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Sharjah International Airport, the third largest airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced the deployment of the world’s first common use self-service (CUSS) kiosks with an Arabic interface.

The kiosks, provided by aviation IT specialist SITA, are already in use by passengers of Air Arabia, Nas Air, SAMA, Indian Airlines, Indian Express and Jet Airways.

In this five-year deal, SITA is also providing internet check-in for Air Arabia and the 3.6 million passengers it brings through the airport each year. These combined check-in services, which are available with Arabic and English interfaces, are a welcome addition for both passengers and the airlines as they are easy to use and cost-effective.

Ali Salem Al Midfaa, director of the Sharjah Airport Authority, said: “Excellent customer service is our real strong point, and our continued investment in new technology and systems — such as the SITA CUSS kiosks and web check-in — ensures that we are providing services to the highest international standards.

The Arabic interface on the kiosks makes the passenger experience more user-friendly which in turn speeds up the check-in process. In addition, because the kiosks can be used by all the airlines we can increase the rates of passenger processing with a lower level of capital infrastructure.”

Hani El Assaad, SITA’s regional vice-president for the Middle East and Turkey, said: “By using a combination of CUSS kiosks and web check-in Sharjah International Airport will increase passenger satisfaction, minimize congestion and reduce costs. This integrated approach will support the airport as it continues its growth and development to 2015 in line with its master plan.”

Internet check-in is currently available to passengers of Air Arabia and will be soon available to all passengers using the airport.

Located in the center of the UAE, Sharjah International Airport is well connected to all major international destinations and in the last decade has experienced a five-fold increase in passengers. It is the home base of low-cost carrier Air Arabia and in 2009 served 5.85 million passengers.