Two Airports in Japan Partner ARINC to Upgrade Facilities

ARINC is implementing vMUSE Express at two Japanese airports - Naha Airport in Okinawa (OKA) and Kagoshima Airport in Kagoshima (KOJ).

The technology will help both airports meet the needs of a growing pool of airline customers as well as enhance passenger processing as passenger traffic continues to grow.

ARINC’s vMUSE, which already supports more than 300 airlines at over 100 airports worldwide, is a fully functional multi-user system environment that delivers shared passenger and flight information, enabling airlines and airports to run efficiently.

It features virtualized servers housed offsite that can be assessed from anywhere in the world using any device, and maximizes airport operations and eliminates software engineering and development costs as it does not require the investment of a core server infrastructure.

Previously, each dedicated check-in counter at both airports could only process the passengers of one airline. While the number of airlines operating from the airports continued to swell, limited physical space inhibited the building of new counters. This resulted in some airlines having to carry out offline check-ins, which was time-consuming, error-prone and required back office support.

Both OKA and KOJ were looking for a cost-effective solution that could help them utilize the check-in counters more efficiently while reducing the need for offline check-ins. In addition, with the limited physical space, the airports needed a solution that didn’t require the set-up of physical infrastructure and servers. With the opening of a new international passenger terminal at OKA in February 2014, the Naha Airport Building (NABCO) was particularly interested in a fully-functional common use check-in solution that was cost-effective in meeting their budget.

When implemented, vMuse Express will enable agents from the various airlines to directly log into the Departure Control System at any counter over any device. The sharing of counter facilities will improve terminal operations, and allow both airports to welcome more airlines and passengers.

“With vMUSE Express, ARINC will enable us to meet the needs of our airline customers by improving the efficiency and flexibility of passenger processing through better resource allocation,” said Mr. Shigeru Nakamoto, Deputy Manager, Planning Section Operation Department of NABCO. “This common use service will allow us to focus on the more strategic aspects of our terminal operations since it removes the need for us to manage physical infrastructure.”