Singapore Airlines (SIA) inaugurated a digital innovation lab in Singapore on 29 January, bearing the name 'KrisLab'.
The lab builds on the airline's digital innovation blueprint that was launched in 2018, and serves as a collaborative workspace for the SIA Group employees to develop ideas and work with various parties.
Speaking at KrisLab launch, group chief executive Goh Choon Phong says more than 180 ideas were submitted by its employees, with 50 of those ideas being developed into prototypes.
These include predictive maintenance solution, chatbots, mobile application for flying and non-flying employees, virtual reality training, fatigue management, and utilising blockchain technology in payment transactions.
Asked by FlightGlobal on how KrisLab supports the group's three-year transformation plan, Goh explains that KrisLab's presence aids in enhancing customer experience, improves its overall operations, and drives efficiency during flight.
"It has ideas that helps us to engage customers better, ideas with predictive maintenance, ideas that help our cabin crew to be more efficient, along with pilots. It spans an entire area and supports what we're doing in terms of transformation as well," says Goh.
He goes on to say ideas that are now being developed into prototypes had predated the 2018 digital innovation blueprint announcement. He also stressed that its engagement with external communities on innovation "have taken place" prior to the announcement.
Goh would only say that the group is spending "hundreds of millions" on digital innovation.
Fellow Star Alliance member Lufthansa Group on 28 January inaugurated an innovation hub in Singapore. The facility aims to drive innovation in Asia-Pacific's travel and mobility sectors, with an option of establishing a similar office in Shanghai later this year.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
