IBM Signs Agreement With BIAL To Digitise Bengaluru Airport Operations

The operator of Bengaluru International Airport announced on 21 July that software giant IBM would digitise the airport's operations to improve travellers’ experiences. In a statement, the Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), which is a public-private partnership that manages the country's third busiest airport, said that to digitise our IT network for operating the Kempegowda airport, it has signed into a 10-year agreement with IBM's global business services unit.

As per the reports, the United States-based IT giant will collaborate with Red Hat Ansible Automation and Kyndryl, a company that will be created following the separation of IBM's Managed Infrastructure Services business, to develop a new ‘Airport in a Box’ platform that would change customers' end-to-end travel experiences. The BIAL said that the Bengaluru airport, being one of the world's fastest-growing airports, required a flexible, scalable and cost-competitive technology to increase its agility and operational flexibility to meet future passenger traffic growth.

The new platform is projected to boost staff productivity, enhance the operator's IT asset utilisation, lower expenses through inventory control and improve issue management. It will also use IBM Maximo enterprise asset management technology to deliver Artificial Intelligence or AI-powered insights to improve inventory management and total cost of ownership. IBM and BIAL will collaborate to ensure that the platform meets BIAL's commitment to sustainability as well as the community at large.

BIAL chief executive Hari Marar said that the new partnership with IBM is a part of the vision to make the Bengaluru airport "Smart Airport — a digitalised, seamlessly connected, intuitive airport". The BIAL recently met its aim of becoming net energy neutral in the fiscal year 2020-21 by consuming renewable energy.

Mark Foster, who is the senior vice president at IBM Services and IBM Global Business Services said: “This long-term project capitalises on our proven ability to deliver a combination of advanced technologies and services that enable the world’s leading travel and transportation companies to innovate and transform their businesses.”

IBM works with about 150 airports across the world and has a track record of assisting airports, airlines, and the aviation industry in their efforts to innovate and evolve. Sandip Patel, who is the managing director of IBM India stated that “in its digital transformation journey” the company is proud to partner with BIAL, which has been a leader in implementing cutting-edge technology to provide greater value to its passengers and cargo partners.

Additionally, he said: “With IBM and Kyndryl as the strategic partners, BIAL will be able to leverage the robust integration of best-in-class cloud & AI-enabled solutions with deep industry & technology expertise.”