Motorola says RFID has applications beyond baggage identification in aviation

Motorola says the aviation industry is a prime candidate for radio-frequency identification (RFID), an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. An RFID tag can be stuck on or incorporated into a product, animal, or person for the purpose of identification using radio waves.

Director of RFID business development in aviation for Motorola Pankaj Shukla says that aviation is one of Motorola''s targeted verticals, and it has received a large number of inquiries. Immediately, RFID is a possible solution to the lost luggage problem that costs the airline industry hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

RFID baggage tagging is one of the leading potential applications of RFID in the sector. Airports in Hong Kong and Las Vegas have already started using the technology, in tie-ups with Motorola.

In 2005, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) published a global specification to define exactly what information should be included on a bag''s RFID tag, or license plate. Notwithstanding this, worldwide baggage tagging is still only in the very earliest stages of deployment.

But baggage tagging is just one possible application. There are numerous other RFID applications in aviation, including cargo tagging, tagging of assets on the tarmac, and trolley tagging.

Cargo tagging enables the visibility of goods and freight that are shipped by air. Apart from better supply chain efficiency, cargo tagging also offers security benefits, allowing the industry to readily identify shipments whose integrity may have been compromised.