AI Enabled Airports : 'Q-Free' and with Predictive Travel and Happy Passenger Experience.

AI is no more a dream project just PR, it is a proven technology.?Its being used in everyday life knowingly or un-knowingly; irrespective of the liking of the end user.?It is not going to replace humans has been well understood by the industry as they are busy preparing the new workforce that will assist the persons at service desk to make their jobs easier and more productive.?Coming to aviation; despite all the developments its neither going to replace the Pilots nor the Air Traffic Controllers, instead, it aims to automate the repetitive, predictive task and free up the employees of the stress at desk and make them free to undertake other more important and creative tasks.?

Few years back, I had coined the term “Q-Free Airports” and the articles were published in leading magazines and presentations were part of most of my seminars both within the country and abroad.?People were bit sceptical about it, but today AI is being talked for self-piloted commercial aircraft, self-navigated flight both in the air and on the ground, at the terminals its being talked about for seamless flow of aircraft on the apron and seamless flow of passengers and their baggage with enhanced security at airports.?Don’t be Vendor Driven, it shall be Task Driven.

My interest is in Happy Passenger Scenario, which I have always promoted through use of better technology and systemic changes.?Happy Passenger means Predictable Travel whereby every one in the chain know his movement and is ready to serve him in an efficient and effective manner.?AI enabled Real-Time data and information makes reliable decisions.?High-Tech technology Lidar Sensors, 5KHD Cameras etc. together provide a flow of passengers in a manner that bottlenecks are reduced and checkpoints are effective in reducing the dwell time. Simulations that we used to undertake off-line will now become possible on-line while the passengers are being processed.?Such Analytics and Algorithms are transportable from one airport to another airport by deploying the passenger behaviour and profile of that airport.?I see my dream of Q-Free Airports coming true; when passengers will see on the gadgets the Q-Time and adapt to that in sharing his airport experience.?Once you know that it is going to take this much time in the ‘Q’, you start planning for that idle time slot which could be informing your cab outside, informing your hotels to hold the booking, or attending to missed calls and chatting with friends or share Live Video in social media.?On the other hand, the airports starts warming up their non-aero revenue!?I am reminded of the situation when I visit Gurdwara for prayer meetings, in the beginning people use their comfortable personal space and spread themselves but when the influx of people is more they start moving closer to make space for more people to adjust this kind of dynamic situation helps in better space management and efficient service leading to Happy Passenger Experience.?

My task is not to name few or many technologies or the vendors who are providing them or interested to provide them; my interest is in watching this happen.?I have come across airports where AI has been successfully deployed at Check-in, Security and Baggage Handling as these are more rather most critical at airports.?Now AI is widely entering into Passenger-Flow Forecast and Management and this will lead to Q-Free Airports which will lead to Happy-Passenger Scenario and we know that Happy – Passengers spend at airports and airport operators and third party vendors are eager to harness that non-aeronautical revenue stream.?New Partnerships and Integration of Technology and Systems is the key to success.?I am sure airports operators are getting multiple options to review before taking a decision to adopt and adapt.?This is very import and haste is not recommended, as we often say Delhi is lucky that it has got the best Metro Technology as it got delayed in implementing it; so at time wait, watch, evaluate and decide is recommended in such transition times.??