Open for business: WBP News

We focus on some of latest security, concessions, hospitality and IT focused news stories from ACI World Business Partners across the globe.

Fukuoka International Airport to deploy Smiths Detection technology

Smiths Detection is to supply Fukuoka International Airport (FUK) with 12 HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX X-ray scanners and 12 automatic tray return systems (iLane A20) for use at the North and South Domestic Checkpoints at the Japanese gateway.

The HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX, a computed tomography (CT) X-ray scanner, produces high-resolution volumetric 3D images for quicker and deeper baggage assessment and low false-alarm rates.

Implementation of the new scanner will allow passengers to leave their liquids and electronics in their hand luggage, helping to speed up security screening, without compromising on safety.

The iLane A20, a next-generation fully automated tray return system, delivers high throughput and efficiency, streamlining the screening process and eliminating passenger bottlenecks. Smiths Detection’s North & South Asia market head, Aurelien Guilbert, said: “We’re thrilled to be working Fukuoka International Airport to enhance security and improve the overall passenger experience by allowing passengers to leave large electronics and liquids in their carry-on bags.

“Already in use across the country, the H-SCAN 6040 CTiX is the leading checkpoint CT X-ray in Japan.”

The new technology will be installed at FUK by the end of March 2024 ensuring that it becomes the third Japanese gateway to harness the power of Smiths Detection’s 3D X-ray screening technology after Tokyo Haneda and Okinawa’s Naha Airport.

SSP extends Liverpool airport concession

SSP Group has secured a significant new deal with Liverpool John Lennon Airport, extending its operations at the airport until at least 2036.

All of SSP’s existing units will be refurbished, rebranded or extended, and additional outlets will be created, increasing the capacity of SSP’s restaurants at the UK gateway by 50%

The initial phase of the development includes a high-end eatery called Sable & Co Bar and Kitchen, which will take pride of place on the mezzanine level after World Duty Free, and is scheduled to open in the spring. It will feature a food and drink menu curated to showcase the best of local ingredients and suppliers, served in a design-led environment.

Kari Daniels, CEO SSP UK & Ireland, said: “This development is testament to the high standard of our offer over the time we’ve been operating at Liverpool John Lennon. We’ve built strong relationships with the team here, and we’re delighted to be working closely with them now to make the F&B offer at this great UK airport even better.”

First Transaction Zone areas open at Dublin Airport

Aer Rianta International (ARI) and Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (MWITR) have officially launched the first transaction zone partnership within travel retail, cutting the ribbon on installations at Dublin Airport.

At Dublin Airport’s terminals 1 and 2, travellers can find the new queue-system, and manned transaction zones, including an optimised cross category portfolio designed to enhance the customer experience.

Around 500 million travellers buy products in travel retail every year, which MWITR believes creates 500 million opportunities, while checking-out, to drive incremental purchases.

“Unlocking the potential of the transaction zone will enable us to further grow the confectionery category within our channel and inspire more moments of happiness for travellers globally,” says MWITR’s sales director, Marcus Hudson.

While ARI’s global head of liquor, tobacco, confectionary and souvenirs, Paul Hunnisett, said: “We are delighted to unveil these innovative transaction zones at our stores in Dublin Airport. We believe that convenient and accessible touchpoints such as these can elevate the travel experience for our customers.”

Airport Dimensions supports launch of new lounge at LaGuardia

The new Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club has opened in Terminal 5 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The two-floor lounge, unveiled with the support of strategic partner Airport Dimensions, is located post-security on the fourth floor of the newly redeveloped Terminal B, and is the brand’s largest to-date at more than 21,800 square feet.

“The Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club will be a spectacular addition to our new terminal,” said Suzette Noble, CEO of LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the manager and developer of Terminal B. “This new amenity beautifully complements Terminal B’s commitment to elevating the experiences of our guests from the tri-state area and around the United States.”

Coming to Bulgaria’s Black Sea airports in 2025

Lagardère Travel Retail has been awarded the concession to manage the Foodservice Master Concession at Bulgaria’s Varna and Burgas international airports from the Spring of 2025.

New concepts from local and international brands will be introduced at the airports, such as Serial Kitchens Food Hall, Onda Café, Beach Bar, 2GatherKaffe and Fly Zone, alongside the expansion of the existing McDonald’s and Bricco Pizza outlets.

The major transformation of the F&B offering at the airports will start at the end of 2024 in time to welcome passengers in early 2025.

The Lagardère Travel Retail Bulgaria and Fraport Twin Star Airport Management teams are said to be working closely together to design and transform Varna and Burgas into state-of-the-art international airports.

Mladen Yordanov, CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail in Bulgaria, stated: “We are excited to bring new food and beverage concepts tailored to the needs of national and international customers to the airports of Varna and Burgas, which will enhance passenger satisfaction.”

Enhancing the passenger journey and sustainability key to airport information technology spend

SITA’s newly published Air Transport IT Insights report finds that both airports and airlines saw IT spend increase year-on-year in 2023, reaching an estimated $10.8 billion and $34.5 billion respectively.

Airports also boosted IT spend as a percentage of revenue in 2022 and 2023 even as business benefitted from an uptick in travel demand, signalling just how crucial a role technology will play in the next-generation travel experience.

Key investment priorities for aviation CIOs are said to include a biometrically enabled passenger journey, leveraging data to unlock operational efficiencies, and green solutions to optimise energy consumption and emissions.

According to the report, airlines and airports have made strides in optimising the passenger experience, with over half having implemented IT to improve efficiency across check-in, bag tag, and boarding in 2023.

Biometrics, says SITA, are becoming commonplace to help curb congestion, with 70% of airlines expecting to have biometric ID management in place by 2026, and 90% of airports investing in major programmes or R&D in this area.

CIOs are now said to be looking to supplement passenger processing advancements with innovative solutions on the operations side.

To boost efficiency, protect operations against disruption, and streamline processes for both passengers and staff, CIOs are embracing IT solutions for business intelligence (BI), artificial intelligence, and data sharing.

BI will be the biggest area of technology investment for airlines in the coming three years, with 73% investing in major programmes, says SITA.

Nearly two-thirds of airports and airlines collect and integrate data, and with the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI), they are now looking to AI and machine learning to leverage this data and generate insights.

With most citing the “use of data to improve operational efficiency” as at least somewhat of a business challenge, SITA says that it makes sense that 97% of airlines and 82% of airports are investing in AI by 2026.

David Lavorel, CEO of SITA, said: “As we approach a full recovery of passenger demand for air travel, with domestic travel even surpassing pre-pandemic levels in some regions, airlines and airports have learned from the congestion and disruptions seen in the past two years.

“Advanced data sharing and analytics tools will allow them to unite stakeholders and identify opportunities for greater efficiency and leaner operations.

“Solutions like total airport management and BI for passenger processing provide airports and airlines real-time insight into the management of assets and passenger flow, allowing for agile, collaborative responses to any disruptions.”

Sustainability is also said to be high on the agenda, with industry milestones for carbon reduction as well as regulations on emissions coming into view.

Indeed, CIOs are setting their sights on technology solutions that can deliver concrete emissions reductions.

Based on findings of the report, by 2026, SITA believes that over 90% of airlines plan to have IT in place to boost the efficiency of flight operations and aircraft turnaround. It notes that more than half have implemented IT to optimise both aircraft taxiing and the takeoff/landing and cruise phases of flights, with nearly all expecting to have this in place by 2026.

On the airport side, building and energy management systems are a key priority for offering a unified view of emissions and opportunities to reduce them.

“Airports are adopting digital tools for accurate monitoring and optimisation of energy consumption and emissions,” added Lavorel.

Amadeus to expand offerings with Vision-Box acquisition

Amadeus is to acquire Vision-Box, a leading provider of biometric solutions for airports, airlines, and border control customers.

Decius Valmorbida, president of travel for Amadeus, said: “Biometrics is a strategic and fast-growing industry, and Vision-Box’s capabilities will allow us to accelerate our growth in this area. With a portfolio which is deeply complementary to our existing offering for both airports and airlines, our combined best-in-class solutions will now deliver a seamless passenger journey from booking to boarding.

“This acceleration of our ecosystem approach will bring immediate and tangible benefits to our customers and travellers: It’s how travel works better.”

Miguel Leitmann, founder and CEO of Vision-Box, said: “Together we can deliver the next big step in the travel experience: to unite all separate players and systems in a single, digitally-integrated, and orchestrated ecosystem. This compelling value proposition will drive user experience, on-time-performance, infrastructure usage, and other key indicators to new levels of efficiency.”

New lounge at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Plaza Premium Group has added Nairobi to its global lounge network with the opening of an exclusive lounge in Terminal 1D at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Kenya.

Located next to Gate 4 on level 2, the new lounge is expected to bring “elegance and functionality” while providing discerning travellers at NBO with a go-to space to relax, eat, drink, work, and refresh.

Covering an area of 366sqm and with the capacity to accommodate around 150 guests, PPG says that the lounge’s interior “reflects contemporary African aesthetics blending touches of tribal patterns with a calming colour palette, precisely what every discerning traveller appreciates.”

Amenities include a variety of lounge seating, high-speed Wi-Fi, charging stations, and dedicated workspaces, and showers. Guests can also indulge in the lounge’s gourmet offerings with a diverse menu featuring favourite Kenyan flavours and international cuisines prepared by skilled chefs, ensuring culinary options cater to every palate.

Commenting on the new addition, Kenya Airports Authority’s managing director, Henry Ogoye, said: “The addition of Plaza Premium Lounge at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is a significant milestone for Kenya Airports Authority. It reflects our dedication to providing passengers with top-notch amenities and comfort during their journey.”

While Okan Kufeci, PPG’s senior vice president for EMEA, enthused: “PPG’s presence in the MEA region is growing from strength to strength. Recently, we celebrated the successful openings of our Plaza Premium Lounge in Amman, Jordan, as well as two Root98 outlets in Jeddah.

“We are honoured to be a partner with Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to offer a more comfortable way to await your flight in one of the fast-growing global tourism markets.”

The new lounge is the group’s second location in Africa after Adis Ababa in Ethiopia, extending its global presence to more than 250 locations across 80 international airports in 30 countries.

New self-bag drop system for Saint Martin gateway

Materna IPS has played its role in the recently completed upgrade of the Departure Hall at Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in Saint Martin (Sint Maarten) by deploying its Self-Bag Drop (SBD) systems in the new state-of-the-art facility.

“Materna is proud to work in partnership on such a critical operation with the airport and its airline partners. It’s been remarkable to witness this transformation, making SXM the most innovative airport in the Caribbean,” said Gary McDonald, president of Materna IPS Americas.

Materna notes that SBDs have been known not only to enhance the passenger experience, but they have proven to improve the baggage hygiene in the baggage handling system.

“Any modification that aids in optimising the transit of passengers and bags is certainly a victory for us,” says SXM’s CEO, Brian Mingo. “Furthermore, we take pride in acknowledging that advancements facilitated by Materna IPS have streamlined passenger experiences, henceforth ensuring a seamless journey for our travellers.”

SXM is the second busiest airport in the Northeast Caribbean and serves as a vital airport hub for Saba, St Eustatius, St Barthelemy, Anguilla, Dominica, Nevis and Tortola. It is expected to handle around 1.5 million passengers and 54,000 aircraft movements in 2024. Reconstruction efforts at the airport commenced in September 2021, with the new terminal hall scheduled for completion in Q2 2024.

BATTELLE
Membership Region: Europe
Type of Business: Security
W: www.battelle.org/aviation-security

Battelle is the world’s largest non-profit, independent research and development organisation. Its extensive experience as a TSA acceptance testing organisation is now available to other aviation security organisations worldwide including governments and airports. It offers clients independent, third party services that include screening system design consultation and online training.

BROWN-FORMAN
Membership Region: Europe
Type of Business: Retail & Commercial
W: www.brown-forman.com

For more than 140 years, Brown-Forman Corporation has enriched the experience of life by responsibly building fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Gentleman Jack, Sonoma-Cutrer and Woodford Reserve. Brown-Forman’s brands are supported by nearly 4,000 employees and sold in approximately 135 countries worldwide.

LUFTHANSA CONSULTING
Membership Region: Africa
Type of Business: Consulting and Management
W: www.lhconsulting.com

Lufthansa Consulting, an entirely owned subsidiary of Lufthansa German Airlines, is an aviation and management consulting company which offers comprehensive consultancy and expertise to air carriers, airports and airport authorities, governments, investors, financial institutions, manufacturers and other industries and service related entities.