New Delhi:
As many as 36 AAI-managed airports are likely to have a hi-tech baggage management system in place by next year, which would reduce waiting period for fliers by a significant amount besides minimising disruption.
According to a statement, a new world-class baggage reconciliation system, SITA BagManager, by the global airlines IT solutions major SITA, has already been implemented at Chennai and Kolkata airports, which together receive some 15 million bags per year.
The rollout to the other 36 airports has begun and SITA's baggage systems are expected to be in operations at all of them by 2016, SITA said in a release.
In 2014, mishandled bags cost the global air transport industry a total of USD 2.4 billion, according to SITA.
The technology provides a real-time information on the status of passengers' baggage at these two airports, which helps reduce mishandling and solves baggage issues, and it is being used to facilitate loading, reconciling, tracking, tracing and managing all the 15 million bags.
The Government-owned Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages 125 airports, which include six joint ventures across the country.
Of these, 18 are international airports, (100 per cent owned and operated by AAI), six joint venture international airports, eight custom airports, 45 domestic airports among others.
Under the system, more than 100 hand-held devices have been issued to workers at the two airports which allow them to scan baggage tags anywhere and provide information on the location of each and every bag.
SITA's system will help AAI to determine which passengers have boarded and which bags have been loaded, producing reports to highlight mismatches which are critical to security and in line with international guidelines, the release said.
The system will ensure proactive monitoring of the baggage process, enabling problems to be identified and resolved before a flight departs, it said, adding, it will also improve operational decision-making through the provision of real-time information on mobile devices used by staff.
"SITA's baggage management solution is in use at more than 150 airports worldwide and is proven to cut the rate of baggage mishandling by as much as a fifth. The successful implementation at Kolkata and Chennai are the first in this major phased rollout for the AAI," SITA vice president for India and subcontinent Maneesh Jaikrishna said.
The implementation of SITA's baggage technology will minimise disruption and provide better service to passengers, AAI Executive director for Information Technology Ravi Prakash said.
Kolkata and Chennai are the first of 38 airports where this world-class BRS system has been implemented, he said, adding, this is part of a strategic partnership with SITA to implement state-of-the-art ICT solutions at airports to cope with the growth of passenger traffic in India, which is expected to be the third-largest aviation market by 2023.
While SITA BagManager cannot prevent weather or technical issues, which can cause bags to be mishandled or delayed, it can prevent up to 20 per cent of mishandled bags improving the experience for many travellers, the release said.