F&B innovation across the Asia-Pacific region is helping boost airport revenues, writes Oliver Clark.

The global downturn in traffic appears to have acted as a catalyst for food and beverage (F&B) innovation across the Asia-Pacific region, with a host of airports opening new revenue enhancing facilities.

At Hyderabad–Rajiv Gandhi International Airport’s bustling terminal, a brand new food court is expected to open in September, providing passengers and the general public with a range of fast food options, from pizzas and burgers and pastas, to traditional North and South Indian cuisine.

The 1,400sqm food court will complement the airport’s 12 existing landside food outlets and reflects a major sea change in the priorities of airports across India, says airport CEO P Sripathy.

“The concept of airports is changing in India.

Compared with their predecessors, the new airports are like a mall where flights land and take off.

Retail and F&B offerings are comparable to what we see in any city mall with a product mix that includes a host of local flavours,” he enthuses.

When the airport opened just over a year ago, non-aeronautical revenue accounted for just 30% of total income, but now GHIAL is aiming for a 50:50 split in the short-term and a 70:30 ratio in the long-term.

And with the economic crisis forcing many airlines to cut back on free catering to save money, there has never been a better time for the airport to expand its culinary offering, says Sripathy.

“People don’t mind spending money on food if its appealing, considering the fact that the options onboard flights are limited, what is offered at the airport is very tempting and passengers are often impulse driven,” he comments.

A new emphasis on landside F&B can also be seen across the region with airports attempting to maximise their returns during this crisis period through both landside and airside operations.

As a major transfer hub for the city of Tokyo, Narita International Airport is a busy commuter gateway, which handled an impressive 32 million passengers in 2008.

But despite this, the emphasis is not on serving customers at departures but – in a bid to draw in both passengers and meeters and greeters – the priority is on serving customers at its landside facilities, as 37 of its 50 outlets at T1 and 28 of T2’s 38 restaurants are located before security.

Catering to traditional tastes is also important and restaurants such as Taiyo, located on the fifth floor of T1, serves such Japanese fare as gomoku pilaf rice dishes and yakisoba-fried noodles, while the Takobou food bar, specialises in takoyaki and ikayaki fried squid.

“At this point, as an international airport in Japan, Narita Airport is a very Japanese place.

However, we think the current situation is still not adequate to satisfy our passengers.

We need to open more Japanese local food restaurants to fascinate our passengers,” says Takeshi Yamamoto, senior manager of retail strategy at Narita.

Western tastes are also well represented, with two McDonald’s stores located at both terminals 1 and 2 and another airside while a mix of Japanese, Chinese and Western cuisine is served at T2’s La Fiesta.

Narita’s extensive F&B sector can be put down to its privatisation in 2004 when the decision was made to expand and diversify the airport’s revenue streams.

By 2008, 48% of the airport’s income was made up from non-aeronautical revenues helping to make up a 5.6% passenger traffic fall last year.

Retail, and more specifically F&B, is also proving a crucial part in Incheon International Airport’s plan to beat the effects of the economic downturn.

Passenger traffic dived 20% at Incheon in February and was down 12.3% for the first six months of 2009, but the airport has already built up its retail sector, with non-aeronautical revenue making up a whopping 60% of annual income.

There are 114 food outlets at the Korean gateway, 47 of which are landside, reflecting both local cuisine through such restaurants as JaYeon and Haneul and international brands such as Burger King, Subway and Starbucks, all of which are making a crucial difference.

“Increasing non-aeronautical revenue is important because it is very difficult for the airport authorities to control aeronautical revenue.

So we are endeavouring to make our passenger terminals more attractive to get passengers to shop,” says Jong-Kyung Kim, deputy director of retail marketing at Incheon International Airport Corporation.

Once the recession is over, Incheon is planning to open a number of vegetarian restaurants.

Providing a distinctive local flavour at its client airports is also a key concern for one of the Asia-Pacific region’s biggest F&B providers – SSP.

SSP operates 127 restaurants across the region with a strong presence in China, including 31 units in Hong Kong, 22 in Shanghai and nine in Hainan and other major gateways such as Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport and Singapore Changi.

Despite the downturn, SSP continues to expand and recently signed a deal to open five new food outlets at Sydney International Airport by 2010, bringing its total concessions there to 11.

A key feature of its continued success is that SSP tries to reflect the diversity of taste, custom and cultures found across the region, whilst providing internationally recognised brands, says Daren Lau, managing director, SSP Asia Pacific.

“Because of the wide range of cultures and traditions here, the Asian market is undoubtedly complex and we have to provide a variety of cuisines.

This could range from Chinese styles of food such as Cantonese and Taiwanese, through to Indian foods and international staples,” Lau enthuses.

Some brands are more popular across the region than others, such as SSP’s Ajisen Ramen noodle bar, while others convey a local charm, such as Hainan’s Coconut Café, designed to match the tropical nature of the island.

While SSP operates both landside and airside concessions, the balance has shifted in recent years to airside – a development Lau puts down to the fact that passengers want to clear tightened up security checks more quickly.

“Most of our units in Asia are now airside.

A few years ago, the split would have been about 50:50, but now, as more passengers are keen to go through security earlier, it’s shifted to about 60:40,” says Lau.

Creating a sense of place is also important to HMSHost International, according to managing director, Walter Seib.

“It is crucial when offering the passenger an unforgettable food and beverage experience that local cuisine and the international brands that work in the market are taken into account,” says Seib.

His company has certainly done that at Hyderabad–Rajiv Gandhi where it has developed a uniquely Indian flavour with the opening of an IIFA Bollywood Restaurant and Bar.

The complex, an upmarket eatery based around the theme of the booming Indian film industry and the cafeteria Taste of India, provides traditional vegetarian and meat dishes and has proved a big hit with passengers.

In fairness, airports have always been fairly inventive in their adoption of new F&B concepts and themes, but it seems as if the current desire to boost income earned from concessionaire activity is fuelling a new wave of innovation.

Asia-Pacific Airports 2009 Issue 3

Frances Cream is ACI Asia-Pacific’s Young Executive of the Year – Peta Tomlinson recently caught up with her.

Marketing managers are supposed to pitch their product, although it’s not only duty that calls Frances Cream, newly crowned ACI Asia-Pacific’s Young Executive of the Year, to wax lyrical about the joys of Australia’s Gold Coast.

“What’s not to like?” asks the 31-year-old marketing manager at Gold Coast Airport in Queensland.

“I live opposite the beach, and the airport overlooks the beach.

I can walk along the sand every morning, and swim in the ocean most months of the year.

I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to live and work,” she says.

Cream, an ex-Sydneysider, espouses the Gold Coast Airport’s mantra that “you feel like you’re on holiday the minute you arrive”.

She has held her current position for two years, after Cream and husband Glenn decided on a sea-change.

“I was living in the heart of Sydney, while Glenn, from Tasmania (an island, and Australia’s southern most state) is not really the city type.

When we got married we wanted a different lifestyle, and the Gold Coast seemed perfect.”

Cream had always been drawn to travel and tourism.

Originally a travel agent, she went back to study a masters degree in marketing, starting her new career at Tourism Australia.

Her arrival on the Gold Coast two years ago coincided with its airport needing a new marketing manager, a role Cream considers to be her dream job.

of it all, and the way it brings people together from all over the world.

“We have an internal word for people who are into aviation – aerosexuals – and that’s me, so this job is a perfect fit.”

When she first arrived, Cream explains, the Gold Coast Airport was already a powerful brand.

It’s the aviation home of Australia’s favourite seaside playground, world renowned for its glorious subtropical climate, seemingly endless kilometres of golden surf beaches, spectacular hinterland, award-winning restaurants, great shopping and thrilling theme park attractions.

With a A$100 million terminal redevelopment then about to begin (and now in its final stages, due for completion in March 2010), Cream’s goal was to ramp up the marketing to cement Gold Coast Airport as a first-choice destination for southeast Queensland.

“My aim was to get more locals to use it, and having Brisbane people look at the Gold Coast as their airport as well – even for (some) international departures,” says Cream.

How? “Well Gold Coast is a more affordable option for outbound passengers, with lower car-parking costs and lower fees,” she explains.

“And with our nearly completed terminal extension bringing a wide choice of retail and F&B offerings, it’s no longer a small-town airport.”

For arriving passengers, Cream adds, the airport, with its stylish interior design and views over the surrounding hinterland, will be “part of their Gold Coast experience”.

Being from the new school of marketing, Cream has drawn on technology to help spread the word: in addition to traditional media, she leverages the cost effective, broad-reaching online environment, including Facebook, news feeds, email alerts, even Twitter.

“To my knowledge, we are the first airport in Australia to have a Twitter site,” she says.

As a result, the Gold Coast Airport’s website hits are up 50%–70% from last year.

Cream’s marketing strategy has also focused on working with airline partners to develop new routes and restore flight frequency that was cut during the economic slowdown.

Marketing co-operatives were formed so the airport could join hands with airlines and the tourism industry to do larger campaigns, and the results again are proven.

Last financial year the Gold Coast Airport recorded over 4.6 million passengers, up 11.6% on the previous year, including a 97% jump in international numbers.

And the numbers so far this year look promising, too.

Working with the airline’s research department and passenger focus groups to propose new routes has also paid off, notably with Virgin Blue’s new Gold Coast–Townsville service, and the introduction of new carrier Airnorth with a Gold Coast–Mount Isa–Darwin route.

“I don’t think Virgin Blue would have thought to go to Townsville if not for that,” Cream says.

Low-cost carriers (LCCs) were targeted to give the airport a competitive edge.

When the new terminal is finished, it will be the largest purpose-built facility for LCCs in Australia, streamlining efficiency for carriers and their passengers by having a common check-in for all airlines, self-service kiosks, a single baggage collection and screening point and one main departures and arrivals area.

Cream saw her entry in the ACI Asia-Pacific Young Executive of the Year award as a way of contributing her ideas on how the airport industry can rise above the challenges of the financial crisis.

Despite the intensity of the current economic climate, she stresses the need not to lose sight of long-term sustainability.

To this end, Cream feels airports must be more strategic and innovative, becoming “more accountable for the fate of the airport user, whether it is the airline, or airline customer or concessionary owner”.

Her solution, as evidenced in initiatives at the Gold Coast Airport, involves all stakeholders in aviation business pulling together in an integrated approach.

“It is during these tough times that airports have opportunities to grow and develop partnerships and work collaboratively yet competitively to ensure sustainability and growth in the ever changing aviation industry,” Cream says.

“By knowing their position in the market, who their key customers are and understanding their needs, airports can continue to manage infrastructure costs with revenue while facilitating growth for airlines.”

Cream will be presented with her award on November 3 in Kuala Lumpur at the 19th ACI World & Asia-Pacific Conference and Exhibition.

Her $1,000 prize money won’t be spent on flying lessons, or even more trips abroad – indeed, after Kuala Lumpur, Cream will be grounded for a while as she prepares for her next challenge: the birth of her first child, due early next year.

But no doubt, during her happy time ahead while on maternity leave, at least part of this young executive’s head will be in the clouds, still dreaming of ever new heights and clever new marketing ideas for her beloved aviation business.

Asia-Pacific Airports 2009 Issue 4

Max Moore-Wilton reflects on his time as ACI Asia-Pacific president, the challenges ahead for airports and the region’s huge growth potential.

It has been both a privilege and a pleasure for me to serve as the inaugural president of ACI’s Asia-Pacific region.

I am also fortunate enough to be a past president of the former ACI Pacific region, and would like to place on record my sincere thanks for the strong support I received from my Executive Board on each occasion.

The Pacific region, of course, includes many of the world’s great airports and its chief executives, in particular, have provided tremendous support and leadership.

Indeed, they have greatly benefited the development of ACI and the region as a whole.

Undoubtedly the highlight of my period in office has been the successful merger of the ACI Asia and ACI Pacific regions, as it has enabled a new, fully integrated region to be created for the fastest growing aviation markets in the world.

I was particularly fortunate that the leadership of both the Asia and the Pacific regions were committed to the positive development and integration of our two regional organisations for the mutual benefit of all of our members.

I stated at the time that I thought the merger would facilitate the sharing of resources, new technology and management experience across the region, and nothing that has happened since has made me change my mind.

Airports are vital engines of economic growth and we need to do all that we can to ensure that they thrive and prosper.

Without doubt the creation of the Asia-Pacific region has facilitated the growth of ACI services to our regional members both large and small.

In this regard, we have been very fortunate to have a dynamic regional office under the management of Maggie Kwok.

In fact Maggie and her team have developed a number of major new projects over the past three years that include the launch of our regional magazine Asia-Pacific Airports, new training and development initiatives such as the ACI Asia-Pacific Young Executive of the Year Award (see page 22 for details about the 2009 winner) and the launch of the ‘We Care’ Airport Service Coordinator Program.

Whilst airports across Asia-Pacific are currently facing a number of major challenges due to the global financial crisis, I have no doubt that the region will resume its growth trajectory and continuing infrastructure development.

The Gulf States will certainly be equipped to meet future demand if the number of development projects currently going on across the region are anything to go by.

I am very impressed with the huge development of airports and aviation related industries in the various Gulf States.

They have realised that as individual city-states, it is vital to their economic development to outlay capital expenditure to provide aviation infrastructure.

Undoubtedly they have taken account of the earlier development of major aviation facilities in city-states such as Singapore and Hong Kong.

Whilst the amount of capital expended probably exceeds current demand, the Gulf States have recognised that they need to provide world-class facilities, which will grow an entirely new market in their region.

As previously mentioned, I am lucky to have been supported by a very positive executive board made up of some of the leading lights in the global airport industry.

We also have a very professional regional secretariat, which is just as well, as our region faces a number of major challenges in the future.

For example, we need to pay particular attention to the training needs of the major new growth markets of China and India.

We also need to be responsible leaders in adjusting to a new global framework for sustainable environmental development of airports and aviation.

Asia-Pacific gateways will need to adapt to the new world order and become more environmentally friendly, despite the current financial uncertainties, while all new builds will have to meet new global requirements for sustainable environmental operations.

Indeed, airports in our region are already actively engaged in addressing the challenges of improving our environmental footprint.

For instance, Christchurch International Airport is the first airport in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve carbon neutral certification.

As you will read later in this issue, Kuala Lumpur International Airport has become the first environmentally friendly airport with Green Globe 21 certification.

Elsewhere, Hyderabad International Airport has become the first gateway in Asia to be awarded the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design New Construction (LEED NC) Silver Rating by the US Green Building Council for its eco-friendly design.

Sydney Airport, a gateway close to my heart, is investing in a new A$10 million water treatment plant designed to save up to one million litres of fresh drinking water every day for the next 20 years.

The plant will treat and clean wastewater using a series of physical, chemical and biological processes before it is used again in air conditioning cooling towers, toilet flushing and landscaping.

So in this ever-demanding world, what makes a ‘good airport’ in my eyes? A good airport in my view is an organisation that has a clear view of its strategic situation within its local and national community.

Airports are capital-intensive assets, which provide valuable support to a whole range of other industries, particularly tourism and logistics management.

It is vital that airport management have a clear focus on the needs to service their markets in the most effective and efficient manner in the interest of all of their stakeholders, including airlines, tourist interests and local communities.

I have been involved in national government for approximately 30 years, mainly in the trade and industry areas of the Australian Government, which included a period in international aviation.

In particular, I was appointed vice chairman of Australian Airlines, a major domestic airline, for a period in the 1980s during which major reforms were taking place in Australian aviation.

Following my retirement as head of the Australian Prime Minister’s Department, I was asked to become executive chairman of the Sydney Airport Corporation, with a remit to bring private sector management to Australia’s largest international and domestic airport.

In addition to my management role at Sydney Airport, I have since been appointed as chairman of Macquarie Airports and deputy chairman of Copenhagen Airport.

What advice would I give to anyone who was considering airport management as a career today? I can thoroughly recommend the exciting opportunities for ambitious executives to participate in the management of airports in our region and throughout the world.

Aviation is one of the major drivers of economic development and will continue to be one of the most dynamic sectors of economic growth into the future.

I have no doubt that the ACI Asia-Pacific region will continue to be the fastest growing region in ACI and that our leadership will continue to take a proactive and forward looking approach to the challenges of the future.

Asia-Pacific Airports 2009 Issue 04

Board members give their thoughts and reaction to the creation of the ACI Asia-Pacific region.

It’s official – Asia-Pacific has become an ACI region in its own right and is ready to play a leading role in helping the world’s fastest growing aviation market fulfil its potential.

The region, which covers 60% of the planet and currently boasts nearly 100 members operating 447 gateways across 51 countries, is formed from the merger of ACI’s Asia and Pacific regions that are expected to become the world’s biggest ‘domestic market’ by 2025.

Toru Nakamura, special adviser to the board, cannot hide his joy. He enthuses: “The creation of the Asia-Pacific Region is very timely and will provide airports with a platform for further growth and co-operation.”

Adds Sharjah Airport director general, Dr Ghanem Al-Hajri: “All airports in the region will benefit from the synergies and this will surely engender traffic growth. Having a closer understanding and respect of the various cultures involved and the rules, regulations and policies can only help in streamlining procedures and other issues arising between the various airports and related aviation bodies.”

Like ACI Asia-Pacific president, Max Moore-Wilton, San Francisco’s Greg Moix believes that the creation of the Asia-Pacific region is significant.

“I see the founding of ACI’s Asia-Pacific region as an innovative and needed change to the ACI structure,” Moix says.

“Given the amazing speed of change in the Asia-Pacific region and the exponential growth that is expected, we need to have this entity in existence in order to address adequately and completely the many challenges our industry will face in both the short and long-term.”

Incheon CEO, Jaehee Lee, is also a big supporter of the new region. He says: “Dedicating an ACI region to Asia-Pacific will enable Asia-Pacific members to work more effectively together as they build a strong future for aviation in the region. The merger will facilitate resource sharing, new technologies, management expertise and experience across Asia-Pacific.”

First vice president and former Asia regional president, Mohammed Ahli, is adamant that the decision to form ACI’s biggest region was the right one.

Says Ahli: “I firmly believe that the various programmes organised by the Asia-Pacific region will benefit the Asian region and ultimately achieve uniform standards and best practices in all components of the air travel industry. Exchange of information is vital to the progress of smaller Asian airports.”



He is not alone in his thinking. Says Vancouver International Airport CEO, Larry Berg: “Combined, the new Asia-Pacific region represents the fastest growing economies in the world and the fastest growing aviation sector. The region represents a major market that will benefit from working more closely together.

“Benefits will flow from closer relationships and discussion of common policy issues – speaking with one voice will serve to advance regional and industry interests.”

Asia-Pacific’s secretary/treasurer, NAA’s Harry Kobori, claims that the creation of the new ‘super region’ will improve member services, aid efficiency and enhance the region’s influence at world level.

Adds Nakamura: “There are two factors that made the merger necessary. One is the need for greater co-operation to handle traffic growth and the other is the need to provide members with a quality service in a more consistant and efficient way.”

So much for politics, back in the real world, how will individual airports benefit from the merger?

Moix, for one, has no doubts about the benefits for San Francisco International Airport. “We are now part of the larger Asia-Pacific region and thus able to meet with our partners, address the issues and work on solutions in a much more efficient and realistic basis. With the rapid internationalisation of our economy and the growing importance of these Asian markets, having a much more direct and complete group is to our advantage.”

And what about the bottom line benefits for airport staff in the region in terms of different initiatives or the general sharing of knowledge?

Again Moix is very clear, arguing that the merger ensures ACI is better equipped to achieve its key objectives in the region, one of which is to provide members with knowledge, advice and assistance in fostering professional excellence.

“The recently completed ‘human resources best practice’ seminar in September and the ‘customer satisfaction best practice’ seminar in May are prime examples of how the region is allowing airport staff to meet together in presentation workshops to discuss mutual problems and solutions and then return to their respective airports and put what they’ve learnt into practice,” says Moix.

“The sister airport programme of the former Pacific region has been incorporated into the new region and has been very well received by the former Asia region members, and this will allow many of the smaller airports to partner with larger airports for active, hands-on training. Two newly formed committees, aviation security and operational safety have been formed with active participation from airports throughout the region, which will bring many ideas to the discussions that will help form a standard unified set of practices for the entire region.”

So what are the main challenges ahead for the Asia-Pacific region? Incheon’s Jaehee Lee and SFO’s Moix have little doubt that it will be the capacity crunch.

“The single most difficult challenge for the region will be to ensure that airport capacity stays ahead of passenger and cargo growth, while maintaining world-class levels of safety, security, customer service and reducing impacts on the environment,” says Lee.

Moix is a little more pragmatic in his answer. “Our biggest challenges will be how we cope with our success,” he predicts. “We have a system that has been in place for many years and which, in the very near future, will be facing massive demands as our industry expands to levels never anticipated. How will India/China find enough pilots/aircraft and ensure safety and efficiency? Will these countries’ rapid growth sap resources from surrounding areas?”



Mohammed Ahli has other concerns. “The region’s strong and rapidly changing business models pose a challenge to the aviation sector,” he warns. “Looking at the current trends, most airports thrive to have the freedom for operating as truly commercial establishments. In doing so, the tendency is to deviate from core objectives of the air transport industry towards maximising profit margins. Strong leadership will be required to drive the business in the right direction.

“With the emergence of low-cost carriers, the aviation market in the region has become innovative and more demanding, resulting in some of the major flag carriers opting to establish their own low-cost subsidiaries, perhaps for survival. They have taken a fair share of the market, and their rapid growth demands major changes to the infrastructure at airports. Some airports have invested billions in meeting their aspirations to meet this challenge.

“In terms of air transport policy, some states in the region still maintain strict ‘protectionism’ of their own markets, though they preach full deregulation. We are far behind the other regions in this aspect. I would like to see a common policy adopted for the region towards achieving full liberalisation.”

Says Sharjah’s Al-Hajri: “Challenges are nothing more than opportunities in disguise and we are confident that this merger will ultimately benefit all airports in the Asia- Pacific region.”

It looks like ACI’s new Asia-Pacific region has some interesting times ahead.

Asia-Pacific Airports 2007 Issue 1

Jim Martin, managing director of ARINC’s Asia-Pacific Division, considers the impact emerging technologies are having on operational efficiency and customer service levels at airports.

In recent times, we have witnessed many key drivers of technology in the aviation industry, amongst them new regulatory requirements, competition and innovation.

The airline and airport industries have successfully leveraged on the latest technologies to create new passenger friendly systems and enhance operational efficiencies.

From a regulatory standpoint, initiatives such as IATA’s Fast Travel has taken a broad view of the aviation landscape and proposed a series of technologies that will help enhance the passenger travel experience.

These measures include self-service check-in and efficient baggage handling systems.

Innovation has also brought about new technologies such as Passenger Reconciliation Systems (PRS), and hand-held portable devices with the ability to issue boarding passes and meal coupons.

Self-service platforms such as mobile phones and the Internet have had some of the biggest impact on passenger processing methods since Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) was introduced.

A mobile phone and, in recent times the smart phone, have become a passenger’s must have device even while travelling and has created new services for travel bookings and remote check-in.

And the impact on airports has been, and continues to be enormous, as it has allowed them to save floor space that could be used for other services such as generating ancillary revenues.

The environment also stands to benefit, as mobile passenger processing will create a paperless environment, saving costs and reducing pollution.

Ultimately, passenger flow through airport terminals will become smoother as mobile phones enable passengers to keep track of their flight status and airlines can potentially locate delayed passengers.

And mobile and Internet check-in processes will be supported by a suite of remote check-in technologies and products, that can extend to hotels, convention centres and ferry terminals.

For example, multi-channel check-in offers airports several options for passenger and baggage processing, such as web check-in, remote check-in and common bag drops.

Another emerging technology that airports can consider is ‘roving agents’. These portable, hand-held devices enable airline staff to issue boarding passes to passengers standing in long queues at check-in counters.

The ‘roving agent’ has the ability to speed up the check-in process for passengers, and potentially save costs by reducing the number of check-in counters at the airport. These devices are also able to issue meal or hotel coupons for passengers if they need to be re-accommodated due to a flight delay.

As passengers become more accustomed to self-service check-in, a natural progression will be to introduce self-service baggage checks to complete the experience. In time, self-service kiosks and common bag drop counters will become standard features at hotels, resorts and convention centres, providing greater convenience for passengers.

With the implementation of 2D barcode boarding passes and the rise of remote check-in capabilities, security measures have to be taken to ensure that duplicate or fake boarding passes are identified in real time.

Passenger Reconciliation Systems (PRS) enable airline and security officials to read and verify information from a boarding pass against an airline’s Departure Control Systems (DCS) for real time validation.

One of its biggest advantages is that it simplifies the security procedures that are also conducted manually by the airport security staff.

The growing concern about aviation security has opened debates on how the aviation community can address the needs of facilitating safer travel for passengers.

Countries such as the US and parts of Asia-Pacific have taken a series of measures to implement key components of Electronic Borders, such as Advanced Passenger Information Systems (APIS) and Passenger Name Recording (PNR) to potentially eliminate terrorism threats, drug traffickers and other ‘wanted’ passengers from departing on an aircraft.

The APIS works on the basis of an airline sending messages to government security agencies to assess the eligibility of passengers before they can board an aircraft. The APIS dedicated message would comprise of a passenger’s flight information, their names and passport numbers among others.

The format of the message would be in either the UN/EDIFACT or any other user defined format. Meanwhile, the PNR specialised application is a front end collection and correlation system used to obtain passenger information from airlines and transmit it in a standard format for a customs department. There are no requirements for a standardised message from an airline host system.

Apart from Electronic Borders, the PRS has become an added dimension to the security portfolio within an airport environment.

IATA’s study in 2008 on the adoption of 2D barcodes revealed the importance of scrutinising a passenger’s boarding pass from landside to airside in an airport. This was important to filter duplicate boarding passes, validate barcodes on boarding passes and verify a passenger’s status.

The beginning of this article identified how regulatory initiatives, evolving industry requirements and innovation have been driving some of the new emerging technologies while supplementing it with different examples. However, while new technologies can be adopted, the aviation community would need to have a thorough understanding of passenger requirements and how these technologies can realise them.

The industry has done a successful job of harnessing Internet and mobile technologies into their operations, and the next steps are to assess what other new and innovative services can be introduced to enhance the passenger experience.

While technology has been adopted at a furious pace in the industry, it is also important for airline and airport staff to learn how to use them effectively. This is imperative as airports and airlines have become commercial entities, and are competing with themselves for the passenger dollars.

IT systems have become mission critical components that need to be monitored and maintained regularly. In conclusion, the aviation community needs to be constantly and acutely aware of evolving passenger requirements to ensure effective implementation of emerging technologies.

Operationally, airports need to work with their IT vendors and business partners to understand what the new technologies are and how best to leverage on them.

It is also important to ensure that there is a long-term plan in place to ensure the optimal adoption of such technologies in enhancing passenger satisfaction and profitability.

Asia-Pacific Airports 2011 Issue 1