AI-induced Resurgence for the Travel Industry Amidst COVID-19

Almost one-third of trade in terms of value is sent by air, making aviation an important factor in the growth of the global economy. Although the industry was under the looms of uncertainty in the last 2 years of the pandemic, it has now taken up speed by upgrading itself with technological advancements. Thus, it can be rightly said that the aviation business in 2023 has been greatly impacted by the new technological era. 

A number of businesses, including the aircraft industry, are seeing exponential expansion as a result of emerging technologies, for instance, AI in aviation industry. Artificial intelligence, the internet of things (IoT), aircraft systems, and hybrid and electric aircraft are some of the emerging technologies that are altering the aviation industry.

AI is expected to significantly advance the aviation sector over the next few years by lowering costs, speeding up design processes, and removing duplication, experimentation, augmentation, support, and updation. However, due to a number of factors, including a lack of access to high-quality data, a preference for simple models over complicated models, and a need for more qualified people and partners to implement it effectively, the aviation sector has adopted AI approaches to a limited extent. 

AI in Aviation Industry – A Dire Need 

Artificial Intelligence technology could be pivotal in transforming the face of travel. From the outset, AI rests on a solid footing of 5 key pillars, namely: 

• Machine Learning 
• Deep Learning 
• Natural Language Processing
• Computer Vision
• Blockchain 

In the pre-covid era, there were numerous AI use cases in aviation. While it was predominantly used to optimize digital operations, the technology has to step out of its mold and offer a scope of work for AI in airport operations to become a reality. If initial signages are to be believed, the role of AI in aviation industry will be broadened to acquiesce travelers to new safety standards. Other technologies that would predominantly play a critical role in the aviation industry are machine learning, deep learning, NLP, computer vision, and blockchain.

Also Read- How Airlines Can Save Millions with Blockchain

The future of AI in aviation is expected to see an increasing number of stakeholders participating in the aviation business having been pushed or reluctantly choosing practical solutions. AI for aviation in the future would mainly concentrate on digital transformation initiatives to improve customer experience, streamline processes, decrease costs, and investigate the advantages of implementing such cutting-edge technologies.

Splitting the graphical representation based on type, this data shows the tendency for airports to increase their AI capabilities by 2023. 38% of airports intend to employ AI for customized marketing in the near future.

Top AI Applications In Aviation Market

Analytics, machine maintenance, customer support, and many other internal processes and jobs can be streamlined and automated using artificial intelligence and its cognitive technologies that make sense of data. As a result, several elements of managing airline operations can benefit from AI technologies. Stakeholders are now hiring premium aviation software development services for building a scalable aviation software solution that beats all the industry challenges. Let’s have a look at the top AI applications in aviation market:

Air Navigational Aids and Aircraft Upkeep

Because of cancellations and delays, airlines endure a heavy financial burden, which includes maintenance costs and compensation for passengers stranded in airports. Predictive analytics utilized in fleet technical assistance is a suitable solution, given that unscheduled maintenance accounts for close to 30% of the overall delay time.

An airline can cut costs associated with the unscheduled repair, staff overtime pay, and expedited part transportation by using predictive maintenance. If a technological issue arises, workflow organization software will enable maintenance teams to respond more quickly.

Revenue Management

For an effective optimization of aviation operations and streamlining revenue management, a unified aviation software development solution-based environment is a must. When data and analytics are used to define how to sell a product to those who need it, at a fair price, at the correct time, and via the proper channel, the process is known as revenue management (RM).

A revenue management system helps analyze the consumers’ perceptions of a product’s value vary, the price they are willing to pay for it relies on the target market to which they belong and the timing of the purchase. 

To maintain the airline both competitive and customer-friendly, revenue management specialists make good use of AI to identify destinations, change rates for certain markets, find effective distribution channels, and manage seats.

Crew Leadership

To establish conflict-free schedules for pilots and flight attendants, experts take a variety of criteria into account, including flight route, crew member licensing and certification, aircraft type and fuel usage, work laws, vacations, and days off. In addition to such, there are government laws to be considered, aircraft maintenance schedules, and training requirements like pairing senior crew members with junior ones.

Flying Optimized Routes 

A lot of long-duration flights tend to have a mid-range landing spot, where often the passengers are required to undergo formal security procedures to check-in to a new flight. In formal terms, this is called a layover. The process is too discomforting from a traveler experience standpoint, forces human-human contact, and invariably increases the risk of community transmission. 

Not to mention the fuel-refilling and the per capita resource consumption by passengers at the layover spot. One of the advantages of AI in aviation industry in the post-COVID world is that it can re-route and optimize long-duration flights. When the carriers reach full capacity, the shortest transit routes can be recommended by AI, saving fuel and other capital-intensive resources. 

Digitalized Check-Ins

People are downright scared to get out of their homes, let alone travel. For those mustering the fortitude to step foot on a plane, do so after ensuring the details about their boarding pass, baggage submission, weather updates, and flight status, among other things. Presently, travelers have to toggle between multiple apps to gather each set of information. Leading travel app development companies in the industry are foraging ways through which AI helps in revamping the aviation industry. 

Lufthansa, for instance, has provisioned for iterations to its mobile app so boarding passes could be stored digitally. An increasing number of pre-market trials suggest that smartphones could act as a one-stop-shop wallet storing necessary travel documentation. There could even be facial recognition to safeguard the app and ensure best-in-class privacy. To roll the red carpet for an all-encompassing paperless travel experience, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has initiated OneID, an identity management solution that will possibly incorporate AI-powered biometrics. 

Baggage Assistance

Baggage has always been a challenging area for the aviation sector.  A challenge that is going to worsen in the COVID-19 era. There is the consideration to be made for baggage deposits, wherein the luggage changes hands and multiplies possibilities of community transmission. 

To tackle this, the airport concierge could innovate e-commerce apps operating to and fro between customer abodes and the airport. Empowering their architecture with RFID tags, and AI-enabled tracking systems, chances of not just baggage mishandling but also contact tracing can be mitigated in instances of virus transfer. 

Not all of us would feel the safety net in trusting an unknown driver to take cost expensive items and dutifully deposit the same at airports. Therefore, for people hell-bent on doing things on their own, self-drop baggage lanes could save the day. In addition to reducing human dependency, they also cut short baggage processing times. Robots could be deployed in such lanes with AI-powered facial recognition software that would recognize the rightful owner of the items. 

Another example of this would be in thermal imaging cameras. Made super efficient with passenger flow analytics and social distancing software, the cameras would scan body temperatures in real time, informing officials of doubtful cases that can be managed as per protocol. 

AI-Fastened Security 

One of the most cumbersome and inconvenient instances in the course of boarding a flight is security checks. All major airports mandate passengers to take off wearables and empty handbags so they can be thoroughly checked. Think we all can agree the process is profoundly annoying. Not to mention the strict levels of distancing required to be maintained are not sustained when officials inspect travelers closely. 

All this will be a thing of the past as AI in aviation safety market sees the light at the end of the tunnel. State-of-the-art scanners would debut at the airports, infused with capabilities like X-Ray mapping, 3D image processing, and/or anomaly protection algorithms. Body scanners will be remodeled to incorporate AI technology. 

AI-enabled automated target recognition algorithms synced into millimeter-wave scanners will make identifying rogue actors a click of the finger. 

Digital Entertainment 

Airport lounges see many people walk in for entertainment/relaxation while waiting for the onboarding to commence. They are often empaneled with public computers and accessory booths used (and touched) by many. This needs to change. 

Carriers such as Delta Airlines are experimenting with a Parallel Reality experience that would facilitate multiple passengers, all simultaneously looking at the same screen, to view their respective flight information. 

Currently,  AI chatbot development is in full swing to complement the mass deployment of robots at airports. Chatbots in the airline industry will be fitted with facial recognition algorithms that would bring a wee bit of personal touch to machine-to-human interaction. Machines will be programmed to sing aloud the advantages of personal hygiene and sanitization.  

Yes, AI in Aviation is Here to Stay and Thrive

The inclusion of AI in the travel industry in the post-COVID world is imminent. Agreeably, it will be a couple of years before the airports start bustling with the rush of people packed close to each other and waiting for departures. A significant level of quid pro quo needs to be enacted for this distant, pun intended, reality to take a rebirth. Artificial Intelligence will take the main stage in being the underpinning technology for all things automation. 

The inclusion of AI in aviation industry will attract business interest not limited to the airports, but branching well into the hospitality sector be it hotels, restaurants, or mobile food vans. With arguably the most talented technocrats under one roof, Appinventiv can be your technological partner.

FAQs

Q. How is artificial intelligence being used in aviation?

A. AI in aviation industry has spread its wings throughout. Airline businesses are now leveraging AI to enhance customer experience and streamline operations. Let’s check out the AI uses in the airline industry:

1. Aviation Slot Management and Scheduling

Flight slot management and scheduling are some of the crucial challenges that the aviation businesses face. This particular system helps in preventing delays and overloads of air traffic at airports. With the utilization of AI capabilities, flight slot management software can analyze and forecast the demand of individual flights, thus helping businesses to make better decisions.

2. Operations Management Systems

There is a dire need for the right software solution that can streamline your flight operations management, keep everything on schedule and reduce the waste of time and resources. With AI in airport management systems, it is possible for aviation businesses to streamline their flight planning, crew scheduling, maintenance tracking, aircraft dispatch, and other processes.

3. AI for Airline Tracking

Using big data analytics, it is possible to know about the purchase history, tracking techniques built into AI systems, AI-based biometric security systems, facial recognition, fingerprint, and retinal scanning are already being used in airports and airlines to identify changes in passenger behavior. Dynamic pricing models powered by AI are used by businesses to optimize ticket rates based on data about passenger travel.

4. AI in Aviation Maintenance

AI may soon be employed in aircraft maintenance and repair. To find out how successfully AI can improve maintenance planning and aircraft capacity, experiments are currently underway. ai in aviation maintenance

It has the potential to lessen the requirement for routine maintenance by only initiating repairs when they are required. By leveraging information from operating aircraft, it can also anticipate potential problems with airplanes. Algorithms will enable AI to foresee flight delays and aircraft problems.

Q. What are the benefits of incorporating AI into aviation?

A. AI is going to bring several breakthroughs in the aviation industry. Let’s check out some of the advantages of AI in aviation industry:

• Passenger identification 
• Baggage inspection 
• Dynamic ticket pricing 
• Product designing 
• Weather forecast check 
• Efficient utilization of fuel 
• Supply chain management 
• Maintenance planning 
• Better customer experience

Q. What is the role of machine learning in aviation?

A. By monitoring airplanes and spotting irregularities, machine learning algorithms and IoT can assist carriers in reducing the costs of unscheduled maintenance. The machine learning algorithm will monitor the aircraft’s technical status in real-time and alert technicians to any potential issues.

In today’s predictive maintenance solutions for the aviation industry, machine learning has become essential. Large amounts of diverse data may be processed by its clever algorithms, which can also remove extraneous data points to get precise snapshots of particular aircraft components.

Q. How can AI help improve aircraft safety and security?

A. Airport security and safety have improved thanks to AI technology. AI video analytics-enabled cameras become proactive security systems that can identify security concerns in real time. In high-impact events, they are used to enhance situational awareness and automate response. Airport managers may make wise judgments about managing airport performance to boost operational effectiveness and improve customer experience thanks to the clever use of data gathered through AI analytics.

• Improve your situational awareness
• Perimeter security 
• Prevent illegal access
• Detecting FOD automatically
• Boost operational effectiveness
• Detection of falls and slips
• Detection of unattended and misplaced luggage
• Thermal filtration

Q. What are the future possibilities for AI in aviation?

A. Intelligent solutions are necessary for businesses looking for overall revenue optimization. Better predicting abilities are promised by artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms, but these systems can only truly excel when combined with the adaptability and human touch of a data analyst. 

Although criticized in the past for being sluggish in its implementation, AI in aviation market is now anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 29.44%, reaching a valuation of USD 2404.83 million by 2028. Artificial intelligence has a great deal of potential for use in fields with complicated scenarios, such as the improvement of support for pilots, airport operators, flow controllers, and cybersecurity officers. Thus, we can foresee a great future of AI, as the upcoming days will see business operations being controlled by bots. 

THE AUTHOR

Sudeep Srivastava

Co-Founder and Director