Go Smart

Bengaluru Airport Takes Off On Digital Transformation

Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) is getting smarter. After introducing the Twitter hashtag for real-time flight status update, BIAL has also launched the BLR Airport mobile app to improve its customer’s digital interaction, and traveller experience at the Bengaluru Airport.
This latest initiative is part of BIAL’s vision of The Smart Airport – a digitized, seamlessly connected and intuitive airport that is positioned as the ‘Gateway to South India’. To give its smart airport vision a shape, the airport authorities have partnered with ThoughtWorks, technology solution provider.
Talking about the new digital introduction, Sanjay Reddy, MD, BIAL stated, “At BIAL our aim is to transform our customers airport experience. Every new digital introduction will combine innovation and emotion, because we strongly believe that digital is more than just technology. Through the digital platform bouquet of services, BIAL aims at revolutionizing the travel experience at the Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB) through a combination of digital technologies that include the Internet of: things, people, services and data.”
The airport will build on its existing technological capabilities to engage with its customers and provide integrated services across various touch points. The newly built digital platform’s innovative potential will keep adapting to the Bengaluru airport’s evolving digital needs. Through these efforts BIAL aims to future-proof its airport operations and services by making meaning of the abundant digital data available and create a more personalized, just-in-time travel services. “The ‘BLR Airport’ app is an example of how we are leveraging technology to make travel through the airport simple and easy. As we move forward our concerted efforts will be in introducing innovative and interactive digital solutions that will create value for our customers,” Reddy added.
To get the transformation going, BIAL’s digital partner, ThoughtWorks, undertook a detailed study of 14 leading airport apps, to ascertain the most powerful features for the ‘BLR Airport’ app. “A first step, as part of this digital transformation was offering passengers everything at a single click on their mobile phone through the BLR Airport app,” explained Reddy. The airport app includes a number of useful features to help simplify the passenger’s airport experience.
“Through continuous collaboration with BIAL, we designed and delivered a highly sophisticated and scalable platform, with context aware iOS and Android Apps that enables a high quality experience for passengers. Customers will find the BLR Airport app easy, engaging and simple to use. The navigation provides an intimate interface with real-time flight information and commercial offerings,”  explained Sudhir Tiwari, Managing Director, ThoughtWorks India.
According to him, the app is available on both iOS and Android platforms, and is designed to provide customers with the best of airport navigation powered by Google Indoor Maps, context-specific operational and commercial notifications powered by beacon technology deployed by leveraging leading industry standards. In fact, Tiwari is proud of the fact that this is the first Indian airport to use Google Indoor Maps.
“The key features of the app which is aimed at giving travelers an ‘airport in their pocket’ experience allows flight tracking, provides timely updates related to flights and gates, shares special Retail and F&B offers. For Android users they get an additional feature of one touch WiFi connectivity. The app’s underlying design principle is maintaining an easily navigable user journey through intuitive design and is based on the airport’s philosophy of providing its customers a ‘Naturally, Easy Experience’,” Tiwari added.

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