Market Trends of Smart Airport Industry
The Passenger, Cargo & Baggage Ground Handling Segment to Dominate the Market During the Forecasted Period
The passenger, cargo & baggage ground handling segment currently has the highest market share and is expected to continue its dominance during the forecast period. The rapid growth of passenger traffic has increased the pressure on airport operators to augment their passenger handling capacity and integrate digital solutions to regulate passenger flow, cargo, and baggage handling capabilities at airports. For instance, in May 2022, Veovo partnered with Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, an operator of Argentina's airports, to integrate new passenger flow solutions at Aeroparque Jorge Newbery (AEP) and Aeropuerto Internacional Ezeiza (EZE). The company implemented Veovo's Passenger Predictability solution, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cloud software, to optimize operations and enhance passenger flow in various processes, such as baggage hall, security, immigration, and border control. In June 2022, London Heathrow Airport (KHR) announced that it would reopen Terminal 4 to be operational again after the severe traffic slowdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK government is also planning to expand Heathrow Airport with a new 3,500-foot runway, bringing in more aircraft and thus a greater number of passengers, driving demand for baggage handling systems with an estimated increase in passenger movements per year.
Similarly, airports are installing automated baggage handling systems to ease the pressure on airport ground support personnel, helping airports, airlines, and ground handlers achieve passenger satisfaction. Most airports in Europe and Asia have already installed automated baggage handling systems. On this note, in January 2022, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced that it had instaleeng an integrated cart system (ICS) at Terminal 1 of the Delhi Airport for baggage handling that has high speed, high capacity, and more reliability. The planned investments in passenger and baggage handling systems are expected to propel the growth of this segment in the future.
The Asia-Pacific Region is Expected to Witness the Highest Growth During the Forecast Period
The Asia-Pacific region would experience significant growth due to robust investments in constructing new airports and expanding existing airports. Over the past few years, there has been a rapid increase in passenger traffic handled by airports in countries like China, India, Japan, and South Korea, among others. Due to this, the government and airport authorities in the region have announced significant investments in the construction and expansion of airports. For instance, in April 2022, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport of South Korea announced its plans to invest KRW 13.7 trillion (USD 10.97 billion) in constructing a new airport on Gadeok Island. The airport is expected to be an offshore airport (built on a floating structure at sea) and will cater to the growing air traffic demand in the country's southeast region. Similarly, in February 2022, Adani Airport Holdings, a subsidiary of the Adani Group and the Airports Authority of India, was constructing an airport in Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, for USD 2.3 billion. The new airport would be one of the world's few "greenfield" international state-of-the-art airports, contributing world-class facilities. It will have the capacity to handle 60 million passengers a year by 2030 when it reaches full capacity.
Furthermore, to efficiently operate the airports and provide uninterrupted services to the passengers, the regional airports have also integrated smart airport solutions. In this regard, in January 2022, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced that it has been installing an integrated cart system (ICS) at Terminal 1 of the Delhi Airport for baggage handling that has high speed, high capacity, and more reliability. The planned investments in passenger and baggage handling systems are expected to propel the growth of this segment in the future. Such modernization of airport infrastructure with smart airport solutions is expected to accelerate market growth in this region during the forecast period.
