Unveiling the future: Smart airports - applications, advantages, strategies and technological challenges

Abstract

Purpose: This paper aims to provide an insight onto the smart airport concept, its advantages and disadvantages as the world is constantly in a state of change. Concepts related to such revolution as well as its characteristics are increasingly being considered into various daily operations. As of so the concept of a Smart City has risen and with it the concept of a Smart Airport. These airports use these technologies to ease travelling processes and ensure safe and secure airports as well. Some of these are computerized check-ins and baggage tracks, smart screening, live tracking of passengers, and parking. Such changes in the aviation industry brought about by the fourth industrial revolution, guarantee that a number of airports will continue to grow. Design/methodology/approach: Through a thorough study of the literature available it was possible to meticulously describe the concept of a smart airport. Therefore, the approach was to synthesize multiple perspectives, theoretical perspectives to empirical evidence, which leads to the development of a solid and elaborate paper which aims at exploring the complexity of this emerging construct. Findings: Findings indicate that airports tend to follow innovations as they occur around the world. Financial budgets, security concerns, passenger and workforce perception and acceptance are also factors on how airports tend to implement new technologies which leads to why airports around the world are so different technologically from each other. Originality/value: This study is directly defined as a matter of explication and a qualitative investigation into airports of the future. This article which takes up a qualitative approach not only reports the existing trends, but also reflects the scheme of the theory and conclusion for the future. Furthermore, this paper adds to the conversation about smart cities and the aviation industry's effect at a broader scale.

Keywords

• smart airport, iot, ai, security, efficiency