Hyderabad: RGIA has always been a pioneer in implementing innovative digital solutions and technology for seamless passenger experience. On the occasion of National Technology Day, as the airport is gearing up for the resumption of operations it has once again proved it is the torchbearer airport where adoption of technology is concerned.
As part of its operational preparedness measures, the airport has come up with first of kind solution for contact-less entry into the airport terminal for the safety of passengers once it resumes operations. The new norms of social distancing are in place at the airport as well.
Contact-less Terminal Entry @ Hyderabad International Airport:
• In this process instead of handing over the physical documents viz. travel itinerary and Govt. Photo ID card to a CISF personnel for verification, a passenger will now be required to display the documents onto a High-Definition Camera installed at each gate at the domestic departures terminal of GMR Hyderabad International Airport. The output of the camera will be verified by the CISF Personnel from the specially designed Computer Monitor kept at a safe distance from the passengers. Upon document check and satisfaction of the CISF personnel, the passenger will be allowed inside the terminal building for check-in and other processes.
•The airport has also positioned Thermal Cameras at each departure gates beside the Document verification cameras at the domestic terminal to measure the temperature of every passenger in a non-intrusive way. In case any passenger is detected with high temperature, the CISF will stop the passenger from entering the terminal and alert the Airport Health Officers, who will take care of the next steps.
Other technological interventions at Hyderabad International Airport
- Inside the terminal all check-in counters, including immigration counters adorn a new look. All counters are now fitted with acrylic shields to bar any direct contact between passengers and the check-in staff.
- All check-in counters will have boarding card and baggage tag dispensing machines re-oriented towards the passengers. After the check-in, the passengers will themselves collect the boarding cards and baggage tags. They will themselves put the baggage tags on their check-in baggage and proceed for security screening.
- At the security screening, Hyderabad International Airport has already installed the high-end Automatic Tray Retrieval System (ATRS), which is fully automated. The trays used for the ATRS machine to keep the baggage pass through a sanitization tunnel and hence every time a passenger receives a new tray it comes out fully sanitized to put their hand baggage for screening.
- At the passenger security check, passengers will be screened by CISF personnel in their protective gear by Hand Held Metal Detector device ensuring appropriate social distancing.
- Since Hyderabad International Airport already has e-boarding system in place, at the boarding gate as well, like earlier times, all passengers will use their boarding card either in physical copy or on their smart phone to scan board card reader at the e-gate and enter the boarding area for aircraft access.
- Among one of interesting innovations at the Hyderabad International Airport is the indigenously developed contact-less water fountain for the passengers. Now any thirsty passenger can quench the thirst at any of the IR (Infra Red) based water dispensing stations, which have been implemented with in-house resources to ensure contactless water dispensing mechanism. The system enables an absolutely touch free water dispensing where in a passenger just needs to lean forward to trigger the water fountain to dispense water
- All elevators at the airport will have contact-less foot pedal based mechanism to press buttons. Further the infrared / QR code based control systems are being installed to ensure the hassle free / touch less access to elevators.
- Hyderabad International Airport’s air conditioning System adheres to the latest guidelines of ISHRAE in terms of Indoor Air quality and ventilation requirements inside the airport terminal building. The airport’s Air Handling systems is having state-of-art air filtration system with Dual filtration by using rough and high-efficiency MERV 13 filters which will ensure that, any bacteria and viruses are filtered out from the air.
- Once the operations start, all trolleys will be disinfected by dedicated sanitization tunnel kept at the airport for passengers to use sanitized trolleys
- At the arrivals, all Baggage belts are integrated with in-line sanitization tunnel so that all the baggage coming to the baggage belt get sanitized before the passengers pick them up from the belt. There will also be availability of sanitized trolleys at arrival baggage reclaim hall.
- The airport has also installed Sensor based contact-less hygiene Stations with automatic hand sanitizers across the terminal building for the benefit of passengers.
- Even the Retail and F&B experience will see a sea-change in terms of how shopping and eating used to be earlier. Now, passengers would be required to use digital mode of payment including HOI app & PhonPe wallet, which are being integrated with outlets for contactless ordering & digital payment. Of course social distancing will be a new norm at every passenger touch points.
- Automated escalator hand rail disinfection system is being explored to ensure the continuous cleaning and disinfection of the hand rails. Solution has been created in-house and is presently under testing.
- All taxies and the rental cars will be sanitized internally as well as externally to ensure that, the sanitized vehicles are available for passengers.
- Car Park at Hyderabad International airport is already enabled with Fastag (only one in India) and the Central Pay Stations inside car park are being enabled with PhonePe mobile wallets for digital payments