8 FEBRUARY 2008 GHI ITnews SITA has announced that it is to develop a new Passenger Reservations System, continuing its programme of innovation for the 138 airlines which use the airline IT provider’s reservations services. The new system covering Reservations, Inventory, Ticketing and Departure Control will be the fi nal instalment of SITA’s Horizon portfolio of passenger management solutions based on open systems technology. This decision follows the recent successful migration by SITA of over 120 airlines from a legacy mainframe environment to its Airfare pricing applications suite. Abu Dhabi looks ahead The new Terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi International airport is to follow the lead of Terminals 1 and 2 to ensure that the 5m passengers who use this important Gulf gateway benefi t from the most popular check-in and baggage reconciliation systems in use today at airports worldwide. The installation is to be executed by SITA. Georges Hannouche, CEO, Data Processing Systems at Abu Dhabi, said: “When we found ourselves once again equipping a new terminal at Abu Dhabi International we were keen that we should do so with advanced and proven IT systems such as the SITA solutions already in place in Terminals 1, 1A and 2. “We look forward to working again with SITA to complete this exciting project that will enable passengers, airport management, airlines and other partners using Terminal 3 to enjoy the benefi ts of the highest international standards in IT and communications infrastructure.” SITA is to provide its industry leading systems including AirportConnect CUTE check-in service, Baggage Reconciliation System and Departure Control System. These are all part of the Special Airport Systems’ package that DPS will be providing to Terminal 3 as a subcontractor to the Murray Roberts/ Al Habtoor joint venture. Visualising the solution National Aviation Services has selected proveo Middle East to implement its Airport Visualiser solution at Kuwait International airport. As in most other industries, the introduction of IT often uncovers huge potential for business improvement and optimisation of operating processes. With proveo’s Airport Visualiser, information can be obtained in real-time directly from the GSE, providing the basis to optimise activities on the apron. Costs can be lowered in all signifi cant areas; the environmental impact is reduced and overall service delivery quality is improved. Furthermore, the Airport Visualiser allows for the implementation of new safety and security concepts on the apron to reduce accidents involving GSE, whilst concurrently increasing accountability. If ground handling is to be managed effi ciently, real-time information is needed: that’s the fundamental upon which proveo has based its research. The real challenge has been how to collect this data from a substantial quantity of equipment and to translate it into meaningful information and reports that can be used by management and staff in their daily operations and decision-making. The proveo application covers the entire data fl ow, from gathering via transfer up to the processing of all relevant information, all the while keeping data traffi c to the bare minimum. Information is not only available in real-time but historical data may be retrieved for analysis and reporting. Where National Aviation Services is concerned, it is anticipated that the solution will be rolled out throughout NAS’ entire fl eet of motorised GSE after the successful completion of a six month pilot phase. The project got underway in November 2007 and initially covers six Hobart GPUs and three TLD ACUs, as well as three Douglas TBL pushback tractors. The hardware installations and extensive training were due for completion during January and the project was scheduled to go live in February. The six month pilot phase should terminate in July 2008, thus giving proveo’s hardware the ultimate challenge of Kuwait’s harsh summer heat which can see temperatures soaring to 55ºC in the shade. As would be expected, the application covers real-time GSE positioning and operational status, as well as data on fuel levels and capture of engine use. A forecasting mechanism allows the operator to estimate usage based on previous running patterns. Performance reports of individual units, specifi c types or all units based on real-time and historical data are freely available and there is a GSE access function that avoids the possibility of unauthorised GSE usage. Although NAS is already considered to be one of the most effi cient and competitive ground handlers in the entire Gulf region, business improvements are always sought – and the handler feels that adopting this technology will give it an even more competitive edge. Naser Fahad Al-Obaid, Manager Engineering, NAS (right) and Oliver Schulz, General Manager, proveo Middle East FZC. SITA’s PRS

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