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New system to make baggage handling a breeze at Sharjah airport

Sharjah - "These new systems will give us an assurance that every passenger and their bags are on the same flight as well as the ability to identify issues before they result in a delay."

Sharjah Aviation Services will introduce new automated baggage management and communication systems at Sharjah International Airport. The new systems, provided by air transport technology specialist Sita, are aimed at further improving the reliability, security and speed of baggage delivery at the airport.
More than 4.5 million departing bags are handled at the UAE's third busiest airport every year and Sita's new technology will provide the airport's ground handler with state-of-the-art baggage reconciliation services and full visibility and tracking capabilities within the airport. It will also simplify the exchange of baggage-related information between the airport and airlines.
Mohammad Al Zaghlawan, general manager at Sharjah Aviation Services, said: "Having significant transfer traffic, automation of our baggage processes and reconciliation became fundamental to our business as it can easily make or break a passenger's travel experience. For this reason, we chose Sita's baggage technology.
"These new systems will give us an assurance that every passenger and their bags are on the same flight as well as the ability to identify issues before they result in a delay."
Hani El Assaad, Sita president, Middle East, India and Africa, said: "Working together with Sharjah Aviation Services, we are delivering a more efficient baggage service at one of the Middle East's fastest-growing airports. Sita's baggage management systems are used by 200 airports and 500 airlines around the world and have been proven to reduce the level of mishandled baggage and the costs associated with it."
Over the past seven years, the introduction of automated baggage systems has cut the global baggage mishandling rate by 61.3 per cent from its peak of 18.88 bags per thousand passengers in 2007 to just 7.3 bags in 2014, saving the industry $18 billion.
Sita's BagManager and BagMessage will provide timely updates and exchange of information on the loading, reconciling, tracking and tracing of baggage.
The implementation of the new systems is under way and will go live in the first quarter of 2016.
- business@khaleejtimes.com