The Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC), owner and operator of all five airports in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, and SITA, the air transport IT specialist, announced details of a five-year deal which will bring sweeping changes to all of the emirate's airports turning them into high-tech centres of passenger processing.

Abu Dhabi International Airport which saw 11.7% passenger growth in the first half of this year will become the first major hub in the Middle East to benefit from the new IATA CUPPS (Common Use Passenger Processing Systems) passenger processing standard following an agreement with SITA to upgrade its AirportConnect CUTE check-in platform to CUPPS which is now commercially available for the first time.

The agreement also provides for SITA to maintain over 350 check-in counters, 24 self-service kiosks for multiple airline use, and upgrade the baggage reconciliation system across Abu Dhabi Airport's three terminals, Al Ain International Airport, Al Bateen Executive Airport and Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) terminal and City terminal.

Michael Ibbitson, ADAC Vice President Information and Communication Services, said: "Abu Dhabi International Airport is committed to delivering the best possible services to our passengers and airline customers. We are pleased to partner with SITA in this upgrade of our passenger processing systems. Airlines in particular will appreciate our efforts to adopt the latest technology available that is developed by an organisation such as SITA, which took on the leading role in technology to implement the new IATA CUPPS standard. This pioneering system will eventually replace CUTE and we at ADAC want to be an early adopter as it will mean more efficient processes for passengers and lower operating costs for airlines."

Hani El Assaad, SITA Regional Vice President Middle East and North Africa, said: "SITA is proud to partner with the Abu Dhabi Airport Company in a project of this magnitude. The vision is clear, the United Arab Emirates is well on its way to becoming a centre of international excellence when it comes to managing passengers and delivering value to airlines."