Finnish airport operator Finavia has partnered with Amadeus to modernize all aspects of passenger handling, including software, hardware and services, at 11 of the 20 airports it operates.
As Finavia moved toward the final stages of a large expansion project at Helsinki Airport – which began in 2013 and will see the terminal increase in size by 45% and baggage handling and passport control capacity grow by 50% – it decided to look at upgrading its technology infrastructure across its wider airport portfolio.
Finavia currently serves more than 50 airlines that operate scheduled flights, and their ground handling companies, and has over 600 check-in desks at the 11 airports. With the new Amadeus Flow cloud platform, a single internet link connects all of the airports to Amadeus, where any airline application can be easily deployed in a matter of hours.
Amadeus is also deploying its Airport Pay solution from the cloud, allowing passengers to pay for ancillary services such as extra baggage or lounge access conveniently and in a contactless manner at all check-in desks.
The flexibility of the cloud infrastructure means that Finavia, airlines and ground handling companies can easily open, close or move check-in desks, boarding gates or services with agility in response to fluctuating passenger demand caused by Covid-19. This agility will also be used to better cope with seasonal demands at airports like Lapland, where passengers will be able to check-in and even drop their bags from Lapland’s hotels in future.
Leyla Akgez-Laakso, CIO, Finavia, said, “We’re moving to an open cloud platform with Amadeus and that means we can roll out new innovations far more easily, without lengthy certification cycles or on-site IT projects. We’re now well placed to add innovations like contactless payments quickly and easily without the need for Finavia to become a systems integrator. Airports are digitally transforming, and I believe Covid-19 marks a tipping point where our industry goes cloud.”
Yannick Beunardeau, vice president airport IT, EMEA, Amadeus, added, “The immediate pressures of Covid-19 and the demands of long-term digital transformation both require a new approach to airport technology. Airports need to be able to roll out new capabilities quickly and they need to be able to adapt services to changing requirements of passengers. By choosing to run its infrastructure from the cloud with Amadeus, Finavia is ready to innovate for many years to come.”
The major technology modernization will also see a full hardware refresh including 600 agent workstations, printers and scanners that are all fully integrated into the Amadeus Flow platform. The migration will begin to yield benefits during 2021 and is expected to be fully completed at 11 of Finavia’s 20 airports at the beginning of 2022.