Swissport and SITA seek to unlock new data insights to make air travel easier

Swiss ground service and air cargo handling group, Swissport International, and SITA have joined forces to develop a new model which will unlock the value of the vast range of air transport data available to deliver enriched, predictive analytics for the entire industry.

This initiative is aimed not only at providing Swissport with the right data to make intelligent, proactive decisions on their day-to-day operations, but also to develop a framework of how this information can be shared across the industry. Key to the success of this industry data model is to ensure all stakeholders – airlines, airports and ground service providers – have access to the same information. By collecting and combining different sets of data, services can be designed based on the individual customer needs and processes will become even more efficient.

Sergio Colella, SITA President, Europe, said: “Today’s passenger journey is highly integrated, involving numerous stakeholders. To deliver a truly seamless passenger journey requires each of these parties to work closer together. Now we can harness the power of data to make smarter, more intelligent decisions that ensure a smooth operation of airports and airlines with real benefits for passengers.”

Christoph Kleinsorg, CIO of Swissport International AG, said: “Being a first-mover with SITA gives us and our customers the opportunity to benefit from data earlier. After having built a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure Swissport is now in a position to further digitize its business processes, adding further value to the services we offer to our more than 850 airline customers every day.”

SITA offers quick and simple access to this air transport data through its networking and API capabilities. By collating and analyzing a range of data streams using flight information, baggage and wait-time, the SITA-Swissport partnership aims to develop a standard format to securely share common data with the relevant stakeholders, while enriching these data streams to provide predictive analytics. The data will help enhance cross-company services such as staff planning based on real-time data, measures to prevent delays, or door-to-door baggage services.

Using SITA’s Aviation Blockchain Sandbox, Swissport and SITA are also working with a range of airlines and airports to explore how blockchain can be used to securely share this common data.

Both Swissport and SITA are well placed to drive a data framework for further discussion in the industry. Today, SITA shares and bridges 60% of the air transport industry’s operational data, handling 3.9 billion business and mission-critical messages each year. At the same time, Swissport provides the Airport Ground Services and Air Cargo Handling for hundreds of airlines across over 300 airports in 50 countries on six continents.