Technology, paired with innovative thinking, holds the key to unlocking aviation’s future growth potential, improving safety and security and enhancing every step of the passenger journey from booking to arrival – in a sustainable manner.
Let’s start with booking. IATA’s New Distribution Capability (NDC) initiative is transforming how customers shop for air travel by closing the gap between what is displayed on airline websites and in travel agent systems.
By introducing modern, internet-language data standards for communications between airlines and travel agents, NDC is enabling airlines to display and sell all of their products in the travel agent channel, including options to allow passengers to personalize their journey around their needs.
The next challenge is to free passengers from the multitude of identifiers associated with any one booking. IATA’s ONE Order initiative will eventually lead to the disappearance of multiple reservation records and their replacement with a single reference travel document.
One Order also will enable network airlines and low-cost carriers to interact and provide combined services to customers, something that is very difficult—if not impossible—to do today.
Another area with huge potential for transformation by new technology is the payment system. IATA Pay and IATA EasyPay offer solutions to facilitate the payment process between airlines and travel agents. Blockchain technology also has the power to revolutionize the payment process.
With blockchain, airlines could easily establish and automate the rules of distribution and payment with travel agents, including incentives, methods of payment with discounts on early payment for example, and foreign exchange conditions. Blockchain payments are faster and more efficient, thus reducing costs for all the partners in the value chain. IATA has therefore begun looking at how a Blockchain payments system could work and we continue to work with our member airlines and strategic partners to unlock the potential of this technology.
Technology also has the power to transform the airport experience. Topping the list of technology with the most potential is biometrics. This exciting technology can facilitate improvements in border, aviation and airport infrastructure and security therefore allowing passengers to have a more seamless and convenient experience through the airport terminal.
IATA’s One ID project is helping the industry move towards the day when a face, iris or fingerprint will act as a single biometric travel token for all passengers. The One ID concept relies on early validation of a passenger’s identity and controlled access to this information by various public and private stakeholders on an authorized-to-know basis so that the passenger can be recognized and attended to in the most efficient way.
To optimize the use of emerging technologies, processes and design developments in airports. IATA in collaboration with Airports Council International (ACI) has launched the New Experience in Travel and Technologies (NEXTT) initiative.
NEXTT seeks to provide a seamless journey by exploring increased off-site processing options; reducing or even eliminating queues; more efficiently using space and resources through enhanced deployments of artificial intelligence and robotics; and vastly improving data sharing between stakeholders.
Disruptive technology has the power to transform safety. The highest quantum of benefits for our industry from passenger process improvements to safety are expected to be realized through improvements in data processing and analytics. As more data becomes available, the industry will increasingly be able to recognize, anticipate and apply advances.
Turbulence, the largest cause of injuries to passengers and crew, is being tackled by improving data processing. Today, pilots use multiple sources of information to manage turbulence inflight, from weather radar and charts to information from other pilots and air traffic controllers. To reduce the risk of turbulence-related injuries, IATA has developed Turbulence Aware, a real-time turbulence reporting architecture which allows airlines to exchange real-time turbulence data, both enhancing safety and fuel efficiency.
Beyond that, aircraft manufacturers are exploring the use of new remote sensing technology to make turbulence avoidance even better. The new technology emits pulses of laser light from the plane's nose, scattering small particles. Observing the reflected light in segments, the pulse provides measurement of the wind speed at increments all along the direction of the laser allowing turbulence to be avoided.
One of the most exciting areas where technology is revolutionizing aviation is in its use to ensure environmental sustainability.
Technology is a strong driver to achieve substantial contributions to the Industry’s ambitious carbon reduction goals. The ambitious 2050 industry target - halving net CO2 emissions by 2050, compared to 2005 levels - can only be achieved with combined efforts from the different strategy areas. Aircraft technology and sustainable fuels and energies provide strong contributions but need to be complemented by market-based measures, operational and infrastructural improvements.
Etihad Airways’ partnership with the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium to fly using locally-produced sustainable aviation fuel, made by seawater-grown plants, is an excellent example of innovation for sustainability.
New technologies have a truly transformative potential for our industry. IATA is encouraging industry innovation through its innovation ecosystem where we create an environment to move ideas from ideation to creation. But this entire ecosystem of innovation cannot flourish without the participation and contribution of all stakeholders in the industry. Collaboration is truly the key for success.
