Today, Aviation Management in India is slowly catching up to what potential is out there.

It is high time the industry creates and follows through on the Airport 3.0 standard. The airport of the future will be customer-centric and data-driven with a ruthless focus on operational efficiency. This is being driven by passenger’s smartphones, insights being derived from GPS technology, and cloud computing. The airports of the future will fully leverage the power of new technologies, including sensors, processors, mobile apps, gamification, and behavioral analytics.

The journey so far…

From enabling frictionless travel with biometrics to humanizing the experience through Artificial Intelligence, the robotic revolution and Automation have paved the way for new experiences for the passengers at the airports. The airline industry is characterized by data sharing among multiple players across the entire value chain. At every touchpoint of the passengers’ journeys, complex data reconciliations happen in the background. A beacon-based Augmented Reality wayfinding tool that shows the direction to passengers through their mobile phone cameras. This tool makes it easier for passengers to navigate within the terminal and locate check-in desks, departure gates and baggage carousels.

The advent of IoT in Aviation Management

Though airlines are still struggling to bring their legacy systems up-to-speed, many have rolled out Internet of Things (IoT) initiatives to re-define the passenger experience. Airlines are looking at leveraging IoT for operational areas ranging from baggage management to in-flight entertainment.

As digital technologies continue to reshape consumer expectations, airlines will have to regularly revisit their core assumptions to stay relevant.

They will have to re-imagine key operations and functions to deliver a compelling and differentiated passenger experience. With the consumerism wave transforming many service sectors including media, transportation, and retail, airlines too will have to harness cutting-edge technologies in a ‘smart’ way. They will have to aggressively experiment with different use cases to address pressing passenger pain points and apply the learnings to continuously refine their approach.

The expected front-runner companies comprise Collins Aerospace, IBM Corporation, Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., Cisco Systems Inc., Sabre Corp., Amadeus IT Group SA, SITA, Honeywell International Inc., Siemens AG, Thales Group, and Indra Sistemas S.A. etc.

An airport is expected to be one of the most seamless experiences in modern life. Another interesting point is the thought of a fleet of urban flying cars – rather than using helipads, there may be airports or terminals exclusively for such vehicles. Companies like Porsche and Volkswagen’s Italdesign Giugiaro collaboration with Airbus called “Pop.Up” have both been investing in the idea. Perhaps in the future, even space travel will become the norm, shrinking down the idea of individual launching pads in an airport for such services.

Parting thoughts

Though the impact of the pandemic on the Aviation industry can’t be overstated, however, the above-mentioned steps by the government have given new hope to all the ambitious minds who plan to pursue an Post Graduate Program in Aviation to elevate their career trajectory. Being one of the leading universities, UPES CCE offers the best mentorship and career support for young graduates and working professionals who seek a successful career transition in the Indian Aviation industry.

– Dr Nayhel Sharma
Assistant Professor