This archive report was first published on 17 December 2019.
December 17, 2019, marked a significant milestone in the aviation industry as technology provider SITA unveiled its bold predictions for the next decade. According to SITA, airport operations will undergo a momentous evolution, driven by digital technologies that will transform passenger and cargo-handling processes.
The JKIA in Nairobi, a hub for air travel in East Africa, is set to benefit from these technological advancements. SITA's business development director, Benoit Verbaere, emphasized the importance of adopting new technologies to enhance efficiency and security in airport operations.
One of the key predictions made by SITA is the use of non-human contact digital technologies to fast-track clearance of incoming and outgoing passengers. This will be achieved through the use of biometric security, mobile check-in, and baggage tracking, which have already been introduced in some airports.
However, SITA hinted that technology advances will precipitate a digital explosion of devices where data captured via Software Defined Networks will be collated and analyzed for better airport operations. This will enable passengers to enjoy a stress-free experience, with airport expansion not keeping pace with the expected doubling of passenger numbers in the next twenty years.
For back-end airport operations, a digital twin technology will be applied at all levels within airports. This advanced computer simulation will take data from across the entire airport and airline operations to visualize, simulate, and predict what will happen next.
Automated messages will be used to inform airport staff of any issues, such as delayed flights or negative feedback from passengers. The study suggests that the next decade will also accommodate inter-digital device communications with various players enjoying limited access rights to their sector portals.
Advanced networking technologies such as blockchain will provide tremendous potential in facilitating the secure exchange of information within airport entities and onwards onto the global airports ecosystem. The main function of the new technologies will be to help passengers board and disembark faster from aircrafts that will be facilitated to get airborne as quickly as possible.
Security checks and check-in processes will commence outside the airport where passengers adopt e-tags for themselves, their luggage as well as cargo thereby doing away with physical document checks and the embarrassing body search.
