Airports and Airlines can ‘implement now, pay later’ for latest automation technology.
Melbourne, Victoria: 29 June 2021: Elenium Automation today launches a new $200 million program to help airports and airlines upgrade their technology to make travel seamless, touchless, and ready for a post-Covid recovery.
The new program named ‘VYGR’ (short for Voyager) will allow airlines and airports to access the latest automation technologies, without capital investment.
The aviation industry has a unique opportunity to modernise their infrastructure and make the passenger experience a seamless and enjoyable journey bringing back confidence to the travelling public impacted by the global pandemic. The purpose of the $200 million program is to eliminate the financial risk of deploying such technology during an uncertain time with a consumption-based model, paying only on a per-use basis.
Elenium Automation builds self-service systems in Victoria, Australia, making the airport experience effortless. Using biometrics, telepresence, and touchless technologies, Elenium enables the passenger to walk into the terminal, drop off their bag, and continue to the lounge or boarding gate without having to touch a boarding pass, bag tag, or screen.
The benefits of automating the passenger journey are substantial. An airport can halve the space used for check-in, allocating more space for valuable retail. Travellers spend less time in queues and operational costs can be lowered.
Justin Giddings, CEO of Avalon Airport said: Justin Giddings, CEO of Avalon Airport said: “It’s [Voyager] all about reducing congestion in that check-in area. It has really freed up a lot of space. It’s probably doubled our capacity in the check-in area just by installing these products.”
Rob Bowring, a senior aviation executive with over 25 years’ experience in the industry has joined Elenium to lead VYGR and its innovative business model. Bowring spent the last year playing a key role on Multiplex’ successful bid to design and construct the Western Sydney Airport terminal. Prior to that he worked at Qantas for 16 years in a range of roles including Head of Airport Transformation, Head of Commercial Airport Infrastructure and Services, and Head of Qantas Group Airport Strategy and Commercial.
The VYGR consumption model has been designed to protect and accelerate the aviation industry. Not only does it remove financial risk during a tumultuous period, it gives money back if the cost of the technology is recovered earlier. This means airports and airlines have both downside and upside protection. Airports and airlines will have more flexibility to deploy its constrained capital on other investments.
Aaron Hornlimann CEO of Elenium says “The aviation industry can use VYGR to implement new technologies without worrying about the upfront cost and managing the risk of operational disruptions from pandemics to bad weather. They only pay for it when they use it”.
“We need to upgrade our airports now so the industry recovery can be supported with efficient, touchless, and confidence-building automation. VYGR removes a hurdle by dealing with capital constraints.”
Elenium’s VYGR range of products for the aviation industry are not just for major cities. The end-to-end airport passenger processing suite can be used by regional airports without the complex IT systems that usually limit the use of automation. Elenium’s products can be found in airports of all sizes from Queenstown in New Zealand, Avalon in Geelong to Hong Kong International Airport and in Abu Dhabi.