According to IT Provider, SITA, the airport community is looking to innovation and automation to shape a new era of travel, with 93% of airports expecting overall IT expenditures to grow in 2023.
SITA’s latest IT Insights survey, detected a strong trend towards an even more self-service experience, with the growing implementation of secure single biometric token for all touchpoints being a clear indicator of this trend. The latter increased by 33% compared to 2021. Self boarding gates are another key development that passengers will profit from in the near future, with 76% of airports stating plans to implement these services by the end of 2025.
Other areas highlighted by the report as being a focus for ongoing investment, include cybersecurity, biometrics and cloud services. Meanwhile, new technologies, such as interactive navigation/ wayfinding and 5G communication networks are gaining traction as the industry responds to resolve the latest challenges around congestion and connectivity at airports.
Wider collaborations also have a key role to play going forward with airports innovating with partners to implement key technologies that will help streamline operations around passenger management and scalability based on demand. The technologies where airports are bringing in partners to innovate include Business Intelligence (BI), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Exchange.
Looking at the next three years, agility, scalability and operational efficiency will remain critical considerations for airports’ business models amid the ever-evolving environment imposed by the pandemic and technology advancements. Alongside investment in new technologies, those surveyed for the report confirmed a strong commitment to the greening of IT solutions, primarily through recycling and life cycle management of IT equipment. Moving away from IT solutions, sustainability policies, passenger and infrastructure initiatives remain top airport agenda items, with many airports putting in place water refilling stations, as well as building green spaces and implementing renewable energy solutions.
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