Hamad International Airport (HIA) concluded its participation at this year’s Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2019) with a showcase of their innovative ‘Smart Airport’ programme.
QITCOM 2019, held recently at the Qatar National Convention Centre, was attended by global start-ups, innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, members of the academic community and investors.
The HIA booth showcased the airport’s paperless air travel experience, where passenger verification is performed seamlessly across check-in, bag drop, security check and aircraft boarding using facial biometric identification. Passengers checking in at HIA will be able to use a biometric enabled check-in kiosk to create a Digital ID by taking their photo. In the future, travellers will also create a secure and reusable Digital ID on their smart phones, making their experience swifter and more convenient.
Underlining its vision as the ‘Airport of the Future’, HIA also unveiled its new ‘Wayfinding and Information’ system, where passengers can simply walk up to an information screen, be recognised by their face, and instantly be provided with personalised flight and gate information. This capability produced many wow moments for visitors throughout the exhibition.
The five-star airport also demonstrated its mobile app HIAQatar featuring real-time airport navigation using Bluetooth beacon technology, flight and gate information notifications and easily searchable information about services, amenities, shops, cafés and restaurants.
Recognising the highly intuitive, relevant features and content of the HIA mobile app, the airport was awarded Mobile App of the Year. HIA Chief Operating Officer Engineer Badr Mohammed Al Meer, received the award from the Ministry of Transportation and Communication during QITCOM’s Gala Dinner and Qatar Digital Business Awards 2019 ceremony.
The airport also exhibited its ‘Digital Twin’ prototype designed to provide visual 3D situational awareness in real-time on what is working well and what needs attention. Visitors, particularly student groups from various schools in Qatar, were also mesmerised by HIA’s high-tech yet high-touch robot concept assisting passengers.
For updates and more information about HIA, visit dohahamadairport.com.
HIA is currently a candidate for ‘World Best Airport’ for the SKYTRAX World Airport Awards 2020. The results will be announced in March 2020 at the Skytrax World Airport Awards. Passengers can vote for HIA through the Official Skytrax World Airport Survey website.