VINCI Airports experiments with a virtual agent to assist passengers at Lyon-Saint Exupéry airport
Lyon Airport, VINCI Airports' center of excellence for innovation dedicated to the passenger experience, is breaking new ground by being the first airport in Europe to launch a trial of a 3D avatar able to inform and answer passengers' questions. Installed on two animated interactive kiosks, and drawing on generative artificial intelligence (AI), this multilingual virtual agent is able to orient passengers in the airport and provide them with real-time information on their flight and available services.
Using agentic AI technology* developed by the start-up Jumbo Mana, this virtual agent can generate responses for passengers, and uses 3D animation to represent the image of an agent. Present in departure and arrival areas, it features around 30 languages and complements existing systems (signage, interactive terminals, mobile app, etc.), while aiming to smooth the passenger journey. A first in Europe.
This innovative solution provides passengers with:
- dynamic information about flights and air traffic in real time,
- spatial information to guide passengers through the airport based on an interactive map of the airport,
- general information about airport services and shops, destinations departing from Lyon-Saint Exupéry and possible activities in the Lyon region.
How does the virtual agent work?
This intelligent 3D virtual agent is based on the specific language model of agentic AI, the new revolution in artificial intelligence. The avatar is able to understand the passenger's spoken request, analyze it and formulate a precise, contextual response, orally and in writing. It draws on a wealth of information gathered in a dynamic knowledge base made available by the airport, guaranteeing the quality and relevance of its responses. Thanks to agentic AI, in addition to its advanced conversational capabilities, this avatar also integrates an interactive map enabling passengers to easily find their way around the airport and access real-time information on flights, boarding gates and other essential services. Animated in 3D and equipped with speech, it makes the experience interactive and creates a real proximity with the passenger.
*Agentic AI: Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems composed of autonomous agents capable of perceiving their environment, making decisions and acting to achieve specific goals.
VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of more than 70 airports located in 14 countries. VINCI Airports draws on its expertise as a comprehensive integrator to develop, finance, build and operate airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise operational performance and modernise infrastructure while bringing about their environmental transition. In 2016, VINCI Airports became the first airport operator to commit to an international environmental strategy, setting itself the aim of reaching zero net emissions (scope 1 and 2) across the network by 2050 while supporting the territories’ local climate transition.
