Resolution 753 requirements from day one.
