Melbourne Airport plans for the future with technology transformation partner SITA

Melbourne Airport announced that it has chosen to extend its contract with leading technology partner SITA for flexible and passenger-friendly technology to ready the airport for forecast passenger growth. The technology is part of the airport’s multi-billion dollar pipeline of investment that will see it welcome almost 70 million passengers annually by 2038. The passenger-friendly technologies will help the airport ensure a high-quality traveler experience as passenger numbers rise, supporting increasingly busy operations for its airline customers.

SITA is a trusted partner of Melbourne Airport and already supplies a variety of flexible services for passenger check-in and bag drop in the International Terminal. Those technologies will increasingly be rolled out across other terminals, expected to culminate in more than 400 passenger touchpoints including mobile and standard check-in desks, gate boarding, self-service check-in kiosks, hybrid and standard self-bag drops.

These are based on SITA’s common-use platform, AirportConnect® Open which is used at hundreds of airports worldwide. In particular, the hybrid check-in areas will allow the airport to offer the ideal mix of agent and self-service passenger processing based on the time of day, type of passenger traffic and airline preference. This flexibility supports the traveler-focused redesign of the airport terminals.

Luke Halliday, CIO, Melbourne Airport, said: “Technology plays an increasingly important role in the operation of an airport, particularly as we strive to streamline the passenger journey through the airports and make the processing experience as unobtrusive as possible. We needed a partner that could join us in delivering against that vision and provide the best solutions to meet our changing needs as we expand. By extending our partnership with SITA we got exactly that. Our teams work well together and SITA’s expertise and dedication makes it the ideal transformation partner.

“The flexible hybrid solution designed and being delivered by SITA will boost capacity while maintaining a customer-centric approach and contributing to our overall success.”

Sumesh Patel, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: “Melbourne Airport’s expansion and development is focused on delivering a unique experience for travelers while maximizing the use of its infrastructure. Our teams have an excellent synergy which has enabled us to understand the airport’s challenges as it expands. As a result, SITA has designed an optimal solution for the airport to extend the services available in the airport’s international terminal, to make those technologies available to support domestic travelers as well. Our close partnership ensures that the best solution is delivered, future proofing the airport’s long-term technology investment.”

Melbourne Airport is attractive to airlines because of its 24/7 curfew-free operation and terminal layout, offering good connectivity and the lowest minimum connection times of any major Australian airport. Melbourne itself is projected to be Australasia’s largest city by population, by the year 2030. It has been voted the global sports city of the decade and the world’s most livable city seven years in a row. SITA’s technology will ensure the airport will be able to manage its future growth while maintaining its high level of passenger service.

SITA also provides common-use services at other major airports in Australia including Brisbane, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Cairns, ensuring the country remains a world leader in airline and airport services.