“Oman and Zanzibar Strengthen Bilateral Ties: Focus on Economic, Cultural, and Health Cooperation”
Muscat,
(ONA) ——Various attendees and participants today concluded the final sessions of the Airports Innovate Conference & Exhibition, which took place from 21 to 22 November at the Oman Conference and Exhibition Centre, in Muscat.
The conference was hosted by the Sultanate of Oman, represented by Oman Airports, with cooperation by the Airports Council International (ACI).
During the conference, participants discussed various papers on the latest trends, developments, and technological innovations in the airports sector through a series of informative panel discussions. In addition, a total of fourteen international organizations showcased their latest airports/aviation products at an exhibition held alongside the conference. Local start-up companies were also present to display their innovations.
The second day of the exhibition included sessions on brand strategy and innovation, which focused and highlighted the airport sector’s goal to build increasingly customer focused brands. These sessions aligned with the current trend in the aviation sector to frame international airports as attractive gateways to the destinations that the traveller is arriving at. They also aligned with the trend of airport operators’ investing in marketing strategies and brand-building in order to establish themselves and their airports as reputable brands.
An increasing number of airports are moving beyond traditional marketing approaches, and adopting new and creative strategies to better serve their travellers. With this in mind, the Airports Innovate participants shed light on the efforts exerted by their airports towards digitalization, with the aim to create a more dynamic and attractive airport environment for passengers.
The participants also discussed Loyalty Programs, which despite being considered with less interest in the past, have resurfaced as a major opportunity to create a positive perception of the airport brand among passengers and target audiences.
Currently, an increasing number of airports are leveraging the power of innovative marketing and brand-building exercises to engage their passengers and airport users. Reflecting this trend, the conference participants discussed ways in which airports could create an inspiring and uplifting airport environment and passenger experience through the use of art and culture installations. These efforts – and others – have the potential to create long-lasting positive impressions about an airport, in addition to increasing revenue.
Additional sessions were held on topics such as comprehensive digitalization processes; operational excellence; data-use and data security; the enhancement of the passenger travel experience inside the airport; revenue generation/flow and the reduction of operational costs; carbon emission goals; and connectivity as an important strategic production asset for airports.
Another session discussed the role of airports in establishing laboratories and innovation centres – with the aim to support the development of new technologies, as well as new business and marketing practices through start-up companies, SMEs and entrepreneurs.
The participants proposed that significant progress could be achieved in these fields if innovation centres were established at airports as testing grounds for various technology and innovation projects (with the best projects being awarded sponsorships and support by the appropriate stakeholder).
Furthermore, the participants concluded that innovation will enable airports to remain at the forefront of the sector’s current technological revolution, while enhancing potential benefits for aviation in the future.
One of the sessions also highlighted the issue of risk management, in terms of achieving sustainability and resilience in airport operations. Among the topics discussed were renewable energy, water conservation, and waste management – which have the potential to reduce all possible risks while enhancing airport resilience.
Various scenarios relating to natural disasters, terrorism, and cyber threats were also looked at; and participants explored each of these in terms of risk management and insurance in mitigating their impacts.
Modern airport infrastructure is now on the cusp of being able to transform to green carbon, which will contribute to the elimination of legacy carbon pollution in aviation. The conference thus highlighted various sources that would help airports around the world to identify the most efficient and effective means to make this transition.
The conference also shed light on the role played by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the airports and aviation industry – which is considered a new opportunity for airport management companies to boost revenues from sources outside the airport sector. Participants discussed the importance of utilizing technologies such as AI to help generate enhanced retail, food, and entertainment services in line with passengers’ profiling and preferences. Additionally, it was pointed out that AI can support the redesign of dynamic digital marketing platforms, allowing airports to synchronize sales and offers with passenger flows, seasonal attractions and trends, and other data sources.(With the vast potential of AI, airport managers can also look to enhance entertainment, services and promotional offers, and benefit from the associated revenue generation).
The conference further addressed the impact of carbon footprints associated with baggage handling – and pointed out that it is now necessary to prevent this impact as a step to get rid of carbon completely.
The discussion session also looked at technology as one of the main means by which a hassle-free transport system inside the airport can be achieved. This technology can be implemented through innovative solutions to ease the travel experience of passengers with disabilities and limited mobility; and as a move towards making the overall travel experience smoother and more convenient.
One of the sessions confirmed technological advancement and automation has the potential to reduce pressures on working teams inside the airport, and to therefore enhance productivity and efficiency. However, it was also confirmed that the “human touch” in the form of a traditional workforce will always be essential to the airport’s efficient functioning.
In this regard, HR experts from around the globe were invited to share their initiatives to ensure work force future preparedness in aviation. This important point was discussed in light of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, wherein many experienced professionals in aviation were forced to leave their jobs and seek opportunities in other sectors.
For the two days of Airports Innovate, various airport/aviation leaders discussed inclusion of innovation culture inside the airport ecosystem, as well as the challenges associated with this. It was highlighted that inclusion is achieved through encouraging, adopting and embracing innovation at all airport premises, and by maintaining a balance between employing the innovative ideas andadapting them to help the airport flourish in its services and operations.
Amidst industry trends and new technologies that are in constant flux, attendees discussed ways to design a smart, green, and expandable airport architecture. This would be supported by drawing on the best experience in the industry, and by using an all-optical network solution and perimeter optical sensor solutions based on service scenarios.
One of the participants presented a paper on future airports, and how tomorrow’s airports will be designed, with a focus on efficient design, sustainable architecture, self-driving shuttles, and smart infrastructure for seamless connectivity.
The conference sessions touched on the role of airport operators in increasing the use of AI and big data in the future to simplify operations and provide an advanced travel experience.
It was highlighted that AI is witnessing an increase in its application in many aspects by airports to improve operational efficiency and enhance the passenger experience in general. Some of these applications are chatbots, real-time baggage tracking, facial recognition for check-in and boarding, and predictive data analysis to improve the process. Many expect that AI and big data will certainly play a significant role in driving airport transformation into the future.
