SITA and DPS to enhance passenger services at Abu Dhabi International Airport

The contract valued at more than US$5 million, awarded by the Abu Dhabi Department of Civil Aviation (ADDCA) to DATA PROCESSING SYSTEMS (DPS) as the main contractor, will enable SITA INC to deliver an array of airport systems including its world renown common use check-in platform—AirportConnect CUTE. Under the agreement, DPS will be responsible for all infrastructural work and system peripherals at each of the airport locations.

In addition, SITA and DPS will install and maintain SITA's BagManager service for baggage reconciliation; PassengerHandler—a common language facility designed for airline and handling agent staff to process passengers at the check-in counter— and SITA's leading departure control system—MaestroDCS Local. To further improve passenger processing at Abu Dhabi International Airport, SITA will deliver four mobile check-in units called 'MobiCheck' to reduce waiting times during peak periods.

With at least 4.5 million passengers traveling through Abu Dhabi International Airport every year, and expected growth projections in passenger traffic beyond the industry average, the need for advanced technology systems became paramount. The passenger's journey and their overall airport experience at Abu Dhabi International Airport will be greatly facilitated by SITA's AirportConnect CUTE platform. The shared, common use check-in platform, based on the industry standard, will operate at some 208 check-in desks throughout the airport campus, enabling every desk to be connected to each airline's departure control system, helping maximize the use of the airports' resources.

With this, Abu Dhabi International Airport will be the first Airport in the region to apply the AirportConnect CUTE platform.

"DPS wanted Abu Dhabi International Airport to have advanced and proven IT systems in place to ensure that it attains the highest international standards in communication infrastructure and service for all passengers and airlines using the airport's facilities," said Georges Hannouche, CEO of Data Processing Systems, Abu Dhabi. "The advantage of this system is clearly important to Abu Dhabi International Airport in that it will be able to scale each system as passenger numbers grow over the coming years," he added.

Integrated seamlessly with the AirportConnect CUTE platform is the Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS), BagManager—the most advanced baggage tracking and reconciliation system available today—which will speed baggage handling and help reduce flight delays. PassengerHandler will provide a common language facility for ground handlers, allowing them to deal with multiple airlines on their respective Departure Control Systems (DCS) while using a common graphical interface.

"We are delighted to work with DPS to ensure that Abu Dhabi International Airport enjoys the immediate benefits of putting in place technologically advanced solutions, which are both cost-effective and scalable," commented Jamal-El Hoss, SITA INC's Regional Vice President for Sales & Marketing, Middle East, Africa and South Central Asia. "SITA's IT systems will provide Abu Dhabi International with a world-class IT infrastructure to support operational demands both now and well into the future."

SITA's solutions are designed to help airports maximize security, combat congestion, improve operating efficiencies and reduce costs. They provide airports with the technology architecture required to take advantage of a broad range of Internet Protocol (IP)-based services which are vital to the future of the air transport industry. SITA currently manages some 30,000 CUTE workstations for 285 customers in more than 200 airport locations worldwide, checking-in an estimated 580 million passengers a year.