The Airports Council International (ACI) World and SITA said airports are ramping up their investment in digital technology to streamline the passenger journey and digitize operations.
According to the latest Airport IT Insights Survey, the quicker-than-expected air travel demand recovery has led to the leveraging of IT solutions to fortify operations against disruption, and to automating the passenger experience.
“The pandemic and the subsequent recovery has further highlighted the importance of the digitalization of airport operations, crucial to the overall airport customer experience,” Luis Felipe de Oliveira, director general of ACI World, said. “This year’s Airport IT Insights Report reveals a significant acceleration in the investment of digital solutions to make airports smarter, easier for passengers to navigate, and their interaction with numerous stakeholders seamless.”
The airport industry is projected to continue its year-on-year growth trend. The survey found that 93 percent of airports are expecting to increase their IT spending or remain the same as 2022. Last year’s airport IT spending rose to $6.8 billion.
The report found that airports are investing in technology to smooth out the passenger experience to help cub bottlenecks and alleviate “pressures caused by workforce challenges” using biometrics and self-service technology, among others.
Self-service initiatives are prioritized, the report said, with a strong emphasis on self-check-in and self-bag-drop. An 86 percent implementation of self-service initiatives is expected by 2025. Additionally, the implementation of secure biometric tokens at airports has surged from 3 percent in 2021 to 39 percent in 2022. Over half of the airports surveyed plan on implementation over the next three years.
“Air travel has recovered faster from the pandemic than anyone in the industry had initially expected, particularly in Europe and the U.S.,” David Lavorel, CEO of SITA, said. “While the recovery is welcome, airports and airlines have found themselves on the back foot with staff and resource shortages. This has put strain on operations, resulting in an increased risk of congestion, delays, cancellations and mishandled baggage. Digitalization is seen as key to addressing these challenges, providing more scalability and flexibility.”