New Innovation and Technologies

Technology is changing the world at a pace faster than ever before. Here we look at just some of the new innovations for the aviation industry.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

Applications of these technologies can be expected to be seen in the airport space where the airport experience can be enhanced with the help of AR/VR based apps:

Gatwick Airport uses AR to help passengers navigate the complex layout of the airport, and London City Airport has installed AR tech to help air traffic controllers with the job of keeping planes safe. Inflight VR offers a virtual 360-degree view of the cabin and can be used for seat upselling, crew training, marketing and VR experiences.

Digital Twins

This technology will improve decision-making, based on a holistic view of airport operations. The application will show what’s happening now, also select a moment in history and play back exactly what happened in the past. It’s a very effective way of investigating the handling of disruption, to identify what can be done better next time.

Beacons technology

Beacons helps navigation for travellers between different terminals at an airport.

Furthermore, Beacons can help airports and vendors at the airport premises to know where passengers are and then send them personalised and relevant information accordingly. These updates can be about boarding gate number, baggage carousel, flight status or also about the shops and eateries around the customer.

MIAMI International airport has been applying this to create a personalised experience for travellers. The app provides information about the entire airport as travellers navigate through various places at the premises. Further, they are also updated with relevant information depending on their individual journey, e.g. gate numbers, flight updates, baggage collection details, etc.

Robotics: Assisting with various tasks like customer management, baggage handling and car parking

There have been new self-driving guide robots for luggage transportation at Incheon Airport, Munich Airport, etc. and autonomous cleaning robots.

There are also automated vehicles on the airfield and baggage-related robots are also gaining traction. It’s also rising the application of end-to-end baggage logistics solutions to further improve the efficiency of the baggage handling process, enhance ergonomic working conditions for ground staff and future-proof the airports’ baggage handling operations.

Autonomous vehicles are also being tested to help customers make tight connections across an airport, deliver delayed baggage to customers or transport aircraft parts to airports.

Drone delivery is also becoming increasingly popular with regularly scheduled drone delivery services. For instance, experimenting with the use of drones to deliver food and drink orders to guests in the airport terminals.

Online training for crew

As the effects of Covid, digital alternatives are introduced as replacement for everyday face-to-face activities. Crew training is expected to be conducted using VR, AR, XR, 360-degree content and more cutting-edge, awe-inspiring technologies introduced onwards.

Maintenance drones

These help inspection tasks: inspect lightning-strike damage in about 30 minutes, rather than the 4 to 6 hours it takes to do it manually. The drones also have the potential to scan fuselages, check parts are in good condition and plan repairs. Some analysts predict drone images of aircraft sections could be compared with online image databases, allowing defects to be detected automatically. Unmanned aerial vehicles could also be used to deliver spare parts in the future, cutting down on sourcing times and making repairs faster.

With any changes and developments of the industry, Brookfield always endeavours to move along and support airlines and personnel.