The aviation sector is undergoing a rapid shift towards sustainability in both the economic and environmental sense. The infrastructure of airports – big and small – is key to the success of these efforts. Long-term sustainability of an industrial sector goes beyond its carbon emissions; proponents need to be thinking bigger and broader. In the case of airports, this means lowering energy and water intensity, using land more responsibly to protect biodiversity, and making operations faster and more efficient at every step. Smart infrastructure can help with every part of the equation.
To make airports that can truly claim to be sustainable, deeper digitalisation is needed across all forms of infrastructure. The world’s leading airports understand the need to be bold, and are ploughing ahead with the wholesale integration of advanced technologies including IoT, data analytics, AI, and robotics to eliminate waste, optimise every aspect of the airport, and look for new, innovate ways to make further sustainability gains.
Think big, invest bigger
Investment is ramping up to match the ambitions of airport owners, as a Technavio report from May 2024 estimates that the smart airports market size is set to grow by $6.66 billion from 2024-2028, representing 12.73% CAGR for the period. While North America is driving a lot of this growth at 38%, the Middle East and Africa are also key contributors, with plenty of leading airports to showcase the benefits of a smart infrastructure approach.
Stand-out Smart infrastructure plans – Exemplar Airports
Dubai International Airport (DXB) moves to Al Maktoum: DXB is the world’s busiest airport for international travel, welcoming over 89 million passengers in 2018 (pre-pandemic) and 66 million in 2022. However, DXB is hemmed in on all sides by major highways and residential neighbourhoods. In an effort to escape the space constraints and legacy issues of DXB, Dubai has taken the bold move to transfer the main hub of the city’s airport operations to Al Maktoum International airport over the course of the next 10 years. An estimated $35 billion development plan sees Al Maktoum creating a transformative air travel experience for up to 150 million passengers arriving and departing annually. The existing airport will be expanded to incorporate a 65km2 site, featuring 5 runways, 400 contact gates, integrated leisure, tourism and commercial areas, an Emirates training centre, and more. Futureproofing the airport is an inherent design aspect, with biometrics-based check-in and security elements featured across the airport, along with automated taxiing services, solar power production, biofuel support infrastructure, and even EVTOL hubs for further choice, convenience and sustainability. In the wake of the devastating Dubai floods in April, Al Maktoum’s expansion plans also place great emphasis on anticipating and defencing against similarly extreme weather.
King Salman International Airport: Currently in the design phase of its masterplan, and due to open in 2030, King Salman International is billed to be among the biggest airports in the world with six runways, a 57km2 site and an annual processing capacity of 120 million passengers initially, rising to 185 million by 2050. Grand as this sounds, even more visionary is its plans for a “seamless customer experience, powered by AI platforms that can minimise touchpoints wherever possible and streamline processes without compromising security or safety.” The airport is putting AI, robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT) at the heart of its design process. Stand-out features include autonomous people-movers and queue-less retail empowered by AI shopping assistants and AR/VR experiences.
Integrating new technologies requires bold new vision
Airport planning and design has entered a new phase of technical sophistication, as airports of the future need to be dependable enough to handle the relentless strain of 24/7/265 operations now, but also flexible enough to incorporate the technological advances of tomorrow. That is why it’s essential for airport operators to find the right solution providers from the inception of their plans. Leading companies, such as Saudi Airport Exhibition exhibitor United ATS, who have a proven track record in airport design and planning, can be crucial enablers of all the benefits that emerging technologies have to offer when creating entirely new infrastructure or expanding existing facilities.
Regardless of the size, scale and specifications involved, the constant factor that must be attributed to new airport development projects is ambition. The plans of Al Maktoum and King Salman International Airport demonstrate the philosophy that without leaning heavily into the deepening trend of digital transformation, airport operations cannot hope to keep up with global air travel demand, while providing the kind of seamless, sustainable customer experience that is increasingly being demanded of them.
