Latin America. NEC Corporation and SITA announced a global partnership to develop market-leading solutions that enable a secure travel experience at airports by leveraging NEC's I:Delight identity management platform along with SITA Smart Path and SITA Flex.
This partnership responds to the current need of airports and airlines to increasingly seek automated and low-contact passenger processing in order to comply with new hygiene requirements in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, in line with the recommendations of the Airports Council International and IATA.
With this partnership, SITA and NEC will further boost the potential of next-generation integrated passenger processing solutions, making mobile and contactless airport processes a reality. This will allow passengers to use their biometric identity to check in, make payments, leave their luggage, and go through security, migration and boarding by simply scanning their face at every step. Key contact points will automatically recognize you as a passenger, making the baggage check-in and boarding process easier.
Both companies will collaborate to develop this innovative solution using both companies' global presence in the market and the combination of technology for commonly used platforms and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions.
With state-of-the-art identification technologies and artificial intelligence solutions including the most accurate facial recognition algorithm (*), NEC's I:Delight (**) platform allows passengers who have chosen to use the service to identify themselves quickly and with a high degree of accuracy, even when on the move. Sita Smart Path and SITA Flex solutions can integrate NEC's mobile and biometric technologies with existing commonly used infrastructure and airline applications while offering a friendlier journey through the airport.
"NEC is proud to collaborate with SITA to provide 'NEC I: Delight', a platform that uses NEC's state-of-the-art digital identity solutions to deliver a unified customer experience across a wide range of services," said Masakazu Yamashina, Executive Vice President of NEC.
Raffie Beroukhim, Director of Experience for NEC Corporation of the Americas and Head of NEC's Global Aviation Center of Excellence, said: "This partnership with SITA is the opportunity to develop and implement the most advanced platforms at airports around the world, thus contributing to the digitalization of the airline industry and making travel safer and more enjoyable."
Barbara Dalibard, CEO of SITA, added: "At NEC we find that partner with whom we will be able to deliver to our airline and airport customers a more automatic and seamless journey through the airport. We know that passengers value the benefit of a true self-service experience. Leveraging the footprint SITA has left on more than 460 airports globally and NEC's award-winning identity management technology, we are well placed to help our customers deliver a truly unique and efficient airport experience, particularly during these challenging times where there is a greater focus on passenger health and safety."
