Bandaranaike International Airport and Jaffna International Airport become South Asia’s first smart reading airports

Bandaranaike International Airport and Jaffna International Airport become South Asia's first smart reading airports.

In an exciting development, Magzter, the world’s largest digital newsstand (www.magzter.com), is set to revolutionize the airport passenger experience in Sri Lanka. Bandaranaike International Airport and Jaffna International Airport have joined hands with Magzter to become the first Smart Reading Airports in South Asia, offering passengers a cutting-edge, fully contactless and paperless digital reading experience of their favourite magazines and newspapers while they are at the airport.

Magzter’s partnership with the Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka Limited enables passengers to access a diverse collection of over 8,000 leading magazines, newspapers, journals and comics for free while they are in the airport. Passengers can download the Magzter app from the Apple Store or Google Play to get free unlimited reading access within these geo-fenced zones, eliminating the need for a subscription. When they are at the airport, they can open the Magzter app, go to ‘SRZ’ tab, grant location permission for the app and get free unlimited reading access.

Since air passengers usually wait for a considerable amount of time at the gate before boarding their flights, they are always on the lookout for interesting ways to spend their wait time productively. This innovative initiative is sure to enhance the passenger experience by providing access to thousands of popular magazines and newspapers spanning over 40 categories, including automotive, business, comics, entertainment, fashion, health, lifestyle, news, politics, science, sports, technology and travel. Passengers can also download their favourite titles while at the airport and access them offline during the flight.

While Magzter’s extensive catalogue features several regional Sri Lankan favourites like Business Today, Lanka Woman, Explore Sri Lanka, Sirikatha, Lankadeepa, Divaina, Daily Mirror and The Island, it also provides an exciting array of content for travellers from key tourist-inflow countries to Sri Lanka, including India, UK, USA, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Some of the best-selling global titles available on Magzter include Time magazine, Newsweek, Car & Driver, India Today, Filmfare, Business Standard, Hello!, T3, The Guardian, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Vogue, GQ, Her World, Forbes and Bangkok Post among 1000s of others.

By encouraging millions of people to read digitally across the globe, Magzter has so far saved tens of thousands of trees and other natural resources, thereby playing an active role in fostering the ‘Go Green’ initiative. This partnership marks a significant step forward in the digital reading revolution, aligning with Magzter’s commitment to providing a touch-free and eco-friendly reading experience. As Magzter continues to expand its global footprint, the Smart Reading Airport concept is set to redefine the travel experience for millions of passengers around the world.

“When the aviation industry is concerned, there are a lot of new advancements taking place in the world. Digitalization of airports to provide an enhanced passenger experience is a key factor that we are concerned about. While we focus our attention aggressively on digitalisation processes, enhancing the passenger experience through other possible avenues is always considered by us. I am very much delighted to see that our airports are partnered with global service providers and enable our passengers to experience such smart reading opportunity while they are on the move”- Hon. Nimal Siripala De Silva, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation

“We as the Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited are very much pleased to introduce smart reading zones at our main gateway, Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in collaboration with Magzter Inc. This will enhance the passenger experience at our airport enabling the travellers to access over 8000 magazines and newspapers worldwide of their choice. Further, we are launching this service at Jaffna International Airport as well”- Major General (Rtd.) G.A. Chandrasiri, Chairman, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited.

“We are excited to establish South Asia’s first Smart Reading Airports, setting a new standard for the region. Bandaranaike International Airport and Jaffna International Airport are at the forefront of embracing digital innovation, and we are proud to be their partner in providing an engaging and touch-free reading experience for travellers.” – Girish Ramdas, CEO, Magzter Inc.

“As we continue to expand our Smart Reading Zones^® globally, we are thrilled to partner with Bandaranaike International Airport and Jaffna International Airport in Sri Lanka. Our goal is to enhance the travel experience by providing passengers with access to a vast array of digital publications, catering to their diverse interests.” – Vijay Radhakrishnan, President, Magzter Inc.