- December 14, 2023
Generative AI to be driving force in air travel: SITA trends report – Times of India
MUMBAI: Generative AI has stolen the limelight from Metaverse at least in the aviation industry, with 97% airlines planning a program to develop it, according to a megatrends report released by a company that offers IT solutions to the air transport industry.
“While some megatrends identified in 2022 have witnessed rapid growth in the last 12 months, others also continued to develop, including Digital Travel, with the emergence of digital identities,” said the report by SITA, which highlighted the industry’s rapidly changing innovation landscape.It examined 12 emerging technological, societal, traveler, and economic trends that will significantly morph the travel landscape by 2033.
According to the SITA 2023 Air Transport IT Insights, by the end of 2026, 82% of airlines will use biometric-enabled digital identity technologies for aircraft boarding, a further 67% confirmed using touchless and 50% single token.
New data from its 2023 IT Insights shows that 86% of airlines are collaborating with innovation partners to make advancements in AI, machine learning, and computer vision. “A total 39% of these have already been implemented, while another 47% confirmed plans by the end of 2026. Only 3% of airlines stated having no plans to invest in AI technologies. In comparison, 97% confirmed major programs and R&D,” the report said. Looking at airports, 16% of airports already use AI and ML for improved decision-making, with another 51% confirming plans to implement such solutions by the end of 2026, it added.
The other megatrend registered was sustainability. The aviation industry has been working at improving operational efficiency in order to cut down carbon emissions and generative AI is expected to play a key part in airline and airport operations in the near future. For one, this May, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) released its AI Roadmap 2.0, a comprehensive action plan for the integration of AI in aviation. Another megatrend identified was related to privacy, digital identity rights and controls for passengers.
Patrik Svensson Gillstedt, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Growth Enablement, SITA, said: “It’s an exciting time for travel with new technologies transforming our industry at rates previously unseen. While AI is a key example of this, it’s encouraging to see other innovations like UAM, Digital Travel, and intermodal travel also gathering pace. “We have cultivated a more open approach to innovation jointly with our customers and industry groups to try many things to relieve difficult problems in agile-lean ways,” he added.
The company said that its “Meet the Megatrends” report was spearheaded by its Lab innovation team. It drew upon insights from across the transport industry, SITA’s global research, and the latest cutting-edge proof of concepts to identify the most powerful shifts that will drive the travel industry’s evolution by 2033.
“While some megatrends identified in 2022 have witnessed rapid growth in the last 12 months, others also continued to develop, including Digital Travel, with the emergence of digital identities,” said the report by SITA, which highlighted the industry’s rapidly changing innovation landscape.It examined 12 emerging technological, societal, traveler, and economic trends that will significantly morph the travel landscape by 2033.
According to the SITA 2023 Air Transport IT Insights, by the end of 2026, 82% of airlines will use biometric-enabled digital identity technologies for aircraft boarding, a further 67% confirmed using touchless and 50% single token.
New data from its 2023 IT Insights shows that 86% of airlines are collaborating with innovation partners to make advancements in AI, machine learning, and computer vision. “A total 39% of these have already been implemented, while another 47% confirmed plans by the end of 2026. Only 3% of airlines stated having no plans to invest in AI technologies. In comparison, 97% confirmed major programs and R&D,” the report said. Looking at airports, 16% of airports already use AI and ML for improved decision-making, with another 51% confirming plans to implement such solutions by the end of 2026, it added.
The other megatrend registered was sustainability. The aviation industry has been working at improving operational efficiency in order to cut down carbon emissions and generative AI is expected to play a key part in airline and airport operations in the near future. For one, this May, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) released its AI Roadmap 2.0, a comprehensive action plan for the integration of AI in aviation. Another megatrend identified was related to privacy, digital identity rights and controls for passengers.
Patrik Svensson Gillstedt, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Growth Enablement, SITA, said: “It’s an exciting time for travel with new technologies transforming our industry at rates previously unseen. While AI is a key example of this, it’s encouraging to see other innovations like UAM, Digital Travel, and intermodal travel also gathering pace. “We have cultivated a more open approach to innovation jointly with our customers and industry groups to try many things to relieve difficult problems in agile-lean ways,” he added.
The company said that its “Meet the Megatrends” report was spearheaded by its Lab innovation team. It drew upon insights from across the transport industry, SITA’s global research, and the latest cutting-edge proof of concepts to identify the most powerful shifts that will drive the travel industry’s evolution by 2033.
