New technology drives airport digital transformation
Digital transformation in airports is accelerating.
Airports of all shapes and sizes around the world are currently working to integrate innovative technologies - including cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence (AI), biometrics, digital identity and advanced data analysis—to remove friction and build better journeys for all.
Transformational technologies can support in building new traveler-centric airports that offer increased personalization and opportunities for retailing.
The ongoing airport digital transformation involves modernizing legacy systems, streamlining operational processes, like check-in, boarding and immigration, improving data sharing among stakeholders and enabling real-time decision-making.
By bringing together airports, airlines, ground handlers and border authorities, new technologies can help build a single, synchronized journey for every traveler. This means creating smarter, more connected airports that can handle growing passenger volumes while adapting to evolving traveler expectations and meeting sustainability goals.
In this piece, the digital airport transformation is mapped out, looking at the barriers to change today, and the tools that can be used to accelerate transition. This article forms part of a larger series, each looking at the wider digital transformation taking place across the travel industry.
What does digital transformation in airports mean for travelers?
New airport experiences will eliminate the need for traditional check-in or boarding passes. Bag-drop, lounge access and boarding can be fully automated using biometrics, so passengers are instantly recognized at each touchpoint without repeatedly presenting documents.
Biometric technology is also interoperable, meaning travelers can enroll once and be recognized across multiple touchpoints. This technology has advanced to the point where it is no longer necessary to have physical barriers at boarding and border control. Instead, travelers can simply walk through a biometric corridor to board the plane or enter the country.
The digital transformation of airports means closer orchestration among stakeholders across the entire journey, resulting in reduced friction, increased capacity, fewer queues and an overall better traveler experience.
Challenges driving digital transformation
Digital transformation in airports is gathering pace due to a number of pressing business challenges:
- Physical constraints: Airports in many regions are capacity constrained and unable to plan physical expansion due to limited space, lack of investment or political considerations. This longstanding trend means almost every airport is focused on how to optimize operations within an existing footprint to operate the maximum number of flights.
- Legacy infrastructure: Limits on space are compounded by the traditional IT systems on which many airports rely. This makes it difficult to integrate modern digital solutions, while ensuring that upgrades don’t disrupt normal operations.
- Data silos: Airport operations rely on vast amounts of data from airlines, ground services, and border control. Integrating this information into a cohesive digital ecosystem is both technically and organizationally complex, hindering digital transformation.
- An evolving workforce: As airports continue to adopt complex digital systems, there is a growing opportunity to upskill existing staff and empower them with new capabilities. Investing in training ensures employees are better-equipped to integrate and optimize the latest technologies, helping airports fully realize the potential of digital transformation.
Pressure for change comes against a background of growing passenger numbers. According to data from Airports Council International (ACI), total global passenger figures stood at close to 9.5 billion for 2024, representing an increase of nine per cent from 2023 - or a gain of 3.8 per cent from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Moreover, according to data provider OAG, the top five busiest airports in the world, Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Dubai International, Tokyo (Haneda), London Heathrow and Dallas/Fort Worth, all saw seat capacity grow last year – on average by 5%. These airports lead the market – and they are getting bigger.
As part of this transformation, stakeholders have an opportunity to work together more effectively to improve responsiveness and decision-making in order to drive more efficient operations.
Building a seamless airport experience
Airport digital transformation means building a seamless experience; automated, interoperable, biometric and self-service at all touchpoints.
- Automated check-in: New technology today means passengers can complete visa or border control checks digitally prior to arriving at the airport, simplifying the terminal experience. Passengers no longer need to head to a desk and present physical documents. Instead, they are recognized by biometric cameras, and their identity is confirmed by matching the checkpoint photo capture to a previously-uploaded selfie. This can all happen in an instant.
- Biometric experience: This biometric experience is repeatable at check-in bag drop, pre-security, lounge, boarding and immigration, with the passenger enrolling only once.
- Mobile first: Mobile devices play a crucial role in the new airport experience. As the traveler approaches a touchpoint they can tap their phone to provide consent for it to temporarily access and transfer biometric data.
What’s more, travelers can securely store biometric profiles and identity documents in a digital wallet, making consent-based sharing with the airline and border authorities fast and simple.
Mobile solutions also empower airport staff to be freed from legacy infrastructure and fixed service points. Instead, passenger services can be delivered from anywhere, using any device, and for any airline – offering a whole new service experience for travelers.
How do you transform the airport experience?
Underpinning seamless journeys and the efficient operations needed to deliver those journeys are a number of elements:
- Effective data management in an open platform.
Operational data has traditionally been siloed, difficult to access and hard to share. Barriers have impacted operational efficiency, with each stakeholder confined to its own siloed view.New tools have been designed to improve the situation by creating an open platform where different stakeholders can choose to make data available, while retaining ownership of the data. This data, and the insights it yields, can be made available to other stakeholders to enhance the traveler experience and improve operations. As an example, with connectivity between baggage reconciliation and flight management systems, instances of baggage mishandling decrease, with the last known position of the bag made available to the airline.
- New technology and rethinking processes
Additionally, airlines are adopting a new generation of Offer & Order technology with the aim of becoming better retailers. This transformation changes how airlines ‘deliver’ services at the airport and presents opportunities to rethink airport passenger processes, to make airports retailing hotspots, to improve the passenger experience and to respond more effectively during disruption. As part of this transformation, stakeholders can work together more effectively to improve responsiveness, decision-making and shared operations.
Abhishek Krishna Head of data, AI and platform product management, AirOps, Amadeus
Wider technology trends accelerate airport transformation
Airport digital transformation is being accelerated by wider changes in the technology landscape:
- Artificial Intelligence – AI will help accelerate digital transformation in airports by enabling real-time decision-making, predictive maintenance and efficient resource allocation. Digital tools—like AI-powered scheduling, digital twins and real-time analytics—help optimize gate usage, runway allocation and passenger flows, allowing airports to increase capacity and efficiency without expanding their physical footprint.
- Cloud technology – The move to the cloud means new products can be deployed anywhere, anytime, reducing integration costs, improving speed to market and simplifying technology management. By providing scalable, flexible infrastructure for managing operational and passenger data and supports the integration of advanced digital technologies.
“These new technologies are creating opportunities to accelerate the digital transformation of airports, enabling smarter, more connected and efficient operations. AI powers predictive analytics, real‑time decision‑making, and personalized services; cloud platforms provide the scalable infrastructure needed to process data; and biometrics streamline identity verification, reducing waiting times and enhancing security.
Together, these technologies create a seamless, data‑driven passenger journey while allowing airports to adapt quickly, reduce costs, and meet rising expectations in a rapidly evolving travel landscape.”
Holger Mattig Senior Vice President, Product Management, AirOps, Amadeus
TO TOP