Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) – operator of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) – has collaborated with Microsoft India on the BIAL Genie Hackathon to develop an app using Microsoft Azure.
The hackathon invites professional developers, data scientists and data engineers to design solutions that will improve the end-to-end passenger experience at BLR Airport. It began on October 27, 2021, and will end on January 21, 2022, and calls for solutions ranging from planning the journey and boarding the flight to arriving at the destination airport. Following the hackathon, developers will showcase their solutions to a jury and a few projects will be shortlisted. Shortlisted participants will submit their prototypes with all supporting documents for evaluation and will be provided with technical resources and mentoring sessions by Microsoft subject matter experts (SMEs). The winning teams will be announced on January 24, 2022, with the winner and runner-up being awarded cash rewards of Rs150,000 (US$2,020) and Rs100,000 (US$1,350) respectively.
Commenting on the collaboration with Microsoft, George Fanthome, chief information officer at BIAL, said, “At BIAL, we are embedding innovative technologies across BLR Airport to continuously introduce solutions through a digital transformation of our airport operations. We are excited to associate with Microsoft to conduct the BIAL Genie Hackathon, which will help us in developing new solutions that deliver seamless passenger experiences.”
Shivir Chordia, business group leader of Azure at Microsoft India, said, “Empowering more people to unleash their potential remains a priority at Microsoft. We are delighted to collaborate with BIAL for the Genie Hackathon – an opportunity for programmers and developers to use Azure’s cloud computing technology and design a unique and comfortable passenger experience that will transform the travel experience for next-generation travelers.”