Experts
Ivan Jakovljevic
Ink Innovation
Organised by
IATA
At the IATA Ground Handling Conference 2026 in Cairo, Ivan Jakovljević, SVP Operations at Ink Innovation, joined Nicole Hogg, Director of Baggage at SITA, and Shabbir Girach, Baggage Ecosystems and Aviation IT Innovations Leader at Shabstec and Bagnition, for the IGHC 2026 closing plenary, “Connecting the baggage chain: BRS, BHS, and self-service bag drop.”
The panel examined why the industry still lacks a fully connected baggage chain, despite much of the required technology already being available, and discussed the standards, data governance and operational challenges slowing progress.
Key takeaways
01
Technology has moved ahead of the standards
Current messaging formats still limit the richer baggage data systems can exchange.
02
The weakest link is often between systems
Breakdowns occur when digital communication and physical baggage operations do not align.
03
Baggage data needs clear governance
The industry needs agreement on what data is shared, with whom and for what purpose.
04
Progress depends on implementation
Live deployments, operational feedback and continued refinement matter more than further theory.
