How is the future airport? What it could include? What are the advantages and features of tomorrow’s airport?
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) expects 7.8 billion passengers to travel in 2036; a near doubling of the 4 billion air travelers flew in the year 2017. The prediction is based on a 3.6% average Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) noted in the release of the latest update to the association’s 20-Year Air Passenger Forecast.
IATA report continued, when we look at the passenger forecast to 2035, we see traffic is set to double in 20 years. Similarly, the cargo industry needs to prepare for the change to support the expectations we now have. It is anticipated that by 2035, there will be 30% more freighters flying. We want to be able to deliver goods faster, reducing the processing time on the ground handling and provide greater predictability
The question is whether airports, as we know them today, can accommodate this level of growth.
Not surprisingly, our top 100 busiest airports by passenger volume do not have much excess capacity. This means that all but 4 are likely to have major infrastructure development programs within the next 10 years.
What could we see happen over the next 20 years?
Airport Cities. Aerotropolis
Urban planning in the 20th century used to build airports outside a city far from the urban center. The 21st-century future airports will be as a metropolitan community by themselves and the cities will be developed around them.
Airport cities namely “Aerotropolis” are what the future is coming up with.
The airport will be at the center and a city will be built around it. In principle, a city will no longer be known as a large settlement with an airport on its outer limits, rather as an airport with a city built around it.
Long queues, crowding at future airports will be things of the past!
Pre-flight hassles usually start at airports; where passengers have to check-in before a long time, stand in long queues, experience delays, and other problems.
Baggage scanning
Baggage scanning endless queues at checkpoints can become thing of the past. Optical baggage scanners will become a feature of future airports. Some companies have made such products and will test it soon.
The scanner includes five cells in theory that can replace five lines of security at luggage checkpoints, reducing wait periods in the process.
Shopping and entertainment
Mobile phone locations service may soon help build airports including shopping malls, taxi services, and restaurants. Hence, there will be services specifically designed for this purpose; such booking a taxi while passengers leave the arrivals hall, or to order food in the departure lounge while passengers are passing through the security checkpoints.
Moreover, the future airport is transforming into a social hub where passengers and city residents can meet, rest, and experience an increasing range and types of airport services like shopping, dining, entertainment, and leisure.
Departure lounge
According to recent reports of companies specialize in airport lounges, the airport will in the future include “interactive and personalized” features for passengers waiting at the departure lounge. These features will include virtual workspaces where passengers can access their offices through their mobile phones, in addition to other areas that will be available for the total convenience of passengers like showers and exercise.
Boarding gates
Waiting in long queues makes travelers feel tired and bored at the boarding gates, and in the worst-case scenarios, it may lead to delays. Future self-boarding gates will increase the efficiency of the boarding process. It is expected that all processes, including self-check-in, departure gates, immigration, and boarding, will be able to be complete with just a passport and without even a boarding pass. In other words, it will be a paperless, free of stopping checkpoints airport.
Biometric ID and security
Airport checkpoints of 2035 to be fully automated. High-tech scanners in the future will quickly analyze biometric data for travelers; determine the date of their travel hence requiring minimal staff at security checkpoints. According to industry experts, technology could be something very familiar at airports in the near and far future. It will lead to improving security, increasing the number of passengers and reducing the need for security checkpoints.
Checking in
Automated kiosks allow passengers to check-in and put their bags quickly and efficiently. Applications on the Internet and mobile phone will enable people without luggage to directly proceed to the departure gate. Moreover, some reports say that robots will replace existing check-in processes, will have access to real-time airline customer data, and will even understand customer’s health and emotional states.
Greener future airports
Airports have been a source of being none environmentally friendly activity, be it the high amount of emissions from planes, or the high level of noise that permanently disturbs the ecosystem as the plane lands and takes off.
Future architects will build more sustainable, environmentally friendly airport systems. This will aim and consist of increasing social and economic growth while reducing carbon emissions, maintaining better air quality, eliminating noise pollution, reducing energy consumption, and the addition and increase of green areas inside the terminals and outside the airport surrounding spaces, as well as increasing the rate of waste recycling.
MixJet
With the rapidly evolving technologies for the future, we will need to see a significant change to the nature of flight support services. Therefore, MixJet Flight Support will keep pace with future technologies to facilitate the work of flight operators/dispatchers all over the world and ease their daily tasks through an intelligent advanced system that responds to their requirements in no time.
As dedicated industry professionals, we always focus on championing best practices, innovation, and excellence in the aviation services industry. Through our constant endeavor to provide state-of-the-art value-added services to our clients, we have created OGTS and traviators to further enhance the work and make it more convenient to all.
