Airports Of The Future: 10 Predictions For The Next Decade: What The Future Of Air Travel Means For Africa

SITA, the leading IT provider for the air transport industry, unveiled 10 bold predictions during December last year about the technology shaping how passengers will move through airports of the future, based on unique insights, driving industry forces and emerging technologies.

- 

The airport experience has morphed dramatically in the past ten years with the introduction of biometric security, mobile check-in, and baggage tracking. And there is much more to come.

While Africa has historically lagged the global curve when it comes to technological and industrial advancement, the evolution of digital technology is likely to ensure that African air travel will be able to evolve in pace with the rest of the world.

A recent report by the World Economic Forum reveals that more than 400 tech hubs have sprung up across the continent, with Lagos, Nairobi and Cape Town emerging as rapidly growing technology centres. The data analytics market has evolved at an astonishing pace and cutting edge technologies like 5G have also started entering the market in the continent’s economic hubs. Advancements such as these are allowing Africa to overcome existing infrastructure limitations at ever-increasing rates.

On a global level, the next decade will witness an exponentially accelerated pace of change as digital native passengers and staff usher in transformation technologies, from flying taxis to airports that think for themselves. Benoit Verbaere, Business Development Director, SITA predicts major change for nearly all aspects of the airport experience.

Verbaere said: “Passenger numbers are set to double in the next twenty years, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), but airport expansion won’t keep up. And passengers, quite rightly, want a smooth and easy journey through the airport. The only way we can make sure airports continue to work smoothly is by developing and implementing new technologies that make them more efficient while also enhancing the passenger experience.”

Time travel: a stroll through the airport of the future

1. Security will be integrated into a frictionless journey