Transforming the Future of MEASA Airport Travel Through Biometrics and AI

In a period when technology is shaping sectors around the world, the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA) region is diligently exploring the possibilities of biometrics and artificial intelligence (AI) to transform airport travel. Airports aspire to increase travel speed and convenience by combining various technologies, potentially setting new standards for global aviation.

Security risks are a clear concern as the aviation sector expands. Using technology systems to develop industrial processes has a lot of potential. In order to ensure operational effectiveness and efficiency, numerous questions are raised about the creation and application of such procedures. The aviation sector is going through a difficult but exciting time that has the potential to revolutionise travel.

Airports are intricate ecosystems that need to strike a careful balance between efficient passenger flow and strict security protocols. Technology is essential to striking this equilibrium. The aviation sector benefits from these latest innovations in the following ways:

• Automated Screening Lanes (ASLs): Modern checkpoint technology that reduces the time travellers spend going through security checks while increasing security efficiency.
• Biometrics Technology: Improve passenger identity verification in aviation in the upcoming years.
• Computed Tomography (CT): CT is the latest X-ray scanning technology used at checkpoints to enhance carry-on baggage threat detection, comparable to medical industry CT technology, and studies show it is currently the most crucial technology for airport inspections.
• Credential Authentication Technology (CAT): Maintaining "near" real-time knowledge of ID authentication, reservation confirmation, and secure flight pre-screening status at the airport security checkpoint.

AI is transforming customer service in the aviation sector, improving the journey and satisfying changing passenger demands. By utilising data gathered from various consumer touchpoints, AI and machine learning enable the system to customise experiences and offer personalised suggestions. Key applications of AI in this sector include the following:

• Personalised Customer Experience: Customise services and incentives, providing business travellers with upgrades and families with family-friendly options, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Multilingual Support: Multiple language support is provided by AI-driven language processing technologies, which lower language barriers and increase inclusivity and passenger satisfaction by making information available to a wider range of travellers.
• Virtual Assistants and Chatbots: Reduce wait times and free up customer support representatives to work on more complicated problems by providing prompt, precise responses to common questions regarding flight status, luggage tracking, and boarding schedules.

This data-driven strategy has the potential to greatly enhance airport operations and administration  along with improving the customer journey. Airports may use this knowledge to foresee problems and proactively simplify procedures. AI can also be used for the following:

• crowd management,
• demand forecasting,
• future infrastructure development,
• monitor utility usage, and
• resource allocation

The MEASA region has emerged as a major player in global air travel, due to its advantageous geographical location, rapid economic expansion, and considerable investments in aviation infrastructure.

The Middle East is undergoing significant aviation growth, with air passenger volume predicted to increase 300% to 1.1 billion by 2040, necessitating $151 billion in airport infrastructure construction. As per ACI World Airport Traffic Forecasts, by 2029, the region's aviation market is expected to be worth $33.7 billion, while global passenger traffic may exceed 20 billion by 2042, with over half travelling internationally.

Key projects include Dubai's construction of the world's largest airport terminal, which aims to handle 300 million passengers by 2030, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, which will carry 185 million people per year, making it the largest by capacity. Regional airports in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Iraq are also being upgraded with sophisticated technology and sustainability as Africa's aviation sector grows, led by Ethiopia and Morocco.

Fingerprints, facial recognition, voice patterns, and typing habits are all examples of biometric technology that contribute significantly to aviation security and safety. These distinct physical and behavioural features offer a dependable and effective method of identifying and verifying individuals. AI technologies are very good at processing and analysing biometric data quickly, making them useful in a variety of applications.

The aviation transformation is driven by a commitment to excellence in passenger experience and operational performance. Here are some key players and their achievements:

• Emirates Airline: A $29 billion company with a fleet of over 250 aircraft serving over 140 locations globally. Emirates sets the benchmark for passenger satisfaction with innovative innovations like inflight entertainment and biometric security measures.
• Saudia: Secured second place in Cirium's Global Airline On-Time Performance (OTP) ranking for 2024, demonstrating significant operational improvements.
• Oman Air: Ranked second among the top ten airlines in the Middle East and Africa, emphasising its commitment to service quality.
• Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport (RUH): With an outstanding on-time departure percentage of 86.65% across nearly 241,000 flights in 2024 and 115 routes, the airline was recognised as a leader after winning both the Global and Large Airport categories.

As the MEASA region invests in and expands its aviation infrastructure, it is on track to become a global air travel hub, providing improved connectivity and innovative technical solutions.

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