Unveiling the future: Smart airports - applications, advantages, strategies and technological challenges

Travelers' perception of smart airport facilities: An X (Twitter) sentiment analysis

Integrated Interaction Journey and Privacy Risk Assessment: A Graph Model

Smart cities, the complex systems of sub-systems (SoS) become reality. Numerous research stated that smart city transportation systems are a key part of what makes a smart city smart. One of the recent research projects predicted that those transportation systems could be saving cities as much as $277 billion as soon as 2025. The use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and urban innovation are the main mechanisms for smart cities to ameliorate problems concomitant with inadequate transportation infrastructure. The paper aim is to explore the smart airport as a decisive subsystem in the smart city. Authors addressed the importance of urban security network needed to enable critical collaboration between interested parties for proactive approach to possible issues. Using a methodology adequate for social research, authors present study case from Australia related to the innovation of current air traffic. In brief, is explained the ongoing importance of building the Western Sydney Airport at Badgerys Creek. The Serbian Government plan to reshape the Surčin municipality by project: "Leap into the Future - Serbia EXPO 2027" is a great chance for creating the first smart airport city. Following the smart airport city planning best practices is possible to strengthen existing public private partnership and improve urban security. The results offer an adequate solution for the current obstacles in Serbia related to the strategic planning and inadequate communication in the process of the realization city smart concept. This paper is a base for further discussion how Serbia can achieve socioeconomic uplift through increased aviation capacity and complementary nonaviation activities in Belgrade, and at the same time respond adequately to the urban security needs before and during the Belgrade EXPO 2027.

Rapid technological advancements have resulted in increasingly more efficient and lightweight devices that, coupled with low-power and wide-range wireless connectivity, have given rise to Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) systems. As a result, the concept of intelligent environments was developed, such as smart airports, where ubiquitous sensors seamlessly cooperate through several types of communication technologies, such as WiFi, BLE, ZigBEE and 5G, enable the collection of data and the dynamic adaption of the system to changing circumstances. However, along with certain benefits, such as augmented communication, enhanced business processes and improved efficiency, IIoT introduces new vulnerabilities, enabling cyber-attackers to compromise not only the digital infrastructure of IIoT architecture-enabled smart airports, but also affecting their physical assets. In this paper, we present a novel smart airport cybertwins security-oriented IIoT testbed, named SAir-IIoT, which comprises multiple heterogeneous IIoT devices and communication protocols, organised into distinct zones, automatically interconnected with each other, that can be remotely accessed as-a-service. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cybertwins security-oriented testbed that enables researchers and practitioners to remotely practice attack and defence scenarios in smart airport IIoT environments. Additionally, we introduce a new data management technique for dynamically collecting, analysing and tagging heterogeneous data from diverse data sources including IIoT devices and network flows. Finally, we compare SAir-IIoT with other IIoT-based testbeds, revealing its complexity and effectiveness to evaluate new cyber security methods.

Advances in the Internet of Things (IoT) and aviation sector have resulted in the emergence of smart airports. Services and systems powered by the IoT enable smart airports to have enhanced robustness, efficiency and control, governed by real-time monitoring and analytics. Smart sensors control the environmental conditions inside the airport, automate passenger-related actions and support airport security. However, these augmentations and automation introduce security threats to network systems of smart airports. Cyber-attackers demonstrated the susceptibility of IoT systems and networks to Advanced Persistent Threats (APT), due to hardware constraints, software flaws or IoT misconfigurations. With the increasing complexity of attacks, it is imperative to safeguard IoT networks of smart airports and ensure reliability of services, as cyber-attacks can have tremendous consequences such as disrupting networks, cancelling travel, or stealing sensitive information. There is a need to adopt and develop new Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled cyber-defence techniques for smart airports, which will address the challenges brought about by the incorporation of IoT systems to the airport business processes, and the constantly evolving nature of contemporary cyber-attacks. In this study, we present a holistic review of existing smart airport applications and services enabled by IoT sensors and systems. Additionally, we investigate several types of cyber defence tools including AI and data mining techniques, and analyse their strengths and weaknesses in the context of smart airports. Furthermore, we provide a classification of smart airport sub-systems based on their purpose and criticality and address cyber threats that can affect the security of smart airport's networks.

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Smart airport is a key driver for the future development of civil aviation and a cornerstone of China’s ongoing “Four Airport” construction initiative. It is important to improve technology in many areas. This includes airport building, daily work, management, and making decisions. As air travel changes, using new tools like artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is very important. These tools help make airports more efficient, safe, and better for the environment. Because of this, building smart airports is not just a big goal but also a new way to deal with the challenges in today’s air travel systems. A key part in building smart airports is making a full evaluation system to check how well the projects are working. When a strong index system is made for smart airports, people involved can see clearly what is working well and what is not. So, chose using a three-scale hierarchical analysis method gives a clear and step-by-step way to look at different parts of smart airport building. This method helps check many things, like how well the technology fits in, how smoothly the airport works, how it affects the environment, and how users feel [<span class="xref">1</span>].</div><div class="htmlview paragraph">To check if this evaluation framework works in real life, a case study of Beijing Daxing International Airport is used. Daxing Airport is one of the top examples of smart airport building. It uses new technology and modern ways to manage the airport. So it is a good choice for this study. The case study shows that the evaluation system can work. It also gives useful advice for airport managers to make construction projects better.</div></div>

With the advent of the 4th industrial revolution and the advanced aviation industry, smart airports have been immerged as a new trend. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online communication has been the mainstream of the service sector; smart airports have reached near completion. For this study, the researcher investigated the interrelationships between airport users’ well-preparedness in technology, integrated technology acceptance theory, and information sharing. For the past two years, 370 survey questionnaires were collected from smart airport users; to validate analytical methods, 354 responses were analyzed except for 16 unqualified data. The researcher used statistics programs such as SPSS (version 22) and AMOS (version 22) to measure frequency, validity, reliability analysis, and route analysis. The result findings are as follows. Sub-factors of well-preparedness, such as optimism and trustworthiness, primarily affect performance expectation, attempt anticipation, social influence, and facilitating conditions; however, optimism is analyzed as ineffective for facilitating conditions. Besides, all sub-variables for integrated technology acceptance affect information sharing intentions. The research confirmed variables influential on the technological acceptance of smart airport users based on research findings. Therefore, this study has significant implications for strategies in smart airports.

Players in the aviation industry have had to engage in a digital transformation with the spread of the concept of digitalisation because of rapid technological development. The concepts of sustainability, already present in aviation, and digitalisation, have become even more important in the industry. As digitisation and sustainability are two processes that need to be done together and are interdependent, and the results of which will have an impact on all stakeholders, whether positive or negative, they need to be completed successfully. Smart airports are airports where networked technologies such as IoT devices are widely used to support operations and operational planning and management. In this way, airports can become paperless and reduce environmental waste and pollutants. In this study, the concepts of sustainability and digitalisation are first discussed separately and then together, as well as the difficulties that digitalisation will bring and the contribution of digitalisation to aviation sustainability.

The accumulated knowledge has led to a state of misunderstanding about the precise meanings of digitalization, and a precise framework to define smart airports is still missing. This study aims to reveal the current status and future direction of smart airports and digital transformation in the academic literature and to provide a comprehensive definition for smart airports. The identified keywords were searched in the Web of Science database covering the years 1989-2024 and a total of 372 studies were found. These studies were then analyzed using Bibliometrix (R package). We determined that the most influential academic source on the themes is the Journal of Air Transport Management, and the collaboration index in the literature is three. While conferences are the most productive sources in this field, academic journals are mostly cited in studies. Academic studies typically employ and evaluate "performance" and "model," "impact" and "air," and "economic development" and "location" in tandem, despite the distinction between technological and managerial issues. In the light of the findings, the definition of a smart airport can be "an airport ecosystem where personalized service is provided to users by using Industry 4.0 technologies on the basis of big data analysis and real-time sharing between objects; digitalization is turned into a holistic organizational culture starting from top management to cover all personnel; the decision-making process is carried out autonomously within the entire airport operation network; and the main goal of competitive advantage and high-level user experience is provided uninterruptedly."

Airports are at the forefront of technological innovation, mainly due to the fact that the number of air travel passengers is exponentially increasing every year. As a result, airports enhance their infrastructure intelligence and evolve as smart facilities to support growth, by offering an enjoyable travel experience. New challenges are coming up, which aviation has to deal with and adapt to, such as the integration of Industrial IoT (Internet of Things) in airport facilities and the increased use of smart devices from travelers and employees. Cybersecurity is becoming a key enabler for safety, which is paramount in the aviation context. Smart airports strive to provide optimal services in a reliable and sustainable manner, by working around the domains of growth, efficiency, safety and security. This article researches: (a) the implementation rate of cybersecurity measures in commercial airports; (b) malicious threats that evolve due to IoT and smart devices installed; (c) risk scenario analysis for IoT malicious attacks with threat mitigation actions. With the aim to enhance operational practices and develop robust cybersecurity governance in smart airports, we present a systematic and comprehensive analysis of malicious attacks in smart airports, to facilitate airport community comprehend risks and proactively act, by implementing cybersecurity best practices and resilience measures.

Throughout the development of the global airport industry, increasing new technologies are applied to airport industry. In this paper, the concept of smart airport is proposed. Firstly, the development history of smart airport was introduced, and the construction needs of China’s smart airports were studied. Then it analyzed the application of RFID technology, biometric technology, interactive wayfinding technology, big data and artificial intelligence technology at smart airports. The analytical results show that the application of the frontier technologies make the airport operation more efficient, decision-making more collaborative, control more accurate, and travel more convenient, thus helping the airport to accelerate the construction goal of intelligent airport.

ABSTRACTThe upcoming Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 5 is intended to become a smart airport terminal with 100% contactless services, by enhancing the end‐to‐end Fast and Seamless Travel system. Based upon the stimulus–organism–response framework, this study focuses on the 100% contactless service system as stimuli and integrates key positive drivers—optimism and innovativeness, enjoyment, and novelty as organism—into the technology acceptance model as response. Using a self‐administered survey, 305 responses were collected from individuals who traveled through the airport. Optimism is the strongest determinant of the usefulness and ease of use of this system. Optimism also significantly influences respondents' attitudes and behavioral intentions toward a 100% contactless service. These findings highlight the explanatory power of positive perceptions influencing the adoption of 100% contactless technology as the future of smart airports. This study also provides concrete suggestions to help smart international airports and governments become crisis‐ready and effective decision‐makers.

This paper examines the problem of determining an airport security manpower schedule in the now ubiquitous environments of a smart airport. Passenger service level is the defining factor for the operation of smart airports. Smarts airports need a fast and convenient security check service, as there is a close relation between the time passengers spend waiting and their level of satisfaction. Thus, this research suggests an M/M/s queuing model to determine the waiting time of passengers in the queue and the required numbers of security checkpoints for a given time period. Then, an integer programming model is developed to generate an optimal schedule for airport security personnel. To test an efficiency of the proposed model, a case study is conducted with real data in an airport. The results confirm the effectiveness of our proposed models.KeywordsSmart AirportUbiquitous AirportSecurity Manpower schedulingInteger Programming M/M/s Queuing

Currently, domestic airports are in the completion stage of smart airports, and in this study, we examined the relationship between the perceived benefits and perceived sacrifices of smart airport users in perceived value, intention to co-create, and information sharing intention. In order to conduct the study, an online survey was conducted from March 15 to April 30, 2022 for passengers who have experienced using domestic smart airports within the last year. A total of 310 copies were analyzed using SPSS v.23 program for the final analysis: frequency analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and reliability analysis. Besides, the confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were conducted using AMOS v.23 program. the results of this study are as follows. First, hypothesis 1 was adopted that the perceived usefulness, perceived pleasure, perceived technicality, and perceived cost of smart airports had significant effect on perceived value. second, hypothesis 2 was adopted due to the positive effects of perceived value of smart airports on intention to co-create. Third, hypothesis 3 was adopted as the perceived value of smart airports was found to have a significant positive effect on information sharing intention. Based on these findings, this study suggests strategic implications for smart airport operation.

The objective of this paper is to refine an older airport system to a substantial, improved, and a real-time system based on IoT technology. Today, increased demand of flights and airport traffic leads to the necessity of improving the traveler's experience that many airports fail to deliver. Smart airports can improve the experience of the traveler and employee by easing and re-architecting the process and experience that they undergo. Implementing smart airports will remarkably improve operating efficiencies, passenger services, and advanced security capabilities. Hence, this paper introduces an IoT-based smart airport solution that comprises a mobile application interface and sensor network systems integrated with cloud. The system is implemented and tested that is robust, safe, and secured as compared to compared to a conventional building.