Digitalization is Vital for Airport Operations: ACI
Home > Aerospace > Article

Digitalization is Vital for Airport Operations: ACI

Photo by:   Image by jlaatz from Pixabay
Share it!
Emilio Aristegui By Emilio Aristegui | Junior Journalist and Industry Analyst - Wed, 04/12/2023 - 13:50

The Airports Council International (ACI) highlighted that technology will be at the forefront of airport investments in 2023, as the industry seeks to digitalize its processes while improving passenger experience. 

“The pandemic and the subsequent recovery have further highlighted the importance of the digitization of airport operations, crucial to the overall airport customer experience. 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,” says Luis Felipe de Oliveira, Director General, ACI World. 

ACI explained that airports will have to invest in their digital operations to support air travel recovery. ACI World and SITA’s latest Airport IT Insights Survey found that digitalization will be vital for “resilient and agile” airport operations, explained ACI via a press release. The survey is considered to be the most extensive study of IT trends in the global airport industry, according to both companies.

ACI and SITA’s survey indicated that unforeseen recovery of air travel demand has induced Chief Information Officers (CIOs) to leverage IT solutions. The rapid return will force airports to strengthen their operations against unpredictable disruptions, while automating the passenger experience.

The survey also indicated that the industry's IT investment will likely continue its steady year-on-year growth trend, which began in 2020 in efforts to digitalize airports. Currently, 93% of airports expect their IT spending to either increase or remain constant. Spending rose to an estimated US$6.8 billion in 2022, according to ACI. 

Airports seek to improve passenger experience with key technological investments that can cover every step of the journey, as the main objective relies on reducing bottlenecks and alleviating pressure caused by workforce challenges. These include biometrics and self-service technologies, which are some of the most prevalent among the industry’s digitalization efforts.  

About 86% of airports are expected to incorporate self-check-in and self-bag-drop by 2025. Biometric touchpoints increased from 3% in 2021 to 39% in 2022, and more than half of ACI’s airports seek to implement the technology over the next three years. 

“This signals a strong commitment to the next-generation travel experience where passengers can breeze through the airport using their face as their boarding pass,” says ACI. 

Photo by:   Image by jlaatz from Pixabay

You May Like

Most popular

Newsletter