34 SPECIAL FEATURE
34 SPECIAL FEATURE TRANSPORT ADVERTORIAL Passenger Traffic at Munich Airport Rises to All-Time High AIRPORTS OF THAILAND INVESTS FOR FUTURE GROWTH With the aim of accommodating the increasing number of travellers going to Thailand, both government and private sectors have developed policies on various aspects of the country’s air transport infrastructure. Munich Airport’s growth continued in 2017 with new traffic records in several categories. Passenger traffic increased by 2.3 million to a new all-time high of 44.6 million. This was a 5.5% gain over the 2016 figure. The airport also saw a surge in take-offs and landings, with an increase of more than 10,000 to approximately 405,000 – a gain of 2.6%. Another record is reported by the airfreight segment, which achieved a total turnover of around 379,000 tons in 2017 – a 7% gain over the previous year. Dr Michael Kerkloh, President and CEO of Munich Airport, said: “These are outstanding traffic figures, especially when we consider the turbulence the aviation industry is currently experiencing. The massive increases once again underscore our airport’s importance as one of the leading air transportation hubs in Europe.” As in previous years, passenger growth in Munich benefited in particular from above-average gains in international traffic. The strongest growth was seen in the intercontinental segment, where traffic increased by 7% to 7.3 million passengers. Dr Kerkloh said that demand was strong especially for connections from Munich to destinations in the USA. Continental services remained the largest traffic segment with a total of 27.4 million passengers – 6.5% more than in 2016. Within Europe, the strongest growth was seen on routes to and from Greece and Spain. On domestic routes within Germany, traffic increased by more than 2% to over 9.8 million passengers. The percentage of seats occupied was up again in 2017, increasing to a new record level of 76.5% Hall 9 / Stand 102 Airports of Thailand Public Company (AOT) has a 10-year masterplan to develop its six airports. The company said €5.6 billion will be spent in developing all of them to be able to accommodate 184 million passengers per year, following the rapid growth of air transport. AOT supervises six main international airports in the country which are Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang International Airports located in the Central part, Chiang Mai and Mae Fah Luang – Chiang Rai International Airports in the North and Phuket and Hat Yai International Airports in the South. In the fiscal year 2017, the AOT’s six international airports handled 135 scheduled airlines with their flights connecting to more than 206 destinations worldwide, serving over 823,500 flights and 129 million passengers. A current development project at Suvarnabhumi Airport covers the construction of Midfield Satellite 1 with 28-contact gates and a tunnel equipped with an automatic people mover to link the Midfield Satellite 1 with the existing passenger terminal. The Suvarnabhumi Airport Development Project is expected to be completed in 2020 Miami International Airport Opens First US Passport Clearance Facility with Facial Recognition On Wednesday 27th February, officials from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate Miami International Airport’s newly renovated Concourse E federal inspection facility for international arrivals. Cision PR Newswire The facility is the first in the USA completely dedicated to providing expedited passport screening via facial recognition. The new technology verifies a travellers’ identity by matching their face to the document they are presenting. Since launching the facial recognition pilot program in November, the Concourse E facility has been screening as many as 10 passengers per minute. In addition to providing the latest in expedited passport screening technology, the new facility reduces the walking distance for Concourse E and F passengers who previously only had access to the Concourse D passport hall - decongesting one of the country’s busiest arrivals facilities in the process as well Hall 26.b / Stand 219 A passenger is screened with new facial recognition passport screening technology Hall 3.1 / Stand 321 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 7 th March 2018 www.itb-berlin-news.com
SPECIAL FEATURE TRANSPORT 35 Sixt Driven by Technological Innovations CAR SHARING GOES UP A GEAR IN LONDON WITH EXPANSION OF ZIPCAR FLEX Sixt is now the first German car rental company available via Amazon Alexa. Regine Sixt, Senior Executive Vice President International Marketing, at Sixt SE, explains how important is it to be “ahead of the pack” when it comes to technology. As an innovation leader in the industry, we closely monitor technological developments and identify new trends at an early stage in order to be able to offer our customers even more convenient services. We are constantly working on new solutions and on the mobility of the future. How is Sixt growing on a global basis, and which countries are the “sweet spots” moving forward? Sixt is going full throttle, worldwide. We are committed to providing the same high level of service quality to our customers in more than 120 countries. Last year we started an own country organisation in Italy with branches at such destinations as Rome or Milan. You have been awarded the prize for “Woman of the Year” by FCEM. This must make you feel very proud… What do you think were the key reasons for them awarding you the prize? I see the award as a great honour for me and also for all women at Sixt. The award went to our entrepreneurial successes, because I was very fortunate to expand the company to its current size together with my husband Erich. Furthermore the award was given to my commitment to children in poverty and need through my foundation “Drying Little Tears”. What are your key announcements at ITB Berlin this year, and how important is this show as a marketing platform for Sixt? Sixt has been at ITB Berlin for many years and uses the opportunity to show its comprehensive mobility services to an international audience. We have the right products and services to travel and explore all countries Regine Sixt Senior Executive Vice President International Marketing, Sixt SE WE HAVE THE RIGHT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES TO TRAVEL AND EXPLORE ALL COUNTRIES Hall 9 / Stand 121 Zipcar, part of the Avis Budget Group, has announced that Zipcar Flex, the Company’s “floating” car sharing service is now available to nearly 3.5m Londoners. Zipcar Flex allows members to spontaneously jump into a car and drive one-way across London, with the ability to drop the car off in one of thousands of spaces within the “Zipzone”, which now covers an area of over 235 sq km across London. Members who utilise Zipcar Flex pay just 29p per minute and only for the exact time their trip lasts. Thanks to extras like the Congestion Charge, petrol and insurance being included in the rates, Zipcar claim it’s now one of the cheapest and most convenient ways to get around London. Hall 9 / Stand 101a, 101b EUROPCAR ACQUIRES BUCHBINDER Europcar Group has concluded the acquisition of Buchbinder, one of the largest car rental companies in Germany. The move will position the group as a leader in Germany, the Group’s first market, especially in the Vans & Trucks business. This acquisition will also offer a strategic platform to source further into the large pool of German and Austrian travellers and to expand further in Eastern Europe. Hall 9 / Stand 123 ITB BERLIN NEWS • Wednesday 7 th March 2018
