Air travel has always been the proving ground for innovation. If technology can perform in the unforgiving, high-stakes environment of an airport, where millions of people, flights, and moving parts must work in perfect sync, it can succeed anywhere; and artificial intelligence (AI) is stepping up to that challenge.
The need is urgent, global passenger journeys are forecast to surpass 5 billion in 2025 for the first time in history, and to reach 7.9 billion by 2043; yet airports cannot simply double their physical size. Land is scarce, costs are rising, and sustainability targets demand smarter solutions. For aviation to keep pace, the only option is radical efficiency, powered by technology.
AI, in its generative, assistive, and increasingly autonomous forms, is becoming the base of this change, and the aviation sector is already showing the world what the future looks like.
From pilots to performance
AI is often spoken as a distant promise. In airports, it is already at work. Consider Orlando International Airport, where a biometric boarding pilot cut boarding times by 30%, equating to 240 passengers boarding in just 10 minutes; or Lufthansa’s Auto Reflight system, which now automates 80% of baggage re-routing when connections are missed, reducing stress for travellers while saving airlines up to $30 million annually and cutting paper tag waste and CO2 emissions.
These examples show AI’s breadth. Generative AI is helping rethink terminal layouts and optimise flight schedules. Assistive AI enables predictive maintenance and provides real-time multilingual help to passengers. Agentic AI systems are capable of acting independently and already 36% of airports use AI in aircraft turnaround and nearly half are integrating it into passenger flow management.
This adoption highlights how airports are leading the way, becoming more resilient, efficient, and human-centred without adding square footage of terminal space.
When every second counts
Everyone has experienced the pressure cookers airports can be. A single blocked security lane can ripple into hours of disruption, missed flight, and thousands of frustrated passengers.
AI powered mobile tools now allow staff to log and route issues instantly. A spilt drink on the concourse can dispatch cleaners automatically; a gate fault can be sent straight to engineers. What once took minutes now takes seconds. In larger incidents, AI-driven systems coordinate responses across airlines, handlers, and security agencies cutting through silos and restoring operations faster.
For travellers the benefit is felt not in the code or algorithms, but in the calmness of their journey. Fewer missed connections, shorter queues, and more time for the things that matter, like enjoying your pre-flight coffee stress free with the confidence that you’ll get to your destination on time.
Behind every data point is a human story
Language, once a barrier, is being lowered by real-time AI translations, helping staff communicate with passengers in dozens of languages. Flight updates are no longer bland notices of delay; they can now explain causes, predict revised departure times, and suggest lounge or rebooking options.
Baggage, long a source of stress, is benefiting too. Mishandling rates have fallen from 18.9 bags per thousand in 2007 to 6.9 in 2023, a drop achieved even as global passenger traffic jumped 30% year-on-year in 2023, thanks in part to AI-driven tracking and automation. Trials of autonomous vehicles on the tarmac mean equipment is moved with greater speed and efficiency, reducing risk of cascading delays.
Crucially, AI doesn’t replace people, it removes friction so staff can focus on what only humans can do: reassure nervous parents when a connection is missed, guide an older passenger with mobility challenges, or resolve complex face-to-face problems with empathy.
Sustainability as the new flight path
The future of aviation will not be measured only in passenger numbers and turnaround times, but in carbon reduction. With 40 million flights forecast in 2025 and traffic doubling by 2043, airports are on the frontline of the climate challenge, and growth must also mean greener.
Ai is stepping up the game here as well. By optimising flight scheduled, predicting maintenance needs, and fine-tuning resource use, airports can shrink energy consumption without compromising capacity. Autonomous vehicles cut fuel burn using more efficient routes across the tarmac; and automated baggage systems reduce waste.
However, sustainability in aviation is also about the fuel of the future. Airports are already investing in the infrastructure to support Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Globally, airports and governments are committing billions, with projected $2.4 trillion in airport capital expenditure by 2040, much of it earmarked for upgrades linked to sustainability and, further ahead, hydrogen. SAF remains expensive, and global production is nowhere near demand. Yet AI can help accelerate adoption, modelling demand patterns, smoothing supply chains, and giving energy providers the confidence to invest.
The industry has set the ambitious deadline of net zero by 2050. To get there, every tool will be needed.
The future airport
The future airport is in sight, biometric checks on the move, predictive staffing, autonomous baggage rerouting, and even multi-airport control centres are already in live trials. These early pilots show how aviation is shifting from isolated tools to fully integrated transformation.
For passengers, the result is simpler journeys and fewer uncertainties. For airports, it means handling twice as many travellers without doubling physical space. For the wider world, it proves AI can operate reliably in one of the most complex environments we have.
Aviation has always been a bellwether for global progress, from international standards to biometric adopting to ambitious net-zero goals. Now, as AI becomes the organising principle of the modern airport, the industry is once again setting the pace. If AI can master the airport, a miniature city with no margin for effort, it can master almost anything. The future of travel and of technology must be intelligent.
Jordi Valls
Jordi Valls is Global Director, Innovation lab at SITA where he guides global teams in creating transformative products for the aviation industry. A seasoned technology leader with over 15 years’ experience across startups, scale-ups, and corporate innovation, Jordi is the Founder of initiatives such as Startup Embassy and mentor-vr. He has also driven impactful projects for organisations including CaixaBank and ESADE. Prior to joining SITA, Jordi held senior roles Decelera, Carnovo, and The Knot Worldwide.
