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

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. These a...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Dias, Clara, Silva, Jorge
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/424813
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/424813
https://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3926/jairm.419
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Airports --Technological innovations
Internet of things
Artificial intelligence
Smart airport
IoT
AI
Security
Efficiency
Aeroports--Innovacions tecnològiques
Internet de les coses
Intel·ligència artificial
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Aeronàutica i espai::Aeroports
Descripción
Sumario: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. 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. This paper also presents how airports have looked into this concept and adapted it to its reality using as a case study the Ponta Delgada Airport and the Beijing Capital International Airport. Design/methodology: 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. Afterwards an explanation as to how both the Portuguese and Chinese airports used in this case study are adapting its structure in light of recent innovations. 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 airports and the aviation industry's effect at a broader scale.