Airport Infrastructure

Airlines and their passengers and cargo need safe, functional and affordable airport infrastructure for their operations to thrive. IATA works with airports, government authorities on major airport development projects across the globe and seeks to ensure that they result in adequate infrastructure for airlines. Our Airport of the Future project takes an innovative look at how new technologies and other developments can make air travel more efficient.

​Investments in airport infrastructure

Some US$1.2-1.5 trillion is expected to be spent on global airport infrastructure development up to 2030, requiring major increases in capital spending. IATA seeks to ensure major airport expansion projects develop cost efficient facilities that balance capacity with demand, while delivering the functionality, levels of service and operational efficiency required to justify the investments being made.

Our design experts are actively engaged with airports and authorities in reviewing investment plans and seeking airline involvement in the expansion projects from the beginning.

Find out more about Airport Development.

Innovating for the future

With the number of air passengers expected to double by 2035 and potentially 30% more freighters flying, the industry will need to innovate when it comes providing adequate airport infrastructure for the future. Together with stakeholders from across the industry, IATA is working on a common vision for an ‘Airport of the Future’.

This program will bring together emerging technologies, processes and new architectural developments to find innovative ways of making air travel more efficient and help aging airport infrastructure cope with soaring demand. The vision will outline concepts across the entire airport space to provide a seamless end-to-end journey for passengers, baggage and cargo.

With our partners, we are looking at ideas from walking pace processing through the airport terminal to end-to-end tracking of shipments and baggage.

Find out more about our Airport of the Future initiative