The new tools improving airport management

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Managing an airport is analogous to running a small city – with all the complexity that that entails. From coordinating ground operations to ensuring passenger flow and security, the challenges are constant. 

But as airports face growing demand and heightened expectations, many are turning to technology. From IoT and real-time analytics to automation, smart solutions are reshaping how airports optimise operations.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the key solutions improving the passenger and operational experience, with sensors being placed across the terminal and airside continuously monitoring passenger and equipment movement.

“IoT devices are addressing all kinds of pertinent issues in the airport space, from room occupancy and temperature through to rail network updates. It’s really agile,” says Jon Hill, account executive at tech provider Genetec.

At JFK’s New Terminal One, for example, a virtual ramp control system and smart stand technology allows for real-time updates that help dramatically reduce delays, improve safety and minimise costly errors.

“On the ramp, these systems track ground service equipment location and status, coordinating fuel levels, baggage handling and aircraft servicing with greater precision,” explains Luke Bugeja, CEO of Ferrovial Airports.

“For arriving aircraft, nose guidance systems and gate sensors allow for real-time tracking of bag movement, allowing for better communication with control centres and quicker turnaround times.”

“We’re witnessing a fundamental shift in how airports approach IoT, moving from simply ‘sensing everything’ to actually acting on that intelligence,” notes Nick Shay, head of travel and hospitality at consultancy Publicis Sapient.

This move from reactive to proactive airport management is being powered by AI-driven real-time analytics and is especially apparent in areas such as turnaround operations where AI is enabling teams to identify and respond to issues as they happen, and even sometimes before they occur.

Beyond turnaround, airports are using AI and digital tools across multiple operational layers. “For example, passenger flow analytics powered by AI are being used to optimise staffing at security checkpoints and immigration, which is reducing wait times,” notes Christiaan Hen, CEO of software provider Assaia.

He points to successes seen at Seattle-Tacoma International and Berlin Brandenburg airports. The former recorded a 17% increase on in-time performance for flights managed by Assaia’s ApronAI system, while the latter achieved a 90% reduction in delayed first bags in 2024.

Predictive maintenance of airport assets, such as ground transport and baggage systems, also reduces the unexpected disruptions. Such solutions enable detection of signs of wear or failure and in turn schedule maintenance before the problem worsens.

Experts agree that communication and connections between systems and stakeholders is key to improving efficiency.

It’s all about unification, notes Hill, adding that the industry now understands the value of taking a “single pane of glass” approach –  a unified interface that consolidates data from multiple sources into a single, centralised dashboard – that pulls together all disparate systems.

With the airport ecosystem made up of a myriad of different departments and organisations, the most effective collaborations are built on shared data and visibility. The transparency enabled by such a solution reduces fragmented communication between airports, airlines, and ground handlers, for example, enabling better informed decisions across parties.  

“By bringing all stakeholders into alignment, everyone sees the same data at the same time, improving communication, accountability and coordination across the board,” says Hen.

Of course, a range of teams – including external partners – will need to access the system, which can raise security concerns. These are largely unfounded, however, as such platforms can be configured to provide controlled, role-based access to specific areas of the system.

“We have to cater for about 90 different stakeholder groups, all of whom have very different access rights and requirements of the system,” highlights Danny Long, Heathrow’s IT product owner, physical security products.

Deploying smart systems at scale in a major transport hub comes with many challenges – including coordinating with a plethora of stakeholders, ensuring system reliability in a live high-security environment, navigating regulatory requirements, and providing staff training. However, it’s clear the benefits outweigh the costs involved.

Advanced systems can come with a larger price tag, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the reach of small airports that could equally benefit from new technologies. For smaller, or regional airports working with tighter budgets, Bugeja advises that it’s best to follow a ‘crawl, walk, run’ strategy.

“They can start off with basic sensor installations like apron monitoring and gradually build up their capabilities. Over time airports can add things like predictive maintenance or automated dispatch of ground support equipment,” Bugeja says.

“Since the technology is modular and scalable, smaller airports can make gradual upgrades that align with both their budgets and operational priorities.” 

Investment in real-time monitoring is accelerating across the industry, but Shay believes that truly real-time operations remain rare. “Many marketed as ‘live’ still suffer from latency issues, limited resolution, or crucially lack automated response mechanisms,” he says.

“Operational teams then often find themselves overwhelmed by multiple tools generating alerts without clear triage protocols or decision rights. The results? Underutilisation of the insights these sophisticated systems are designed to provide.”

He points to Amsterdam Schiphol’s sensor-based Position Assignment System as a great example of real-time capability, continuously guiding passengers through security via optimal routes, intelligently directing flow to maximise throughput.

“This is monitoring that drives immediate operational decisions. Dubai International’s Real-Time Operations Centre represents the gold standard, integrating data from over 50 systems and 7,000 data points to enable rapid, informed decision-making across passenger glow, aircraft movements, baggage handling, and terminal activities. It’s a holistic approach to airport operations management,” he adds.

Clearly there’s still room for improvement, but as more organisations and tech partners connect and integrate their systems and data, we’ll see new AI applications and use cases that help the industry to solve its ever-evolving business challenges, notes Katy Salamati, Global Head of IoT Solutions for Transportation and Infrastructure at solutions provider SAS.

“We’re excited about several technologies that have the potential to completely transform airport operations. Advanced robotics is starting to play a bigger role in apron operations, and digital twins are becoming more sophisticated too, allowing us to visualise and manage asserts from design all the way through maintenance virtually,” says Bugeja. “We’re already piloting several of these innovations and starting to implement them across our airport portfolio,” he concludes.