PT Angkasa Pura 1, Indonesia’s state-owned airport operator, announced the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with SITA to provide IT solutions to improve services to the more than 49 million passengers at the 13 airports under its management.

The initial focus of this Memorandum of Cooperation will be on the new international terminal at Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, the airport with the most foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia. Both Surabaya and Balikpapan Airports will also be early beneficiaries of the cooperation.

Tommy Soetomo, President Director, PT Angkasa Pura 1, said: “This partnership with SITA is part of a major effort by the Indonesian government to develop airport infrastructure. By partnering with SITA, PT Angkasa Pura 1 and its Indonesian airports will have world-class systems providing the best in passenger services with minimal CAPEX investment. Our costs are aligned directly with the actual number of passenger using the airports. It is very much in line with our repositioning and restructuring program, launched by the new Board of Directors assigned by the Indonesian government in July 2010.”

“As we looked at how we should develop Indonesian airports, we realised that SITA has the capability to provide all the information technology systems required for airport management and operations and the flexibility to share our risk by charging on a per passenger basis.”

Damian Hickey, SITA, Regional Vice President, South Asia and India, said: “SITA has a long standing commitment to Indonesia and we have provided solutions at its airports over the last ten years. With this Memorandum of Cooperation, SITA will bring our Intelligent Airport vision to Indonesia providing the latest airport technology using real-time information. Passengers will enjoy improved flight information displays, check-in, baggage reconciliation and overall a seamless journey and better airport experience.

“Our flexible financing arrangement will assist PT Angkasa Pura 1 to develop the airports with minimal upfront investment. This strategic partnership, where SITA will work with both the airlines serving the airports and the airport operator, demonstrates our commitment to the development of the growing air transport industry in Indonesia.”

With a focus on infrastructure, operational efficiency and business intelligence, SITA is turning the intelligent airport vision into reality, enabling airport operators to track, manage and share real-time information. Airports in Indonesia will be among the first to experience the Intelligent Airport with the implementation of all of the SITA systems planned to be completed at Ngurah Rai Airport before Indonesia hosts the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Bali in 2013.