Global IT provider Sita will showcase its latest innovations for airlines and airports at ACI Airport Exchange in Muscat, Oman, this week.

The solutions on display at the annual airport event will play a significant role in helping to efficiently manage the rapid growth of the aviation market in the Middle East.

Iata’s 20-year forecast shows that passenger traffic will grow by 5 per cent annually and will see an extra 322 million passengers a year on routes to, from and within the Middle East by 2036. It is expected that the total market size for the region will expand to 517 million passengers within 20 years.

Sita will be showcasing how biometrics, artificial intelligence, mixed reality and robotics will help shape the future of travel technology in the Middle East and meet the challenge of growing passenger numbers.

These innovations include Kate, an intelligent check-in kiosk that will autonomously move to busy or congested areas in the airport as needed, promising to relegate check-in queues to the past. Using various data sources – including flight and passenger flow information – Kate can identify where additional check-in kiosks are required to reduce passenger queue times at check-in.

Biometrics is widely seen as holding the key to a truly walkthrough experience at the airport and Sita will demonstrate how its Smart Path uses biometrics as the single identification token at every step in the passenger journey. It is easily integrated into existing airport infrastructure and airline systems, such as check-in kiosks, bag drop units, gates for secure access, boarding and automated border control. Smart Path is already in use at Brisbane Airport.

Sita will also demonstrate how HoloLens, the world's first self-contained holographic computer, can be used to visualise and interact with the airport’s operational data including aircraft movement, passenger movement and retail analytics.

Self-service has also shown the way in streamlining passenger processing in airport and Sita’s Scan&Fly’s plug-and-play design allows the bag-drop solution to be easily installed onto existing airport check-in desks, maximizing terminal space while leveraging the speed of self service.

These emerging IT trends in the industry, together with the growing need to proactively manage cybersecurity in the air transport industry, will be two major focus areas at the event with Sita executives leading panel discussions on both topics.

Hani El-Assaad, Sita president, Middle East, India & Africa, said: “Innovation continues to reshape the air transport industry and will be key to managing the continued growth in passenger traffic across the Middle East. We at Sita are working together with the industry to deliver new technology that will help airport and airline operators become more efficient while making the passenger journey easier at every step.”  

Hosted by Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), ACI Airport Exchange 2017 will include an extensive showcase of airport products, services and solutions, attracting visitors from all levels of airport and airline management from around the world. - TradeArabia News Service