AWS & Storm Reply: Bringing AI Assistants to Airports

Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) is entering the world of AI with its new Virtual Assistant, a digital companion designed to enhance the travel experience for its millions of passengers.

Built in collaboration with AWS and Storm Reply, the Virtual Assistant will debut at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. 

Passengers can access this AI assistant through the ADR WhatsApp Chatbot or official ADR website.

It can provide passengers with real-time flight updates, guidance on airport services and personalised recommendations to ease the experience at terminals. 

“From the first ‘Buongiorno’ to the final ‘Arrivederci’, we’re committed to creating a seamless travel experience that combines Italian hospitality with technological innovation,” says Emanuele Calà, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Transformation and Technology at Aeroporti di Roma.

“Virtual Assistant represents a significant milestone in our digital transformation journey, allowing us to provide personalised support to each of the 50 million travellers who choose our airports and ensuring their first and last points of contact with the city are effortless and enjoyable.”

How AWS and Storm Reply power Virtual Assistant

ADR’s virtual assistant is powered by Amazon Bedrock, a fully managed AWS service for foundation models. 

Storm Reply, a premier AWS consulting partner and AWS Generative AI Innovation Centre, together harnessed the power of Gen AI to develop this new digital assistant that is capable of answering complex customer queries in multiple languages. 

The Virtual assistant boasts a multi agent architecture that can provide high quality AI responses while respecting strict privacy standards. 

“The AI-powered Assistant is a distinctive example of how AI can seamlessly integrate into everyday user experiences, providing powerful yet discreet contextual support to travellers," says Filippo Rizzante, Chief Technology Officer at Reply. 

“By combining multi-agent orchestration with AWS Gen AI services, we enabled the Assistant to manage in real-time complex queries securely and efficiently across multiple languages and contexts. 

“Thanks to ADR’s spirit of innovation, the AI-powered Assistant now enhances both operational efficiency and the passenger experience at a globally leading high-traffic hub like Fiumicino.”

What can the AI assistant do? 

ADRYX, the official mascot of Aeroporti di Roma, will be the digital interface that enables users to interact with the virtual assistant. 

The assistant offers instant updates on departures, arrivals, delays, baggage tracking and gate changes. 

Beyond flight information, the assistant can also help guide passengers to and from the airport as well as provide information on airport parking spaces. 

“The travel industry is experiencing a revolution driven by AI and cloud technologies,” says Julien Groues, Vice President (VP) of AWS Europe South.

“Aeroporti di Roma’s Virtual Assistant demonstrates how Gen AI can transform passenger experiences in meaningful ways. 

“By combining ADR’s deep understanding of traveler needs with AWS’s advanced AI capabilities and Storm Reply’s implementation expertise, we’ve created a solution that makes navigating one of Europe’s busiest airport systems simpler and more enjoyable.”

With updates and new features already planned, ADR’s AI assistant is poised to make airport travel smoother and more intuitive.

It is a shift from static information services to dynamic, conversational guidance, responding to each traveller’s needs in real time and adding a touch of intelligence to every step of the journey.