Amadeus IT : Heydar Aliyev International Airport automates its operations with Amadeus technology

With tourism numbers to Azerbaijan increasing each year, airports in the country are challenged to meet changing passenger demands and provide them the best airport experience. Heydar Aliyev International Airport served 1.37 million travellers between January and May 2017, a 34% increase than the same period last year, and only expects this to continually rise.

As part of its ambition to seamlessly scale its operations and ensure a smooth passenger experience, Heydar Aliyev International Airport has rolled out the region's first fully automated cloud-based airport management system.

The Baku-based airport will replace some of its existing technology with five automated and scalable Amadeus solutions. The new technology will improve the airport's management of aircraft parking, boarding gates, check-in desks, baggage, and other mission critical terminal services.

This long-term agreement will see the implementation of Amadeus' full suite of airport solutions: Amadeus Common Use Service (ACUS), Baggage Reconciliation System (BRS), Airport Operational Database (AODB), Fixed Resource Management Solution (FRMS), and Flight Information Display System (FIDS).

Some key benefits of these solutions include:

• Flexibility throughout the airport. Passenger processing systems can be accessed and deployed anywhere in the airport. This means passengers can be checked-in and boarding passes can be printed from any location around the airport, resulting in more flexibility and better use of airport space.
• Baggage peace-of-mind. Baggage information is collected by many different airport players, such as check-in, gate, ramp and baggage agents. Information is shared with everyone involved in moving a bag and getting it back to the passenger, to make sure flights take off with both the passenger and their baggage on board.
• On-time and reliable flight data. Data lies at the heart of the airport. Thousands of pieces of information on flights, baggage and equipment govern airport operations. Heydar Aliyev International Airport can now access to timely, high-quality operational data so the airport can better prepare and proactively manage operations throughout the day, and for future demands.
• Automation of key airport resources. The airport will benefit from a fully automated resource management system. The airport can manage and allocate aircraft parking bays, check-in desks, boarding gates, and other key resources that will help meet performance targets more effectively and timely.

Jahangir Askerov, President of CJSC Azerbaijan Airlines, commented: 'The Amadeus solutions we are implementing are part of a long-term strategy. We want to scale our operations, accommodate increasing demand, and prepare for the future. With Amadeus as a partner, we are certain that we will be able to deliver on our strategy and vision.'

Yannick Beunardeau, Global Head of Sales and Marketing, Airport IT at Amadeus, said: 'Airports around the world are looking at how new technologies can improve operations throughout the airport - behind the scenes and in front of the passenger. We are very pleased to be working with Heydar Aliyev International Airport to power its technology and help provide a smoother, easier and more comfortable experience for passengers.'