The transformation of Russia’s oldest airport, Vnukovo International, into
a world-class international hub with the capacity to handle 26 million
passengers, has taken a major step forward with the signing of a contract
with SITA. The deal is to deploy SITA’s AirportConnect CUTE (Common-Use Terminal Equipment)
IT platform throughout the existing terminal and the new international
terminal due to open next year.

SITA will provide Vnukovo International with Russia’s first
CUTE system which will greatly simplify the management of the airport IT
infrastructure allowing common-use of work-stations by airlines and other
tenants in a transparent and cost-effective manner. It will also position
the airport for the future adoption of self-service technologies such as
self-service kiosks and web check-in.

Vasilij Aleksandrov, Director General, Vnukovo International, said, “We are
now entering a strategic partnership with SITA to optimise our IT capacity.
Vnukovo has already been confirmed by the Airports Council International as
Europe’s most rapidly developing airport serving five million passengers
last year but we need to transform ourselves to meet the demands of an
additional 20 to 22 million passengers once traffic starts to grow at the
new international terminal which comes into operation next year.”

“The AirportConnect CUTE platform allows maximum use of shared
infrastructure while providing airlines with access to their own systems.
Self-service is emerging as a priority for Russian airlines and we will now
be in a position to develop a more sophisticated IT environment for our
customers.”

SITA is working with the local DCS (Departure Control System) suppliers to
ensure that all airlines at Vnukovo can be connected to AirportConnect CUTE
which enables airlines and handling agents to access their own systems from
workstations and printers shared by all users. It will also allow them to
align with IATA’s requirements such as the 2D bar code and RFID-enabled
printers.

Ilya Gutlin, SITA’s regional Vice President, said, “This is a major
development in the Russian airport market which is growing to meet the
needs of a booming economy. SITA’s AirportConnect CUTE provides a
straightforward solution to the facilitation of a common-use environment at
this major gateway. It allows for optimum use of existing check-in counter
and gate resources and improves airline profitability by reducing costs.”

“Vnukovo is blazing a trail for the rest of Russia. There are more than
25,000 CUTE intelligent work stations in use at over 200 airports
worldwide, including the world’s busiest international hubs so Vnukovo is
in good company.”
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