SITA Aero, a technology provider in the travel industry, plans to export made-in-India airport check-in kiosks to the Asia-Pacific region. Last year, the company installed nearly 600 kiosks at the Indian airports and exported 250 units to Sri Lanka and Thailand. It now aims to expand exports to Indonesia and Vietnam.

David Lavorel, the global CEO of SITA Aero, highlighted India’s role not only in physical infrastructure but also as a major hub for software development and exports.

Speaking to FE, Lavorel said: “On the software development and export side of the business, we plan to increase our capacity by 20% to 30% in the current year. We also see potential for exports of kiosks made in India to the Asia-Pacific region and Africa, as well as to Brazil.”

Currently, SITA Aero uses contract manufacturers to produce Common Use Passenger Processing System (CUPPS) and Common Use Self Service (CUSS) platforms in India. These kiosks are specialised equipment that we manufacture; hence, we make it in India. Kiosks have the highest requirements in India. We have not built our own factory, but we work with the contract manufacturer, so we work with the partners here locally to manufacture our stuff,” SITA Aero’s president for the Asia-Pacific region, Sumesh Patel, said.

SITA Aero won a contract from the Airports Authority of India in 2022 to modernise 44 airports with the latest technological interventions like CUPPS and CUSS counters. Besides, Patel said that a similar project in Bangkok and Indonesia will use the kiosks manufactured in India.

Patel, however, did not disclose the amount SITA Aero infused into Indian operations but said that on average, the company invests $100 million in R&D, a majority of which comes to India.

The company’s investments in India, undisclosed in specific figures, focus significantly on research and development, with a substantial portion allocated to large-scale projects such as those with Adani Group airports and various other Indian airports like Cochin, Nagpur, Kannur, Noida, and Bangalore’s T2 terminal.

SITA Aero’s involvement extends to initiatives like Digi Yatra, a government-led digital traveller initiative where they are a key partner. Patel mentioned plans for international sector trials of Digi Yatra starting later this year.