Civil aviation is booming, the tumbling cost of air travel helping create one of the fastest growing industries in the world as air passenger volumes and airline revenues continue to grow at a rapid pace.

The upward trajectory in traffic is, however, only adding to the pressure on airports, which are under constant scrutiny to maintain or enhance their performance as passenger numbers continue to grow and the number of routes and flights increase.

Going forward, there is a very real need for airports to improve their operational efficiency and profitability, and increasingly we are seeing that it is new technologies that are making the difference in terms of efficiencies for capacity constrained airports.

New technology taking off

Before looking at expansion, airports need to look inwards. According to SITA’s Air Transport IT Trends Insights 2017, airports will spend more than $8 billion this year on IT services, with a big leap in R&D focus on biometric identity and artificial intelligence.

The Internet of Things (IoT), automation, big data, robots, AI and virtual reality are becoming part of the civil aviation ecosystem, along with integrated data collection and better real-time communications channels.

To make the most of these technologies, airports need to put in place processes that simplify and speed up collaboration within aviation communities.

Managing a complex ecosystem

In both operational and customer facing roles, the potential for IoT-enabled connected assets to streamline processes cannot be understated. Real-time visibility into the condition of assets or location-based services, and beacons for wayfinding and asset tracking.

Digital marketing and signage, live information sharing, remote sensors for monitoring runway or environmental conditions, IP cameras linking to facial recognition software or enabling whole digital control towers. Baggage handling, passenger tracking and self check-in – it’s everywhere.

However, it’s a near impossible task to manage all these types of technology if they are rooted to individual subsystems which all need their own management and maintenance.

No matter what digital tools, platforms or systems airports choose to adopt, they will never reach their full potential without the right network or communication building blocks.

Further to this, ineffective implementation will increase the potential for these new devices to place a strain on network resources, introduce new vulnerabilities and affect traveller experience.

Yes, aviation industry players need to align, but airports in particular need to evolve towards cost-efficient IP-based solutions for most systems. This will immediately enable better connectivity between people, processes and smart ‘things’ – and also simplify IT management. This is where the connected airport comes in.

Digital security – managing IoT a top priority across the board

Whether its IP security cameras, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems or information boards, running all processes on a single network infrastructure is more cost-effective to manage and maintain, and offers much greater visibility on an enterprise-wide scale.

But there are dangers to poorly secured deployments and any compromised device can be a possible backdoor into the network. As more fixed and mobile devices connect to the network edge, it becomes increasingly important that these IoT devices are properly contained.

With network virtualisation techniques, it is possible to create virtual isolated environments on a single infrastructure and make IoT more manageable. This enables different teams or departments to maintain their own IoT network deployments.

Virtual segmentation on the network can create ‘IoT containers’ to group together, manage and secure devices and users, and in the event of a breach, can stop threats moving east-to-west across the network.

IoT containment also makes it possible for the different departments to enforce their own quality of service (QoS) policies on the network to optimise their own operational processes.

In each virtual IoT container it is possible to see and manage all the traffic and users, prioritise devices and applications, reserve or limit bandwidth, blacklist devices or monitor for suspicious traffic patterns.

QoS policy enforcement can ensure that critical operational processes or network assets can always get the network resources they need to function properly.

Providing stakeholder co-operation and collaboration

Enterprises are shifting towards connected platforms, where people, processes and ‘things’ can connect and collaborate, airports included. The complicated community of stakeholders – airport operators, airlines, groundhandlers, passengers, authorities and regulators – can all benefit from removing the barriers to information flow.

Airports can manage passenger movement, optimise operations and implement better emergency communications.

Airlines can provide a hassle-free customer experience by relying on infrastructure such as beacons for automated notifications.

Passengers can get real-time updates about estimated waiting time at security lines, locations of specific airline check-in counters, gates or baggage belts.

And retail concessions and restaurants can use location-based services to promote offers, which will lead to increased interaction with passengers and a subsequent increase in revenue.

Critical passenger or situational information can be shared directly between relevant parties in real-time – getting the right information to the right people, exactly when it is needed.

Open APIs – the key to connecting people with processes

For this to happen, systems need to be de-siloed and communication tools, such as instant messaging, voice, document sharing, video and alerts, need to be integrated directly into applications and systems.

This is possible with open APIs beginning to come from some of the world’s leading communications vendors – giving technology partners and third-party providers the opportunity to make communication and collaboration tools a central feature of digital airport services, not a disconnected afterthought.

With open APIs in cloud-based communication platforms, developers can add real-time communication features in their own applications without needing to build or extend backend infrastructure and interfaces.

Open APIs allow for the integration with current in-house and third-party apps, providing a separate and secure environment – allowing multiple users to access the platform at the same time.

These ‘open’ platforms enable developers to extend these connections to stand-alone infrastructures, opening the door to new working models based with innovations such as IoT, AI and task-automating bots.

Having open APIs behind communications platforms can also allow airport operators and passengers to benefit from proactive notification services which incorporate security devices, operational equipment and even fire safety alarms into one connected communications platform – with the goal of increasing safety, avoiding production downtimes and securing buildings.

Intelligent airports – not just a vision, but a reality

To meet these challenges, airports need innovative solutions and infrastructure must be used more intelligently.

Airports need to use technology to make the most of their budget and resources, to manage rising volumes of travellers, meet the increasing demands of tech-savvy passengers and commercial tenants.

The need for real-time information exchange will see airports adopt new technologies for a free-flow of communication.

Innovations that integrate smart devices and share information at every point of a passenger’s journey, and enable greater communication between civil aviation stakeholders, will play a vital role.

But rolling out the right infrastructure needs careful planning, an eye on future developments and a security-first approach – from customer-facing services, right down to the hardware.

The intelligent airport is more than a vision, it’s a must have. With the right infrastructure, it has the potential to become a global reality.