Recent News

Montréal, 26 May 2021 Enhancing efficiencies at border crossings and meeting travellers’ post-pandemic expectations for a secure and healthy travel experience will be key to the recovery of the global aviation sector, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu told participants to the 16th ICAO Traveller Identification Programme Symposium yesterday. Gathered to explore the TRIP2021 theme of Game Changing Technologies Driving Seamless Border Management, the innovators and passenger facilitation experts present explored solutions enabling stronger synergies between national identity management, travel documents, border control, the clearance of aircraft, and all aspects of baggage and cargo screening. “The ICAO TRIP strategy provides a foundation from which to assure these objectives,” Dr. Liu emphasized in her opening remarks. Participants learned that there is still wide variation in the levels of pandemic impact among ICAO’s Member States, and very low levels of public health risk tolerance globally, factors which are delaying a full global recovery despite improvements in some regions. Dr. Liu noted that a key current priority is to ensure travel and tourism stakeholders worldwide are fully prepared for vaccine rollouts, and stressed that reliable certification of testing and vaccination status will likely be key to near-term recovery progress. “A possible solution for authenticating these documents will be the Visible Digital Seal (VDS), a technology that builds on ICAO’s expertise in specifications for international travel documents and ePassports in particular.” The ICAO VDS is a cost-effective and easy-to-deploy digitally signed barcode that can be carried on a smartphone or printed on paper. By leveraging existing interoperability specifications already adopted by countries through ICAO, it holds the potential to assure more rapid implementation of health certificates which are internationally secure and verifiable. The ICAO Secretary General highlighted the vital importance in this context of effective partnerships and coordination between air transport and public health decision-makers, and expressed her appreciation of “the longstanding and very effective levels of collaboration between ICAO and the World Health Organization (WHO), most recently toward the WHO Smart Vaccination Certificate.” Commenting on how the ICAO TRIP strategy includes elements relating to Machine Readable Travel Documents (MRTDs) and border control and management, Dr. Liu pointed to the high security performance of contemporary travel documents, including the more than one billion ePassports now in global circulation. She also noted that the established trust framework for eMRTDs, supported by the ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD), plays an important part in achieving this globally secure system, in addition to the integrity of the underlying identity management systems. “These objectives require extensive and close coordination among many government entities and other stakeholders, underscoring the importance of national air transport facilitation programmes,” she said. “Facilitation programmes also play a vital role in the establishment of effective Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data systems, which are now required in every ICAO Member State.” Concluding her remarks, the Secretary General highlighted how the ICAO TRIP Strategy’s contributions to global security and counter-terrorism priorities are well recognized, and that ICAO is a core partner of the UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (UNCTTP) which promotes the implementation of passenger data systems throughout the world. Dr. Liu appreciated the promising outcomes of facial recognition and other accelerating biometric initiatives globally, including with respect to the ICAO-developed Digital Travel Credential (DTC) solution that will allow travellers to present a digital representation of their travel document. (News feed received from ICAO Communications)

Mumbai, May 26, 2021: Taking further the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to facilitate the vaccination programme for aviation community, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has established a dedicated vaccination center for its employees. Located at Terminal 1 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), the vaccination drive is available for all employees, including those of the airport’s stakeholders. This programme will provide a measure of safety and confidence for all airport personnel who have been working tirelessly since the outbreak of the pandemic to cater to the needs of the travellers. MIAL had commenced the first phase of its vaccination drive, in line with the state regulations, on March 29, 2021 at Seven Hills Hospital for all employees at CSMIA above the age of 45 years, including those of its supporting agencies, concessionaries and other stakeholders. The second phase of the vaccination drive commenced on May 02, 2021, organized through the MCGM at Airport Health Organization. In its third phase of its vaccination drive, the airport has established a dedicated workplace COVID vaccination centre within the airport for its employees and will administer the vaccine to all employees above the age group of 18 years. The dedicated facility at CSMIA is equipped with all the basic infrastructure and amenities such as vaccination counters, separate waiting areas for pre as well as post-vaccination, proper socially distant seating arrangements, help desk, drinking water, ventilation fans, washrooms etc. in adherence to Covid protocols laid down by the government. MIAL has also deployed a dedicated Nodal officer for coordinating the efforts and to assess the overall flow of vaccination programme. To conduct the vaccination drive at the airport, MIAL has partnered with Lilavati Medicines and Dr Meena’s Multispeciality Hospital. Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, staff at CSMIA have facilitated the continuous movement of passengers and essential cargo including vital pharmaceutical cargo such as vaccines, oxygen concentrators and other COVID related equipment amongst others.

Delhi– 24th May 2021 Tata Technologies,global engineering and product development digital services company, has partnered with Logility, Inc. to offer digital supply chain solutions to its customers. In the new normal, enterprises are being challenged to mitigate the effects of supply chaindisruptions, such as tackling supply-demand uncertainties, and maintaining continuity in the near term. Agility and resilience of supply chains along with proper demand planning are crucial for better transparency and concurrency for them to win in the marketplace. This collaboration will further augment Tata Technologies’ strong digital transformation capabilities across the product development value chain and strengthen the bouquet of supply chain solutions thereby helping Tata Technologies develop innovative solutions to address business challenges of the manufacturing industry and help them realize better products. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Warren Harris, Managing Director and CEO of Tata Technologies, said,“Tata Technologies with a vision of ‘engineering a better world’ enables the manufacturing industry to design, build, manage and realize better products. Through this global collaboration, we aim to further accelerate our customer’s digital transformation journey by offering targeted digital supply chain solutions that leverage our intimate understanding of the manufacturing industry and Logility’s solution portfolio.” Keith Charron, COO, Logility, said, “Our collaboration with Tata Technologies will help businesses accelerate their digital transformation goals to achieve agility and resilience in their supply chains. We are excited to work with Tata Technologies and leverage their deep domain knowledge of the manufacturing industry to expand our global presence and help manufacturers address their supply chain challenges.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Dubai Airshow 2021 is excitedto introduce its new dedicatedstartupevent, VISTA, which will bethe ultimate platform for innovators,creators and market disruptors to display the latest technologies and play a part in accelerating the future of the aerospace and defence industries.The co-located eventwill connectstartupswith venture capitalists who are looking for disruptive new entrants that can out-hustle the big players.The event will be attended by national leaders, CEOs, investors, developers, technology disruptors, operators, and other key experts. Successful entrepreneurs from established global startups will also be present to inspire and guide aspiring startups.During the 5-day programme, VISTA will feature a number of sub-events in partnership with Gothams, a leading accelerator that is helping to build the next generation of aerospace and defence startups.Entrepreneurscan take part in pitch competitionswhere they will be able to present their technologies to industry leaders and investors with the chance of winning some great prizes. They will have the opportunity to get involvedin mentorship programs, workshops, and high-level networking, learn about market trends and receive the best guidance from experts, key decision makers, and global investors. A recent study has shown that startups that have helpful mentors and learn from thought leaders have almost four times better user growth and raise seven times more capital. Despite the prevalent capital-spending curb due to the pandemic, investmentsby global venture capitalists continued to increase. According to a Magnitt report, Saudi Arabia’s venture capital funding increased by 55% in 2020 reaching $152 million. Saudi Arabia continued its work to increase venture capital funding in 2021, in support of emerging startups. Saudi Arabia’s Sanabil Investments recently partnered withthe early-stage venture fund, 500 Startups, to support startups in the region. 100 startups are expected to receive $100,000 to accelerate their growth in the region, as a result of this partnership. Moreover, in the UAE, The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has partnered with Microsoft and Plug and Play on a range of initiatives to support technology startups in the region. Commenting on his startup’s participation in VISTA, Co-founder of SARsat Arabia, AhmedAlzurabi, said: “We are delighted to be taking part in Dubai Airshow 2021 and have the opportunity to display our technologies to the wider industry. We look forward to receiving high-level guidance from significant mentors in the field, to support us in achieving our goal of using cutting-edge Earth Observation satellite technologies to help improve life on Earth.” Mohamed Shawky, the Founder and CEO of GeoDrones Aerial Services startup in Dubai, said: “Our startup aims to provide superior quality drone commercial services as we see a great potential in drone technologies. We have a wide range of innovative ideas that are key for achieving a major transformation in the aerospace industry and we look forward to presenting these innovations to key experts in the field.” Maximillian Buerger, Founder and Managing Director of Aviationfly startup, added: “Exhibiting at the Dubai Airshow was an easy decision for us – the event will most likely be the largest aviation industry event of 2021 and the meeting point of aviation leaders from around the globe. Aviationfly is a United Arab Emirates headquartered startup, which similar to the Dubai Airshow connects different stakeholders in the aviation industry – our focus being the global pilot training ecosystem. The pandemic has significantly affected our industry but we used it as an opportunity to diversify our activities and are excited to be launching a new platform in time for the event in November.” Several startups that launched in the last few years brought revolutionary innovations to the aerospace industry. One example is Heart Aerospace, which will deliver the first ES-19 electric airliner certified for commercial flight by 2026. Heart Aerospace’s mission is to create the fastest, least expensive, and most sustainable mode of regional travel. Another example is Exodus Space Corp, a startup that aims to transform access to space through creating reusable AI-operated spaceplanes that can take off and land horizontally. The aerospace industry has undergone an enormous transformation and development, making it one of the most lucrative industries within the startup ecosystem. In 2019, investments in aerospace startups reached nearly $1 billion. Moreover, in Q3 of 2020, the global aerospace company and late-stage venture capital SpaceX invested $1.9 billion in Space Technology startups, supporting the digital transformation of the aerospace industry . One of the prominent startup accelerator in the aerospace industry is ATI Boeing Accelerator program, which invests in and accelerates up to 20 startups a year. The program targets startupscreating sustainability solutions applicable to the UK’s aerospace industry, offering a £100k equity investment. Intellegens, a startup that aims to use AI to accelerate innovation in advanced materials, chemicals, and drug discovery, was one of the startups selected for the ATI Boeing Accelerator. VISTA will include startups from 12 different sectors, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Future Mobility, Software, Space, Aerospace, Material Science, Cyber Security, Defence, Tourism, Robotics, Drones, and Sustainability.The startup hub will provide entrepreneurs with an unrivalled opportunity to connect with investors, partners, and mentors to launch, scale and grow their startups, and bolster the growth of the aerospace and defence industries in the region. (Aviation World Magazine is official Media Partner of Dubai Airshow 2021)

Geneva, 10th May 2021 SITA, the technology provider for the air transport industry, has signed a partnership with AOKpass, currently the world’s most operationally advanced health pass platform and app. Working together with other key players in the global travel ecosystem, the partners, including AOKpass launch partners International SOS/MedAire and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), will jointly facilitate a safer and more efficient return to cross-border travel at scale. With a focus on major international airports, AOKpass and SITA have already collaborated on ground-breaking 30-day operational pilots for flights to and from airports in San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX) and Paris (CDG). Another joint deployment will be launched in coming weeks to support the Hong Kong (HKD) to Singapore (SIN) travel bubble scheduled to reopen in late May. Deployments of ICC AOKpass have already involved 13 countries and over 500 flights, reflecting its strong focus on forming local, regional and global alliances for interoperability across jurisdictions and industries. “AOKpass has been operationalising successful large-scale deployments for airlines and airports since September 2020, providing safe and secure COVID-19 status verification for thousands of passengers. We’re just one of the many critical players needed to reactivate international travel. Interoperating with industry leaders such as SITA is vital to any truly global effort to overcome the unprecedented barriers COVID has imposed on cross-border mobility”, said Darren Toh, CEO of AOKpass. SITA’s IT system products are already widely used as the technical infrastructure for airport, airline and border operations worldwide. By integrating the pioneering AOKpass system, SITA will now also be able to embed privacy-preserving health pass verification functionality into their IT systems and products. This type of integration will eventually facilitate a seamless end-to-end experience across the complex traveller journey – from booking, check-in, boarding, crossing of secure checkpoints, and all other necessary touchpoints. Jeremy Springall Vice-President, SITA AT BORDERS, said: “We’re excited to partner with AOKpass on this next milestone in the journey to reopen borders in a safe and cost-efficient fashion. Our work with governments, airlines, and airports globally helps to ensure sustainable operations while ensuring a frictionless passenger experience that reduces the risk of congestion at airports and border points. A key benefit of SITA Health Protect is a unique ability to seamlessly integrate with multiple travel pass or ‘health passport’ schemes, bridging the gap between these schemes and aviation and border processes. Critically, by incorporating Advance Passenger Processing (APP), it enables authorities to make an informed decision whether a passenger can travel at the point of check-in, improving the safety of all passengers.” AOKpass is also already partnered with International SOS and MedAire to provide an unparalleled global network of over 90,000 accredited clinics and industry-leading experience in supporting clients across sectors with health and travel security solutions. “Interoperability doesn’t happen spontaneously, it’s the result of highly complex and ongoing work done by governments, travel authorities, technology providers and health services firms actively cooperating. Working closely with AOKpass and SITA, we’re proud to be doing our part for the broader ecosystem committed to supporting return to travel,” said Bill Dolny, CEO of MedAire.