Kuwait’s National Aviation Services (NAS) powers a safe return to air travel with Azure

Founded in 2003, Kuwait’s National Aviation Services (NAS) is the fastest-growing airport services provider in the emerging markets. Operating in more than 50 international airports across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, NAS’ offerings include ground handling, cargo and lounge management, VIP terminals, aviation training and security as well as airport technologies.

“In early 2020, Kuwait had to take very restrictive health measures to maintain the safety of its citizens,” begins Rami Al-Haddad, Group CIO of NAS. “All flights were suspended at first, but soon it became necessary to selectively reopen air travel—for repatriations, for example—which required very strict health measures.”

Critical data for safe passage

A long-time user of Microsoft technology, NAS envisaged an innovative travel portal based on Azure. The portal would connect all stakeholders involved in vetting travelers’ health statuses and identities, while also keeping travelers informed. In short: it would be a seamless and integrated mobile solution for safe, compliant flying. 

“Not only did we need to ensure top-level health and safety measures, but we also wanted to take the stress out of flying,” says Al-Haddad. “On the backend, that meant connecting with COVID-19 testing labs, health authorities, government agencies and airport officials and facilitating the seamless and secure flow of passenger information between them, using blockchain. On the frontend, we wanted to ensure travelers would have full information on travel requirements, documentation and regulation, to remove any surprises and ensure a smooth journey.” 

Accelerated development

Working fully remotely during the pandemic, NAS leveraged Microsoft Teams to meet virtually and rapidly align on the platform’s requirements and design. “Coupled with our agile methodology, the ease of access to Azure services meant we had the final platform ready after only three months,” notes Al-Haddad.

Safe flying

Today, the NAS travel platform is as powerful as it is easy to use, Al-Haddad explains. “Not only can we enforce minimum lab acceptable standards—ensuring PCR tests come only from reputable, verified labs—but we can also identify fraudulent test certificates, recover lost test results, and ensure correct traveler identification.”

“More than eight hundred thousand people have used the system so far for safe travel,” Al-Haddad enthuses. “Thanks to the platform, we’ve seen a dramatic reduction in travelers arriving at the airport who test positive for COVID. Plus, we’re getting great feedback from users on social media, who praise the platform’s efficiency and helpfulness. Looking forward, we're excited about the future and believe the steps we’ve taken are going to allow many, many other countries to fast track safe, compliant resumption of air travel.”