Amadeus buys bag-drop tech provider ICM Airport Technics

Australia-based ICM Airport Technics is now part of the Amadeus family of brands after an acquisition announced this week.

The company provides passenger automation software and self-service bag-drop tools for airports in Asia Pacific and Europe.

Terms of the cash acquisition have not been disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2019.

ICM was founded in 1977 and has been led by CEO Richard Dinkelmann since early-2016.

Amadeus is already a significant player in the airport and departure control elements of aviation through its ALTEA platform.

It says the acquisition will help "take the friction and hassle out of the airport experience for passengers."

Bruno Spada, head of airport IT at Amadeus, continues: "Importantly, customers continually tell us they need a strategic end-to-end solution in order to answer the evolving operational needs of the airport – they don’t want to have to work with multiple suppliers but rather single providers that can harness the best of the very latest technologies and who ultimately can ‘do it all’: this deal delivers just that."

ICM claims to have processed more than 75 million bags since 2009 in the 25 airports where its auto bag-drop technology is deployed.

Dinkelmann, who joined the company in 2010 and was managing director from 2012, says: "By combining ICM’s market-leading self-service and passenger processing solutions with Amadeus’ global reach and complementary product offering, we are now in a unique position to offer even better technical solutions to our airline and airport customers.

"We are excited about the future, as we share similar values such as strong innovation, reliability, and an uncompromising commitment to improving airport efficiency as well as passenger safety and security."