Technologies to shape airport experience, say experts

Experts discuss transformative technologies shaping India's airport experiences, emphasizing the need for digital ecosystems to manage cybersecurity risks.

With the number of air passengers steadily growing India, transformative technologies like biometric-based Digi Yatra, AI-powered digital twins, integrated multi-modal transport systems, and Net Zero, LEED-certified terminals would shape airport experiences, said experts.

They also stressed on the need to strengthen digital ecosystems to manage rising cybersecurity risks which has been identified as a crucial area of focus.

“India’s aviation growth presents a dual challenge—securing borders while easing the journey for millions of law-abiding passengers. In Mumbai alone, we clear 22,000–25,000 international travellers daily, averaging 10-minute customs clearance. Our aim is to cut this to 5 minutes,” said Joseph Gouda (IRS), Joint Director, Mumbai Customs while speaking at a round table discussion on “Reimagining airport passenger infrastructure through innovation, technology and sustainability” organised ahead of the Inter Passenger Terminal Expo 2025 by Media Fusion. 

“By adopting AI, ML, RFID, and Advanced Passenger Information systems, we are shifting from manual checks to smarter, targeted interventions. This transformation will make our infrastructure both more secure and passenger-friendly—essential for India’s aviation future,” he added.

Stating that India has transformed biometric travel with Digi Yatra, where one’s face becomes one’s boarding pass, Nitin Sharma, DVP – Business Development, of global security group dormakaba, said they were solving complex challenges—like group travel and one-click gate registration—while ensuring data privacy with automatic purging post-flight.

“Innovations like wider gates to prevent tailgating, now powered by AI and ML, were born from India’s unique needs and are setting global benchmarks. With under 10% of the population currently flying, we are preparing for exponential growth by scaling smart, cost-efficient technologies. India’s rapid pace of innovation is not only enhancing domestic operations but creating airport solutions the world is now adopting,” he said.

On the evolving airport infrastructure development in the country, Geetha Priya G, Senior Director – Infrastructure & Airports, JLL India said there was a need to build infrastructure that was resilient, adaptive and efficient.