Technological Horizons of the Aviation Industry: An Analysis of the Data Coordination Gap and a New Era of Operational Efficiency
The global aviation industry is currently undergoing its most significant technological transformation since the introduction of electronic tickets. According to data from an extensive study SITA 2025 Air Transport IT Insights, The air transport sector has reached a historic peak in technological investment, with a total of $50.8 billion. However, while the figures suggest unprecedented financial momentum, the reality on the ground reveals a deep chasm. The problem is no longer a lack of technology, but its fragmentation. The main thesis of this year's report, signed by SITA CEO David Lavorel, is clear and relentless: investments cannot deliver their full value if data does not flow freely between systems and partners.
At the moment when Aerospace industry facing geopolitical instability in the Middle East And with increasingly stringent regulatory requirements for decarbonisation, technological solutions are becoming the only shield against cascading delays that cost the industry over $30 billion annually. This report from the portal tragento1.ivanbruno.hr/ provides an in-depth analysis of the trends that defined 2025, from the implementation of generative artificial intelligence to the redefinition of digital passenger identity, with a special focus on the stability of air connectivity in the Adria region.
Financial imperative and stabilisation of IT expenditure
Aviation Companies entered 2025 with clearly defined budgets that demonstrate a high level of maturity. The total planned expenditure of airlines amounted to $36 billion, representing around 3.6% of their total revenue. Interestingly, this percentage remained stable compared to the previous two years, suggesting that IT investments are no longer a reactive response to the crisis, but an integral part of long-term business strategy. Airports, on the other hand, are taking a more aggressive approach, increasing their spending to $14.8 billion, which is a whopping 7.3% of their revenue, compared to last year's 6.4%.
This disparity in percentages between airlines and airports reflects different priorities. While carriers focus on optimising fleets and disruption management systems, airports must address physical bottlenecks through biometrics and automation. The effectiveness of these investments is measured by the system's ability to process data in real time. As many as 83 per cent of airlines today prioritise data-driven decision-making, while that figure is even higher among airports, at 89 per cent.
| Investment category | Airlines (2025) | Airports (2025) |
| Total planned amount | 36 billion USD | £14.8 billion |
| Share of total revenue | 3,6% | 7,3% |
| Budget increase compared to 2024. | 72% respondents | 63% respondents |
| Expected growth in 2026 | 67% respondents | N/A |
Operational reliability has become a direct driver of economic success. When systems reach capacity, even the smallest disruption can trigger a domino effect that spreads across the entire network. That is why 46% airlines are working intensively on upgrading their Flight Operations Systems to ensure that information on crew, aircraft and passengers is available at all times. The foundation for these upgrades is the move to a cloud infrastructure, with 83% companies already using the cloud, while 59% of them cite scalability as the primary motivation for such infrastructure projects.
Artificial Intelligence: From Predictive Models to Coordinated Management
The year 2025 will be remembered as the moment when artificial intelligence (AI) ceased to be a marketing gimmick and became the heart of operational control. Currently, 63% airlines use AI to manage irregularities in operations (IROPS), aircraft scheduling and crew planning. What makes this shift significant is the move from isolated predictions to coordinated decision-making. Rather than merely warning of an approaching storm, the AI now evaluates multiple options for network reorganisation, taking into account crew duty-hour restrictions, passenger connecting flights and the availability of ground handling.
However, ambitions remain far ahead of implementation. While 791 TP3T IT leaders in aviation state Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) as its absolute priority for the coming year, the actual effect of AI It often hits the ceiling of poor data integration. The problem is most visible in aircraft turnaround processes. Only 171 TP3T airlines use AI to track activities such as refuelling, catering or baggage loading in real time. This is a critical point because data on these activities is often fragmented between the airport, the ground handler and the carrier.
| Field of application of AI | Current adoption rate (Airlines) | Key focus |
| Customer support and communication | 75% | Personalisation and real-time updates |
| In-flight operations inspection | 63% | Management of disorders and resources |
| Flight optimisation and fuel saving | 40% | Reduction of emissions and operating costs |
| Predictive warnings and simulations | 39% | Prevention of delays and planning |
| Turnaround process monitoring | 17% | Integration with external partners |
Airports in this segment are making faster strides, with 53% of them already using AI for turnaround management, a significant increase from 36% in 2024. The difference lies in data ownership; airports have a more direct view of what is happening on the apron, while airlines are dependent on how willing those partners are to share information. Lavorel from SITA emphasises that AI is not a replacement for human decision-making, but a tool that enables teams to assess trade-offs more quickly under pressure.
When data is aligned, AI reduces decision time from minutes to seconds, preventing a single gate-level delay from escalating into a network collapse. When data is conflicting, AI delivers hesitation instead of speed.
Digital identity and the biometric imperative
Passengers no longer just want comfortable seats; they want control and simplicity. According to research SITA Passenger IT Insights 2025, as many as 79% passengers are willing to use a digital travel wallet on their smartphones, and 70% prefer biometric scanning to physical documents. This market demand has prompted airlines to make a strategic shift: 64% of them now plan to issue their own digital credentials, a dramatic increase compared with 32% last year.
At the same time, trust in national and regional identity schemes is declining (from 38% to 20%), indicating that transport operators want to become the primary identity issuers within their ecosystem. However, biometrics cannot scale in isolation. As many as 571 airlines and 441 airports cite mutual cooperation as the greatest barrier to scaling these solutions. For a digital identity to function, the traveller must be recognised with the same key when checking in for their flight, when depositing baggage, at security screening, and at the actual boarding.
| Biometric technology | Implemented (2025) | Planned until 2028. |
| Self-service bag drop | 63% | 93% [total] |
| Biometric border control | 54% | 83% |
| Contactless boarding | 23% | 71% [total] |
| Biometric check-in | 27% | 74% [total] |
Airports They have already achieved significant results: 77% of them use self-service kiosks, and biometric border control, which is currently active in 54% airports, is expected to reach 83% by 2028. The key to success here is "seamless flow", where the traveller passes through the airport without taking their mobile phone or passport out of their pocket. From the perspective of the Tragent editor, this is the most tangible change for the average traveller, but also the most sensitive in terms of data privacy, which 49% airlines cite as a primary concern.
Sustainability: From Corporate Goals to Operational Precision
The issue of sustainability in aviation is often viewed through the prism of distant targets for 2050, but last year brought a focus on what can be done "here and now". Investments in fleet renewal are dominant (831 TP3T), as are efforts to procure sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), which 671 TP3T carriers plan. However, SAF remains expensive and hard to obtain, shifting the focus to technological optimisation of each individual flight.
Operational precision directly reduces emissions. Using AI to optimise the climb, cruise and descent phases enables fuel savings that, at the fleet level, have a significant environmental and financial impact. Taxi optimisation, implemented by 651 TP3T companies, reduces unnecessary fuel burn while the aircraft waits on the runway.
The problem again lies with the data. While airlines have complete control over their engine and performance data, overall emissions monitoring Across the entire supply chain it remains below 20%. The reason is simple: it requires sharing sensitive data on energy consumption with airports and ground handling providers, who often use different reporting standards.
Cyber resilience: Security as a shared resource
As aviation becomes a “data industry,” the nature of threats also changes. Cybersecurity is no longer just a matter of protecting internal employee databases; it has become a matter of protecting operational truth. If a hacker can alter output status (gate) data or baggage weight information, the entire coordination system collapses.
As many as 71% airports rank cybersecurity as their number one priority. Interestingly, 641 TP3T airports are already using AI in cyber defence to detect anomalies in data traffic, which is a significant jump compared with last year's 511 TP3T. For airlines, this percentage is lower (49%), as they are more often focused on protecting their sales channels and loyalty programmes.
Ecosystem resilience means that security cannot be built in silos. One failure in the ground handling system can paralyse the entire terminal. Therefore, by 2025, a strong shift is seen towards collaborative risk management, where security protocols are aligned at an industry-wide level.
A signpost for the future: a three-stage evolution
The SITA report offers not just data, but also a strategic framework for what's next. Industry development over the next three years will occur in waves, with each phase requiring a specific set of technological priorities.
- Foundation determination phase (2025): The main goal is to resolve the data integration gap and transition to the cloud. Without a solid database, more advanced technologies like AI will remain mere isolated experiments.
- Operational AI Value Phase (2026): The focus is shifting to demonstrating the value of AI in real-world conditions, particularly in IROPS scenarios and the personalisation of the passenger experience. It is expected that 67% carriers will increase their IT budgets specifically in this segment.
- Full Ecosystem Phase (2027-2028): By the end of this period, digital identity should become the norm, with biometric border control active at over 83% airports. This is the phase in which aviation finally ceases to be a collection of separate stakeholders and becomes a single digital organism.
As editor of the Tragento portal, I see this report as a wake-up call. Technology is no longer the bottleneck – our processes and unwillingness to share data have become that. A record $50.8 billion is at stake as the industry gambles on its future. It is important that we do not remain trapped in a system that is too clever but not connected enough to take advantage of it.
Source: SITA
