- Post of December 2022
The airport industry, a significant contributor to the global economy, is going through a major transformation as it prepares for a post-pandemic recovery. Between 1980 and 2018, domestic and international air passenger traffic grew by six times, from 0.8 million to 4.5 million per year. As the pandemic spread in 2020, global airport traffic plummeted by 60 percent, leaving no region unscathed. However, a recovery soon began, and airport traffic is expected to reach 83 percent of 2019 levels in 2022, surpass 2019 levels in 2024, and continue to rise through 2025, reaching 111 percent of 2019 levels (Exhibit 1).
Exhibit 1
Exhibit 2
Airports are addressing each of the transformation drivers by making major shifts in their design and operations. To meet the demands for sustainability, airports are becoming greener, with eco-friendly ground handling, efficient ground service operations (Exhibit 3), sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) infrastructure for fuel-efficient aircraft, on-site renewable energy generation, and energy management systems throughout the airport. To address workforce shortages while improving efficiency and customer experience, airports are turning to automation such as robotic terminals, autonomous vehicles, and even drones. To make the travel experience more seamless, airports are investing in contactless technologies, Al, data analytics, and cloud technology. And they are investing in infrastructure upgrades to build large terminals designed to flexibly adjust to new uses with more green spaces and better ventilation.
Exhibit 3
Multiple stakeholders within the aviation ecosystem have a role to play in this digital, sustainable transformation (Exhibit 4). They include airport administration and project teams, government, airlines, ground handling service providers, and ground service equipment OEMs. Some in these categories are acting early and have initiatives under way.
Exhibit 4
As the stakeholders gear up to play their part in shaping airports’ digital, sustainable future, five building blocks need to fall into place for accelerating the transformation (Exhibit 5). These are end-to-end stakeholder engagement, regulations and policies in place, availability and integration of technology, adequate financing for infrastructure projects, and sustained market dynamics to provide a context for favorable returns on investment.
Exhibit 5
