What the future of post-pandemic aviation will look like
Six technology trends which will transform air travel in 2021, according to SITA, specialists in air transport communications and information technology
Hani El-Assaad is president, Middle East, India & Africa for SITA
2020 will go down in the history books as the air transport industry’s most turbulent year to date, with massive fluxes in passenger volumes globally due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We at SITA forecast a new course for aviation’s recovery in 2021 and predict a smarter, safer, and more sustainable travel industry fit for people and planet. Here are the six technology trends set to underpin this metamorphosis.
Advanced self service and biometrics
Automation and biometrics will become the norm rather than the exception at leading airports globally in the next few years. SITA has already implemented Smart Path self-service biometric and mobile technology and automated the outbound passenger journey at several airports, including Beijing and Miami.
These deliver a ‘walk-through’ airport experience, where passengers can simply use their face as their boarding pass and walk from the taxi to the plane in a fluid and seamless fashion. A key benefit during the Covid-19 era is that the process removes the need to touch any airport equipment, reducing the risk of infection significantly.
Biometrics and automation provide a huge opportunity to increase efficiency and safety for airport and airline crew using technology like SITA Smart Path.
In November 2020, SITA announced a trial with Etihad to use facial recognition technology to identify and authenticate crew members, allowing them to complete check-in procedures and mandatory pre-flight safety and security questions digitally via their own mobile devices.
SDN innovation and evolving airport operations in response to Covid 19Passenger flow management technologies such as SITA Airport Management provide real-time passenger monitoring and actionable insights, for airports to understand and manage passenger movement throughout the airport. It will become a necessity to pro-actively manage crowd density and social distancing during daily operations, as well as longer-term planning.
Utilising technology, like SITA’s Information Display System, airports can send passengers personalised mobile messages. This added level of communication places passengers at ease throughout their entire airport journey.
Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
The Internet of Things (IoT) has held great promise for some time but the convergence of 5G, maturing Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs, and the ubiquity of sensors embedded into cheaper hardware is bringing this vision to life.
SITA recently announced a solution with eWAS Pilot that delivers both forecasts and satellite-based observation data, enabling crews to avoid the avoidable and create more economic, intelligent, and flexible flight plans.
AI algorithms will be key to efficiency, with sophisticated AI becoming the secret sauce for airports. Airports will use visually-enabled analysis supported by AI-based recommendations to bring real-time 3D simulations of operations to life for all stakeholders, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing the passenger experience.
AI algorithms will be key to efficiency, with sophisticated AI becoming the secret sauce for airports
Development of a digital identity for air travel
In the coming years, we expect that the development of a digital identity will replace the traditional passport. One approach is a Digital Travel Credential currently being explored and progressed by key industry bodies like ICAO.
Another potential solution is self-sovereign identity, a form of digital identity giving travelers control over how their personal data is shared and used. It adds a layer of security and flexibility, allowing the identity holder to reveal only the data required for any given transaction or interaction.
The development of a digital identity will replace the traditional passport in the coming years
Vaccination visas, health ETAs, and advanced passenger processing
Health ETAs allow governments to receive the information they need to help reduce the risk of infection from travel and tourism. Travelers are required to provide information on their health status, potentially including PCR test results that indicate the presence of Covid-19 antigens, and are informed of that assessment’s outcome in advance of travel.
This will give travelers the confidence before they start that they will be allowed to complete their journey.
Advance Passenger Processing (APP) brings the ability to assess the risk, including health risks, and allow or deny travel at check-in. When coupled with the implementation of a Health ETA service, it enables real-time checks to be performed to confirm that each traveler has completed the required health checks and is eligible to travel.
Blockchain for aviation industry-wide savings
It is almost as though the blockchain was invented for the air transport industry. Blockchain is about sharing information safely among different industry players. It is about providing one truth at a given point, that can be used to facilitate workflow and the exchange of data.
This trusted network is tailor-made to address some key challenges of Covid-19 without compromising passenger experience or data privacy.
In 2020 Blockchain was successfully used in a SITA Blockchain Alliance MRO Proof of Concept to record and track two separate strands of information for each aircraft part: a digital thread and a digital passport. The digital thread provided the real-time status, chain of custody, and back-to-birth track and trace of the aircraft part over time.
The digital passport, like a human passport, provided the indisputable identity of a part and contains other vital data such as certification of airworthiness to prove ownership.
From a passenger perspective, customs processes are another area where blockchain can solve challenges.
SITA recently announced a solution with eWAS Pilot that delivers both forecasts and satellite-based observation data
Airports, airlines, and governments can share baggage content information to pre-clear bags at arrival, hence avoiding the need to recheck bags in transit.
Improving efficiency in this department, and further reducing the chances of baggage mishandling on arrival, is good news for passengers.
Covid-19 presents a minefield of data sharing challenges between the dozens of organisations required to collaborate during a single passenger journey. Being able to share critical information safely and instantly will result in easier, smarter, and safer air travel for all, encouraging a return to the skies and strengthening the resilience of the air transport industry for years to come.
Hani El-Assaad is president, Middle East, India & Africa for SITA, specialists in air transport communications and information technology
Written by Staff Writer
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What the future of post-pandemic aviation will look like
Six technology trends which will transform air travel in 2021, according to SITA, specialists in air transport communications and information technology
Hani El-Assaad is president, Middle East, India & Africa for SITA
2020 will go down in the history books as the air transport industry’s most turbulent year to date, with massive fluxes in passenger volumes globally due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We at SITA forecast a new course for aviation’s recovery in 2021 and predict a smarter, safer, and more sustainable travel industry fit for people and planet. Here are the six technology trends set to underpin this metamorphosis.
Advanced self service and biometrics
Automation and biometrics will become the norm rather than the exception at leading airports globally in the next few years. SITA has already implemented Smart Path self-service biometric and mobile technology and automated the outbound passenger journey at several airports, including Beijing and Miami.
These deliver a ‘walk-through’ airport experience, where passengers can simply use their face as their boarding pass and walk from the taxi to the plane in a fluid and seamless fashion. A key benefit during the Covid-19 era is that the process removes the need to touch any airport equipment, reducing the risk of infection significantly.
Biometrics and automation provide a huge opportunity to increase efficiency and safety for airport and airline crew using technology like SITA Smart Path.
In November 2020, SITA announced a trial with Etihad to use facial recognition technology to identify and authenticate crew members, allowing them to complete check-in procedures and mandatory pre-flight safety and security questions digitally via their own mobile devices.
SDN innovation and evolving airport operations in response to Covid 19Passenger flow management technologies such as SITA Airport Management provide real-time passenger monitoring and actionable insights, for airports to understand and manage passenger movement throughout the airport. It will become a necessity to pro-actively manage crowd density and social distancing during daily operations, as well as longer-term planning.
Utilising technology, like SITA’s Information Display System, airports can send passengers personalised mobile messages. This added level of communication places passengers at ease throughout their entire airport journey.
Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
The Internet of Things (IoT) has held great promise for some time but the convergence of 5G, maturing Artificial Intelligence (AI) programs, and the ubiquity of sensors embedded into cheaper hardware is bringing this vision to life.
SITA recently announced a solution with eWAS Pilot that delivers both forecasts and satellite-based observation data, enabling crews to avoid the avoidable and create more economic, intelligent, and flexible flight plans.
AI algorithms will be key to efficiency, with sophisticated AI becoming the secret sauce for airports. Airports will use visually-enabled analysis supported by AI-based recommendations to bring real-time 3D simulations of operations to life for all stakeholders, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing the passenger experience.
Development of a digital identity for air travel
In the coming years, we expect that the development of a digital identity will replace the traditional passport. One approach is a Digital Travel Credential currently being explored and progressed by key industry bodies like ICAO.
Another potential solution is self-sovereign identity, a form of digital identity giving travelers control over how their personal data is shared and used. It adds a layer of security and flexibility, allowing the identity holder to reveal only the data required for any given transaction or interaction.
Vaccination visas, health ETAs, and advanced passenger processing
Health ETAs allow governments to receive the information they need to help reduce the risk of infection from travel and tourism. Travelers are required to provide information on their health status, potentially including PCR test results that indicate the presence of Covid-19 antigens, and are informed of that assessment’s outcome in advance of travel.
This will give travelers the confidence before they start that they will be allowed to complete their journey.
Advance Passenger Processing (APP) brings the ability to assess the risk, including health risks, and allow or deny travel at check-in. When coupled with the implementation of a Health ETA service, it enables real-time checks to be performed to confirm that each traveler has completed the required health checks and is eligible to travel.
Blockchain for aviation industry-wide savings
It is almost as though the blockchain was invented for the air transport industry. Blockchain is about sharing information safely among different industry players. It is about providing one truth at a given point, that can be used to facilitate workflow and the exchange of data.
This trusted network is tailor-made to address some key challenges of Covid-19 without compromising passenger experience or data privacy.
In 2020 Blockchain was successfully used in a SITA Blockchain Alliance MRO Proof of Concept to record and track two separate strands of information for each aircraft part: a digital thread and a digital passport. The digital thread provided the real-time status, chain of custody, and back-to-birth track and trace of the aircraft part over time.
The digital passport, like a human passport, provided the indisputable identity of a part and contains other vital data such as certification of airworthiness to prove ownership.
From a passenger perspective, customs processes are another area where blockchain can solve challenges.
Airports, airlines, and governments can share baggage content information to pre-clear bags at arrival, hence avoiding the need to recheck bags in transit.
Improving efficiency in this department, and further reducing the chances of baggage mishandling on arrival, is good news for passengers.
Covid-19 presents a minefield of data sharing challenges between the dozens of organisations required to collaborate during a single passenger journey. Being able to share critical information safely and instantly will result in easier, smarter, and safer air travel for all, encouraging a return to the skies and strengthening the resilience of the air transport industry for years to come.
Hani El-Assaad is president, Middle East, India & Africa for SITA, specialists in air transport communications and information technology
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