China Eastern Airlines and others launch 5G smart travel system

China Eastern Airlines, China Unicom Beijing, and Huawei joined to launch a 5G smart travel service system at Beijing Daxing International Airport.

The 5G smart travel service system enables a greatly improved airport experience for passengers. 5G enabled services, such as facial recognition for check-in and security, personalized airport experience through the airline’s smart app and paperless luggage services, are part of the first wave of new 5G enabled smart air travel services aimed at improving passenger experience at airports. These services, delivered through the use of 5G, AI and AR, set the standard for the new generation of smart airports. This makes the airport a new model of utilizing 5G Gigabit networks in the civil aviation industry. The collaboration with the mobile telecom industry will empower the airport to take its brand to a new height.

The 5G coverage across the airport terminals is achieved with Huawei's digital indoor system 5G LampSite, which was deployed for China Unicom Beijing in August, 2019. The speeds achieved in field tests exceeded 1.2 Gbit/s, showing that the network meets the requirements to provide ultimate 5G experience to passengers.

At Beijing Daxing International Airport, passengers of China Eastern Airlines do not need to show up their ID cards or scan QR codes any more. Thanks to the smart travel service system, passengers can complete all travel transactions from ticket purchase to check-in, luggage consignment, security check, and boarding just by having their faces scanned. Flight attendants can complete passenger confirmation and guide them to their seats by using the facial recognition system.

Facial recognition also provides benefits for ground service personnel by allowing them to quickly identify passengers and remind them of boarding information to help catch their flights. With smart display terminals in the check-in, security check, and VIP areas, passengers can obtain information about their flights, boarding gates, and destination weather by having their faces scanned, removing the need for passengers to scan long lists of flights to find theirs. Services that notify the boarding start/end time and predict the time needed to take from the current location to the boarding gate are also available to help passengers.

With ultra-secure storage of passenger data, and the deletion of it upon confirmation of boarding the plane, China Eastern Airlines prioritizes the safety and security of their customer’s data, giving them the confidence to fully engage with the new smart services.

About Huawei

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. We have nearly 188,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.