The aviation industry is continuing to advance past the challenges introduced by the pandemic although concerns about labor shortages and rising inflation continue to prevail. Now, however, there has been a heightened focus on other matters, notably aviation security, the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) and which airports are the busiest.
ACI World, ACI North America and TSA’s New MoU Set to Advance Aviation Security
The Airports Council International World (ACI World), Airports Council International North America (ACI North America) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the goal of enhancing the development of secure and efficient aviation security operations worldwide. Specifically, the MoU sets out to formalize multiple workstations and further ensure collaboration and the promotion of global aviation security projects.
Outlined as primary components of ACI World, ACI North America and TSA plan are:
- Mutually identifying airports and providing assistance for the enhancement of their security through the ACI Airport Excellence (APEX) Security program and the ACI World Smart Security program;
- Driving collaboration on innovation programs, for example, ACI World´s global first AirportShare project, launching live wait times data from multiple airports for passengers, as well as internal and external data consumers through a standard feed; and
- Exploring and supporting the One-Stop Security Program between certain international and U.S. city pairs which is intended to increase security effectiveness, efficiency, and the customer experience through the elimination of redundant screening.
According to ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira, “ACI and TSA have a long-established partnership to enhance security across the world’s airports. In addition, TSA serves as the Vice Chair of the Smart Security Management Group led by ACI World to improve security, operational efficiency, and the passenger experience at security checkpoints across the world’s airports focusing on innovation. We are pleased to formalize our relationship to further advance aviation security operations globally as we collectively keep up with growing air travel demand. TSA continues to be an avid supporter of ACI World’s vision and goals.”
IoT in Aviation Market Projected to Reach USD 46.1 Billion by 2032
Advanced technologies continue to realize steady growth within the aviation industry. One which is experiencing especially strong growth is the Internet of Things (IoT). Findings released in Acumen Research and Consulting’s “IoT in Aviation Market Forecast 2023-2032” report cited a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.6% leading to a projected value of USD 46.1 billion by 2032. In 2022, the IoT in the aviation market was valued at USD 6.7 billion.
The report noted as key drivers of the IoT’s growth in the aviation markets its role in boosting operational efficiency and cost savings, enhanced safety, predictive maintenance, and improved passenger experience. As part of its role in driving operational efficiency, also noted was the aviation market’s focus on the need for real-time data monitoring. Further cited as helping to drive the increased application of the IoT in aviation were advancements in various connectivity technologies such as 5G.
In addition to these growth drivers, there are specific trends within the IoT in the aviation market promoting the adoption of IoT. For instance, aircraft health monitoring is supported by IoT-enabled sensors and systems which monitor the health of aircraft components in real time thereby facilitating predictive maintenance for reduced downtime. Additionally, connected cabins are supported by IoT solutions which provide connected cabin systems, personalized services, seamless connectivity during flights (i.e., for flight entertainment, wireless connectivity, and passenger analytics for better service delivery) for an enhanced passenger experience. Other trends improved with the IoT include smart maintenance operations and smart airports.
While IoT is enjoying strong growth in the aviation market, it is not without its challenges. There are data security and privacy obstacles, as well as integration and interoperability, and regulatory compliance challenges to address.
ACI World Announces the World’s Top 20 Busiest Airports
The Airports Council International (ACI) recently published its latest World Airport Traffic Dataset which confirmed the world’s top 20 busiest airports and ranking for over 2,600 airports in more than 180 nations and territories across various categories. Also reported was the total global passenger traffic for 2022 which surpassed 6.6 billion.
Prevailing among the top busiest airports were U.S. airports including Atlanta GA (ATL), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Denver CO (DEN), and Chicago IL (ORD), which held the top 4 berths, respectively, in the rankings. They were followed in order by Dubai, AE (DXB), Los Angeles CA (LAX), Istanbul, TR (IST), London, GB (LHR), New Delhi, IN (DEL), Paris, FR (CDG), New York, NY (JFK), Las Vegas, NV (LAS), Amsterdam, NL (AMS), Miami, FL (MIA), Madrid, ES (MAD), Tokyo, JP (HND), Orlando, FL (MCO), Frankfurt, DE (FRA), Charlotte, NC (CLT) and Mexico City, MX (MEX).
These top 20 busiest airports represented 18% of all global passenger traffic or 1.2 billion passengers. The global share of international traffic increased from 25.3% in 2021 to 38.4% in 2022, confirming international travel’s return. Based on the ACI’s top 20 busiest airport findings, 10 airports are in the U.S. with most of these airports having significant domestic passenger shares of between 75% – 95%.
Regarding passenger traffic global passenger traffic surpassed 6.6 billion in 2022; a 43.8% increase from 2021. Within the air cargo category, ACI World reported that volumes decreased by 6.7% year-over-year closing at 117 million metric tonnes in 2022. Regarding aircraft movements, global aircraft movements were approximately 85 million which represented a gain of 14.8% from 2021 results. The top 20 airports represented 11.4% of global traffic at 9.7 million movements.
> What do you think about how the industry approaches security topics and IoT? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.
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