Global aviation industry-owned information, communications and related technologies group SITA (not to be confused with South Africa’s State IT Agency) has announced the conclusion of its take-over of Italian airport interiors company CCM. The latter specialised in the design, creation and production of airport interiors and, over a period of 35 years, had worked on more than 300 airports around the world.

“This isn’t just about expanding airports,” explained SITA CEO David Lavorel. “It’s about re-imaging them. With CCM’s deep design and execution expertise, we’re transforming airports to maximise their existing footprint, optimise passenger flow, and create smarter, more flexible and valuable airport terminal environments that evolve with the changing needs of the industry.”

SITA believes that the traditional airport layouts, of rows and rows of check-in counters, static security checkpoints and consequent inefficient passenger flows, no longer make sense. Rather, the need is for seamless integration of airport services, systems and procedures, using smart technology and intelligent design, to minimise congestion and maximise the use of every square metre of the terminal.

The decision to acquire CCM, hitherto owned and managed by the Marinoni family, was made against the backdrop of accelerating investments by airports into biometrics, self-service, automation and security technologies, as well as in personalised commercial services. The SITA 2024 Airport IT Insights report found that 63% of the world’s airports were prioritising these technologies, also including digitalisation, mobile apps and AI. Global airport spending on these technologies has shot up to $8.9-billion.

“For too long, airports have had to chose between efficiency and passenger experience,” affirmed CCM interim CEO Monica Oberti. “By joining forces with SITA, we can finally bring together the best of both worlds – smart technology, intelligent design, and quality production. Together, we’re not just improving airports, we’re reshaping them for the future.”

(Oberti, appointed by SITA, is a member of the Marinoni family.)

“The market needs a fundamental shift – where technology and design work together to make airports smarter in using their space for more capacity and with flexibility to support the next generation of travel,” highlighted Europe at SITA president Sergio Colella. “That’s why we’re bringing CCM in to the SITA family. By combining our technology and experience in airport operations with their deep understanding of design and space optimisation, we are bringing to the market a unique ‘technology by design’ capability and end-to-end integration from design to operations, all in harmony since the conception of the idea.”