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BIAL, Bengaluru : Airport Tech Showcase

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DQI Bureau
New Update

Built on 4,000 acres at Devanhalli, the Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL)

is one of the first greenfield airports to be built on a public private

partnership (PPP). This PPP model also brought in a new trend in the way airport

projects started being rolled out in India. The need for a master SI was felt to

realize such a mammoth project.

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Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS) was appointed as the master SI for

the BIAL project, and was entrusted with end-to-end project management of the

airport. SIS has equipped BIAL with complete electrical , IT and communications

systems, airfield lighting, passenger boarding passes, escalators and elevators,

baggage handling system, power supply equipment, building security and

automation system. With its airport domain knowledge, SIS has managed to cater

to the passenger forecast and projected cargo.

Airport Testbed



In 2005, SIS established an Airport Systems  Laboratory (ASL) in Bengaluru

with an objective to showcase world-class airport systems. It offers a unique

integration system called Airport Integration Platform (AIP), while providing

single accountability for the wide variety of IT and non-IT systems found in any

modern airport. The ASL is also the test bed for many of SISs solutions

deployed at BIAL from biometric security systems like 3D face scanners or

fingerprint scanners, a complete baggage handling system to the Airport

Operation Center. It also serves as a virtual airport, and is connected to the

Siemens Airport Center in Germany.

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Airport Control



One outstanding feature of the BIAL which is unique in India is the

completely integrated Airport Operations Control Center which brings together

the airport operators, security forces, customs, immigration, police, air

traffic control (ATC), ground handlers, fuel suppliers and in-flight catering,

all in one control room. By integrating all the stakeholders, the operations

have been effectively streamlined, improving safety, security and passenger

convenience. The AOCC is crucial to operations recovery in times of disruptions

or delays and results in improved punctuality, predictability, efficiency and

better decision making.

IT at BIAL



The AOCC also integrates some of the most hi-tech IT systems that have been

deployed at BIAL. The airport functions with the help of an Airport Integration

Platform (AIP), which seamlessly integrates all the airport processes thereby

improving operational efficiencies and ultimately reducing costs. "What makes

BIAL different from other airports in India is the level of integration of all

the systems and processes so that they can be controlled or supervised from a

single operation center. Other airports still have not reached the level of

integration like BIAL, and have to grapple with a certain degree of disparate

systems," says AS Viswanathan, global head, mobility, SIS.

Apart from AOCC and AIP, fifty-three common use terminal equipment (CUTE) as

well as eighteen common use self service (CUSS) check-in kiosks, flight

information management system (FIMS) and flight information display systems

(FIDS) have been deployed at the airport by SIS. This has enabled a high level

of operational efficiency. Another key system that is in place is the airport

operation database (AODB) that can be likened to the brain of the airport. It

holds and enables all information related to the airport operations. The data

from the AODB is updated on various other systems, including the ATC systems,

the SITA Text Network, the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN),

the Visual Docking Guidance Systems (VDGS) and the CUTE and the CUSS systems. In

turn the AODB sends its data to various other downstream systems like the

aviation billing systems, the airport information portal and the baggage

handling systems.

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After airport operations, come the flight management systems and tools. The

Flight Information Processing System (FIPS) at BIAL is a data collecting and

processing system designed to assist the management in comprehensive flight

data. It is a flight schedule management tool that calculates aircraft arrival

and departure the whole year round, and processes the dynamic changes that

happen in the course of a typical airport operational day.

Airport logistics is another area where BIAL has deployed IT solutions to

better integrate and coordinate all operations and multiple vendors. The

Location Management System (LMS) is a set of tools for planning and managing

airport specific resources like gates, aircraft stands, baggage belts and check

in counters. The system provides a graphical and intuitive representation of the

flight related resources assigned to specific flights, and helps in better

supervision of all the elements.

Baggage screening, tagging, tracking and reconciliation are some of the most

crucial logistical processes at any airport. Baggage at BIAL is handled with a

Siemens ultra-modern, five level in-line x-ray screening system which eliminates

the need for the extra, pre-check-in x-ray stage found at most Indian airports.

The baggage reconciliation system, built on a wireless network allows baggage

tags to be scanned and tracked. As a result, the entire check-in process is more

streamlined and faster than it was at the old HAL airport.

Bengaluru is also the first airport in the country to provide free Wi-Fi

service in the terminal building. The service is managed by BIALs ICT team with

Internet provided by Airtel and Tata Teleservices. The Wi-Fi is also used by the

airlines roving check-in agents, using hand-held devices which can even print

boarding passes on the spot. The automated parking management system that

overlooks the operations of the 2,000 vehicle car park right in front of the

terminal building is provided by SKIDATA.

Priya Kekre



priyak@cybermedia.co.in

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