Inside The Airport Tech Race feat. Sunil Ankalgi (Business Head, WAISL)

If you've ever walked through an airport terminal and wondered who keeps it all running, this episode is for you. In Episode 77 of The Indian AvGeek, Vishal Mehra interviews Sunil Ankalgi, Business Head at WAISL Limited (Ex-Amadeus, Ex-SITA), to discuss the complex digital infra powering modern airports. From why legacy global platforms struggle to keep pace with Indian growth to what an actual Digital Twin does versus a glorified analytics dashboard, this episode strips away the hype around airport tech. Key Highlights: Who is the Real Customer? Balancing airlines, airport operators, governments, and passengers. The Global vs. Local Playbook: Why India’s origin-destination growth breaks traditional global IT models. Airside Goldmine: Why saving 10 minutes on a turnaround unlocks 4 additional flights a day. The Biometric Friction: Why DigiYatra identity resets across check-in, security, and border control. AI Reality Check: Computer vision in production vs. the myth of automated gate assignments. The CEO Metric: Why airport leadership should track Asset Idle Time per Passenger Minute. The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps. Follow Vishal Mehra: Vishal Mehra on X (@vishal1mehra) #IndianAviation #AviationNews #IndianAirports #aviation #Airports #AirportStrategy