Swiss ground handler Swissport International and air travel IT firm SITA have joined forces to develop a new model which they say will unlock the value of the vast range of air transport data available to “deliver enriched, predictive analytics for the entire industry”.
This initiative is aimed not only at providing Swissport with the right data to make intelligent, proactive decisions on their day-to-day operations, but also to develop a framework of how this information can be shared across the industry.
Key to the success of this industry data model is to ensure all stakeholders – airlines, airports and ground service providers – have access to the same information. By collecting and combining different sets of data, services can be designed based on the individual customer needs and processes will become even more efficient.
SITA President, Europe, Sergio Colella said: “Today’s passenger journey is highly integrated, involving numerous stakeholders. To deliver a truly seamless passenger journey requires each of these parties to work closer together.
“Now we can harness the power of data to make smarter, more intelligent decisions that ensure a smooth operation of airports and airlines with real benefits for passengers.”
Swissport International chief information officer, Christoph Kleinsorg said: “Being a first-mover with SITA gives us and our customers the opportunity to benefit from data earlier. After having built a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure Swissport is now in a position to further digitize its business processes, adding further value to the services we offer to our more than 850 airline customers every day.”
SITA offers quick and simple access to this air transport data through its networking and API capabilities by collating and analysing a range of data streams using flight information, baggage and wait-time, the SITA-Swissport partnership aims to develop a standard format to securely share common data with the relevant stakeholders, while enriching these data streams to provide predictive analytics.
The data will help enhance cross-company services such as staff planning based on real-time data, measures to prevent delays, or door-to-door baggage services.
Using SITA’s Aviation Blockchain Sandbox, Swissport and SITA are also working with a range of airlines and airports to explore how blockchain can be used to securely share this common data.
