Siemens to showcase efficient airport tech

Siemens plans to showcase a variety of products and services for “Green and Efficient Airports” at this year’s inter airport Europe in Munich from 6 to 9 October.

The display will focus on the efficiency of functional processes such as baggage handling, passenger handling, safety and IT integration, as well as energy and building management. According to Siemens, efficient, mutually coordinated solutions for airport infrastructure contribute significantly to optimising the way in which resources are used and energy is consumed on the ground.

One of the products that will be on display at the exhibition will be Siemens Mobility’s new Sibag Cross system for baggage sorting. The system combines the advantages of speedy but careful individual transport with a space-saving approach to baggage sorting.

Siemens IT Solutions and Services will also be presenting “SiPAX” (Siemens passenger solution), a holistic, modular solution that — for the first time — enables airports to offer passengers a complete information service covering everything travellers need to know … for example, from booking a flight up to knowing the right take-off time. The “Airport Integration Platform” is the central information hub and makes it possible for individual airlines to exchange data with one another. The system facilitates adherence to flight timetables and cuts the number of delayed departures to a minimum.

Another technology, Siemens’ “biometric passenger process” module, uses biometric characteristics such as fingerprints to identify passengers quickly and reliably. The system can be used during check-in, boarding and border-control procedures. The location-based services give airline companies information as to where a passenger is currently located in the airport. The handling personnel can then send a personal paging message to that passenger’s cell phone in good time before take-off.

Meanwhile, the Carfinder makes it possible for travellers to find their parked cars quickly and easily. It is especially suitable for the kinds of large multi-storey parking garages often found at airports. The license plate is registered by video when the car enters a level and drives into the selected area of the parking facility. On returning to collect the vehicle, the driver either inserts the parking stub into a reader or enters the license plate number via a touchscreen. The computer then displays a 3D graphic to show the driver exactly where the vehicle is parked.

Siemens has also developed a Green Building Monitor that provides building operators and passengers with information on the airport’s energy consumption. The system also makes it possible to keep track of how consumption has changed compared to a previous point in time as a result of energy-saving measures.