Huawei, the largest telecommunication equipment manufacturer, has announced that it will work towards enabling the digital transformation of Hamad International Airport in Qatar. The announcement followed signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Hamad International Airport and Huawei formalising the strategic partnership.
Eng. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA (left) and Xilin Yuan, President of the Transportation Sector of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group(right) (PRNewsfoto/Huawei)
The MoU outlines a framework for collaboration between the airport and Huawei for co-creation of innovative concepts, prototypes and solutions to address real world business challenges and explore opportunities to improve travellers’ experience. The developments will primarily be in areas of IoT and automation. The objective is not only to accelerate the digital transformation of Hamad International Airport but also to create solutions that can be widely employed across the industry.
Commenting on the cooperation with Huawei, Eng. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at HIA said, “Innovative technology will continue to drive digital transformation at Hamad International Airport. Through this strategic alliance with Huawei, which also provides access to its eco-system of niche partners, we aim to accelerate our journey and to demonstrate our commitment to the industry by sharing viable concepts and solutions that may be developed through this partnership.”
Hamad International Airport, located in Doha, Qatar, recently joined the exclusive ranks of global airports awarded the prestigious ‘5-Star Airport’ designation by Skytrax, the London-based aviation institute and the gold standard for conveying the passenger’s voice in airport and airline rankings. This makes HIA the first airport in the Middle East to earn this acclaimed title and the 6th airport globally to be rewarded that accreditation.
Huawei offers an array of solutions for the airline industry including data centres, cloud platforms, analytics platforms and communication solutions. Earlier this year, AirAsia X announced in-flight entertainment options powered by Huawei devices. Huawei is also working with DHL for connected logistics solutions. With the latest partnership, HIA will also get access to Huawei’s partners to further explore possibilities.
Xilin Yuan, President of the Transportation Sector of Huawei’s Enterprise Business Group, commented, “It is a great pleasure for Huawei to collaborate with Hamad International Airport to enable a Smart Airport that can meet the future demands of passenger flows as well as the needs of digital-savvy customers. By placing digital transformation at the heart of its commercial strategy, HIA will deliver a user-centric connected experience to continue delighting its customers.”
Airports all over are working towards adopting technologies to streamline the processes and improve travellers’ experience as the travel industry continues to grow. During CES earlier this year, LG announced Airbot, a robot to assist passengers at airport by offering information related to their flight and guiding them. The robots will be deployed at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport later this year. Other airports are also working with different tech partners to address the key pain points. With the global smart airport market predicted to reach close to USD 20 billion over the next eight years, expect more such developments in future.
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