smart airport trend charted for continued growth, says report

Newly constructed and existing airport facilities could see a 13 percent increase in the incorporation of smart technology measures between now and 2026.
So says a report issued by Transparency Market Research, a market research and analysis firm based in Albany, New York.
“The global smart airport market has gained huge traction in the last couple of years,” notes a press release for the report, adding that there is “a huge demand for modernizing old airports.”
While acknowledging that the smart airport movement is worldwide, the report also predicts that North America is likely to see the most growth in the sector due to the large number of high tech, information systems, and transportation construction companies in the region.
Smart airport technology includes everything from self-boarding gates to check-in kiosks and self bag drops.
Industry analysts say the growth in smart airport technology is partly reflective of the growth in airport traffic itself.
According to the International Air Traffic Association, the number of global air passengers has increased from 2.5 billion in 2008 to around 4.4 billion last year.
At the same time, passenger complaints regarding ticketing, baggage, and flight disruptions have more than tripled, a sign that many airport facilities are overloaded and not using technology to its best advantage.
Among the many smart technology advances that airports both nationally and internationally may adopt, says the Transparency Market Research report, are enhanced security systems due to the “high demand for biometric devices in airports for checking and identification processes.”

By Garry Boulard

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