Automated indoor wayfinding for the millions of airport passengers

Scaling passenger service with the same team

Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA), operated by GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation, handles over 12 million passengers annually and holds multiple international awards for service quality – including recognition from Airports Council International as the best airport in Asia-Pacific. Despite this reputation, the airport's customer support operation was under strain.

A small team of operators running 12-hour shifts – available only during the day – handled hundreds of calls per week alongside email inquiries and facilities coordination. Outside those hours, passengers had no live support. As traveller expectations shifted towards immediate, 24/7 digital service, MCIA needed a way to scale without expanding headcount.

Indoor navigation: helping passengers find their way

Wayfinding is one of the most frequent and time-consuming categories of airport inquiry. For a two-terminal complex serving both domestic and international routes, spatial confusion is constant – especially among first-time or international travellers.

Proto partnered with Living Map, a UK-based indoor navigation specialist, to embed a dynamic, interactive airport map directly into the AI agent. Passengers can navigate to specific gates, lounges, shops, restrooms, and facilities, with routes planned between any two points in the terminal. Airport staff can update the map as facilities change, without requiring developer involvement.

Flight information: real-time updates without the wait

Flight status queries were among the most frequent inbound requests to the MCIA support team. Passengers checking arrivals, departures, delays, and gate changes required individual agent handling – often pulling from the same operational data that could be surfaced directly.

Proto integrated the AI agent with the airport's flight information systems via API, enabling passengers to get real-time updates conversationally, without waiting for a human operator. The agent handles this across all 11 supported languages, making it equally accessible to domestic and international travellers.

Getting to and from the airport

Beyond the terminal itself, passengers frequently need guidance on how to reach the airport or continue their journey after landing. The AI agent covers the full range of transport options – public transit, private vehicles, ride-hailing services, and parking – giving travellers a complete picture before they arrive or depart.

Complaints and feedback: structured capture, no gaps

Before the deployment, complaint handling was manual and inconsistent – varying by time of day, day of week, and which agent was available. There was no structured intake, and routing between departments depended on individual judgement, creating gaps especially outside business hours.

The AI agent replaced this with a structured complaint and feedback form, accessible at any hour, with submissions automatically routed to the appropriate department. Passengers receive an acknowledgement immediately. An automated threat detection capability also allows passengers to report security concerns, triggering alerts to designated airport personnel.

General inquiries and FAQs: always-on information

The AI agent handles the full range of day-to-day passenger questions – airport facilities and amenities, baggage policies, check-in procedures, lounge access, and more – without requiring agent availability. Frequently asked questions are resolved instantly, reducing the volume of calls and emails that previously reached the support team.

A first for Southeast Asia

MaCe – the AI agent's name, short for Mactan-Cebu – operates in 11 languages: Cebuano, Waray, Tagalog, Ilocano, Kapampangan, Bicolano, French, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, and Thai. This breadth reflects both the diversity of MCIA's domestic passenger base and the range of international travellers passing through as a major gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao regions.

The deployment made MCIA the first airport in Southeast Asia to offer an AI passenger agent with integrated indoor navigation, accessible across webchat and messaging apps. Voice AI is also in development, which will allow passengers to interact with MaCe hands-free through natural speech.

For MCIA, the result is a consistent, always-on passenger service layer – delivered without expanding the support team that has underpinned its award-winning reputation.