Next-gen airports revolutionize air travel

Posted: December 20, 2024

In an era when you can stream movies from 30,000 feet, isn’t it striking how many of the world’s busiest airports still struggle to provide reliable internet access? But spotty Wi-Fi is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to airport inefficiencies. Long lines, multiple security checks, glitchy communications—too often the infrastructure supporting air travel feels like it belongs to a bygone era. And with yearly air passengers projected to hit 8.2 billion by 2037, these lags will no longer fly.

Enter Airport 4.0: A vision for the future of aviation promising to reshape airports into smarter, more sustainable, and more passenger-friendly travel hubs. The transformation of airports into “smart hubs” is well underway, with airports across the globe adopting connected technologies and autonomous systems.

Since 2020, the airline industry has steadily increased its spending on digital solutions to smoothen passenger experiences and meet growing travel demands.^[1] Let’s dive into some of the key trends and technologies that are addressing aviation’s key challenges.

How do digital twins improve operations and sustainability?

Take flight delays, for instance. Besides weather disruptions, delays most often stem from poor coordination of an airport’s many moving parts. Daily operations like aircraft guidance, passenger services, refueling, and cleaning all rely on specialized processes with strict schedules to complete their tasks. As air travel has grown, particularly in hub cities, traditional scheduling methods have struggled to keep up with the complexity.^[2]

To address this, airports like Amsterdam Schiphol and Vancouver International are spearheading a digital twin trend in aviation, using virtual replicas of an airport’s entire physical infrastructure. These 3D models use historical and real-time data gathered by sensors, which allows operators to monitor travel times and movement patterns and anticipate flight disruptions proactively.

But digital twins aren’t just for streamlining operations—they’re also championed as tools for net-zero aviation. Decarbonization is one of the airline industry’s biggest challenges, as aviation is responsible for about 2% of global carbon emissions. Digital twins can be used for decarbonization modeling to help airports make confident decisions to reach ambitious net-zero targets.^[3]

Brussels Airport, for example, is developing digital twin technology thanks to the EU’s Green Deal-funded Stargate initiative. Using a digital replica of its 40 most energy-intensive buildings, Brussels Airport models various energy-saving scenarios—like installing solar panels or replacing gas boilers—to find the most effective routes to achieving net-zero carbon emissions. Remarkably, this initiative enabled the airport to accelerate its target from 2050 to 2030, and has paved the way for other European airports like Athens and Budapest to follow suit.^[4]

How do biometric technologies make travel more seamless?

Biometric and self-service technologies are also becoming mainstays of the passenger experience. Automated passport control and eGates are increasingly common worldwide, dovetailing with tightened border security policies in regions like the United States and Europe.^[5] Secure single biometric tokens—where passengers use their face as their boarding pass—are also being adopted at a rapid pace, rising from 3% of airports in 2021 to 39% in 2022.^[6]

In India, a digital biometric system now enables facial recognition for about 90% of domestic flights as part of a governmental initiative to reduce bottlenecks and transform India into a global aviation hub. However, this rapid adoption hasn’t come without criticism, even as the technology has promised to halve waiting times. The system is nominally voluntary, but some flyers have claimed to have been signed up without their consent—highlighting the ever-important questions about sacrificing privacy for convenience.

How do robotics address worker shortages and improve safety?

Another key challenge the industry faces is persistent staff shortages. To address the gaps in coverage, many airports are “hiring” robots.

London Heathrow relies on cleaning robots that use ultraviolet rays to quickly kill viruses and bacteria.^[7] The airport has also employed a robotic dog named Dave to assist with dangerous construction jobs.^[8] In Texas, San Antonio’s airport will soon be equipped with a security robot that assists with thermal anomaly detection and license plate recognition.^[9]

For physically demanding tasks like baggage handling, baggage robots are already lightening workers’ loads. Schiphol bought 19 baggage robots after a successful pilot program, with the goal of them eventually handling up to 90% of the millions of pieces of luggage that come through the airport yearly.^[10]

What technology do passengers want most?

Airports are stressful places—55% of travelers Expedia surveyed said they find flying more stressful than going to the dentist or filing their taxes.^[11] With all this new tech promising to deliver a more positive airport experience, is there one that passengers crave most?

According to one poll, there is: Wi-Fi.^[12] Airport 4.0 might dazzle some with innovative tech like biometric boarding passes and robotic dogs, but for many, basic connectivity is still a top priority. Many passengers reported biometric boarding passes as a top priority, but a comparable number are just happy to get online. With strong enough Wi-Fi, some may even put up with two-hour security lines without a grumble—provided that Netflix doesn’t buffer.

References

^{[1] https://infra.global/airports-investing-in-technology-transition/
[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-66350-0
[3] https://www.iesve.com/discoveries/view/43729/brussels-airport-decarbonisation-stargate
[4] https://www.greendealstargate.eu/news/digital-twin-helps-brussels-airport-to-reach-its-sustainability-goals/
[5] https://valourconsultancy.com/abc-egates-making-travel-easy-as-1-2-3/,
https://www.abiresearch.com/blogs/2023/05/02/egates-for-automated-border-control/
[6] https://infra.global/airports-investing-in-technology-transition/
[7] https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-53525018
[8] https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/heathrow-airport-boston-dynamics-american-passengers-b2239271.html
[9] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/25/san-antonio-airport-security-robot-texas-knightscope
[10] https://news.schiphol.com/amsterdam-airport-schiphol-to-fast-track-the-use-of-baggage-robots-after-successful-pilot-project/
[11] https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/air-travel-is-more-stressful-than-going-to-the-dentist-many-americans-say
[12] https://tavtechnologies.aero/en-EN/news/pages/passengersurvey}