Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad tested new biometric passenger processing at the KLIA Main Terminal as part of its 21st anniversary celebration held recently. SITA, the global IT provider to the air transport industry, and Malaysia Airports have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for exploring joint opportunities and collaborative innovation for Malaysia Airports' digital initiatives. As part of the celebrations, SITA Smart Path was showcased. It uses facial biometric ID management technology to automate the travel journey from check-in to boarding. Once registered, travelers need to only have their faces scanned without having to produce documents at every stage of their journey. The technology is designed to easily integrate into existing airport and airline infrastructure, including standard common-use systems, check-in kiosks, self-service gates for secure access, and boarding. Sumesh Patel, SITA President, Asia Pacific, said: "We are honored to be a long-term strategic partner of Malaysia Airports, and pleased to showcase Smart Path and embark on a collaborative innovation initiative at KL International Airport. We look forward to the next project with Malaysia Airports as we work together to constantly seek ways to enhance service levels and elevate the customer experience at the airport." Malaysia's air passenger traffic is set to grow 4.9% in 2019, up from 2.5% last year. In 2018, Malaysia Airports launched the "Happy Guests, Caring Hosts" Service Culture Transformation Program. This is a commitment to service excellence and to portray Malaysia as a developed country with a first-world service culture. By partnering with SITA, the organization remains committed to delivering world-class service qualities by embedding a customer-centric culture to ensure a seamless passenger journey. — SG
